Oxford Massachusetts Firefighter Salary And Job Requirements

As the name says, Firefighters are people who literally save people or some other things from fire through fighting it. They’re chosen among the finest to risk their lives in rescue operations. Usually loved by girls, these pros are not frightened of anything as well as literally lay down their lives daily just like policemen. You see the accolades these professionals get, would you not like to become like these fearless firefighters?

firefighter career summary Oxford Massachusetts
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

Table Of Contents

How Much Does A Firefighter Make In Oxford?

If you value your work, sometimes you really feel like you are not working anymore. However, this passion is not enough to provide your finances such as basic needs and life style. Everyone needs a financial resources to help them live life the way they think fit. Therefore, when it comes to selecting a profession, people are always curious about the amount of they might gain from it. Reality check, undeniably that’s the motivation you set your alarm clock to get you ready for the job daily. People in the community service sector don’t get paid as much. But income is not really their basis of joy and fulfillment. {Let’s see how much a firefighter earns.|Without more ado, let us determine the earnings of a firefighter.

firefighter salary Oxford Massachusetts
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

[asd_program_button /]

Somewhere around $49,000 is the mean annual income a firefighter makes. A median of about $46,000 is the median. The figures may vary based on the what state he is in or his education degree or his skills and experience. Below is a list of these components and how they could increase or decrease your income as being a firefighter.

Location Matters

The location of the fire department is a main factor in determining someone’s income. Factored to that would be the need of the population of fighters. A place where impulsive wildfires are likely, have a higher need for firemen than any other locations. New York has the highest rate among firefighters with 70% above the national mean. However, Columbia pays the lowest at 38% below the national average.

firefighter average salary by state Oxford Massachusetts
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

Educational Qualification

If you have been through a study in fire science in high school, you will be eligible to apply as being a firefighter. In this area of firefighting, having achieved a college degree is favourable. Here’s Two main reasons why. This shows you have the required understanding and knowledge in firefighting. The second is that the government will have to spend substantially less on you to develop you as being an asset. Bringing on paying you more. A bachelor’s degree or an associate’s degree in fire science can help you advance your career and earn a lot more. A master’s degree may help a lot more.

Working Experience

Work experience is certainly the determining factor of how much a worker should receive. If a firefighter has a field experience of approximately 20 years, his earnings may rise to 50% That percentage is quite as compared with other job which is at 15% to 20% even they have the same length of experience.

Certifications

Being a fireman, you will need to know the basics of EMT to even apply for the job. On the other hand, you may choose to pursue the medical field a bit more and be a paramedic or get advanced EMT training. Possessing a deeper list of certifications and trainings provide you with a chance of acquiring a bigger income. It also provides you a “Plan B” if you do decide to change careers later.

Industry

At the end of the day, your company signs your paycheck. Per BLS records, it’s not the government employers who pay out firefighters more, but it’s the private contractors. Included are companies handling production in oil, manufacturing of metal products and waste management. Regardless, the local as well as state government are still looking for firefighting individuals.

Other Benefits

Among the best things about possessing a government career is that there’s a bunch of other benefits that come with it. As being a firefighter, you definitely get benefits like dental and health insurance. You can also get sick leave benefits. But then again, advantages may vary from what department you’re into.

As being a medical professional may have a better earning as compared to being a fireman. However, at the end of the day, you become a hero in someone’s eyes. So, if you would like to be that hero, find out the requirements to be a firefighter now!

Oxford Firefighter Employment Outlook

firefighter job outlook Oxford Massachusetts
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

The job outlook is an important factor while determining which profession to get into. You would not want to pick your favorite career choice simply to realize that it going down the drain in a couple of years. You will find out such info from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The career outlook for public servants is definitely on the rise since due to the growing population. So, what does the future hold for the common fireman? Let’s find out.

[asd_program_button /]

There are currently about 300,000 firemen employed in the USA. There is a steady advancement of 5% for the next couple of years till 2024. This is the average growth rate of any normal career. This means that there will be about 12,000 new jobs by 2024. But, this also implies that there would be that much more people hoping to get the job too. Thus, there will be some competition. This is primarily due to the low education specifications and the attractions of a public service job. The pay might not be quite high, however the advantages make up for that. It’s estimated that there might be about 100 individuals competing for the same job by 2024.

firefighter job outlook by state Oxford Massachusetts
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

Steps To Becoming a Firefighter

Just like any other professional career to pursue, a procedure is imperative to follow. Main requirement is you must have the necessary education. Without these specifications, hardly any employer will be happy to hire you. As being a firefighter, there are not too many education prerequisites that one needs to have. Nonetheless, there are many other requirements like physical, medical and legal that one must have to qualify for being a firefighter. We’ll go further in details to better understand the prerequisites.

Education Requirements

High school diploma and a degree in higher education are the fundamental prerequisites to be qualified being a firefighter. The subjects do not matter as such. But, having some courses in fire sciences does help your cause. Which will provide you a backgrounder of the profession you are about to enter.

