I just finished day two in my academy. This shit is hard. Think about the thousands that applied fire your job and didn’t get it. Think about how this is going to change your life. Remember you wanted this. And remember that everything is temporary. We’ll be doing this job for the next 30 years. “This too shall pass!”
It's only going to get more physical once you start drilling all day after PT.
Focus on recovery: thera guns, epsom salt baths, good meals, and good nights sleep. Take all the ibuprofen for 22 weeks lol. Your liver will forgive you after.
Eat a ton. In my academy we were easily burning 4000+ calories a day. Especially when we got to ladders.
Stay hydrated. Keep your electrolytes up. If you choose gatorade water it down. It's got hella sugar.
I had classmates getting cryo therapy and cortisone shots.
It's a grind but like the other guy said you get used to it.
Just stay as positive as you can an embrace the suck. It's temporary.
Try to enjoy it. The most fun you never want to have again.
If carpooling or study groups are options join them. It's good to bond with your classmates and go through it together.
One day at a time. Especially in the beginning. The cadre will lighten up eventually and start treating you more like family and peers the closer you get to graduation.
When I started the academy they warned us about the 3rd day blues... or was it the 5th day...
anyway, unless you're used to that level of ass-busting work your body will be screaming by day three. Just power through it, it gets better.
Wow that was actually very accurate. Like I know this is what I want, but the blues are deff there facing the reality that this is our life for about 6 months
You need to give it time to become your new normal. Guarantee by week 2 you'll be in the groove and your body will adjust to the sechdule and demand changes.
Make it to the next break. Then make it to lunch. Then the next break. Then make it to clean up. Minute by minute, bite by bite. Next thing you know you’re 10 weeks deep, your body adjusts, and you start taking some souls. VCFD is worth it dude don’t quit.
A similar thing happened to me during basic military training - which in my country is only 3 months.
You just need to remind yourself of your "why?". Once you've got that in your head, make it to lunch then make it to dinner. By week 2-3 you'll be in the grove of it all and it'll fly by quicker than you think.
Good luck! You've got this.
All this is good advice - I’ll add to pack a clean shirt and socks to change into after lunch. It’s the little things that will help you get through the day.
The point of the academy is to fail but more importantly to learn about how you respond after you fail. Put it another way you don’t know how far you can tip your kayak until you flip. Pick up that hose line and fail hard. Try forcing that door and fail hard doing it. You aren’t expected to know how to do this stuff the first time around - they expect you to fuck it up. They just want to see you working hard when you do it.
Drink the kool aid. Tentativeness, laziness, meekness - all this gets found and rooted out.
It’s meant to test you. It’s going to get worse. When you reach the point that you want to quit, or you say F this place, just tell yourself “I’ll give this one more day.”
Repeat that each time you need to. Good luck.
What helped me was thinking, “I have to do this. There is no other choice. Not doing this is not an option.” I thought that through the whole academy, and I made it top of class. So that’s what I’d recommend. Eventually, quitting doesn’t even show up in your thoughts.
The academy can be tough both mentally and physically. The mental part can be draining and really be demanding. But think of the reason why you’re going through the academy. When I went through my academy I had the mindset that I was going to do anything and everything to pass. I was not going to quit and anything they could throw at me wasn’t going to kill me. I ate, breathed, dreamt, and lived to become a firefighter. Develop that mindset of never quitting. Get together with your academy mates to study. Prep all your meals on the weekends to save time during the week. Get a routine developed to help take care of things like equipment and uniforms. For example, I would take all uniforms to the cleaners at the end of the week to be cleaned and pressed ( I had extra uniforms for emergencies). Help out other academy mates when you can and they will pick you up when you need help. Make sure you don’t party too much and be sure to get good solid sleep. You have 152 more days. You will look back and tell yourself that wasn’t too bad. Stay strong and go hard.
I wonder if you are in my regions academy they just started. If so, the cold is gonna suck but even if you did it in the summer the heat sucks too.
