Fire Protection
By: Cadet Chief Master Sergeant Rachel Pearson
I have had a lot of thoughts of what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, for a while I wanted to be a veterinarian, a lawyer, a marine, an astronaut. When I thought I wanted to be those things the reasons behind them weren’t very good ones, they varied from looking cool, to money, to what people thought I should do. After time I realized I wanted to do none of those things, in fact I wouldn’t be very good at any of those things. In the back of my head I always had thought I’d grow up helping people and I have found a career that suits my needs perfectly. My career choice is Fire protection in the United States Air Force. What makes this career dream different from the rest …show more content…
You will be stationed on an Air Force base but will occasionally help out local civilian fire departments when needed. Retired staff sergeant Brian Houseman explains what he during his career ”Started work life out as a hand linemen which basically is the lowest position on the truck on both aircraft fire rescue and your standard fire engine. From there, I moved up to driving both aircraft crash rescue vehicles, rescue vehicle, and pumper apparatuses. Once I was in the long enough and obtained my 5 level Training I got to the point of being in charge of the different fire department vehicles. After getting staff Sergeant I was put into station captain duties which is more paperwork than firefighting but it's part of the process.” During your time in this career you will receive Red Cross certification in standard first aid and CPR. You will also learn the principles and operations of fighting building, aircraft, hazardous materials, wildland and other types of …show more content…
After eight and a half weeks of Basic Military Training, every Airman goes to technical training to learn their career. Fire Protection technical training takes place at Goodfellow Air Force Base in Texas. The course is Fire science, it is 68 days long and 23 college credits are earned. “For high school classes one of the biggest would be gym. Because it is a very labor Intensive job that requires strength and endurance. Also there is a lot of math when you become a driver for the vehicles to be able to figure out how much water your truck is able to put out during an operation. The last classes that I would recommend is computer classes to be current with the technology that is up and coming” suggested Houseman. The wage for this career is the same as any enlisted airmen, it is based on rank. Enlisted members enter as an Airman Basic or higher depending on education and prior service, and are subsequently promoted up through the ranks. Starting off, an airman basic makes $17,892. A senior airman with over 3 years of service makes $25,888. A chief master Sergeant with over 22 years of service makes $68,875. Wage increases when rank and service time
By: Cadet Chief Master Sergeant Rachel Pearson
I have had a lot of thoughts of what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, for a while I wanted to be a veterinarian, a lawyer, a marine, an astronaut. When I thought I wanted to be those things the reasons behind them weren’t very good ones, they varied from looking cool, to money, to what people thought I should do. After time I realized I wanted to do none of those things, in fact I wouldn’t be very good at any of those things. In the back of my head I always had thought I’d grow up helping people and I have found a career that suits my needs perfectly. My career choice is Fire protection in the United States Air Force. What makes this career dream different from the rest …show more content…
You will be stationed on an Air Force base but will occasionally help out local civilian fire departments when needed. Retired staff sergeant Brian Houseman explains what he during his career ”Started work life out as a hand linemen which basically is the lowest position on the truck on both aircraft fire rescue and your standard fire engine. From there, I moved up to driving both aircraft crash rescue vehicles, rescue vehicle, and pumper apparatuses. Once I was in the long enough and obtained my 5 level Training I got to the point of being in charge of the different fire department vehicles. After getting staff Sergeant I was put into station captain duties which is more paperwork than firefighting but it's part of the process.” During your time in this career you will receive Red Cross certification in standard first aid and CPR. You will also learn the principles and operations of fighting building, aircraft, hazardous materials, wildland and other types of …show more content…
After eight and a half weeks of Basic Military Training, every Airman goes to technical training to learn their career. Fire Protection technical training takes place at Goodfellow Air Force Base in Texas. The course is Fire science, it is 68 days long and 23 college credits are earned. “For high school classes one of the biggest would be gym. Because it is a very labor Intensive job that requires strength and endurance. Also there is a lot of math when you become a driver for the vehicles to be able to figure out how much water your truck is able to put out during an operation. The last classes that I would recommend is computer classes to be current with the technology that is up and coming” suggested Houseman. The wage for this career is the same as any enlisted airmen, it is based on rank. Enlisted members enter as an Airman Basic or higher depending on education and prior service, and are subsequently promoted up through the ranks. Starting off, an airman basic makes $17,892. A senior airman with over 3 years of service makes $25,888. A chief master Sergeant with over 22 years of service makes $68,875. Wage increases when rank and service time