Fire fighter Overview

Are you a daredevil? Would you like to protect lives and save precious property? Then bring out the extinguishers, the devices and other equipments. Here's telling you how you could become a fire fighter.
Increasing urbanisation and mounting industrial activity has resulted in greater use of electrical devices in houses and offices. Add to that terrorist activities like bombing, and irresponsible deployment of inflammable substances and you have the perfect recipe for fire hazards. Chemical fires in industries are not uncommon.These are some important facts that a fire fighter should be aware of.

Out of the many opportunities at a Fire station you could choose to be a fire fighter or a fire engineer.
The fire engineer advises and assists organisations in taking protective measures against fire hazards; he may be called upon to design or recommend materials or equipment, alarm systems, fire extinguishing systems; and provide advice on location, handling and maintenance of such devices and systems.

Fire engineers are also responsible for determining causes of fire and methods of fire prevention. They conduct research and tests on fire retardants and fire safety of materials and devices. They may recommend safe methods for the storage of inflammable and other hazardous materials. Fire engineers have to use mathematical principles to assess fire risk, then apply scientific principles to fire-safety practices.If you wish to become a fire fighter, you should be aware of these features.
With experience, a fire engineer moves up the ladder and takes on supervisory, administrative and regulatory responsibilities too. In senior positions, they are placed in charge of training and supervising fire-fighters, administer laws and regulations related to fire department in the organisation, ensure maintenance of fire equipment, prepare departmental budgets and so on.

In the inhibition and prevention of the onset and spread of fire, fire engineering uses management techniques. In active fire fighting and supervisory roles, a fire engineer's work is hazardous, however, administration and research spheres mean more of deskwork. A fire fighter's main responsibility is reducing the consequences of fire if there is an incident. The other side is to reduce the incidence of fire, by effective fire prevention and fire safety advice.

Fire-fighters have to work in shifts in dangerous conditions and are at risk for burns, smoke inhalation and exposure to chemicals. The successful fire-fighter is an approachable, good communicator with the ability to take decisive action under trying circumstances.

Fire-fighters must be able to perform strenuous physical tasks, such as carrying unconscious people down flights of stairs, directing the flow of a hose that carries 2,000 gallons of water per minute, or breaking down doors locked from the inside.
 
The profession is very dangerous--over one in four firefighters have to take time off for work-related injuries, ranging from slipped disks to disfiguring burns--and requires a strong sense of commitment to public service.
P.S. Rahangdale, Station Officer at Fort Fire Brigade and recipient of the President's medal, says, "Without courage, one cannot enter any emergency site. It is vital to be ready in the line of action."

Fire-fighters must be able to deal with brief bursts of intense activity, then long periods of boredom. One fireman recalls, ''there were times when we had to attend over 100 calls in just one shift of eight hours.''

Fire-fighters need to be able to relate to a five-year-old one day and a 75-year old the next. It's being aware of how to communicate with different age groups and cultures. They also need to know about relevant fire safety legislation, fire safety precautions and how these relate to buildings and building construction.

Fire-fighters need to know about streets and places in their district, the handling of dangerous goods and building construction. They also need to know about fire-fighting, different types of fires and how to deal with them, and about rescue methods and equipment.

Fire-fighters need to enjoy working in the community, and be able to relate well to people from different cultures, lifestyles and age groups. They need to be calm in emergencies and able to make good judgements. Fire-fighters need to be patient and disciplined, quick and efficient, reliable, self-confident and able to work well in teams.

They need to be in good health with no breathing problems, and have a consistently good level of fitness. 

Here is a list of top engineering colleges

If you need more information on this profile please feel free to contact us Now.