It takes several great human qualities to excel in a career as a firefighter, you need to be physically fit, mentally strong, patient, be able to remain calm in extremely difficult situations, have a basic knowledge of public safety, and the aptitude to work well in a team. You will have to be able to use specialist safety equipment and cope well dealing with traumatic incidents. Part of your important role involves attending the scenes of major road traffic accidents, working with the other emergency services and safely using Chemical Spill Kits that are an essential part of cleaning up after a crash or a chemical spillage.
These specialist kits are used whenever a chemical spillage occurs, and the fire brigade are called to the scene. The spill kit neutralises the hazardous chemicals that have made the road surface dangerous, and they quickly clean up and contain the situation. Part of the role of a firefighter is to protect the lives of people from fire and other dangerous situations. You need to be brave, have great communication skills, be prepared to put yourself in possibly life-threatening situations and witness horrific scenes and possibly deal with fatalities.
You will be required to work weekends, evenings and bank holidays, and with an average salary of between £24,191 – £32,244, a working week of 41 – 43 hours, a career as a firefighter is not an easy one.