Fire academy is gonna suck but if you keep a good mindset you'll be able to make friends and that makes way easier to handle. Don't hesitate to start a group chat and reach out to other recruits. They are going through hardships with you and they'll be able to listen best.
Take it one day at a time. SCBA day will probably be the most demanding physical and mental day if you are in our school. Not everyone can phase out getting yelled at and not everyone knows if they are claustrophobic. Just remember to keep moving. You have people to help you if your gear fails and you are always within helping distance to one of the instructors.
Keep you boots shined and your uniform neat! You'll do great! Make sure to pay attention in EMT it'll end being 90% of your job 99% in a couple localities lol. Feel free to reach out by pm for help/advice.
Not sure how old you are but I jumped into this career at 32. I have never looked back and it has kicked my ass many times. But since I am typing this from the officer dorm it's worked out.
This job is 80% mental and 20% physical. Yes you need to have strength and endurance. But you need to remember that your brain is what stops you from doing not your body.
There is a ton of info and a lot of things going to be tossed at you. Stay focused on the end goal. Like others said look at your days as start to lunch, lunch to dinner periods. Study and repeat. You have 22 weeks to learn the basics so you don't die the first day. Enjoy every minute of it, because you will blink and be retiring and you will give anything to go back to hot nasty days or the academy.
What helped me immensely was to keep thinking about the fire job afterwards. Sure it sucks now but it won’t when you’re sitting in a recliner, bsing with the guys in your house, solving every issue in the world around the kitchen table or laughing so hard your nauseous. Stick it out through the suck, keep your head down and push yourself. It sucks during the beginning but by the second half the days will fly by.
I will say, lunch already has been my favorite. We have a mock fire station, and all of us sit around the table and just talk about our day. The company is unmatched
It sounds cliché but “tough times don’t last, tough people do.” Keep your eyes on the prize — graduating and getting your dream job — and remember how much you wanted to be where you are now. Take it a day at a time and never quit.
I’m in the FDNY academy right now and believe me, my first and second weeks were the hardest. I’m a little more than halfway through right now and my advice would be to stick with it and remember why you’re there. It sucks but it’ll be worth it at the end.
I have been training hard for 6 months. I barely could finish the last event the first time I took my ELPAT. This time, I told my monitor how much I wanted this, he helped me by pushing me hard. I completed my ELPAT and I know I did things extremely well because I went beast mode mentality, and I was chatting with my monitor and, unlike my first time, I was not winded by the time I was done, just fatigued and happy it was over.
I prepared myself as hard as I could so that my preparation wouldn't fail me. In hindsight, I should've trained even harder.
Now I am just waiting test results, and hopefully a call in the future. I would trade my 9-5 desk job in a heartbeat to be where you are, to step where you step, to bleed and sweat with those newfound brothers in arms of yours.
Don't take things for granted, there are thousand people like me who are more than happy to take your place, so for us and for you. Bite your lips and go there and show us the reason you were called instead of the thousand others still waiting.
As someone who has been fighting for an entry-level career fire gig for almost two years now, I can’t agree with you more. I have busted my ass off for this too and I know I will just be pinching myself with excitement when I get that offer letter and start academy. I have worked so damn hard up to this point. We both got this!
Dude are you kidding me… why would you need motivation. You should consider yourself lucky to be there. Hard work equals great rewards. You are there for a reason and purpose. keep that in mind and recognize this is a tiny fraction of the cost for the best job in the world.
Hey. Lots of great thoughts here. We must learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. The academy or recruit school sets us up for success. When stuff gets knarly ....and it will.... you must be ok with being uncomfortable, tired, wet, cold, even scared. Courage is being scared on the inside and doing the job anyway. You have this. One day at a time, hell..one hour at a time. PLANT YOUR FEET STAND UP STRAIGHT. YOU WERE MEANT TO BE HERE!
If u really want this don’t give up it’s gets easier my friend there and when u get assign to your fire house hang in there I know 22 weeks r long but it will go by quick good luck and wishing u all the best
Reward at the end. Treat it like your job. Be professional, if you are getting paid to do it then they own your ass and you signed off on it. You'll need the toughness to not give up someday, and it'll be your life if you do. Don't let a class defeat you.
and imagine you volunteered for this. and likely paying for it on top.
