Antioch Illinois Firefighter Salary And Job Requirements

As the name says, Firefighters are individuals who literally save people or some other things from fire simply by fighting it. They are strong people who can perform rescue operations with style as well as panache. Usually loved by women, these professionals are not scared of anything and literally lay down their lives daily just like policemen. Right after hearing so much of praise about these brave people, you need to have developed a slight desire to become one yourself.

firefighter career summary Antioch Illinois
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Table Of Contents

How Much Does A Firefighter Make In Antioch?

People express that work does not seem like work anymore if you love what you are doing. Nonetheless, this passion is not more than enough to supply your finances such as basic needs and life style. We all need money so we could move, after all money is everything. That’s why when you go with a profession to pursue, it’s undeniable that you think also how much cash you could earn from it. For a few, it is the only motivation in the morning to get up and go to work. People who carry out community outreach do not earn much. But income is not their basis of joy and satisfaction. {Let us see how much a firefighter earns.|Without more ado, let us figure out the wages of a firefighter.

firefighter salary Antioch Illinois
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Around $49,000 is the mean yearly income a firefighter would make. 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. As we go further, you will find out components affecting income.

Location Matters

Firefighter’s income can be determined by the location of the department you’re designated. This is due to a number of aspects like – population size, availability of firemen as well as frequency of fighters. A place where spontaneous wildfires are likely, have a higher need for firemen than any other areas. Currently, New York pays their firemen the most at around 70% above the national mean. However, Columbia pays the lowest at 38% below the national average.

firefighter average salary by state Antioch Illinois
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Educational Qualification

If you have been through a study in fire science in high school, you will be eligible to apply being a firefighter. In this field of firefighting, having gained an education is favourable. Here’s 2 main reasons why. This shows you have the required understanding as well as know-how in firefighting. Another one is for the department to spend less on you just before becoming an asset in the government. Thus, 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.

Length of Work Experience

Work experience is undoubtedly the determining component of how much an employee should earn. As a firefighter, your revenue can rise about 50% with experience in the field of 20 years. This is quite high when compared to other careers which normally see a 15-20% rise in the same amount of time.

Accreditation and Training

Even the basics of EMT, it’s still required by a fireman. However, apart from learning the basic, you can go further and learn the advanced certifications. Having a deeper list of certifications and trainings give you a chance of getting a higher income. Besides, this also gives you another choice should you decide shift careers later.

Industry

At the end of the day, your company signs your paycheck. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the highest paying employers for this job are not the government but private companies. Included are firms handling production in oil, manufacturing of metal products and also waste management. No matter, the local and state government are still needing firefighting individuals.

Other Advantages

If you are a government employee, one of the advantages you obtain is the benefits you can claim. As being a firefighter, you obviously get benefits like dental as well as health care insurance. However you also get covered sick leaves as well as reimbursement for some specific tuition fees. The exact benefits vary from department to department.

As you can see, the financial scope of a fireman isn’t as nice as that of a physician. But a fireman has the accolades of an instant savior. Consequently, if you want to be that hero, find out the requirements to become a firefighter now!

Antioch Firefighter Job Outlook

firefighter job outlook Antioch Illinois
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The job outlook is a vital factor while determining which career to get into. You wouldn’t wish to pick your favorite career choice 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 growing population. Therefore, what does the future hold for the common fireman? Let’s discover.

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There are currently about 300,000 firemen appointed in america. There’s a steady growth of 5% for the next couple of 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. Nevertheless, this also means that there would be that much more people hoping to get the job as well. Thus, there would be some competition. This is mainly because of the low education specifications and also the attractions of a public service job. The pay may not be quite high, but the benefits 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 Antioch Illinois
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Steps To Becoming a Firefighter

One needs to follow a specific procedure to join any profession. Main requirement is you need to have the necessary education. Without these requirements, hardly any employer would be willing to hire you. As a firefighter, there are not too many education requirements that you need to have. Alongside, education you must pass other tests such as physical, medical as well as legal test. We will go further in details to better understand the requirements.

Educational Qualification

High school diploma along with a degree in higher education are the basic requirements to be qualified being a firefighter. Subjects you earned don’t matter much. However, acquiring some courses in fire sciences does help your cause. It will also teach you how to be a better firefighter.

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After high school, many individuals decide to get some formal college education in the field before they will become a firefighter. You have to be at least 18 years of age to meet the age qualification. That is one good reason why most of the aspirants aren’t be eligible right after graduating in high school. College degrees in fire sciences are a big plus if you are planning to be a part of the field. There are subjects in a curriculum of the degree chosen that teach you how to save lives, operate equipment required in firefighting and other related technicalities.

