Working Conditions Firefighters spend much of their time in fire halls or training facilities preparing for various emergency situations. When emergencies arise, firefighters must be able to respond immediately. At the scene of the emergency, firefighters have to remain calm and level-headed and help to calm other people as well. They often need to put themselves physically at risk in order to deal with the situation. The duties of this occupation mean that firefighters must have a very high level of physical fitness as well as the ability and access to resources to deal with possible emotional stress.
Firefighters are among the better paid occupations.
This is a medium-sized occupational group, with the number of employed workers estimated at 3,380 in 1998. The unemployment rate for firefighters is lower than the average for all occupations. This reflects the very structured recruiting practices in this field. There are small numbers in a variety of other industries that require firefighters for their own operations, such as air transportation. Northern B.C. This is still an occupation dominated by men.