Detroit FD Hiring

[x635 4,066]

[bruce 15]

how are they going to hire if the city is bankrupt?

[JM15 386]

No pension and you MIGHT get 29k a year... hhmm?

[x635 4,066]

Heck, if I could still hack, I'd probably try for a couple of years....probably a great place to get some experience, even if it's just surround and drown.

[robert benz 344]

Heck, if I could still hack, I'd probably try for a couple of years....probably a great place to get some experience, even if it's just surround and drown.

just had 4 guys from Detroit Fd in last week not a lot of surround and drown, more like 3 - 5 fires a shift and get your ass kicked. And for no money, and now no city pension. More like a 401-k. Shame what the city has done to that dept. And you don't try to be a firefighter for a couple of years, it isn't like buying a car to see if you like it.

[x635 4,066]

I would have rather worked a couple of years (or even my career) in Detroit or Mount Vernon before starting out in a department that barely saw any real structure fires. That experience would be invaluable. And a lot of their fires are abandoned structures and defensive operations. Still can teach a lot. The people who truly love the job don't do it for the money, they do it because they love it and they love helping people, not themselves.

Just like when I started in EMS, I worked Yonkers and Mount Vernon for the experience, and the foundation really served me well throughout my career. High call volume that really kicked your butt most days with a mix of everything from massive trauma to cardiac arrests to you name it. Money wasn't great when I started, and their was no pension.

I think their are many people in the City Of Detroit looking for any type of work. For the near future, it isn't going to be anything like it used to be. But employ people from the community who need the jobs. That benefits the community in a number of ways. Pensions are hard to come by nowadays, and I think they will become few and far between. But until the US decides to encourage car makers and other industries to return to Detroit, that city is going to have to get by on skin and bones.

There are so many people that just sit there and dwell on the negative and throw blame around, instead of focusing on reality and what can actually be done to help and move forward whatever the circumstances may be.

[robert benz 344]

The people who truly love the job don't do it for the money, they do it because they love it and they love helping people, not themselves.

while that sounds very noble, we all need to pay our bills. As was told to me more that once by a 20 yr vet from DFD, who has been forced down in rank twice, "I have been to all the fires I need to see, when will somebody show me some money for what we do " They haven't had a raise in about 10 yrs and have taken a 10% pay cut along the way. They are in a real bad place right now, and it isn't like you can just go anywhere to start over. Not a lot of FD hiring right now. I see it coming to a city, town, village near you very soon.

2 yrs ago they came to NY, got demoted, Last year got demoted again, this year maybe loose their pension. I think they may stop coming to ny.

[MoFire390 118]

there are other FD's out there that hire...go get your time in and transfer out...Ann Arbor and Lansing always take those guys lookin to opt out.

[Dinosaur 844]

there are other FD's out there that hire...go get your time in and transfer out...Ann Arbor and Lansing always take those guys lookin to opt out.

Not as easy as you may think. Especially a guy with 15-20 years on already who should be on the short-timer's list who just found out his retirement plans are gone because his pension is gone.

[JunebugKFD257 48]

I agree with Benz. Despite what a lot of guys say, it IS sometimes about the money. Yes, we still do things for our communities, especially on our days off but when the rubber meets the road, there is still food to be put on the table and a mortgage to be paid. Although I was capable of doing something different with my life, I chose this life. I'm grateful for my defined benefits, and grateful for a flexible schedule. I'm also grateful for never spending a day in the firehouse without laughing at/with somebody or something. This isn't a job you just "kick the tires" at. There are other people behind you on the list that are willing to put their 20+ years in. Taking the job to "just go around the block" isn't fair to the municipality that paid for you to go to probie school and it certainly isn't fair to those who want to be in it for the long haul.