If desired, you can also opt to finish an associate’s, bachelor’s or a master’s degree in the same. The former ones are needed to get promoted to better positions. While gaining your education, you always keep in mind that age limitation qualification of 28 to 30 years old limit for you to be qualified as well. Consequently, if you want to spend most of your life as a firefighter, you should never focus too much on education.

Required Training in Paramedic

Every single firefighter is needed to have an EMT certification. It can be either of these 2, EMT-B or the EMT-Basic. This certifies firefighters that they really know what to complete in case there is fires or in accidents. The training might last for up to 12 months. 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 income or added edge over other candidates. In some instances, fire victims rescued are attended by medical expert which are firefighters also.

Qualified to Drive Vehicle In Illinois State

Many states need the candidates to be able to drive. A drivers license to each applicant is necessary so they could be useful in case of urgent situation where for an instance no other fire truck driver is available. It also serves as an ID proof to confirm the applicant’s age.

Legal Record

Firefighters are vetted almost as thoroughly as police officers. They undergo an extensive criminal background check just before they are hired. To get hired, the firefighters could not have a criminal record. If you feel you have previous records, then much better not to pursue this career as you will right away be disqualified. Nevertheless, there are situations where a pardoned individual of his crimes are accepted however, not all department practice that.

Antioch Physical Requirements

Firefighters need to be physically active to execute thier duty all the time. Instances like lifting fire victims or even objects to free victims arise much of the time in rescue tasks, consequently, firefighter’s upper body strength is crucial. Not just body strength is need, firefighter’s endurance should be high as they have to deal a lot of aspects like running even in harsh environment. All firefighters experience strenuous physical assessments both in the academy and before it.

Antioch Medical Prerequisites

Firefighters must deal with a lot of suffocating scenarios. Firefighters have face masks to conquer those situations but even so, if have respiratory condition, this might hinder your chances. When you have history in your respiratory, that would affect your efficiency. That’s why it’s a must that an applicant must be clear from any of that respiratory problems.

There a number of boxes that must be ticked while picking out a firefighter. Without a doubt, the list is long, so learn how long will it take you become a firefighter!

What Really Does a Antioch Firefighter Do?

Firefighters are the unsung heroes who risk their lives to save other lives. They’re around in rescue quests you see in common incidents, not just fire. Just like what you see in movies, a firefighter saving a kitten in a tree. Apart from the common job they do, firefighters help educate people to avoid fire from happening. They also perform the investigation as to the reasons of fire, its origin or cause.

Extinguishing Fires

This is the main function of firefighters. When on-duty, these people stay in their firehouse to take action to a call as soon as possible. When they do get a phone call, they rush to the location in one of their firetrucks which might contain hoses or ladders. Some of the fire trucks are simply meant to deliver harmed people.

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At the scene of the fire, every individual has a different task. A particular firefighter maybe in charge of handling the ladder and hose. Others are in control of controlling the water flow as well as extinguishing the fire. The same as any other team which has a leader commanding the operation, their group is in the direction by their commanding officer. Given that they work in shifts, every unit has their own commanding officer.

Saving People

A certification in EMT is needed to all firefighters. Considering that the primary job of the rescuer would be to save lives, it is a must that a firefighter possesses this EMT. Most of the time this comes in handy when taking care of people who are trapped inside the fires. On the other hand, not all rescue operations that the firefighters carry out are fire related. There are cases that a fireman comes first in the scene. Casualties maybe caused natural phenomena or road crashes. The firefighters are supposed to work together and rescue the victims from additional harm. This is where a firefighters knowledge in EMT will come in handy.

Educating People

Firefighters are commonly educated in fire sciences. Their know-how may vary as to how more firefighters go after this field. By discussing what they know, they help people by educating them how to avoid fire from occurring. This is normally done just after they visit a fire site and extinguish it. Or else, they also go to schools and also other places to actively educate people about fires, how to avoid fires and if necessary, how to extinguish them.

Fire Investigation

To teach people on how to avoid fires, the firemen/firewomen need to first find the source of the fire. Knowing the causes can assist firefighters prevent fire for the same situation happen again. Oftentimes, it’s possible that criminals with vicious intent set such fires. It is then the job of the firefighters to check out and provide more hints to the police officers about who started it. There are firefighters who’re also known as arson investigators that specialize fire investigation. Along with the law enforcement, they work to investigate possible arsonists.

As you can see, there is a wide number of reasons to contact 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 duties fired you up, see what education prerequisites you need to become one!