Firefighters work 48-hour shifts on a rotating schedule. Our department is organized into three shifts, A-shift, B-shift, and C-shift. Firefighters report for duty at their assigned station at 0800 hours and are released from duty at 0800 hours. Shifts are organized by the following schedule: two days on and four days off. Then it starts up all over again.

A fire station is a home-away-from-home. Firefighters live and work together and function as a family and a team. A typical day includes physical training, equipment maintenance, station maintenance, training, report writing, public education, fire prevention, and emergency response. Firefighters pay for their meals on-duty and assist in food shopping, meal preparation, and clean-up. A firefighter’s on-duty schedule may be somewhat routine; however it must also remain very flexible.

Firefighting involves vigorous and skilled physical work and continuous training, as well as handling emergency and life-or-death situations. In addition to fighting fires and rescuing citizens from burning buildings, firefighters also:

• Work with citizens to promote fire prevention through education and inspections
• Provide emergency medical care – both first responder and paramedic
• Extinguish fires and perform post-fire salvage and overhaul
• Perform rescue operations at automobile accidents
• Conduct and participate in a variety of training programs to learn the latest firefighting technology and methods and to refresh current skills

Links to Training Information:

• Los Medanos College EMS Program
• Los Medanos College EMT
• California EMT Training Programs

Links to Jobs Information:

• City job postings
• California Department of Forestry
• Perfect Firefighter Candidate
• Careers in the Fire Service

If you are still in high school, consider taking courses such as chemistry, elementary physics, and mechanics. Basic understandings of these areas of study are helpful. Also, involvement in team activities, community service, jobs requiring customer service, and experience working with tools, equipment and machinery can help prepare you for a firefighting career.

To obtain a Firefighter 1 certificate you must first attend a Firefighter 1 Academy. Most community colleges, such as Solano Community College, offer the fire academy, EMT Certificate courses and Fire Science Technology courses. In the academy you will learn basic firefighting skills, do a lot of reading, take tests, and participate in a physical fitness regimen. The Fire Science Technology courses aren’t mandatory but they are a good building block of knowledge for becoming a firefighter. Emergency medical services are a huge part of the fire service and that is why an EMT-1 certificate is required by our department. EMT classes are available through most community colleges as a semester long course and also through some trade schools.

If you find that you really like being an EMT, then becoming a paramedic is something you should consider. After completing the EMT-1 or paramedic program, field experience can be gained by working for an ambulance company.

For long term planning, if your ambitions include moving to the level of fire captain, the above courses are required along with an Associate’s degree in Fire Science and California Fire Service Training and Education System (CFSTES) Fire Officer Certificate.

Our Department has a ride-along program that gives citizens the opportunity to spend a day at a fire station (9:00a.m.-9:00p.m.) to see what goes on during a work day and to go on calls with the fire engine or ambulance. Normally it is required that a person be 18 years of age or older, but exceptions have been made with the captain’s approval and parent’s permission. To obtain more information about our ride-along program call (707) 449-5452.

Our department does not have a Volunteer Firefighter program. The Vacaville Fire Protection District (VFPD) does have a Junior Firefighter program as well as a Volunteer Firefighter program. To obtain more information about their programs call the VFPD at (707) 447-2252.