Why Firefighting?

The fire service is always looking for quality individuals to perform this highly critical and satisfying work! Firefighting can be one of the most rewarding and noble professions in the world. Firefighting is a physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding job. Often, the work is challenging, complex, and performed under less-than-ideal conditions (e.g., darkness, extreme cold/heat, icy, snowy, in traffic, in confined spaces, etc.). Firefighters are first responders who arrive on the scene of a fire, accident, or another emergency. They often enter burning buildings and other dangerous situations, perform rescue operations and strive to protect their communities from harm. Being a firefighter requires a commitment to the job and a desire to help protect their community. Firefighting requires structure, protocol and procedure and firefighters must work as a team to put out a fire or perform a rescue. Firefighters depend on each other to perform individual functions that benefit or protect the entire team.  Firefighters serve their community when medical and fire emergencies happen, which can make it a good job for someone who wants to help others. Firefighters offer public education courses to help families, schools, businesses, and others in the community plan for emergencies and practice fire safety.

Why Ames Fire Department?

Ames firefighters work a 24-hour shift with an average week consisting of 56 hours. During a 24-hour shift, firefighters respond to emergencies, maintain the fire station and equipment, and present fire safety training and public education to the citizens of Ames. Firefighters continuously train in the areas of Firefighting skills and tactics, EMS, Hazardous Materials, Vehicle Extrication, Ice and Water Rescue and the other technical rescue disciplines. There are over 60 uniformed fire positions that are staffed in three different fire stations in Ames. We respond to an average of over 4,800 calls per year with more than half of them being EMS related. Our stations are equipped with 4 engines, 1 tower truck, 2 medium rescues, 1 light rescue, 1 hazmat truck, 1 rescue boat and one command vehicle.

Why Ames?

In 2021 Ames was ranked #64 in the Top 100 Best Places to Live in America by Livability

What’s life like in Ames, Iowa? Pretty amazing. In addition to a plethora of top career opportunities, the area is laced with must-try restaurants, breweries and wineries. Also crowd pleasers: beautiful outdoor art (largely thanks to the Neighborhood Sculpture Program), dozens of parks and miles of bike trails. Plus, Iowa State University not only brings top program and degree options for students, but also a youthful spirit that radiates throughout the region. A strong economy, four-seasons recreation, genuinely friendly neighbors and vibrant energy from students and researchers at Iowa State University coalesce to make Ames one of the best places to live and work. So whether you’re a hopeful entrepreneur starting a new business, a family with young kids, a graduate student or someone in between, Ames offers a great quality of life that you’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere else.