As the name says, Firefighters are people who actually save people or some other things from fire simply by fighting it. They are selected among the best to risk their lives in rescue actions. Usually loved by women, these pros aren’t frightened of anything and literally lay down their lives daily like policemen. After hearing so much of praise regarding 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
How Much Does A Firefighter Make In Billings?
If you value your work, sometimes you really feel like you are not working anymore. However, this passion is not 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. Therefore, in terms of selecting a career, people are always curious about the amount of they might gain out of it. For a few, it is the only motivation in the morning to get up and go to work. People in the community service sector do not get paid as much. Nevertheless, they do have a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. {Let us find out how much a firefighter earns.|Without more ado, let us determine the wages of a firefighter.
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The mean yearly income of a firefighter is around $49,000 with the median around $46,000. The figures may vary depending on the what state he is in or his education qualification or his abilities and experience. As we go further, you’ll find out components affecting income.
Location Matters
The precise location of the fire department is a main factor in deciding someone’s earnings. This is because of a number of factors like – population size, availability of firemen as well as frequency of fighters. An area just where fire takes place regularly probably will possess higher salary compared to less occurrence of fire areas. New York has the greatest rate among firefighters with 70% above the national mean. However, Columbia pays the lowest at 38% below the national average.
Educational Qualification
To be a firefighter, one usually just needs to have studied a course related to fire science in high school. However, education is highly valued in this field. There are two major reasons for this. One is the reason is proof of your know-how in the field. Another one is for the department to spend less on you just before becoming an asset in the government. Consequently, they could afford to pay you more. In case you have a degree, may it be a bachelor’s or an associate’s degree, that will help you gain added benefit. A master’s degree might help even more.
Experience
Experience is usually a major key in determining someone’s revenue. In case a firefighter has a field experience of around 2 decades, his earnings may rise up to 50% That percentage is quite as compared with other job which is at 15% to 20% even they have the same length of experience.
Accreditation and Training
Even the basics of EMT, it’s still needed by a fireman. Nonetheless, apart from learning the basic, you can go more and learn the advanced certifications. Having a deeper list of accreditations and trainings give you a chance of having a higher salary. Besides, this also provides you another option should you opt shift careers later.
Industry
At the end of the day, your company signs your paycheck. Per BLS records, it is not the government employers who pay out firefighters more, but it is the private contractors. Included are companies dealing with production in oil, production of metal products and waste management. Regardless, the local as well as state government are still needing firefighting people.
Other Benefits
In case you are a government employee, one of the advantages you get is the benefits you can claim. You get the services such as insurance plan in your health or even dental check-up. However you also get covered sick leaves as well as reimbursement for some specific tuition fees. The exact benefits differ from department to department.
Being a medical professional may have a higher earning in comparison with being a fireman. But a fireman has got the accolades of an instant savior. Therefore, if you wish to be that hero, figure out the requirements to become a firefighter now!
Billings Firefighter Job Outlook
The job outlook is an essential aspect while choosing which profession to get into. You wouldn’t wish to pick your favorite career choice just to realize that it going down the drain in a few years. You can find out such information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The career outlook for public servants is obviously on the rise since due to the ever-growing population. Therefore, what does the future hold for the common fireman? Let us find.
[asd_program_button /]There are currently about 300,000 firemen employed in america. There is a steady advancement of 5% for the next several years till 2024. This is the average growth rate of any normal profession. Which means that there would be about 12,000 new jobs by 2024. However, this also means that there will be that much more individuals hoping to get the job also. Thus, there will be some competition. This is mainly because of the low education requirements and also the attractions of a public service job. The pay might not be extremely high, but the benefits make up for that. It’s estimated that there might be about 100 people competing for the same job by 2024.
How To be A Firefighter
One needs to follow a particular process to join any career. Main requirement is you should have the necessary education. You should have your diploma or you’ll never get hired. Although education is the primary requirement, you should not be worried simply because employer only need at least one degree completed. Nevertheless, there are a lot of other needs like physical, medical as well as legal that you must have to be approved for being a firefighter. Let’s explore these in detail.
Education Requirements
High school diploma along with a degree in advanced schooling are the basic prerequisites to be qualified being a firefighter. The subjects usually do not matter as such. However , if you have fire fighting related subjects attained, that would be helpful. Which will provide you a backgrounder of the profession you’re about to enter.