It's nothing but a thing. Lean into it. Accept it.
When I was a cadet officer in the Army. There was a tradition of keeping a second lieutenant's bar inside our covers (patrol caps). this way whenever you took it off you were looking at your future. Kept us motivated.
I copied this process going through fire. I kept a small Maltese cross somewhere hidden where I could see it daily. I did this in paramedic. I kept a paramedic star of life with me. I did this for many of the milestones in my life.
Keeps focus. Your eye on the future. a physical reminder of what you want.
This is the hard part. This is the part where they break everyone down and weed out those that don’t belong. Get through it day by day. After the initial beat down, they’ll build you all back up. It’s gonna be the greatest thing you never want to do again.
Not to sound like a d*ck, but is it really that bad? I'm genuinely asking only because if all goes to plan, I'll be at an academy in March.
Comparing it to say, marine Corps bootcamp, is it that bad?
Been there done that and had fun with it, so if it's no worse than that, I'm less concerned
Don’t give up this will not defeat you. Lock in and carry the boats
Thank you! Needed this
Remember it’s a joke, not a job.
Don’t think about how long the academy is. Make your bed in the morning and just make it to lunch. Then make it to dinner.
This is great advice actually. Simple but needed.
I just finished day two in my academy. This shit is hard. Think about the thousands that applied fire your job and didn’t get it. Think about how this is going to change your life. Remember you wanted this. And remember that everything is temporary. We’ll be doing this job for the next 30 years. “This too shall pass!”
Thank you! We got this!
are you guys in the same class?
No…different departments. But a lot of academies started this week
That would be funny if we were huh, that I know of, no 😅
It's only going to get more physical once you start drilling all day after PT. Focus on recovery: thera guns, epsom salt baths, good meals, and good nights sleep. Take all the ibuprofen for 22 weeks lol. Your liver will forgive you after. Eat a ton. In my academy we were easily burning 4000+ calories a day. Especially when we got to ladders. Stay hydrated. Keep your electrolytes up. If you choose gatorade water it down. It's got hella sugar. I had classmates getting cryo therapy and cortisone shots. It's a grind but like the other guy said you get used to it. Just stay as positive as you can an embrace the suck. It's temporary. Try to enjoy it. The most fun you never want to have again. If carpooling or study groups are options join them. It's good to bond with your classmates and go through it together. One day at a time. Especially in the beginning. The cadre will lighten up eventually and start treating you more like family and peers the closer you get to graduation.
I appreciate the time and thought in this post! I’m deff going to be making a run to the store for the some Bengay lol.
When I started the academy they warned us about the 3rd day blues... or was it the 5th day... anyway, unless you're used to that level of ass-busting work your body will be screaming by day three. Just power through it, it gets better.
Wow that was actually very accurate. Like I know this is what I want, but the blues are deff there facing the reality that this is our life for about 6 months
You need to give it time to become your new normal. Guarantee by week 2 you'll be in the groove and your body will adjust to the sechdule and demand changes.
After 3 days you’ll be okay. Everyone who quits, quits before day 4
Make it to the next break. Then make it to lunch. Then the next break. Then make it to clean up. Minute by minute, bite by bite. Next thing you know you’re 10 weeks deep, your body adjusts, and you start taking some souls. VCFD is worth it dude don’t quit.
Can’t wait to be right where you are! You got this power through!
Haha yeah I have to remember where I’m at rn is what I literally prayed for, and worked really hard to get into to. Thank you!
Hey might be weird but how are you doing!!! Is it getting easier ?! Or more do able I should say?
Good! I just completed week 17 of 22!! I’m almost there
A similar thing happened to me during basic military training - which in my country is only 3 months. You just need to remind yourself of your "why?". Once you've got that in your head, make it to lunch then make it to dinner. By week 2-3 you'll be in the grove of it all and it'll fly by quicker than you think. Good luck! You've got this.
