Fire Fighting Training: Essential Rules For New Fire Fighters

While completing fire fighting training courses is essential for aspiring fire fighters, there are also some important rules to follow that every new fire fighter should know. From checking your equipment to being a team player, there are many rules that are crucial to being a proper fire fighter.

Here at EMCARE, we help aspiring fire fighters by providing them with professional training courses. In this quick read, we'll be highlighting some essential rules for new fire fighters to follow and discussing why they're so important.

Rules All Fire Fighters Should Know

If you're an aspiring fire fighter and you want to lay the foundation for a long and successful career, knowing and following all the right rules is essential, especially if you're a rookie. Paired with fire fighting training, this quick guide to essential fire fighter rules should equip you with all the best tips and tricks to flourish in your career:

Check Your Equipment
Whether you're a seasoned professional or you've just completed your introductory training, checking your equipment is crucial for all fire fighters. If you have missing equipment or faulty tools packed for your next fire rescue, this could have devastating consequences at the scene of the fire, especially when lives are at stake. Rather than risking it, make sure you check every nozzle and ensure that your safety uniform is in good working order before embarking on your next mission.

Respect Veteran Fire Fighters
The senior members of any department are sure to have loads of wisdom to impart on the newcomers of a certain, and the same can be said for fire fighters. While fire fighting courses provide you with essential skills and knowledge, learning from senior fire fighters can provide you with valuable information and insight into the profession. After years in the field, veteran fire fighters have extensive knowledge and first-hand experiences from working in the fire fighting service, so be sure to ask for advice or additional tips where needed.

Introduce Yourself To Everyone At The Station
As a fire fighter, you'll be relying on everyone at the fire station for future missions and tasks. Communication skills go a long way as a fire fighter, so be sure to take the initiative to greet everyone you meet and make yourself known to your captain. As a fire fighter, you'll be better off knowing who your crew is than not. This way, you can better establish a relationship with your crew and work better alongside each other.

Show Up To Work 30 Minutes Early
As with any career in the field of emergency services, time is of the essence, which is why coming to work early is an unspoken rule of any fire station. By coming to work early, you can familiarise yourself with the gear you'll be working with before heading out for your first fire call. The more time you have to get ready at the fire station, the better prepared you are for assisting with emergency fires. Additionally, this also gives you the opportunity to talk to the off-going crew about their last trip, which can provide you with important information about handling fires.

Establish Your Responsibilities & Riding Position
To be a successful fire fighter is to be a team player, which is why you should always take the initiative to play your part within your crew. Depending on your rank and experience, you'll have been assigned specific tasks, responsibilities and a riding position. With fire fighting training, you'll learn all the essential skills of being a fire fighter so that you're prepared to take on any role or duty. Before you leave the station on a fire call, make sure you find out where you fit in and how the crew does things.

Wear Your PPE
No matter your area of expertise, wearing your personal protective equipment (PPE) is one of the most important rules to follow as a fire fighter. Despite how many fire fighting training courses you've taken or experience you've gained over the years, no one is indestructible. In order to protect civilians and keep those safe from danger, you need to protect yourself first. Equipping your PPE not only helps you to work more efficiently as a fire fighter, but it also gives you a better chance of coming back in one piece.

Embrace Lifelong Learning
If you've completed fire fighting training and are new to the field of fire fighting, you'll know that consistently learning is a part of the job. While a fire fighting course may equip you with essential skills, the real experience comes from working in the field and putting your training to use. The supply of information available when it comes to fire fighting is limitless, so you can rest assured that there'll always be something new for you to learn, even if you're a seasoned veteran.

Become A Fire Fighter With EMCARE's Training

Being prepared for any job goes a long way, especially when it comes to being a fire fighter. Together with a fire fighting course and a thorough understanding of these essential rules, you should be able to make a great first impression for your first day on the job.

If you're an aspiring fire fighter and you'd like to get started on your training, EMCARE has got you covered. As a health and safety training facility, we offer a diverse range of courses, including several fire fighting modules. To find out more about our fire fighting training or any of our other courses, visit our website or give us a call at 021 020 0773.