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Joined: Nov 11 2009 Location: Cajun Country Posts: 1511

My dream of becoming a firefighter has disappeared. It's been the only thing I've ever wanted to do since my sophomore year in high school and now I can't even do it. I am color blind and this prevents me from pursuing firefighting in the Air Force and for the Federal Department here in Hawaii. I just found out all this in the past week and it has struck me pretty badly. I turn 20 in three months and now I have to forgo all the fire classes I was going to take and reevaluate what I want to do with my life.

Posted: Mar 26 2010 08:29 am

Contact your local Marine Recruiter and learn how to start fires!

Joined: Nov 11 2009 Location: Cajun Country Posts: 1511

I was thinking about doing that actually, ha.

Posted: Mar 26 2010 09:05 am

To hell with those elitist assholes. If my house is on fire, I don't care if the firemen can tell that the fire is orange, I just want them to know they need to spray water on the shit. Next time my house is on fire, I'm not going to call 911, I'm gonna call pineapple instead.

Joined: Mar 13 2009 Location: Arlington Posts: 467

That really sucks. Are there other options in the same field that won't consider the color blindess? Maybe you could become a detective for the city police force in the arson unit.

Posted: Mar 26 2010 09:10 am

I didn't know the military had its own firefighters.

Posted: Mar 26 2010 09:28 am

Maybe the color-blindness only applies to the Air Force; they use red and green lights to discern planes and runways and shit. Check into the other forces...maybe Soldier Hawk has something to say on this.

UsaSatsui's Youtube Channel · Posted: Mar 26 2010 09:28 am

My first option would be to find out just why the heck you can't be a firefighter with colorblindness. This sounds like something that the Americans with Disabilities Act could cover, to be honest.

Ice2SeeYou wrote:

I didn't know the military had its own firefighters.

Absolutely. Putting fires out is a science that has military application.

You actually got to play as an army firefighter in Eternal Darkness for GC (though he didn't so much fight fires as kick eldrich abomination ass)

Posted: Mar 26 2010 11:49 am

Ice2SeeYou wrote:

I didn't know the military had its own firefighters.

I work at a Navy base and it has at least one fire station next door to the barracks.

Joined: Aug 04 2009 Posts: 2515

http://www.colblindor.com/2008/01/15/does-color-blindness-disqualify-from-being-a-firefighter/

It depends on what rescue service you wanna get into. I'm sure that you could join one even if your not too keen on that particular branch especially if its something your really passionate about doing.

Posted: Mar 26 2010 12:10 pm

sidewaydriver wrote:

Next time my house is on fire

How often does this happen?

Posted: Mar 26 2010 12:38 pm

If you are just color deficient and not monochromatic, get a ophthalmologist to document this and go back and explain to them that this will not affect your job. The National Fire Protection Association published new rules concerning color blindness. The following Report on Proposals makes it clear, that a color vision deficiency doesn’t disqualify you anymore from being a firefighter.

http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/PDF/ROP/1582-06-ROPDraft.pdf

Joined: Oct 01 2009 Posts: 5316

Sorry to hear that Pineapple, I'm at a point in my life where I don't know what I'm going to do either, but it's perfectly okay. You're still young, so you have plenty of time to think about and learn about things that might interest you, and could turn out to be better than firefighting. Also, take Ash's advice if firefighting means THAT much to you.

Posted: Mar 26 2010 01:17 pm

Dr. Jeebus wrote:

sidewaydriver wrote:

Next time my house is on fire

How often does this happen?

It's happened twice so far. We had an electrical fire when I was in fourth grade and then there was a fire in my dorms while I was in Iraq in '06. Luckily I had put my stuff in storage and moving out when I got back so I didn't really care about that one.

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

Colblindor wrote:

Has color any importance for firefighters?

As you know every fire has its color or better said consists of a whole range of colors. The colors not only tell us something about the burning substance but also are very closely related to the heat of a fire. For example a red fire can have a temperature between 977°F (525 °C) with a just visible red and 1830 °F (1000 °C), a cherry, clear red.
Fire

Also smoke has a color which can tell you a lot about the elements making up the smoke you see. And as any smoke can be very heavily toxic it is important to be able to distinguish different shades of color. At different stages of a fire the smoke color changes and therefore it is important for a firefighter to be able to interpret colors appropriately.

