Athens Alabama Firefighter Salary And Job Requirements

By definition, firefighters are professionally trained people to save lives and properties in case of fire. They are chosen among the finest to risk their lives in rescue operations. Much like any other macho image profession, like policemen, who offer jeopardizing their lives just to save another. Right after hearing so much of praise regarding these brave people, you should have developed a slight desire to become one yourself.

firefighter career summary Athens Alabama
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Table Of Contents

How Much Money Does A Firefighter Make In Athens?

People say that work does not seem like work anymore if you value what you do. Still, this passion is not enough to provide your finances like basic needs as well as lifestyle. We all need money so we can move, after all money is everything. Consequently, when it comes to choosing a profession, people are always curious about the amount of they might receive from it. For some, it’s the only motivation each morning to get up and go to work. People in the community service sector don’t get paid as much. On the other hand, they do have a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. {Let us see how much a firefighter earns.|Without more ado, let us determine the wages of a firefighter.

firefighter salary Athens Alabama
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The mean yearly income of a firefighter is around $49,000 with the median 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 been through. As we go more, you will figure out components affecting income.

Location Matters

Firefighter’s income can be decided by the location of the department you’re assigned. This is because of a few 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. On the other hand, Columbia pays the lowest at 38% below the national average.

firefighter average salary by state Athens Alabama
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Educational Level

To be a firefighter, one usually just needs to have studied a course related to fire science in high school. Nonetheless, education is extremely valued in this field. There are two main reasons for this. One is that it is proof of your expertise in the field. The second is that the government will have to invest considerably less on you to develop you as being an asset. Resulting to paying you more. If you have a degree, whether it is a bachelor’s or an associate’s degree, that would help you acquire added advantage. A master’s degree might help a lot more.

Length of Work Experience

Work experience is undoubtedly the determining component of how much a worker must receive. As a firefighter, your income can rise about 50% with experience in the field of Twenty years. That percentage is quite in comparison with other job which is at 15% to 20% even they have got the same duration of experience.

Accreditation and Training

Even the basics of EMT, it’s still required by a fireman. However, aside from learning the basic, you can go further and learn the advanced certifications. Possessing a deeper list of accreditations and trainings provide you with a chance of having a higher wage. Besides, this also provides you another choice should you decide shift careers later.

Industry

By the end of the day, your company signs your paycheck. Based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the highest paying employers for this career are not the government but private contractors. Included are companies dealing with production in oil, manufacturing of metal products and also waste management. No matter, the local as well as state government are still in need of firefighting individuals.

Other Benefits

If you are a government personnel, an advantage you receive is the benefits you could claim. Being a firefighter, you definitely get perks like dental and medical insurance. However you also get covered sick leaves and reimbursement for a few specific tuition fees. But then again, advantages may differ from what department you are into.

Being a medical professional might have a higher earning as compared with being a fireman. But a fireman has the accolades of an instant savior. Learn the prerequisites to becoming a firefighter and be the man, the fireman, the savior!

Athens Firefighter Employment Outlook

firefighter job outlook Athens Alabama
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The job outlook is a crucial factor while determining which career to get into. You wouldn’t wish to pick your favorite career option just to realize that it going down the drain in a couple of years. You could find out such info 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’s find.

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There are currently about 300,000 firemen appointed in america. There is a steady growth of 5% for the next few years till 2024. This is the average growth rate of any normal career. Which means that there will be about 12,000 new jobs by 2024. Nevertheless, this also means that there will be that much more people hoping to get the job as well. As a result, there will be some competition. This is primarily due to the low education specifications and the attractions of a public service job. The pay may not be very high, but the benefits make up for that. It’s approximated that there might be about 100 individuals competing for the same position by 2024.

firefighter job outlook by state Athens Alabama
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How To be A Firefighter

Much like any other expert career to go after, a process is important to follow. The most important part of these procedures would be to complete the education specifications. You have to have your diploma or you will never get hired. Though education is the main requirement, you must not be worried because employer only need at least 1 degree completed. Beside, education you should pass other assessments like physical, medical and legal test. We’ll go further in details to much better understand the requirements.

Educational Requirements

High school diploma and a degree in advanced schooling are the basic prerequisites to be qualified being a firefighter. The subjects usually do not matter as such. Nonetheless, having some courses in fire sciences does help your cause. That will give you a backgrounder of the profession you’re about to go into.

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A lot of those who planned to be a firefighter, they elect to pursue a degree in college right after earning their diploma in high school. You should be at least EIGHTEEN years of age to meet the age requirement. Therefore, one could not choose to be a firefighter right out of high school. If you would like to have choices later if you opt to become a firefighter, better select a degree with subjects in firefighting, you may need them. Courses that show you how to save individuals, control hydraulic devices such as ladders or some other related things are a major plus.

