As the name suggests, Firefighters are people who basically save people or some other objects from fire simply by fighting it. They’re chosen among the finest to risk their lives in rescue operations. Much like any other macho image profession, like policemen, who offer risking their lives to save another. You see the accolades these professionals acquire, would you not like to become like these courageous firefighters?
Table Of Contents
- Average firefighter salary
- Firefighter career outlook
- How to become a firefighter
- Firefighter job description
How Much Money Does A Firefighter Make In Oxford?
People say that work doesn’t seem like work anymore if you value what you are doing. However, this passion is not more than enough to provide your finances like basic needs and life-style. Everyone needs a financial resources to make them live life the way they think fit. That is why when you select a career to pursue, it is undeniable that you think also how much money you could acquire from it. Genuinely, undeniably that’s the inspiration you set your alarm clock to get you ready for the job day to day. People in the community service sector don’t get paid as much. On the other hand, they do have a sense of achievement at the end of the day. {Let’s find out how much a firefighter earns.|Without further ado, let us find out the income of a firefighter.
[asd_program_button /]The mean annual income of a firefighter is around $49,000 with the median somewhere around $46,000. There are many factors which affect this number including the size of the population and also the education that a firefighter has undergone. Below is a listing of these factors and how they could increase or decrease your income as a firefighter.
Location Matters
The precise location of the fire department is a major element in determining someone’s salary. This is because of a few factors like – population size, availability of firemen as well as frequency of fighters. An area just where fire happens often will probably get higher income compared to less event of fire areas. Presently, New York pays their firemen the most at around 70% above the national mean. On the contrary, Columbia pays the cheapest at 38% below the national average.
Education Qualification
To be a firefighter, one usually just needs to have studied a course relevant to fire science in high school. Nevertheless, education is extremely valued in this field. There are two major reasons for this. This will show you have the needed understanding and knowledge in firefighting. Another one is for the department to spend less on you before becoming an asset in the government. Therefore, they can afford to pay you more. A bachelor’s degree or an associate’s degree in fire science can help you advance your career and earn quite a bit more. How much more if you have a graduate credentials in firefighting.
Experience
Career history is certainly the determining factor of how much an employee should gain. As a firefighter, your revenue can rise about 50% with experience in the area of 2 decades. That percentage is quite as compared to other job which is at 15% to 20% even they have the same length of experience.
Certificates and Training
Even the fundamentals of EMT, it’s still required by a fireman. On the other hand, you can choose to pursue the medical field a bit further and be a paramedic or get advanced EMT training. Possessing these credentials provides you a greater chance of earning more. It also gives you a “Plan B” if you do choose to change careers later.
Industry
When all’s said and finished, you need to receive your income. Based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the biggest paying employers for this job are not the government but private contractors. This includes firms that handle waste management, coal as well as oil production, and metal product manufacturing. Regardless, the local as well as state government are still needing firefighting people.
Other Benefits
Among the best things about possessing a government job is that there is a lot of other rewards that are included with it. You get the services such as insurance plan in your health or dental check up. You can also avail sick leave benefits. The exact benefits vary from department to department.
As you could see, the financial scope of a fireman is not as good as that of a health care provider. However a fireman has the accolades of an instant savior. Therefore, if you want to be that hero, figure out the requirements to become a firefighter now!
Oxford Firefighter Job Outlook
The job outlook is a crucial factor while choosing which career to get into. You would not want to select your favorite career choice just to realize that it going down the drain in a few years. You could find out such info from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The career outlook for public servants is definitely on the rise since because of the growing population. Therefore, what does the future hold for the common fireman? Let’s find.
[asd_program_button /]There are currently about 300,000 firemen appointed in the USA. There’s a steady development of 5% for the next couple of years till 2024. This is the average progress rate of any normal career. Which means that there will be about 12,000 new jobs by 2024. However, this also means that there will be that much more individuals trying to get the job too. Hence, there will be some competition. This is primarily due to the low education requirements and also the attractions of a public service job. The pay might not be extremely high, but the advantages make up for that. It’s estimated that there might be about 100 people competing for the same position by 2024.
Steps To Becoming a Firefighter
Much like any other professional career to go after, a process is essential to follow. The most significant part of these procedures is to accomplish the education requirements. Without these specifications, hardly any employer will be happy to hire you. Though education is the primary requirement, you must not be worried simply because employer only need at least 1 degree completed. Alongside, education you have to pass other exams like physical, medical as well as legal test. We will go further in details to better understand the prerequisites.
Educational Qualification
High school diploma along with a degree in higher education are the fundamental specifications to be qualified as a firefighter. Subjects you earned do not matter much. But if you have fire fighting related subjects attained, that would be very helpful. It will also educate you on how to be a more efficient firefighter.
[asd_program_search_bar /]After high school, many people decide to get some formal college education in the field before they will become a firefighter. The minimum age requirement is 18 years. That’s one of the reasons why most of the aspirants aren’t be eligible right after graduating in high school. College degrees in fire sciences are a huge plus if you’re planning to join the field. There are subjects in a curriculum of the degree picked that show you how to save lives, operate equipment required in firefighting along with other related technicalities.
