Fountainville Pennsylvania Firefighter Salary And Job Requirements

As the name says, Firefighters are people who actually save people or other things from fire by fighting it. They’re chosen among the finest to risk their lives in rescue actions. Usually loved by girls, these professionals aren’t afraid of anything and literally lay down their lives daily like policemen. You see the accolades these experts get, would you not like to become like these brave firefighters?

firefighter career summary Fountainville Pennsylvania
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Table Of Contents

How Much Money Does A Firefighter Make In Fountainville?

People say that work doesn’t seem like work anymore if you value what you are doing. Nonetheless, passion is not more than enough to sustain a lifestyle. Everybody requires a financial backing to help them live life the way they think fit. Consequently, when it comes to picking out a career, people are always curious about how much they might earn from it. For some, it is the only motivation each morning to get up and go to work. People in the community service sector do not get paid as much. However, they do have a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. {Let’s find out how much a firefighter earns.|Without further ado, let us figure out the income of a firefighter.

firefighter salary Fountainville Pennsylvania
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

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The mean annual income of a firefighter is around $49,000 with the median around $46,000. The figures may vary based on the what state he is in or his education degree or his skills and experience. As we go further, you will find out components affecting earnings.

Location Matters

The location of the fire department is a main factor in determining someone’s income. This is because of a number of factors like – population size, availability of firemen and frequency of fighters. A place where spontaneous wildfires are likely, have a higher need for firemen than any other areas. Presently, New York pays their firemen the most at around 70% above the national mean. However, Columbia pays the smallest at 38% below the national average.

firefighter average salary by state Fountainville Pennsylvania
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Educational Level

In case you have gone 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. There are 2 major reasons for this. This shows you have the required understanding as well as expertise in firefighting. The 2nd is that the government will need to expend substantially less on you to develop you being an asset. Thus, they can afford to pay you more. If you have a degree, may it be a bachelor’s or an associate’s degree, that will help you gain added advantage. A master’s degree might help a lot more.

Experience

Work experience is undoubtedly the determining component of how much a worker should earn. In case a firefighter has a field experience of around Twenty years, his salary may rise to 50% 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

As being a fireman, you will need to learn the fundamentals of EMT to even apply for the job. Nevertheless, you can choose to pursue the medical field a bit further and become a paramedic or get advanced EMT training. Getting these credentials gives you a better chance of gaining more. Besides, this also provides you another option should you decide shift careers later.

Industry

By the end of the day, your employer signs your paycheck. Per BLS records, it is not the government employers who pay out firefighters more, however it is the private contractors. Included are companies dealing with production in oil, production of metal products and also waste management. No matter, the local as well as state government are still in need of firefighting individuals.

Other Advantages

One of the best things about possessing a government job is that there is a bunch of other rewards that come with it. You get the services like insurance in your health or even dental check up. However you also get covered sick leaves as well as reimbursement for some specific tuition fees. But then again, benefits may vary from what department you’re into.

As you can see, the monetary scope of a fireman is not as nice as that of a health care provider. But a fireman has got the accolades of an instant savior. Learn the requirements to becoming a firefighter and be the man, the fireman, the hero!

Fountainville Firefighter Career Outlook

firefighter job outlook Fountainville Pennsylvania
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The job outlook is a crucial factor while deciding which profession to get into. You would not wish to choose your favourite career option simply to realize that it going down the drain in a few 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 because of the ever-growing population. So, what does the future hold for the common fireman? Let’s discover.

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There are presently about 300,000 firemen employed in america. There is a steady progress of 5% for the next several years till 2024. This is the average growth rate of any normal career. Which means that there would be about 12,000 new jobs by 2024. However, this also implies that there will be that much more individuals looking to get the job as well. Hence, there would be some competition. This is primarily because of the low education requirements and the attractions of a public service job. The pay may not be extremely high, but the advantages make up for that. It’s estimated that there may be about 100 individuals competing for the same job by 2024.

firefighter job outlook by state Fountainville Pennsylvania
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

Steps To Becoming a Firefighter

One needs to follow a particular process to join any profession. Primary requirement is you need to have the necessary education. You have to have your diploma or you will never get employed. As a firefighter, there aren’t too many education requirements that you need to possess. However, there are many other requirements such as physical, medical as well as legal that you should have to qualify for being a firefighter. We will go further in details to much better understand the prerequisites.

Education Qualification

The fundamental requirement to become a firefighter is to complete high school and get a relevant degree. Subjects you earned do not matter much. But, possessing some courses in fire sciences does help your cause. It will also teach you how to be a better firefighter.

