FireLink

I know I beat this horse into the ground but, training is the key to our survival. If you join, you'll be baptized by fire in a controlled setting. Usually this takes place in a burn building at an academy.  You will find out real quick if you have the mental aptitude to do this job.  I personally got a huge rush my first time in a live fire so it kinda just fit.  Before that point I could not tell you if I would like it or not.

As far as trauma scenes, you really don't have time to "see" what you are seeing.  After it is all over is when you see in your mind what happened. This is where you find somebody to talk to. If you keep it all bottled, it WILL affect you.  Some of the stuff we see burns into our brain and we cannot forget it, so you hash it out with fellow FF or EMT or Police. There are topics dealing with the bad stuff. Look into them for moe insight. MKB

training no doubt helps but nothing can really totally prepare you for stuff like that-----however after a bad incident be prepared to talk to people, i've discovered that helps. you may not actually know people on this site but believe me when i say that they on the whole will always be willing to listen and give advice. DO NOT keep it inside it will eat you up for years. you will never forget what you saw but with help you will deal with it and hopefully learn from it and grow as a person. i wish you all the best and as i have discovered you have 1000's of brothers and sisters out there who would love to help you

I will have to echo what everyone else is saying...CISD in some form is the only way to deal with those "traumatic" incidents.  You have to talk to someone about it, whether it's your brothers/sisters in the fire service, significant other, pastor, or the folks here on this website..........you have to get it out.  If you keep it bottled up, it will affect you..........maybe not that day, or the next week, or the next month - but it will come back and haunt you.  Not everyone is cut out for this job, and that's fine (like my old man used to say...the world needs ditch diggers too).....but if you decide this is what you want to do, then take your training seriously and debrief whenever you NEED to.

CISD

was this an apprenhension that yall had when making the decision to become a firefighter?

definately a yes----mine had been eating away at me since 1991 and its only now with the help of my wife(ladyff08) and alot of people on here that i've sorted the ghosts out. i'm not saying you'll totally get rid of anything you experience but by talking to people especially those who've been there and done it b4 you, you will deal with the experience and hopefully learn from it. do not think you are the big man and can handle it alone, you cant-----good luck with the future and remember the people on here are the best and as fellow FF's will have your back and give you all the help and encouragement you need all you have to do is ask!!!!!!

It is definitely not for everybody. A very low percentage of the population can deal with what we see. Even less can actually consider having  a hands on role with it. If you make it, you will eventually see things that will not allow you to sleep that night, and that you will never forget. Years later you will still remember horrific images of calls you worked. It does take help and a strong mental person to be able to handle it, and stay sane. You will only know by doing it. Some have no problem with doing fire, but can't handle the gore, others are the opposite. Most people can't handle either one, some can do both, sometimes at the same time. Only you can find out if you can handle it by trying it.

Training, training, training. Everybody's right on that one, it really does prepare you for a lot (good training, that is). Most likely, as a fireman you won't be at a scene totally alone, without equipment, and you certainly won't be helpless. Most dept's (volunteer or paid) will assign you to a training officer while you're a probie to get your feet planted firmly. And yes, you will see some pretty horrible sh#t, we all have. I have actually removed a body from a car in 2 pieces, seen a suicide by grenade, and the human body in all sorts of disassembly. Nobody can predict how you or anyone else will react to such scenes, but as someone else said here, you won't have much time at a scene to think about what you're seeing, just what you need to do at that time. It's afterward that it hits you & it hits everybody at some point or other. That's where CISD, already discussed here comes in.

You have a leg up on us old farts: This website didn't exist when I started (hell, there was NO internet when I started) to give this thing a close checkout beforehand, so I sorta went in blind. Doubts about it? Yep, before, during & after! But I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Good luck with it, keep us posted.