Holy cow after 32 years it's been since I got off the Gray Hound Bus at FT Leonard Wood, MO nothing has changed. Lots of growth and expansion over the years. Can't wait to see everyone. I guess my brother's comment about the "beautiful" scenery, I guess I would have to agree with that, in spite of the fact that I'm an Ohio native. I think you'll find that it's also a pretty nice place to work for a lot of folks who work in St. Louis. I know that I wouldn't trade for the experience. While those that work for the city don't earn near the salary they earn in the private sector, they do have some benefits that most in the private sector do not enjoy: Paid holidays Paid sick leave The opportunity to be represented by a labor organization A decent pension That's pretty much it. And even the pay isn't all that bad; the average person with less than 10 years of experience (assuming they've worked all of their time at the local government) can make around $28 per hour, so you could have your choice of houses in St. Louis that won't break the bank. Plus, all those "little extras" you see on the way to work. I can see from your post that you've already made the jump, but if you're curious, it's a pretty awesome place to work. I couldn't imagine a better job. I have a friend that is a fireman and he says that he enjoys his job. He also mentions that the money isn't that great. That being said he is a very good worker and also has a ton of friends from his job. However, we all know the kind of money you can make from being a fireman. The pay isn't bad enough that anyone should not want to be a fireman for the pay. If it's in the cards for you it's a good job. Dont have a comment about what the work atmosphere is like in these here parts.....no experience with that. Dont have a comment about what the work atmosphere is like in these here parts.....no experience with that. I really like it for a job. Firefighting is pretty stressful, but it gives you the opportunity to help people in a major way and keep the city safe from a lot of perils. Plus, I don't know about anyone else, but I always loved going to the big firehouse for breakfast. I think the work atmosphere is very good. You meet a lot of great people and the guys on my truck are all great guys. You do have to be prepared to get dirty and there are definitely a lot of perils that you face and we don't always win. There are some big perils that face firefighters all over the country. You face them and don't always win. But I still think it is a great job. Dont have a comment about what the work atmosphere is like in these here parts.....no experience with that. I'm not a fireman, but I'd have to agree with Prowler that it's a great job. People always ask about the risks, but being a firefighter means that you're willing to do something that you would consider the worst kind of work. And the job is a lot of fun. And for the most part, people are understanding that the job means something. That some will leave their house in flames. Some will lose family members. Some will leave people injured in their vehicles, if they leave them there. I'm not a firefighter, but I'd have to agree with Prowler that it's a great job. People always ask about the risks, but being a firefighter means that you're willing to do something that you would consider the worst kind of work. And the job is a lot of fun. And for the most part, people are understanding that the job means something. That some will leave their house in flames. Some will lose family members. Some will leave people injured in their vehicles, if they leave them there. And that's kind of the whole point. Even though I'm not a fireman myself, I do a lot of fire fighting myself. There are jobs that have risk, but they also have rewards. In fact, the risk of someone being injured or dying in a fire is far outweighed by the reward of seeing people happy when they get out of a house that's on fire or seeing their houses restored and people safe. And even though it may be the worst job in the world, I'm going to put up with whatever I have to put up with in order to accomplish my goals. And that has made it a great job. I'll back up your point on that and go further. When I was in the Marines, some of the most rewarding times were when we would come into an area that was in ruins from a typhoon. We could have done just about anything after that. We'd leave the homes destroyed or semi-destroyed, and bring them to normal. We might rebuild and re-roof their homes. Some would even be rebuilt to be better than before. And it wasn't only the physical repair work. We cleaned their neighborhoods up, and even made the roads clean. The environment changed. There were things people had to do in order to stop the place from getting worse. I'm not going to get the details wrong, but I know I did a lot of that as a soldier during Operation Iraqi Freedom. If you do something that isn't worth doing, then you're not doing your job correctly. And as a fireman, you are doing it. If you think of the firefighter as someone who's willing to do the job and do it well, then it's a good job. The risk is there, yes, but the reward is the same. The way I see it, I'm risking something. But I know the reward will be great. And I've got the job to thank for that. If the firemen would go on strike, you wouldn't know how to get in and out of a house without burning your hand, not to mention all the firefighters, they've all had training in house and apartment fires. The only good thing that a fire would probably do is burn the house down. They did it once on TV and the homeowners were safe. They are paid pretty good if you can pass the physical testing and go through all the training. If you do not pass the physical test, you do not get hired. The training is brutal, I took my first class with them, but the training is not for the weak of heart, I still have scars on my arm from the water hose. The work atmosphere is great and will give you a great social life as well as a great paying job for life. Its all fun when you have such a great time at work and people are amazed at how smart and funny you are. Thanks for all the info. I appreciate the feedback. I think I'm leaning towards signing up in June and getting a few classes in before I graduate in May of next year. If you are going to do anything that is not in the safest environment possible, you're just doing it wrong. The firefighters are brave men and women. Not only that, but they know they could lose their life at any time. They know that for a fact. And they do the job anyway. They work hard and have fun in the meantime, especially for those who work on their own house. The guys and gals are very proud when they fix up a house, and even better when they are able to save someone's house from a fire, which is a lot of the time. So it's a pretty good job. And when you go to school, it's a lot of fun. Not to mention that once you graduate you can get a job wherever you want, or so it seems.