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A lot of those who intended to be a firefighter, they elect to pursue a degree in college after earning their diploma in high school. You need to be at least EIGHTEEN years old to meet the age requirement. As a result, one cannot elect to become a firefighter right out of high school. If you wish to have choices later if you opt to be a firefighter, much better choose a degree with subjects in firefighting, you may need them. Courses which educate you on how to save people, control hydraulic devices such as ladders or some other related stuff are a major plus.

If desired, you can also choose to complete an associate’s, bachelor’s or a master’s degree in the same. The former ones are required to get promoted to greater positions. Concurrently, keep in mind that the maximum age requirement is kept at 28-30 years of age. Consequently, if you want to spend most of your life as being a firefighter, you should never focus too much on education.

Required Training in Paramedic

Every firefighter is required to have an EMT certification. The one required is the EMT-B or the EMT-Basic. This will help firefighters tend to victims in accidents or fires. The training may last for up to 1 year. Should you chose to become a paramedic at later time, you need to gain education in the field of Emergency Medical Services. This helps them acquire an edge over other applicants and hopefully, a higher income. There are also a few medical specialist firefighters who are able to take better care of individuals after they have been rescued from the fires.

Pennsylvania State Driving License

Many states need the applicants to be able to drive. As a result, they need their applicants to be a licensed driver that might help them in case that person is needed to drive the firetruck to the area. It also serves as an ID proof to verify the applicant’s age.

Free of Legal Record

In most cases, a firefighter is compared as a policeman. The same as policemen, firefighters also go through lifestyle check before getting employed. It absolutely required that an aspiring firefighters should have a clean record, no criminal record. If you think you have previous records, then better to not pursue this profession as you will instantly be disqualified. People who were pardoned for their crimes are normally accepted, however, not all fire departments admit such individuals.

Physical Fitness

Firefighters need to be physically active to perform thier duty all the time. They must have the high upper body strength in order to lift objects and people to help them in rescue situations. They’re also supposed to possess the high endurance to deal with the excessive running around they need to do. No one become a firefighter without going through heavy and extremely comprehensive physical assessments.

Fountainville Medical Requirements

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

There a number of boxes that must be ticked while selecting a firefighter. If you really feel you tick these boxes, then go and find out how long it takes to become a firefighter!

Fountainville Firefighter Work Description

Firefighters are your daily heroes who work together to put out fires as well as help people when they get stuck in such circumstances. They are also in control of rescue operations for common everyday troubles. Which means that the image of firefighters saving a kitten stuck on a tree normally shown on televisions is really true. Apart from the normal job they are doing, firefighters help teach people to avoid fire from taking place. They also perform the investigation as to the reasons of fire, its source or cause.

Putting Out Fires

Obviously, fire extinguishing is their primary task. They’re always in check waiting for a call for their services. When they do 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 harmed fire victims.

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At the scene of the fire, every individual has a distinct job. A certain firefighter maybe in control of controlling the ladder and hose. Others are in control of controlling the water flow as well as extinguishing the fire. Similar to any other team which has a leader commanding the operation, their group is headed by their commanding officer. They work in shiftings, for that reason, each shifting unit has its corresponding officers.

Rescuing People

All firefighters should be qualified as an EMT. Considering that the main job of the rescuer is to save lives, it is essential that a firefighter possesses this EMT. Most of the time this comes in handy when taking care of those who are stuck inside the fires. Nevertheless, not all rescue operations that the firefighters take on are fire related. Firemen or even firewomen are the first on the scene with a few police officers wherever there are any casualties. Casualties maybe caused natural phenomena or road crashes. Firefighter must work to save the victim. Oftentimes a firefighter is also a qualified paramedic helping them provide better health care to the victims.

Teaching People

Firefighters are usually knowledgeable in fire sciences. The amount of know-how will depend on which degree they have pursued in the area or which course they have studied. By sharing what they know, they help people by educating them how to prevent fire from occurring. Firefighters normally do it after visiting an extinguished fire scene. In certain other instances also, they visit schools or other public areas to educate and sometime do demo on what to undertake in the event of fire.

Fire Investigation

To educate people about how to avoid fires, the firemen/firewomen should first find the cause of the fire. Knowing the causes can help firefighters prevent fire for the same situation happen again. Oftentimes, it is possible that criminals with vicious intent set such fires. Working together with law enforcement officers, it’s firefighter’s job to find out what causes the fire or who possibly started it. There are firefighters who are also known as arson investigators that specialize fire investigation. They work with law enforcement to catch arsonists.

There’s no doubt why we should not call them our life savers and unsung heroes. While extinguishing fires in several places, they ignite one in our hearts. Consequently, if learning about their duties fired you up, see what education prerequisites you need to become one!