This are only two reasons why good color vision can help you to be a professional firefighter.

http://www.colblindor.com/2008/01/15/does-color-blindness-disqualify-from-being-a-firefighter/

You would think in this day and age we could quickly identify gasses using computers and tell temperature by pointing a laser at it. Oh wait, we can. I am not a huge fan of this rule, but perhaps there is a better reason than these.

Joined: Aug 04 2009 Posts: 2515

Pineapple my father is a firefighter.

I will ask him about people who are colourblind.

Posted: Mar 26 2010 02:46 pm

Milhouse wrote:

Maybe the color-blindness only applies to the Air Force; they use red and green lights to discern planes and runways and shit. Check into the other forces...maybe Soldier Hawk has something to say on this.

This. You can't be a firefighter in the Air Force, but I'm sure you're good to go with normal firefighting that don't have color blindness restrictions.

Posted: Mar 26 2010 02:54 pm

Pandajuice wrote:

Milhouse wrote:

Maybe the color-blindness only applies to the Air Force; they use red and green lights to discern planes and runways and shit. Check into the other forces...maybe Soldier Hawk has something to say on this.

This. You can't be a firefighter in the Air Force, but I'm sure you're good to go with normal firefighting that don't have color blindness restrictions.

They use color to determine levels of fires. Color of smoke dictates certain dangers, that is the importance of using colors in firefighting. However, certain color deficiencies have no affect on seeing colors of smoke.

Posted: Mar 26 2010 05:23 pm

I suppose the issue isn't so much that being colorblind would make you a shitty firefighter--I'm sure pineapple would be able to do the job just fine. I'd think the issue is just that its a very, very competitive job with many people who want to do it. With a large pool of applicants and all things being equal, I assume they'd rather have the person with *no* color deficiencies than an equally qualified person with *some* color deficiencies. Confused

Still, don't give up yet Pineapple. Take these folks' advice, read the regs very carefully, and find out *exactly* what the issue with your eyes are. Once you have that information, bring it to the recruiter (Air Force/Firefighter/whatever) and see what they have to say. There's still hope.

And, even if it doesn't work out, remember that some of the greatest achievers of our time got set on the path to what they were meant to do by having their initial goal in life fall through. Hang in there.

Posted: Mar 26 2010 05:29 pm

UsaSatsui wrote:

My first option would be to find out just why the heck you can't be a firefighter with colorblindness. This sounds like something that the Americans with Disabilities Act could cover, to be honest.

Ice2SeeYou wrote:

I didn't know the military had its own firefighters.

Absolutely. Putting fires out is a science that has military application.

You actually got to play as an army firefighter in Eternal Darkness for GC (though he didn't so much fight fires as kick eldrich abomination ass)

You know, you can put out fire with explosives. That would be way more fun then just shooting water at them.

Posted: Mar 26 2010 05:29 pm

I find it a little odd that my friend up here has been a volunteer fire fighter since high school and he can't see some colors either.... unless they have different rules for paid fire fighters and volunteer fire fighters.

Still though, keep positive and do what you can man!

Joined: Nov 11 2009 Location: Cajun Country Posts: 1511

I knew you guys would be a lot of help. Thanks for the support and positive remarks. I appreciate it so much. Alowishus & Ash, thanks for the websites you posted. I know those will help immensely. I have been a wreck lately. Extremely depressed but you guys have given some hope. I'm going to push and do my best to become a firefighter.

SoldierHawk wrote:

I'd think the issue is just that its a very, very competitive job with many people who want to do it.

And, even if it doesn't work out, remember that some of the greatest achievers of our time got set on the path to what they were meant to do by having their initial goal in life fall through. Hang in there.

Yes, you're 100% right. Here in Hawaii, the competition is insane. Federal firefighting is easier to get into than HFD but they're both still hard as hell to get accepted. Thanks for the advice and kind words.

Posted: Mar 26 2010 06:45 pm

good luck man. hopefully those links will help you find a loophole of sorts

Posted: Mar 26 2010 06:51 pm

Life is an open book my friend. I wanted to be a police officer most of my life and I ended up hating it. There is no script to life, sometimes you just have to ad-lib. If you truly can't pursue your dream job just look at your other interests. I'm sure there is something that will make you happy.

Posted: Mar 26 2010 06:52 pm

life's a garden, dig it.

you gotta keep on keeping on