[asd_program_search_bar /]Right after high school, a lot of people decide to get some formal college education in the field before they become a firefighter. The minimum age qualification is EIGHTEEN years. That is one of the reasons why many of the aspirants are not be eligible right after graduating in high school. College degrees in fire sciences are a big plus if you are planning to join the field. There are subjects in a curriculum of the degree picked that educate you on how to save lives, handle devices needed in firefighting and other related technicalities.
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 assist you land a promotion. While gaining your education, you always remember that age limitation requirement of 28 to 30 years old limit for you to be qualified as well. That’s why you should not over concentrate on acquiring too much education to be able to qualify.
Paramedic Training
Every single firefighter is needed to have an EMT certification. The one needed is the EMT-B or the EMT-Basic. This certifies firefighters that they know what to perform in case there is fires or in accidents. 12 months is required to be able to complete this training. If one desires, they could choose to pursue further studies in the field Emergency Medical Services and become a paramedic. This helps them get an edge over other candidates and hopefully, a higher income. In most cases, fire victims rescued are attended by medical professional which are firefighters as well.
Missouri State Driving License
Many states need the candidates to be able to drive. Therefore, they require their candidates to be a licensed driver which might help them in case that person is required to drive the firetruck to the location. The driver’s license also verify other details needed in application just like for instance the age.
Legal Record
Firefighters are vetted almost as meticulously as police officers. They carry out a thorough background check before they are appointed. To get hired, the firefighters cannot have a criminal history. If it is found that there was one, or the firefighter was previously busted, then that candidate is promptly disqualified. On the other hand, there are situations where a pardoned individual of his violations are acknowledged however, not all department perform that.
Billings Physical Prerequisites
Among the main features that a firefighter needs to have is physical durability. Instances like lifting fire victims or even objects to free victims arise most of the time in rescue tasks, consequently, firefighter’s upper body strength is a must. They’re also supposed to have the high endurance to deal with the excessive running around they should do. All firefighters endure strenuous physical assessments both in the academy and before it.
Free From Health Conditions
Firefighters should cope with a lot of suffocating scenarios. They’re normally provided with masks to help them handle such situations but not always are they so fortunate. Individuals having respiratory conditions cannot handle such heavy machinery with precision under suffocating circumstances. That’s why it’s essential that an applicant must be clear from any of that respiratory conditions.
If you fill up the forms, a lot of boxes need to be marked. Certainly, the list is long, so find out how long will it take you become a firefighter!
What Does a Billings Firefighter Do?
Firefighters are the unsung heroes who risk their lives just to save other lives. They’re around in rescue tasks you see in common incidents, not only fire. Which means that the image of firefighters saving a kitten stuck on a tree often shown on televisions is really true. Apart from the usual job they are doing, firefighters help instruct people to prevent fire from happening. They also do the investigation as to the reasons of fire, its source or cause.
Extinguishing Fires
Certainly, fire extinguishing is their main task. They’re always in check waiting for a call for their expert services. When they 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 wounded people.
[asd_program_button /]At the scene of the fire, every individual has a distinct job. Some people are in charge of handling the ladder as well as rescue actions. Others are in charge of controlling the water flow as well as extinguishing the fire. These individuals work under the control of their respective commanding officers. They work in shiftings, for that reason, every shifting unit has its corresponding officers.
Rescuing People
All firefighters are required to be qualified as an EMT. This is necessary given that one of the primary tasks of the firefighters are to save people. Much 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. There are instances that a fireman comes first in the scene. These casualties may be caused due to natural disasters, motor accidents or a few other reasons. The firefighters are supposed to work together and save the victims from further harm. This is where a firefighters knowledge in EMT comes in handy.
Teach People
Fire science is among the expertise a firefighter has. The amount of know-how will depend on which degree they have pursued in the field or which course they have studied. By sharing what they know, they help people by teaching them how to avoid fire from taking place. This is normally done right after they visit a fire site and extinguish it. Or else, they also visit schools and other areas to positively educate people about fires, how to avoid fires and if needed, how to extinguish them.
Fire Investigation
To educate people about how to prevent 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 is possible that criminals with vicious intent set such fires. Working together with police officers, it’s firefighter’s task to find out what causes the fire or who possibly started it. Firefighters expert 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 large number of reasons to call these people our everyday heroes. While extinguishing fires in various locations, they ignite one in our hearts. So, if you think you wish to be like them, begin filling up the list!