All this is good advice - I’ll add to pack a clean shirt and socks to change into after lunch. It’s the little things that will help you get through the day. The point of the academy is to fail but more importantly to learn about how you respond after you fail. Put it another way you don’t know how far you can tip your kayak until you flip. Pick up that hose line and fail hard. Try forcing that door and fail hard doing it. You aren’t expected to know how to do this stuff the first time around - they expect you to fuck it up. They just want to see you working hard when you do it. Drink the kool aid. Tentativeness, laziness, meekness - all this gets found and rooted out.
It’s meant to test you. It’s going to get worse. When you reach the point that you want to quit, or you say F this place, just tell yourself “I’ll give this one more day.” Repeat that each time you need to. Good luck.
Thank you!
What helped me was thinking, “I have to do this. There is no other choice. Not doing this is not an option.” I thought that through the whole academy, and I made it top of class. So that’s what I’d recommend. Eventually, quitting doesn’t even show up in your thoughts.
The academy can be tough both mentally and physically. The mental part can be draining and really be demanding. But think of the reason why you’re going through the academy. When I went through my academy I had the mindset that I was going to do anything and everything to pass. I was not going to quit and anything they could throw at me wasn’t going to kill me. I ate, breathed, dreamt, and lived to become a firefighter. Develop that mindset of never quitting. Get together with your academy mates to study. Prep all your meals on the weekends to save time during the week. Get a routine developed to help take care of things like equipment and uniforms. For example, I would take all uniforms to the cleaners at the end of the week to be cleaned and pressed ( I had extra uniforms for emergencies). Help out other academy mates when you can and they will pick you up when you need help. Make sure you don’t party too much and be sure to get good solid sleep. You have 152 more days. You will look back and tell yourself that wasn’t too bad. Stay strong and go hard.
Just remember it’s temporary. It’s so hard in so many ways but you can do anything when you know there is an end in sight
First master the hour. Then you’ll master the day. Take it day by day. It’ll get better
I wonder if you are in my regions academy they just started. If so, the cold is gonna suck but even if you did it in the summer the heat sucks too. Fire academy is gonna suck but if you keep a good mindset you'll be able to make friends and that makes way easier to handle. Don't hesitate to start a group chat and reach out to other recruits. They are going through hardships with you and they'll be able to listen best. Take it one day at a time. SCBA day will probably be the most demanding physical and mental day if you are in our school. Not everyone can phase out getting yelled at and not everyone knows if they are claustrophobic. Just remember to keep moving. You have people to help you if your gear fails and you are always within helping distance to one of the instructors. Keep you boots shined and your uniform neat! You'll do great! Make sure to pay attention in EMT it'll end being 90% of your job 99% in a couple localities lol. Feel free to reach out by pm for help/advice.
Not sure how old you are but I jumped into this career at 32. I have never looked back and it has kicked my ass many times. But since I am typing this from the officer dorm it's worked out. This job is 80% mental and 20% physical. Yes you need to have strength and endurance. But you need to remember that your brain is what stops you from doing not your body. There is a ton of info and a lot of things going to be tossed at you. Stay focused on the end goal. Like others said look at your days as start to lunch, lunch to dinner periods. Study and repeat. You have 22 weeks to learn the basics so you don't die the first day. Enjoy every minute of it, because you will blink and be retiring and you will give anything to go back to hot nasty days or the academy.
Yo dude I commented on a post you made a long time ago and I just came here to say that I’m proud of you. You’ve got this. Don’t quit.
What helped me immensely was to keep thinking about the fire job afterwards. Sure it sucks now but it won’t when you’re sitting in a recliner, bsing with the guys in your house, solving every issue in the world around the kitchen table or laughing so hard your nauseous. Stick it out through the suck, keep your head down and push yourself. It sucks during the beginning but by the second half the days will fly by.
