Pros
Best job in the world! Solid team of people that show up everyday wanting to help others even if it means laying down their life for someone they don’t know. You don’t have coworkers on this job, you have family.
Cons
The flexible/irregular work schedule is a double edged sword. In one hand it offers the ability to spend a lot of time with family, but can also KEEP you from family (especially during busy understaffed summers - lots of forced overtime). This erratic schedule leads to terrible sleeping and eating habits which can have long lasting, negative health impacts in particular cardiovascular disease and other concerning health issues; such as hormonal imbalances, and mental health problems. The dangerous environments you will be exposed to on this job are KNOWN to cause cancer...., and it’s Firefighting which is inherently dangerous. There are 1001 things that can kill or maim you on this job, and you will encounter almost all of them.