After 3 years of trying to find something else to do that I don't hate, I am giving up, I'm tired of being miserable.
I get to start again, from the beginning, all my certs have expired, but I have been looking into some local agencies that will train and certify volunteers if they stay and serve for a while.

Looks like it will be another 1-2 years of getting paid to do something else, and doing what I love for fun and certification.

And I won't be out of the doghouse any time soon.

Somehow it will all be worth it.


Is there a con to this that I am not seeing? Am I close enough to the issue where all I can see is the pro?

Nothing worse than waking up and going to a job you hate. Life is too short for that.  Do it and don't look back. Good luck to you.

A man who enjoys his job, never works a day in his life.

Those are words to live by.

I'm a volley FF and a professional LEO. I'd make the jump to fire tomorrow morning if the opportunity arose. And with all that said I love my job.

If hired by most cities, you do not need certifications, they will pay to train you.

Some of the smaller District departments want those certifications, check with the certifying agency on grace periods as mentioned.

Also as mentioned do not be miserable in life do what you enjoy, if my body would hold out I would do another 10 years, but too many injuries and what not, so soon 2ish years my time on big red will be done.

Most of them are medical,  I have seen a looked at a few agencies in the metro area that will train and certify volunteers.


And the most surprising part of all this ; I won't be in the dog house at all

I'll echo previous statements, it's not working a job you hate I've been there.

Certs are relatively easy to get back, my area there is an abundance of people going to the academy so no departments put on their own or even sponsor people anymore but if they do in your area go for it.

I've been a career fireman for 5 years and a Volunteer for 5 before that, if there was somewhere nearby that I could still Volunteer I'd be a two-hatter, volunteering was some of the most fun I've had.

I had some of my certs lapse before I got hired. My firefighter was reinstated just by passing the practical again and for EMT I had to take a refresher course. It was really painless.

Unfortunately Oregon isn't nice like that. I get to redo medical and fire certs

I left EMS fourteen years ago and started a cabinet shop/custom finish carpentry business.  I never looked back. Then in one of those strange twists, I got my EMT back, took a full-time position, closed my shop up and now my employer is paying me to get my medic back.  Loving being back on the truck again.
Good luck OP.

FPNI.

WHile I have not paid attention to the town I have lived in the past two decades, I do recall a couple of cops that left the Kodiak (AK) PD for other gigs.

One became a fireman and inside of three months became an entirely changed man. He went straight from being a miserable human being to a really nice guy to be around.

Another actually quit to play rock n' roll. He was a drummer and left the force and moved to Anchorage. No report on how he made out but he was missed as he was a jewel of a cop. He was well liked and well respected as an excellent cop.

One went fishing and it was pretty funny watching a well groomed cop turn into a scruffy fisherman almost overnight. I don't know how he fared as he left town to move somewhere else after a while.

The other people I saw leave the department were a string of stateside cops that arrived in AK with unrealistic expectations and quickly became disenchanted with what they found. Generally the bigger the city they came from the faster they left. Many of these guys seemed to be confused all the time. They never seemed to understand small transient towns.

I would imagine that a cop from a small town would be overwhelmed in the big city for that matter.

The job in general is NOT for everyone. I have posted that I would make a lousy cop and what I do now fits me pretty well.

Better to realize it now and have a happy life.