By definition, firefighters are skillfully trained individuals to save lives as well as properties in case of fire. They’re chosen among the best to risk their lives in rescue actions. Much like any other macho image profession, like policemen, who offer risking their lives to save another. Right after hearing so much of praise about these brave people, you need to have developed a slight desire to become one yourself.
Table Of Contents
- Average firefighter salary
- Firefighter career outlook
- How to become a firefighter
- Firefighter job description
Just How Much Does A Firefighter Make In Halifax?
People say that work does not seem like work anymore if you love what you do. However, passion is not more than enough to sustain a lifestyle. Everyone needs a financial resources to make them live life the way they think fit. That’s why when you select a profession to pursue, it is indisputable that you think also how much cash you could gain from it. For some, it is the only motivation in the morning to get up and go to work. People who carry out community outreach don’t earn much. But income is not really their basis of pleasure and satisfaction. {Let’s see how much a firefighter earns.|Without further ado, let us find out the income of a firefighter.
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The mean annual income of a firefighter is around $49,000 with the median around $46,000. There are various factors that affect this number including the size of the population and the education that a firefighter has gone through. Below is a list of these factors and how they are able to increase or decrease your salary as a firefighter.
Location Matters
Firefighter’s earnings can be determined by the location of the department you are assigned. 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 places. Presently, New York pays their firemen the most at about 70% above the national mean. While Columbia pays the lowest at 38%.
Educational Qualification
In case you have undergone a study in fire science in high school, you’ll be eligible to apply being a firefighter. In this area of firefighting, having gained a college degree is advantageous. There are two main reasons for this. This shows you have the required understanding and expertise in firefighting. Another one is for the department to spend less on you before becoming an asset in the government. Resulting to 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 even more.
Length of Work Experience
Work experience is undoubtedly the determining aspect of how much an employee must receive. Being a firefighter, your revenue can rise about 50% with experience in the area of Two decades. This is quite high when compared to other jobs which commonly see a 15-20% rise in the same period of time.
Accreditation and Training
As being a fireman, you will have to know the basics of EMT to even apply for the job. Nonetheless, you can choose to pursue the medical field a bit more and be a paramedic or get advanced EMT training. Having these credentials gives you a better chance of earning more. It also gives you a “Plan B” if you do decide to change careers later.
Industry
By the end of the day, your company signs your paycheck. Based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the biggest paying employers for this job are not the government but private companies. Included are firms handling production in oil, production of metal products and also waste management. No matter, the local and state government are still looking for firefighting people.
Other Advantages
Among the best things about possessing a government job is that there is a lot of other advantages that are included with it. You get the services like insurance in your health or even dental check-up. You may also avail sick leave benefits. But nonetheless, advantages may differ from what department you are into.
As being a physician might have a greater earning in comparison with being a fireman. 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 savior!
Halifax Firefighter Career Outlook
The job outlook is a crucial aspect while deciding which profession to get into. You would not wish to select your favourite career choice simply to realize that it going down the drain in a couple of years. You will find out such information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The career outlook for public servants is always on the rise since because of the growing population. So, what does the future hold for the common fireman? Let us find out.
[asd_program_button /]There are currently about 300,000 firemen appointed in the USA. There’s a steady growth of 5% for the next couple of years till 2024. This is the average progress rate of any normal profession. Which means that there would be about 12,000 new jobs by 2024. But, this also means that there would be that much more people trying to get the job too. As a result, there will be some competition. This is primarily due to the low education specifications and also 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 may be about 100 people competing for the same job by 2024.
Steps To Becoming a Firefighter
Much like any other expert career to pursue, a process is important to follow. Primary requirement is you need to have the necessary education. Without these requirements, hardly any employer will be happy to hire you. Being a firefighter, there aren’t too many education prerequisites that one needs to have. Nonetheless, there are many other needs such as physical, medical and legal that you should have to be approved for being a firefighter. We will go further in details to better understand the requirements.
Education Requirements
High school diploma and a degree in higher education are the fundamental specifications to be qualified as a firefighter. Subjects you gained don’t matter much. But if you have fire fighting related subjects attained, that would be very helpful. That will give you a backgrounder of the profession you are about to enter.
[asd_program_search_bar /]Right after high school, most people choose to get some formal college education in the field before they will become a firefighter. The minimum age requirement is 18 years. As a result, one cannot elect to become a firefighter right out of high school. If you wish to have options later if you opt to be a firefighter, much better select a degree with subjects in firefighting, you may need them. There are subjects in a curriculum of the degree picked that show you how to save lives, handle devices needed in firefighting and also other related technical issues.
