Any firefighters on the SD 'Boards?

Hey, are or were any of you professional firefighters? I mean more than volunteer - career or long-term firefighters with years of paid service. I recently (sort-of on a whim, although I’m interested in disaster relief and have some experience) applied for a position as firefighter in my local community, and was asked to take the test. I’m sure that nearly everyone that applied was asked to take the test, but I just don’t even know if it is for me at all. So here are some random questions:

  1. What is the firefighter community like? Is it like the military, or more like the police, or something altogether different?

  2. What kind of people make the best firefighters? Do brains count more than brawn? I’ve got a little of both, but mostly the former (relatively speaking).

  3. What is the lifestyle like in that sort of career? Is there a lot of burn-out? Is the job (on the whole) rewarding or more punishing?

Anyone with experience care to chime in?