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Hi I am 16 years old, turning 17 in august and very eager to sign my DEP to become a FF in the AF.  I spoke with my recruiter for the first time, and at first she told me (she must have thought i was 18) the only jobs open right now are mechanical jobs. 



I told her I was willing to wait because the only job I want is firefighting.  She told me she cannot make guarantees, but that it would be smart to join DEP on my 17th  birthday and to wait for a slot to open up. She was very understanding that this is ALL That i want to do in the AF. I made it clear that I want no other job in the AF.



I also mentioned that I volunteer at my local station and that I am enrolled in the fire academy which means by the time I graduate HS i will at least have my FF I and FF II.  Can she make a guarantee based on the training I will have? I heard of something called competency booking?



also how long can i expect to wait in the dep? what happens if one year runs out in the dep and no job opening? do i reenlist?



She also told me that for active duty stationing, i get to make a dream sheet of top 8 bases, and as long as my job is there, which FF is at every base, I will get the base. 



Also what is the guranteed enlistment program and the softbook program? how do they tie into DEP?  thank you.

Mikey_K21 says ...

Hi I am 16 years old, turning 17 in august and very eager to sign my DEP to become a FF in the AF.  I spoke with my recruiter for the first time, and at first she told me (she must have thought i was 18) the only jobs open right now are mechanical jobs. 



I told her I was willing to wait because the only job I want is firefighting.  She told me she cannot make guarantees, but that it would be smart to join DEP on my 17th  birthday and to wait for a slot to open up. She was very understanding that this is ALL That i want to do in the AF. I made it clear that I want no other job in the AF.



I also mentioned that I volunteer at my local station and that I am enrolled in the fire academy which means by the time I graduate HS i will at least have my FF I and FF II.  Can she make a guarantee based on the training I will have? I heard of something called competency booking?



also how long can i expect to wait in the dep? what happens if one year runs out in the dep and no job opening? do i reenlist?



She also told me that for active duty stationing, i get to make a dream sheet of top 8 bases, and as long as my job is there, which FF is at every base, I will get the base. 



Also what is the guranteed enlistment program and the softbook program? how do they tie into DEP?  thank you.

Okay...I was an Instructor at the DoD Fire Academy for four years, and an AF firefighter for 15. This is the way it will work.

First, the Air Force no longer guarantees most jobs. There are some critically manned fields that they WILL guarantee a job for, but firefighting is not one of them. WIth your case, they may be able to make an exception, as they do for some exceptionally qualified recruits. If your recruiter has you locked in for firefighting, then it will be on your DD Form 4 that you sign at MEPS when you enlist into DEP. As for the length of time in DEP, that depends on several factors, such as an opening for you at BMT (Basic Military Training) and an opening (if you get firefighting guranteed) at the Tech School. It doesn't make good fiscal sense to send you to BMT, only to have you sitting in the barracks for a couple of months waiting for a tech school slot to open. These openings are projected a year in advance. While in basic training you WILL get to fill out a "dream sheet". Consider it nothing more than dreaming. If there is an opening at a base that you requested, you MAY be assigned to that base. However, they will put you where the Air Force deems that they need you the most. In all my years in the Air Force, I only got ONE assignment that was actually on my dream sheet. While you are right, there ARE firefighters at every base, some bases have contracted out or switched to DoD civilians to fill that role. Believe it or not, Goodfellow AFB, where the Fire Academy is located, has only civilian firefighters there (with the exception of the ones at the school).  As for DEP, I was in for just over a year, and had to re-enlist in the dep for a month or so before I went to basic training.

As for your training. IF you already have FF I and II when you get to the school, AND it is Proboard or IFSAC accredited, you MAY be given the chance to challenge test blocks 2, 3, and 4.  I have seen this happen several times, but only seen one person make it through all the tests (there are 4 total for those blocks).  If you can manage to make it through, it will significantly shorten the amount of time that you are in Tech School. The Tech School itself is 13 1/2 weeks. When you finish, you will receive IFSAC Firefighter II, HazMat Operations, Airport Firefighter, and DoD First Responder.

The most important thing that I ask of all potential recruits is: Do you only want to join to be a _______________, or are you joining to serve your country first, and be a ________________ as a result. Anyone that wants to be a ___________ is considered to be "job locked", and, historically, have very little success in getting to serve.

I just spoke with someone about getting guranteed firefighter jobs in the Air Force, and the answer was that they are not guaranteeing that job at this time. This may change when FY 10 numbers come out, but firefighting is overmanned at the time and is actually cutting back on people. The only people getting this job are ones that come in open and get selected for it in BMT. Once again, there MAY be an exception once you get certified, but I wouldn't hold my breath. In this current economy, all branches are having no problems meeting their recruiting quotas, so they're less likely to go through the trouble to help someone that is "job locked".

I spoke with my recruiter today.   she said that she is not legally entitled to grant me a guarantee which i understand.  She said i would be put in the softbook program.  basically what will happen is that i will go to meps around my 17th b day and then i will take the full asvab and pick 4 jobs i want.  FF will obviously be my first choice, then i  pick 4 others.  if job placement time comes around and still no FF jobs, they will put me in another field.  I am able to either accept the job chosen or to say no, i will wait longer for firefighting.  Then if after I wait forever and dont want to joiin the AF anymore, there are no BINDING contracts signed.

What are some other cool jobs to put on there? Even though I really am excited for FF.

