Joseph Estrada 

AVID Senior Exhibition Career Research Essay 

Fire Fighter

According to the Achieve 3000 career center website, firefighters require a Lexile
Range 1230L-1300L. The website described what they do. It said firefighters are called to
fires and other emergencies. They must drive emergency vehicles. Most of these are trucks.
They also use hoses and equipment to put out fires. Firefighters often risk their lives. They
must enter burning buildings and other dangerous environments to find and rescue
victims. In many cases, firefighters go to emergencies other than fires, such as car accidents
or places where someone has been hurt. They often must give first aid to victims at the
scene. When there is a large disaster, firefighters often remain at the scene for days. They
will work to rescue victims and provide emergency treatment as long as needed
(Achieve3000.com).
Another website I used to find information about this career was the Job Outlook
Handbook created by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. It said a career in firefighting is
about controlling and putting out fires and responding to emergencies involving life,
property, or the environment. Some of the tasks and activities performed by a person in
this career include responding to emergencies, driving fire trucks and other emergency
vehicles, putting out fires using water hoses, fire extinguishers, and water pumps, finding
and rescue occupants of burning buildings or other emergency situations, treating sick or
injured people, preparing written reports about emergency incidents, cleaning and
maintaining equipment, conducting and participating in drills related to rescue tactics,
equipment use, and treating of victims in emergency medical situations (U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics (bls.gov)).
In this career, a professional is also responsible for connecting hoses to hydrants,
operating the pumps that power the hoses, climbing ladders, and using other tools to break
through debris. Firefighters also enter burning buildings to extinguish fires, rescue any
occupants inside, and give medical treatment as needed. When firefighters are not
responding to an emergency, they often participate in other activities related to their work.
For example, they must maintain a high level of physical fitness and be on call at a fire
station. Firefighters regularly inspect equipment and practice drills. They also eat and sleep
at the station, as their shifts usually last 24 hours. Some firefighters make presentations
about fire safety to educate the public, such as at a school (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
(bls.gov)). The main reason I want to become a firefighter is to help people and to make my
community a safer place to live at.  The public can depend on the fire department if they are
in need of help, and I want to be a part of that. 
A skilled and smart worker must have several skills and abilities to do the job well.
According to the firefighter occupational outlook information it said communication is key.
Firefighters use strong communication skills when working with other firefighters during
emergency situations.  Time management and problem solving are also important. Medical
care is also something a firefighter has to be proficient in.  Many firefighters also have
emergency medical technician training to help them provide medical care to people
rescued from burning buildings and also some firefighters are responsible for stabilizing
burn victims and transporting them to medical centers.
 Firefighters can also respond to situations that don't involve fires, such as accidents,
natural disasters or searches for missing persons. A firefighter has to have spatial
awareness. Firefighters use spatial awareness to create entry plans for burning buildings
and courses of action during emergency response situations. Spatial awareness is when
someone can recognize patterns in a space and understand a space's dimensions by looking
at it. People with spatial awareness can remember how a room or a building originally
looked after items within it have moved. This skill can be helpful when firefighters are
trying to navigate a burning building where walls or furniture may have deteriorated. First
aid skills are very important for successful firefighters. In many areas, EMTs and
firefighters work together, and some jurisdictions require firefighters to get EMT training.
In order to perform their duties, a firefighter should have an aptitude for biology, know
medical terminology and have a compassionate attitude toward the injured when dealing
with victims of fires or other emergency situations (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
(bls.gov)).
The education required to become an entry-level education typically required to
become a firefighter is a high school diploma or equivalent. However, some postsecondary
instruction, such as in assessing patients’ conditions, dealing with trauma, and clearing
obstructed airways, is usually needed to obtain the emergency medical technician (EMT)
certification. EMT requirements vary by city and state. I think people should be prepared to
be able to problem solve or to stay calm under extreme pressure and to maintain
composure when a fire happens. In addition, according to Achieve 3000, professionals in
this career should be able to read material at a Lexile of 1,070 Lexile score. Regarding
salary, according to firefighter’s occupational outlook The median annual wage for
firefighters was $52,500 in May 2020. The median wage is the wage at which half the
workers in an occupation earned more than that amount, and half earned less. The lowest
ten percent earned less than $26,940, and the highest ten percent earned more than
$93,790. The median annual wage for firefighting in the state of California was $93,790
(U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov)).
There are many careers related to firefighting. One related career is EMT and
paramedics. This is like firefighting because they have the same job under different names.
They both are saving people from being hurt. However, this career is different in that they
pick up people in an ambulance and not to fire.  It usually deals with people that are
hurting. Another related career is the police department. It is similar in that they help
people and react to danger. However, it is different because they arrest people and send
them to jail. In the future, I would also be interested in the military because I can still push
myself to different heights. 
I think I would be a successful firefighter because I will have good leadership and
good communication with my team. The results from my strengths, interests, and values
surveys stated I have the qualifications of being strong minded, staying levelheaded, and
pushing myself. This will help me in this career because staying calm and having leadership
will help me during this.  Another aspect that is going to help me is to stay fit and be smart
about my actions, because always pushing myself to do better is going to help me in my
career.

Works Cited
https://www.achieve3000.com

https;//bls.gov

https://www.naviance.com