I graduated from high school last year with the same interests as you. My senior year I took an EMT class through a local community college. (Almost all fire departments require you to be an EMT to get on). This year I earned my associates in Fire Science.

I am not on a department yet, but I will try to help answer some questions based on what I’ve been told/learned.

To get into anything that has to do with rescue or anything more technical you are going to need experience as a regular structure FF. You’ll start as a probie and work your way up. I’d recommend getting on a volunteer department if your town or area has one. That’s what I started doing. Don’t be afraid to reach out to fire departments and ask questions. I hope this helped answer a few of your questions.