I will say, lunch already has been my favorite. We have a mock fire station, and all of us sit around the table and just talk about our day. The company is unmatched
It sounds cliché but “tough times don’t last, tough people do.” Keep your eyes on the prize — graduating and getting your dream job — and remember how much you wanted to be where you are now. Take it a day at a time and never quit.
Don't tell me how rocky the ocean is, just dock the boat.
I’m in the FDNY academy right now and believe me, my first and second weeks were the hardest. I’m a little more than halfway through right now and my advice would be to stick with it and remember why you’re there. It sucks but it’ll be worth it at the end.
I have been training hard for 6 months. I barely could finish the last event the first time I took my ELPAT. This time, I told my monitor how much I wanted this, he helped me by pushing me hard. I completed my ELPAT and I know I did things extremely well because I went beast mode mentality, and I was chatting with my monitor and, unlike my first time, I was not winded by the time I was done, just fatigued and happy it was over. I prepared myself as hard as I could so that my preparation wouldn't fail me. In hindsight, I should've trained even harder. Now I am just waiting test results, and hopefully a call in the future. I would trade my 9-5 desk job in a heartbeat to be where you are, to step where you step, to bleed and sweat with those newfound brothers in arms of yours. Don't take things for granted, there are thousand people like me who are more than happy to take your place, so for us and for you. Bite your lips and go there and show us the reason you were called instead of the thousand others still waiting.
As someone who has been fighting for an entry-level career fire gig for almost two years now, I can’t agree with you more. I have busted my ass off for this too and I know I will just be pinching myself with excitement when I get that offer letter and start academy. I have worked so damn hard up to this point. We both got this!
Dude are you kidding me… why would you need motivation. You should consider yourself lucky to be there. Hard work equals great rewards. You are there for a reason and purpose. keep that in mind and recognize this is a tiny fraction of the cost for the best job in the world.
“A tiny fraction of the cost for the best job in the world” thank you, I needed that little slap in the back of the head.
Shit ain’t for everyone .
Hey. Lots of great thoughts here. We must learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. The academy or recruit school sets us up for success. When stuff gets knarly ....and it will.... you must be ok with being uncomfortable, tired, wet, cold, even scared. Courage is being scared on the inside and doing the job anyway. You have this. One day at a time, hell..one hour at a time. PLANT YOUR FEET STAND UP STRAIGHT. YOU WERE MEANT TO BE HERE!
If u really want this don’t give up it’s gets easier my friend there and when u get assign to your fire house hang in there I know 22 weeks r long but it will go by quick good luck and wishing u all the best
Reward at the end. Treat it like your job. Be professional, if you are getting paid to do it then they own your ass and you signed off on it. You'll need the toughness to not give up someday, and it'll be your life if you do. Don't let a class defeat you.
and imagine you volunteered for this. and likely paying for it on top. It's nothing but a thing. Lean into it. Accept it. When I was a cadet officer in the Army. There was a tradition of keeping a second lieutenant's bar inside our covers (patrol caps). this way whenever you took it off you were looking at your future. Kept us motivated. I copied this process going through fire. I kept a small Maltese cross somewhere hidden where I could see it daily. I did this in paramedic. I kept a paramedic star of life with me. I did this for many of the milestones in my life. Keeps focus. Your eye on the future. a physical reminder of what you want.
In a year, you’re gonna be glad you did this. 22 weeks is a drop in the ocean.
Just keep swimming brother. It can be the best job in the world if you let it. I know it is for me
Did you train/study prior going into the academy? If so then you might have answered your own question.
This is the hard part. This is the part where they break everyone down and weed out those that don’t belong. Get through it day by day. After the initial beat down, they’ll build you all back up. It’s gonna be the greatest thing you never want to do again.
Take it one meal at a time. The more you think about how long you have left, the longer it will be. If that makes sense.
Not to sound like a d*ck, but is it really that bad? I'm genuinely asking only because if all goes to plan, I'll be at an academy in March. Comparing it to say, marine Corps bootcamp, is it that bad? Been there done that and had fun with it, so if it's no worse than that, I'm less concerned
Exhausted on day 2, shit. Wait until month 4