I'm a 27 year old doctor here but somehow my inner fire fighter is screaming out. I've worked as an EMT for sometime before (though they did accept me without any further training since I was a physician already).

I'm just wondering if U.S. FD's accept foreign applicants. How hard is it to be employed as a fire fighter in the U.S.?

I'm looking at L.A. or Texas since I have relatives there.

Thanks!

I'm going to be blunt, you pretty much have no chance of going directly into the firefighting field. Besides not being a US citizen your WAY WAY overqualified. The way it currently works is you sign up for a fire academy then go into a volunteer firefighter position with no pay. If your ever so lucky you might land a full time position but thats after years of shoveling wet ashes with a smile. Even so your biggest disqualification is your education.

I'm not saying it's not possible but it's a huge long shot. First you need to get past immigration which has it's own big hurdles to jump over. And why would you want starting Firefighter pay 20-30K when you could have MD pay at 100-500K
<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

I can't testify to anything Les said, but I can tell you that around here, if a single firefighter position opens, there's a line of about 200 applicants for the one position. It's not a friendly environment for someone new.

Now, if you come over as an M.D., you may have a shot at a cool job directly related to your education.

I would think it would be better to be a part time volunteer Firefighter, and keep your higher paying job as a doctor. But hey, if you have a love for it and want to give it your all I say go for it. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

Full time, paid positions are difficult to get. Most of the full time positions are in large urban areas. Large, urban areas have the tax base and call volume to justify paid departments. In the past 10 years, the fire calls have dropped (better building codes) while the medical calls have increased. I know a few full time guys. They roll on a fire call about once a week. They roll on medical calls a few times each shift.

A few months ago, a county towards Atlanta had 9 new fire fighter positions. They had over 450 applications.

Rural areas have volunteer or combination (mixed volunteer and paid) departments. The two counties my department servers has a total of 7 paid fire fighters. The other 200 or so fire fighters are all volunteers.

Most departments have their own requirements, even beyond the state fire academy. A department will hire someone, then send them off to the state fire academy. This usually takes about 4 weeks. Once they return from the state school, the department will do more in-house training. Usually another 2 or 3 weeks. With the number of applicants for each position, the best way to get a foot in the door would be a volunteer. You can get some experience. Then apply for positions as they become available.

If you have the bug, find a regular job. As an MD you have plenty of options. For example, the closest hospital to our department is looking for a ER nurse. Highlands Cashiers Hospital Employment
Once you get hired and settled in, check out the volunteer departments nearby. Most departments require the volunteer to live or work in their district. So, you may choose to look at a place to live, after checking out the local departments.

Some departments have a "good ol boy" mentality. Others have a more professional approach. Stay away from the "good ol boy" departments. That attitude can/will get you killed. Fighting fire is dangerous business. Todays light weight truss construction in buildings and increased fire load with highly combustible plastics mean the way to fight fire is dramatically different than in the past.

Starting out as a volunteer means doing a lot of unpaid work. Each state requires training hours. Departments may require additional training. We train in all these areas: SCBA, rapid intervention, water site setup, water shuttle, pre-plans, driver, pump operator, drop tank, dry hydrants, wet hydrants, car fires, wildland, chimney fires, pressurized container, flammable liquids, fire extinguishers (type ABCD and now K), helicopter landing zone setup, vehicle extrication, foam use, .....

Every hose must be tested. Each truck must be tested. Every gas powered portable pump must be maintained. Every gas powered chain saw and generators must be maintained. Air tanks filled. SCBA's flow tested. Battery powered lights maintained. Battery powered radios maintained. Hoses must be cleaned, dried, rolled and put back in service after a call.

It's a lot work. But, if you have the bug, go for it. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

Lieutenant - Sky Valley / Scaly Mountain Volunteer Fire & Rescue

Dude.....

You're a doctor. Move to the US, and make BANK.

Why in the holy hell would you want to enter burning buildings, and make $25k a year!?!?!?! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/ignore.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/ignore.gif" alt="" />

Seriously.... if you are itching to fight fires, go join a VFD. They've got great folks there that'd love to have you.

I think the issue is his medical school is not automatically accredited in the US. He would have to pass the board again here which is a major PITA. I'm just guessing.

Lets set you up with a "Doc in the box" franchise in some strip mall in suburbia. You will make 500K a year looking at sore throats and signing Viagra prescriptions. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

If you need excitement look into being a life flight doc.

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/patriot.gif" alt="" />

No kidding. Given the Army's mission requirements, we have lost the basic luxury of having MAST support in our outlying areas, with no one to replace them. My dept's range on the outlying end is 60 miles from the hospital; and some of it is NOT along the AlCan (in Borough, but roadless).

As volunteer EMS, we also did *some* flight medic training and teamed up with Alyeska Pipeline's copter patrol for mutual aid and wilderness EMS.

You're probably not set up for a volunteer system over there, but if you were in the States, yes, keep your doctor job, get certified, and find an outfit that's not part of the good ol' boy's club.

Good luck on the latter. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />

That's certainly a radical career change.
If US Immigration is anything like Canadian Immigration, then you need to apply to work in a field that is on the Immigration hot-list, that is, it must be a career that the country is experiencing a shortage with. You may need a solid job-offer, and the company may have to prove that there is currently no one already in the country that can fill that position. Not many companies are willing to put in the paperwork. You will also need relevant education and a few years experience in that field, and be able to prove it (training documentation, company's contact person, employment records, etc), though it does not have to be your current type of employment, and once accepted, there's nothing to stop you from changing employment types.
Immigration may also have a "permanent bar" list of professions and employment types that are in surplus, and will not be permitted entry at all. When my wife went through the process 12 years ago, machinists, welders, and industrial tech types were HOT, but teachers were NOT.
Do your homework, and find out what Immigration is looking for, and see if you can plug into one of them. Having a relative sponsor you helps, but you may still need to prove that you won't be a burden on society, and won't be displacing (or expecting to displace) anyone else already here from their position.
I don't know where M.D. fits into the scheme of things, but fire-fighter will definately NOT be on the "in-demand" list. Nor will EMT. We got too many here in Canada as well.
Check with your training hospital for contacts and help in finding over-seas contacts. If you happen to have a sufficiently unique medical skill-set, you may be able to find someone over here to write a job description tailor-made for you.
As it currently stands, most immigration personnel responsible for reviewing applications for residency will be a little concerned with your sudden career changes. You might want to keep an eye on how your CV is going to look.
The Med Research lab I work in has helped several PhD MD's leave China by writing specific job descriptions, but that was after we had met them for a while as Visiting Scientists.
Another option (in Canada, at least), is "Investor", all you need to really do is prove you've invested ~half a million in the country, and then it gets easy.

Bear in mind these 2 things: any Health issues and Security issues will pretty much end any immigration process, and you will need to prove both.

Of course you could always try as a Refugee, then it's up to the Govt to prove that you AREN'T.