So the job placment is done according to tech school availability (class slots)

Thank youm god bless

Hi, my name is David and I too, am interested in becoming a FF in the Air Force. I recently graudated high school and am 17 years old (18 in September). I received three scholarships to the local college for a fire science associates degree and am going to pursue getting my degree. However, my plans after college are very cloudy right now.  I have thought about the air force academy. I have thought about going to Oklahoma State, joining the Air Force ROTC, and pursuing a bachelors degree in Fire Science. I have also thought about just enlisting and doing my time and hoping for a spot as a firefighter. Finally, i thought about the Officer Training school for the air force. As you can see, my future is very cloduy and i need advice. Is there anyway that any of you guys could give me some advice? it is greatly appreciated.

nefirefighter09 says ...

Hi, my name is David and I too, am interested in becoming a FF in the Air Force. I recently graudated high school and am 17 years old (18 in September). I received three scholarships to the local college for a fire science associates degree and am going to pursue getting my degree. However, my plans after college are very cloudy right now.  I have thought about the air force academy. I have thought about going to Oklahoma State, joining the Air Force ROTC, and pursuing a bachelors degree in Fire Science. I have also thought about just enlisting and doing my time and hoping for a spot as a firefighter. Finally, i thought about the Officer Training school for the air force. As you can see, my future is very cloduy and i need advice. Is there anyway that any of you guys could give me some advice? it is greatly appreciated.

David,

Getting a college degree in Fire Science would just about guarantee you a spot as an AF fire fighter. They are only guaranteeing the slots for exceptionally qualified recruits at this time. However, you cannot be an officer and be a firefighter. If you go through ROTC and come into the military, you can enter, I believe, only as an officer. The only branch that has anything resembling officers in the fire service are the Marines, and they only have Warrant Officers.

The coast guard is even more selective than the AF, and they don't have firefighter slots...only Damage Control, which encompasses a helluva lot more than firefighting. All of the CG's firefighters are civilians. The Marines only do Aircraft Crash/Fire/Rescue. The Army has a few firefighter jobs, but the rumor I heard from a recruiter is that they are all going to the reserves. The Navy will only send ABH's at E-4 and up to fire school, and only once they get a shore duty assignment to a firefighting billet.

The only dumb question is the one left unasked...

Each base has a Fire Marshall, and the Fire Marshall is a Commissioned Officer, but they generally are the Commanders of the base Civil Engineering Squadron. Mostly, you are looking at a Fire Marshall being an O-4 or higher. Plus, they only receive one week of training for that job, and do no hands on stuff.

In the Air Force, all firefighting duties are handled by enlisted personnel. Just to give you an example of some of the slots I filled while a firefighter in the AF: hoseman, hydrantman, driver, crew chief, fire inspector, dispatcher, supply, instructor, rescueman.

When you go to the DoD Fire Academy (you'll train with all other branches of the service, there), you'll graduate with IFSAC Certifactions for Firefighter II, Haz-mat Operations, and Airport Firefighter. Once you get to your first duty station, you'll work on what's known as a 5-level upgrade. This may have changed (I've been out for about 3 years now), but it requires you to get your Driver/Operator for pumper, ARFF, Mobile Water supply, Hazmat Tech, and Telecommuncator I. Once you are done with those, you'll start a 7-level upgrade. For that you'll need Fire Inspector I, Fire Instructor I, Fire Officer I, and Telecommunicator II.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is, all AF fire fighters have to be trained in every aspect of the job. They do this because if someone deploys, someone else has to step up and fill the role that they are leaving vacant. Add to that the fact that most AF bases do not have the required number of people per shift to handle a major incident, and firefighters are subject to recall on their off days for something as minor as a structure fire. Shoot, when the C-5 crashed while we were on duty at Dover, we had to do a full recall AND ask for mutual aid from the surrounding areas.

On the driving certifications, you get them when you get them. Each course took between 3-6 months to complete. Being as I was 21 when I started my firefighter training, I was much older than 18.

AF fire dispatchers are firefighters that get trained to work in the dispatch center. They have to complete the Telecomunnicator 1 course, and then they can work in dispatch. So, effectively, you would have to be a firefighter to work in dispatch.

As for the Officer route. If you go the ROTC route, you will commission as an O-1 (2nd Lieutenant). You will be put to work learning the ins and outs of the civil engineer career field, basically...doing a bunch of grunt work and schooling. After 18 months, you will be promoted to O-2. This will include more schooling, and, more than likely, the O-2 will be assigned to work with a Section Commander. At your 4 year mark, you will be promoted to O-3, and likely be a section commander. You will also have to go through yet another school. At the 10 year mark you will be eligible for O-4. Now, at this point, it will depend on the size of base that you are at as to whether you become a Squadron commander or an executive officer. Most bases I've been at have had O-5's as the squadron commander, and, hence, the base fire marshall. The squadron commander will attend a two week course to learn to be a base fire marshall. Plus, any future promotions take them out of that role.

If you really want to be a firefighter, go enlisted. If you want to be a fire marshall, stay civilian and get some fire inspection classes under your belt. My city fire marshall has WAY more education in that field than any military fire marshall I knew.

Also, to add on to that, when you commission, you do not get to choose the field that you are put in. With the exception of medical and flight officers, all officer candidates are placed based on their qualifications, their AFOQT scores, and college GPA. You could end up as an admin, services, or civil engineer officer, just to name a few. The needs of the military ALWAYS take precedence.

My dad said he learned to fight fire when he got on the Big E and told  him where the DC locker was.