Ask HN: What's your working day like?

I cannot speak to the volunteer tier of the fire service, I am simply ignorant to the demands of that side. I can speak to the west coast professional model. To be clear, there are lots of professional options on the east coast too. I just don't know them.

In my humble opinion, this job is not for everyone. This job like any other has lots of cool shit and tons of horrible shit too. The ageism that may or may not exist in software is real in firefighting. Not due to politics or opinion or the SV stuff.... NO, It has do with the physical stress the body takes in this profession. It isn't commercial fishing, but sleep deprivation and picking up patients that weigh 500lbs, fighting brush fires all day, stress from seeing bad situations, etc. is real for most Fire/EMS folks today.

The academies are tough and the competition to get in is really high. For each class in my department, there are generally about 3K applicants. We select 30 or 40 and of those 15-25% will wash out of the academy before it's over.

If none of that makes you change your mind, go get EMT certified, Firefighter I and II certified, then take and pass the CPAT test... After that, start testing at every department that has open applications. You could probably script the app process :)

[07:50] Wake up, dress, drink lots of water, drive to work

[08:30 - 09:00] Arrive at the office or a treatment plant. If at office, read through emails and review my plans for the day (I currently use WorkFlowy)

[09:00 - 13:00] Get work done. Usually not enough. Get distracted by HN and subreddits of interest.

[13:00 - 13:30] Eat some lunch alone (but not at my desk) or with some coworkers. Make small talk about clients, deliverables, the news, and our lives

[13:30 - 17:00] Back at it, usually in the office. Do more work. Go do some field visits if schedules allow and the weather is nice.

[17:30 - 19:30] Get home. Hit the Gym. Do chores. Take care of chickens and garden if needed. Make Dinner.

[19:30 - 22:30] Enjoy time with wife. Watch some TV. Read. Work on podcast, EWB, or other non-profit work. Spend time with friends some nights. Research programming and data science, contemplate a career change.

[22:30 - 23:00] Start making my way to bed. Journal. Meditate/Pray/Think. Hopefully fall asleep within an hour.

Work generally entails: Early in a project: meeting with our clients, convincing them to do some necessary work, early research about technologies and design options, site visits and inspections, coordinating with surveyors and sewer inspectors, talking to vendors, visiting other treatment plants and utilities to see how they do things, early conceptual designs, watch videos of sewer inspections.

Mid Project: Laying out and detailing designs, detailed research in to alternatives, hydraulic and process/chemical calculations, equipment sizing and selection, cost estimation, writing specifications for equipment and materials, sketching drawings for our CADD drafters, use CADD when they get too busy to help, coordinating with subconsulting disciplines that are not our expertise (structural, geotechnical, etc), meet with clients and give progress updates, etc

Late Project: Project gets bid and awarded to a contractor to build. Reviewing submittals from general contractors to ensure they supply the correct equipment and materials, visit work site and meet with construction managers, constantly put out fires and answer questions.

Fiancee, pet hedgehog, and no children

[0645] First alarm, summarily ignored or slept through

[0700] Second alarm, usually get up here and get dressed

[0725] Say goodbye to sleeping fiance

[0730] Arrive at work - catch up on email, HN, Webcomics, JIRA, MatterMost, and get my tasks laid out for the day

[0830] Daily Standup

[0845] Sound-eliminating headphones go on, Electroswing starts playing. Interruptions only if I need to ask a question

[1100] - [1300]: Somewhere in here I take anywhere from 30-60 min for a lunch. Go home and make food, grab fast food, etc

[after lunch] Back to work. See "[0845]"

[1530] - [1600]: Leave work

[1600] Get home, relax for a bit (internet + videogame du jour)

[1800] Make dinner with fiance, watch Hannibal (or whatever show we are into at the time)

[1845] Shower for next day (I hate morning showers)

[1900] Play videogames with fiancee, hang out with our hedgehog, code, nap - My free time!

[0000] - [0200]: Go to bed