The business of firefighting is a challenging job that only a few people that possess a multitude of skills and talents, as well as a good personal character, can do it. The job can only be done by individuals that genuinely love and respect this craft and are looking to be of service to their fellow people. The special kind of work and the living conditions they have to be in places demands on the firefighters. To be able to go through this all, certain traits are needed for anyone looking to become great in that profession. Any firefighter should aspire to work and possess such traits that will be necessary for success. One should be able to clearly articulate these traits and give clear examples from their own life. Discussed below are just some of the traits required by any firefighter.

Integrity is an important trait a great firefighter should possess. One has to earn the trust of the public. People need to be able to trust a firefighter with their property, their privacy, safety, and even their lives. Gross misconduct by one firefighter only hurts the whole department of firefighters because it diminishes the level of trust people have in them. A good firefighter has a reputation to maintain of being someone trustworthy with the fire hose nozzle and can be relied upon in any situation.

Firefighting requires an individual to have good above-average strength and agility. To carry out their job, a good firefighter has to be fit and healthy. Health and fitness come in the job description. A great firefighter has to physically perform on the job or else nothing matters. Working out to keep fit should become a lifestyle for any firefighter. A great firefighter also ought to be flexible and adaptable. A person who can adapt to the environment that they are in even when it requires them to sleep anywhere, eat anything, and do the job in any circumstance or work together as part of a group. He shouldn’t be able to burden those around him or her with their specific needs.

A great firefighter also ought to have good communication to do the job. Communication is integral to any team working together and to any relationship with people they will come across in their jobs. They will need to know how to handle people, talk to their teammates, calm people who are getting freaked out among many other situations that will require them to engage with another person.

Dedication to the job is also a key trait for any firefighter to have. It is essential that the person is well trained and hardworking and takes immense pride in doing their job. They must strive to do well no matter how small the task might be and be dedicated to their craft both during the good times and boring times. A general passion for the job and a solid work ethic comes in the job description. They should also have some good mechanical skills to operate the equipment like the fire hose nozzle among others. One should have at least a general understanding of how things work.