If wanted, you can also choose to finish an associate’s, bachelor’s or a master’s degree in the same. The graduate studies you attain can help you land a promotion. While earning your education, you always keep in mind that age limit requirement of 28 to 30 years of age limit for you to be qualified also. That is why you should not over focus on acquiring too much education to be able to meet the requirements.

Required Training in Paramedic

All of the firefighters need to have this EMT certification. The one required is the EMT-B or the EMT-Basic. This certifies firefighters that they really know what to undertake in the event of fires or in accidents. The training might last for up to one year. If one desires, they could decide to pursue further studies in the field Emergency Medical Services and be a paramedic. The advantages of going into this direction are possible upsurge in income or added edge over other applicants. In some cases, fire victims rescued are attended by medical specialist that are firefighters also.

Qualified to Drive Vehicle In Alabama State

Many states need the candidates to be able to drive. Thus, they require their candidates to be a licensed driver which might help them when person is needed to drive the firetruck to the area. The driver’s license also verify other details needed in application just like for instance the age.

Clean Record

Firefighters are vetted almost as meticulously as police officers. They undergo a comprehensive criminal background check just before they are appointed. To get hired, the firefighters cannot have a criminal history. If it is discovered that there was one, or the firefighter was previously detained, then that candidate is promptly disqualified. People who were pardoned for their crimes are normally accepted, nonetheless, not all fire departments admit such people.

Physical Fitness

One of the main attributes that a firefighter should have is physical strength. Instances like lifting fire victims or even objects to free victims arise quite often in rescue tasks, consequently, firefighter’s upper body strength is a must. Not just body strength is need, firefighter’s endurance should be high as they have to deal lots of aspects like running even in harsh surroundings. All firefighters undertake rigorous physical examinations both in the academy and before it.

Free From Health Conditions

Firefighters should cope with a lot of suffocating situations. Firefighters have face masks to conquer those situations but even so, if have respiratory condition, this might hinder your chances. Individuals having respiratory conditions could not operate such heavy machinery with precision under suffocating circumstances. Consequently, applicants are checked properly for any such conditions that may cause them harm in such circumstances.

When you fill up the forms, lots of boxes need to be marked. Indeed, the list is long, so learn how long will it take you turn into a firefighter!

Athens Firefighter Work Description

Firefighters are the unsung heroes who risk their lives to save other lives. They are also in control of rescue operations for common daily troubles. This means that the image of firefighters saving a kitten stuck on a tree often shown on televisions is really true. Aside from the normal job they do, firefighters help teach people to prevent fire from going on. In many cases, they’re supposed to check causes of fire and dig deep into the case due to the possibility of an arsonist.

Extinguishing Fires

Certainly, fire extinguishing is their primary job. They are always in check waiting for a call for their services. When a distress call is got, firefighters along with their tools rush to the fire area to extinguish it. There are also fire trucks which are utilized for transporting injured fire victims.

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Firefighting is a team work. Each member already has its designated task. Some individuals are in charge of controlling the ladder as well as rescue actions. Another firefighter is only for extinguishing the fire, while other do the rescue of fire victims. These individuals work under the command of their respected commanding officers. Since they work in shifts, each unit has their own commanding officer.

Saving People

All firefighters should be qualified as an EMT. This is required since one of the primary jobs of the firefighters are to rescue people. A firefighter might need this technical know-how if a victim is trapped in fires. However, not all rescue operations that the firefighters take on are fire related. There are situations that a fireman comes first in the scene. These casualties may be caused due to natural disasters, motor crashes or a few other reasons. Firefighter should work to save the victim. Sometimes a firefighter is also a knowledgeable paramedic assisting them provide better healthcare to the victims.

Teaching People

Firefighters are commonly educated in fire sciences. 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 individuals by teaching them how to prevent fire from going on. This is normally carried out just after they visit a fire site as well as extinguish it. In some other instances also, they go to schools or other public areas to educate and sometime do demo on what to do in case there is fire.

Investigating Fires

It’s also essential to understand the cause of fire. They must identify what caused it so they could prevent further such scenarios. Oftentimes, it is possible that criminals with malicious intent set such fires. It is then the task of the firefighters to investigate and provide more clues to the law enforcement officers about who started it. Firefighters expert in investigations associated with fire are called arson investigators. They work with law enforcement to catch arsonists.

As you can see, there is a wide number of reasons to call these people our everyday heroes. While extinguishing fires in different places, they ignite one in our hearts. Consequently, if you think you wish to be like them, start filling up the list!