[asd_program_search_bar /]

Right after high school, many people decide to get some formal college education in the field just before they become a firefighter. You have to be at least EIGHTEEN years of age to meet the age requirement. As a result, one could not choose to become a firefighter right out of high school. College degrees in fire sciences are a huge plus in case you are planning to join the field. Courses which show you how to save people, control hydraulic devices such as ladders or other related stuff are a major plus.

It’s optional, you may pursue a graduate studies in that same field. The former ones are needed to get promoted to greater positions. While earning your education, you always remember that age limit requirement of 28 to 30 years old limit for you to be qualified too. Thus, if you want to expend most of your life as a firefighter, you shouldn’t concentrate too much on education.

Paramedic Training

Every firefighter is required to present an EMT certification. The one required is the EMT-B or the EMT-Basic. This certifies firefighters that they really know what to perform in case of fires or in accidents. The training may last for up to 1 year. Should you chose to become a paramedic at later time, you should gain education in the area of Emergency Medical Services. The advantages of entering this direction are possible upsurge in income or added edge over other candidates. In most cases, fire victims rescued are attended by medical professional that are firefighters too.

Massachusetts State Driving License

Many states need the applicants to be able to drive. A drivers license to every single applicant is required so they can be useful in case of urgent situation where for an instance no other fire truck driver is out there. The driver’s license also confirm other details needed in application just like for instance the age.

Free of Criminal Record

In most cases, a firefighter is compared as a policeman. They undertake a thorough criminal background check before they are hired. To get hired, the firefighters could not have a criminal record. If its discovered that there was one, or the firefighter was previously arrested, then that applicant is instantly disqualified. Nevertheless, there are cases where a pardoned individual of his violations are accepted however, not all department practice that.

Oxford Physical Requirements

Among the main characteristics that a firefighter needs to have is physical durability. They need to have the high upper body strength to be able to lift objects and people to help them in rescue cases. They are also supposed to possess the high endurance to cope with the excessive running around they should do. All firefighters undergo rigorous physical examinations both in the academy and before it.

Free From Healthcare Problems

Firefighters must cope with a lot of suffocating cases. Firefighters have face masks to conquer those circumstances but even so, if have respiratory condition, this might hinder your chances. People having respiratory problems cannot operate such heavy machinery with precision under suffocating situations. That is why it’s important that an applicant must be clear from any of that respiratory conditions.

If you fill up the forms, lots of boxes need to be marked. Without a doubt, the list is long, so learn how long will it take you become a firefighter!

Oxford Firefighter Work Description

Firefighters are the unsung heroes who risk their lives just to save other lives. They’re around in rescue quests you see in common incidents, not only fire. Just like what you see in films, a firefighter saving a kitten in a tree. Apart from the normal job they do, firefighters help teach people to prevent fire from going on. In certain cases, they’re supposed to check causes of fire and dig deep into the case due to the chance of an arsonist.

Putting Out Fires

This is the major function of firefighters. They’re always in check waiting for a call for their services. When they get a call, they rush to the location in one of their firetrucks which may contain hoses or ladders. Several of the fire trucks are simply meant to deliver harmed people.

[asd_program_button /]

At the scene of the fire, every individual has a different task. A particular firefighter maybe responsible for controlling the ladder and hose. Others are responsible for controlling the water flow and extinguishing the fire. These people work under the control of their respected commanding officers. Since they work in shifts, each and every unit has their own commanding officer.

Rescuing People

A certification in EMT is needed to all firefighters. Considering that the major job of the rescuer is to rescue lives, it is vital that a firefighter has this EMT. A firefighter might need this technical skills if a victim is cornered in fires. Not all rescue operations are fire related. There are situations that a fireman comes first in the scene. These casualties might be caused due to natural disasters, motor crashes or a few other reasons. The firefighters are supposed to work together and rescue the victims from additional harm. Oftentimes a firefighter is also a knowledgeable paramedic helping them provide better health care to the victims.

Teaching People

Firefighters are normally knowledgeable in fire sciences. The amount of knowledge depends on which degree they have pursued in the area or which course they have studied. Therefore, they help a lot of the people by teaching them about ways to avoid fires. This is normally done right after they visit a fire site and extinguish it. In certain other circumstances also, they visit schools or other public places to teach and sometime do demonstration on what to perform in case of fire.

Investigating Fires

It is also very important to understand the cause of fire. Knowing the causes can help firefighters avoid fire for the same scenario happen again. Cases like criminals set the first to blow up are possible. Working with law enforcement officers, it’s firefighter’s job to figure out what causes the fire or who possibly started it. There are firefighters who are also known as arson investigators which are skilled fire investigation. They work with the police to catch arsonists.

As you could see, there’s a wide number of reasons to call these people our everyday heroes. They do rescue lives by extinguishing fires and they develop also our appreciation to them. So, if learning about their responsibilities fired you up, see what education specifications you need to become one!