Every time firefighters leave the station to respond to an emergency, they never know if they will be coming back. As a result, this line of work is not for everybody.
In fact, there are a few traits that every firefighter should have, according to Firehouse.com. For instance, the ideal candidate for this profession should be accountable, adaptable, aggressive, persistent and willing to make sacrifices.
While training programs are designed to help firefighters prepare for the types of scenarios they will encounter on the job, a recent study by human factors/ergonomics researchers found that not all programs are as effective as they are meant to be. The researchers found that repeated exposure to the same set of live-fire scenarios can fail to prepare firefighters for situations that are different in nature.
"If you learn the scenario, you can predict what will happen in that one scenario, but you can’t predict what will happen in situations that look a little different," said researcher Michael R. Baumann. "If you learn general principles, then you can predict what is going to happen in a wide range of situations."
Before individuals even begin their training, they may want to take a free career test to see if they have the traits that are required to work as a professional firefighter.
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