Hot Tip -- by Mark Sproxton

Thinking about a career in emergency services? Here are some things you may not have known but will need to consider.

The next few years will be the best time to apply to all emergency services, including fire, police and EMS departments. In fact, 10 years from now, over half of the people employed in these services will be retired, leaving room for new recruits anxious to fill their shoes.

While the demand for workers will be high, so too will the expectations of the employer. Like other industries today, fire, police and EMS recruiters know more people are staying in school or going back to upgrade their skills. They not only expect basic qualifications, but will want to see a variety of training and life experience. To be competitive, one should not only investigate related training options and work experience, but should research the specific needs of the employer. Here are some things I found out:

Illustration by Kathy Lycka

Fire: The fire department looks for a variety of qualifications. Recruiting is based upon a point system, whereby individuals collect points for all types of credentials, from chemistry classes to underwater welding. Key qualifiers will be training or experience in areas such as emergency medical care (at least EMR level), the skilled trades, swimming/ diving and even engineering technologies. Courses taken at an instructor's level will yield more points. While the recruiting process looks intimidating as to the number of qualifications you need, don't shy away from the process. The fire service needs "young blood" in order to grow good, long-term firefighters ready to replace their retirees.

Best advice: Look into EMR certification and apply to the fire department early.

Police: Right now, police services are looking for individuals from a diversity of backgrounds. Just because you happen to be an entomologist, don't shy away from pursuing a career in policing. A history of community involvement, good moral character, professional integrity, commitment to learning and good discretion set the foundation for a good recruit. The Calgary Police Service has one of the best web sites amongst police services in Canada and has the most comprehensive sections for recruiting I've seen! Take a look at: www.gov.calgary.ab.ca/police/.

Best Advice: Volunteer as much as possible, maintain a healthy lifestyle and think seriously about pursuing post-secondary education. While there is a demand for police officers there is no shortage of applicants; make yourself competitive.

EMS: The next few years looks good for recruiting as EMS will also be losing a significant number of people to retirement. To qualify as an applicant one must possess, at the very least, their EMT-A or EMT-P certification. Entry into the EMT programs at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, for example, is competitive and based on a point system. In addition to standard entrance exams (including math), an applicant will collect extra points if they have the following: first aid instructor, CPR instructor, ski patroller and/ or lifeguard certification. While EMS obviously looks for more standardized training, they too will scrutinize one's involvement in the community.

Best Advice: Volunteer in your community, look into EMR training, pursue instructor courses and be prepared to start in small, rural areas prior to landing a job in the city.

Whichever emergency service you consider, it's always a good idea to do a little career planning, at school, at a local career/ employment centre or even online, to see if this field is a match for you. Best of luck!