It is optional, you may pursue a graduate studies in that same field. The former ones are needed to get promoted to higher positions. While earning your education, you always keep in mind that age limitation qualification of 28 to 30 years of age limit for you to be qualified as well. That’s why you should not over focus on getting too much education so as to qualify.
Paramedic Training
All the firefighters need to have this EMT certification. It could be either of these Two, EMT-B or the EMT-Basic. This certifies firefighters that they know what to undertake in case there is fires or in accidents. One year is required to be able to complete this training. Should you chose to be a paramedic at later time, you must earn education in the area of Emergency Medical Services. The benefits of going into this direction are possible upsurge in income or added edge over other candidates. In some instances, fire victims rescued are attended by medical professional which are firefighters as well.
Virginia State Driving License
Many states require the candidates to be able to drive. Thus, they want their applicants to be a licensed driver that might help them in case that person is needed to drive the firetruck to the location. The driver’s license also validate other info required in application just like for instance the age.
Free of Criminal Record
Firefighters are vetted almost as meticulously as police officers. They go through a comprehensive background check just before they are appointed. It completely needed that an aspiring firefighters must have a clean record, no criminal history. If it is found that there was one, or the firefighter was previously imprisoned, then that candidate is instantly disqualified. Individuals who were pardoned for their crimes are usually accepted, however, not all fire departments acknowledge such people.
Physical Fitness
One of the main features that a firefighter must have is physical durability. They need to have the high upper body strength to be able to lift objects and individuals to help them in rescue cases. They’re also supposed to possess the high endurance to deal with the excessive running around they must do. Nobody become a firefighter without going through heavy and extremely detailed physical exams.
Free From Medical Ailments
Suffocations in rescue tasks happen and firefighters know how to deal with it. Firefighters have face masks to conquer those situations but even so, if have respiratory condition, this may hinder your chances. People having respiratory conditions 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 problems.
There a lot of boxes that need to be ticked while choosing a firefighter. Without a doubt, the list is long, so find out how long will it take you turn into a firefighter!
Halifax Firefighter Work Description
Firefighters are the unsung heroes who risk their lives just to save other lives. They are also in control of rescue actions for common everyday challenges. This means that the image of firefighters saving a kitten stuck on a tree normally shown on televisions is in fact true. Apart from the common job they do, firefighters help educate people to avoid fire from going on. In certain cases, they’re supposed to inspect sources of fire and dig deep in to the case due to the possibility of an arsonist.
Putting Out Fires
This is the major role of firefighters. When on-duty, these people stay in their firehouse to take action to a call as soon as possible. When they get a phone call, they rush to the location in one of their firetrucks which may contain hoses or ladders. There are also fire trucks which are utilized for taking wounded fire victims.
[asd_program_button /]At the scene of the fire, every person has a different job. A particular firefighter maybe responsible for controlling the ladder and hose. Another firefighter is only for extinguishing the fire, while other carry out the rescue of fire victims. Just like any other team that has a leader ordering the operation, their group is headed by their commanding officer. Since they work in shifts, each and every unit has their own commanding officer.
Rescuing People
All firefighters should be qualified as an EMT. This is important given that one of the primary duties of the firefighters are to rescue people. Most of the time this comes in handy when taking care of people who are trapped inside the fires. Not all rescue operations are fire related. There are situations that a fireman comes first in the scene. These casualties may be caused because of natural disasters, motor accidents or several other reasons. The firefighters are supposed to work together and rescue the victims from additional harm. Sometimes a firefighter is also a knowledgeable paramedic helping them provide better health care to the victims.
Teach People
Fire science is one of the skills a firefighter has. Their know-how may vary as to how further firefighters pursue this field. Therefore, they help most of the people by educating them about ways to avoid fires. Firefighters usually do it after visiting an extinguished fire scene. Otherwise, they also visit schools and other places to positively teach people about fires, how to prevent fires and if necessary, how to extinguish them.
Fire Investigation
It is also very important to be aware of the cause of fire. They have to identify what caused it so they can prevent further such situations. Cases like criminals set the first to blow up are probable. Working with police officers, it’s firefighter’s task to figure out what causes the fire or who possibly started it. Firefighters specializing in investigations related to fire are called arson investigators. Together with the police, they work to check into possible arsonists.
As you could see, there is a broad number of reasons to call these people our everyday heroes. While extinguishing fires in different areas, they ignite one in our hearts. So, if learning about their responsibilities fired you up, see what education specifications you have to become one!