I'm getting a lot of questions about where I am with the fire dept. stuff so I thought I would give everyone a quick update.
I intially applied at Portland Fire & Rescue in August. Since then I've passed the written test, physical test, and interview process. I'm now on a list of 300 people that are eligible for hire. Portland Fire has no idea how many they will hire in the next year, but rumors are around 100 or so. The list is unranked, so the Captain can choose whomever he would like when slots become available.

Portland and Vancouver are the only fire departments that I know of that will allow you to apply without having your EMT-Basic certification. Vancouver Fire is testing in Januaury, and I plan to apply there too!

I'll be taking classes for my EMT-B starting in January and will apply to other fire departments after that.
In the mean time, I'll be looking for a good job. Getting hired as a firefighter can take years, so I want to find another career I can start now and continue if I don't get on with a department, or if I choose to not do the fire fighter thing. But as you can see from the picture, I'd look so good saving babies!