A CAREER IN FIREFIGHTING: THE ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME
The Chesapeake Fire Department is a "family" promoting teamwork, innovation and compassion. We are committed to fairness, honesty, and respect. We are motivated by an environment of trust and driven by the desire to help others. Our mission is to protect and improve the quality of life by providing responsive and caring service to the citizens of and visitors to the City of Chesapeake. Our services include, but are not limited to:

• Providing emergency medical care and transportation
• Extinguishing fires
• Providing code enforcement inspections
• Providing public education programs
• Providing assistance in other hazardous situations
• Protection of the City's environments through code enforcement

WHO IS A FIREFIGHTER?
A person interested in a career as a firefighter should possess the following qualities:

• A desire to help others
• Physical stamina
• The ability to work well under pressure
• The capacity to function as a cooperative and effective team member

TRAINING:
All successful applicants, upon employment, must attend a 9 month recruit school. Some of the many skills taught during this training program include driving and operation of a fire engine, search and rescue techniques, use of ladders, structural fire fighting, handling hazardous material incidents, and basic investigation of fire and arson. Each recruit must qualify as a state certified emergency medical technician. During the recruit school, instruction in emergency medical procedures is also provided.

THE WORK SCHEDULE:
Each firefighter works an average of ten, 24-hour shifts each month. The shift begins at 7 a.m. and ends at 7 a.m. the following day. During a typical 21-day work cycle, a firefighter will be on-duty for seven shifts and off-duty for fourteen with one, two, three or five days off between shifts.

A FIREFIGHTER'S DUTIES:
The firefighter reports for duty at the assigned station at 7 a.m. Each station is equipped with all the necessities of home as well as some of the luxuries of home.

The day typically begins with an inspection of equipment and fire apparatus to ensure that all equipment is ready to perform its function or task.

Remaining hours of the shift are devoted to a combination of tasks: training, inspections, public education, pre-fire planning, emergency response to fire, medical and emergencies as well as the routine chores associated with life at the fire station.

OPPORTUNITIES TO ADVANCE:
Several levels of responsibility create the rank structure of the Chesapeake Fire Department. As training and required in-service time is acquired, the firefighter can advance by either of two paths:
the Command Ranks (Firefighter, Lieutenant, Captain, Battalion Chief) or Career Path (Senior Firefighter or Master Firefighter). For a complete list of our competitive benefits, click on the link to the left of this posting "Benefits at a Glance".PDN-9ce8fb2a-aa5f-4e46-bc6f-84e9e6cbacf9