It is optional, you may pursue a graduate studies in that same field. The former ones are required to get promoted to better positions. While gaining your education, you always keep in mind that age limit qualification of 28 to 30 years old limit for you to be qualified also. Thus, if you want to expend most of your life as a firefighter, you should not focus too much on education.
Required Training in Paramedic
All the firefighters should have this EMT certification. It could be either of these 2, EMT-B or the EMT-Basic. This certifies firefighters that they know very well what to complete in case there is fires or in accidents. The training might last for up to 1 year. If one desires, they could choose to pursue further studies in the field Emergency Medical Services and be a paramedic. The advantages of going into this direction are possible increase in salary or added edge over other applicants. There are also a few medical professional firefighters who can take better care of individuals after they have already been rescued from the fires.
Mississippi State Driving License
In most states, hiring of firefighter requires an applicant to have experience in driving. A driving license to each and every candidate is required so they could be useful in case of emergency where for an instance no other fire truck driver is out there. The driver’s license also confirm other info needed in application just like for instance the age.
Clean Record
Firefighters are vetted almost as thoroughly as police officers. They go through a comprehensive criminal background check before they are hired. To get hired, the firefighters could not have a criminal history. If it is discovered that there was one, or the firefighter was previously detained, then that applicant is instantly disqualified. Nevertheless, there are instances where a pardoned individual of his violations are acknowledged but not all department perform that.
Oxford Physical Prerequisites
One of the main characteristics that a firefighter must have is physical strength. They must have the high upper body strength in order to lift objects and individuals to help them in rescue cases. They are also supposed to have the high endurance to cope with the excessive running around they should do. Nobody become a firefighter without undergoing heavy and extremely thorough physical examinations.
Oxford Medical Requirements
Firefighters must deal with a lot of suffocating cases. Firefighters have masks to conquer those circumstances but even so, if have respiratory condition, this may hinder your chances. In case you have history in your respiratory, that will affect your efficiency. Thus, candidates are checked properly for any such diseases that may cause them harm in such situations.
There a number of boxes that need to be ticked while selecting a firefighter. If you really feel you tick these boxes, then go and see how long it will take you to become a firefighter!
What Really Does a Oxford Firefighter Do?
Firefighters are your everyday heroes who work together to set out fires and also help people when they get stuck in such scenarios. They are around in rescue missions you see in common incidents, not only fire. Which means that the image of firefighters saving a kitten stuck on a tree normally shown on televisions is really true. Aside from this, they’re also accountable for instructing individuals to avoid further fires. In some cases, they are supposed to examine sources of fire and dig deep in to the case due to the chance of an arsonist.
Extinguishing Fires
Clearly, fire extinguishing is their main task. When on-duty, these individuals stay in their firehouse to take action to a call as quickly as possible. When they get a call, they rush to the area in one of their firetrucks which may contain hoses or ladders. There are also fire trucks which are used for carrying injured fire victims.
[asd_program_button /]Firefighting is a team work. Each and every member already has its designated task. A particular firefighter maybe in charge of handling the ladder and hose. Others are in charge of controlling the water flow and extinguishing the fire. Similar to any other team that has a leader ordering the operation, their group is in the direction by their commanding officer. Given that they work in shifts, each and every unit has their own commanding officer.
Rescuing People
A certification in EMT is needed to all firefighters. This is important since one of the main tasks of the firefighters are to rescue people. Most of the time this comes in handy when taking care of those who are cornered inside the fires. Not all rescue operations are fire related. Firemen or even firewomen are the first on the scene with a few police officers wherever there are any casualties. These casualties might be caused because of natural disasters, motor crashes or several other reasons. The firefighters are supposed to work together and rescue the victims from additional harm. Sometimes a firefighter is also a qualified paramedic helping them provide better healthcare to the victims.
Teach People
Fire science is among the expertise a firefighter has. The amount of know-how depends on which degree they have pursued in the field or which course they have studied. By sharing what they know, they help people by educating them how to avoid fire from occurring. Firefighters usually do it after visiting an extinguished fire scene. In certain other instances also, they visit schools or other public sites to educate and sometime do demo on what to undertake in case of fire.
Fire Investigation
To teach people on how to prevent fires, the firemen/firewomen have to first find the source of the fire. They have to identify what caused it so they can avoid further such situations. Oftentimes, it’s possible that criminals with malicious intent set such fires. It is then the task of the firefighters to investigate and provide more hints to the police officers about who started it. Firefighters expert in investigations associated with fire are called arson investigators. Along with the police, they work to check into possible arsonists.
As you can see, there is a wide number of reasons to call these people our everyday heroes. They do save lives through extinguishing fires and they develop also our admiration to them. So, if you think you would like to be like them, begin filling up the list!





