Cambridge Massachusetts Firefighter Salary And Job Requirements

As the name says, Firefighters are individuals who literally save people or other things from fire through fighting it. They’re strong individuals who can perform rescue actions with style and panache. Similar to any other macho image profession, like policemen, who offer risking their lives just to save another. You see the accolades these experts get, would you not like to become like these courageous firefighters?

firefighter career summary Cambridge Massachusetts
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Table Of Contents

How Much Does A Firefighter Make In Cambridge?

People express that work doesn’t seem like work anymore if you value what you do. Still, this passion is not more than enough to provide your finances such as basic needs and life-style. We all need money so we can move, after all money is everything. That is why when you go with a profession to pursue, it is undeniable that you think also how much money you could make from it. For some, it is the only motivation each morning to get up and go to work. Individuals who carry out community outreach do not earn much. But income is not their basis of pleasure and satisfaction. {Let us find out how much a firefighter earns.|Without further ado, let us determine the income of a firefighter.

firefighter salary Cambridge Massachusetts
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The mean annual income of a firefighter is around $49,000 with the median somewhere around $46,000. The figures may vary depending on the what state he is in or his education qualification or his expertise and experience. As we go more, you will figure out factors affecting income.

Location Matters

The location of the fire department is a major factor in figuring out someone’s wage. This is due to a few aspects like – population size, availability of firemen as well as frequency of fighters. A place where impulsive wildfires are likely, have a higher need for firemen than any other areas. New York has the highest rate among firefighters with 70% above the national mean. On the other hand, Columbia pays the cheapest at 38% below the national average.

firefighter average salary by state Cambridge Massachusetts
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Education Qualification

To become a firefighter, one usually just needs to have studied a course relevant to fire science in high school. Nevertheless, education is extremely valued in this area. Here’s Two reasons why. This will show you have the needed understanding as well as expertise in firefighting. The second is that the government will have to expend drastically less on you to develop you as being an asset. Therefore, they can afford to pay you more. A bachelor’s degree or an associate’s degree in fire science will help you advance your career as well as earn a lot more. A master’s degree may help a lot more.

Length of Work Experience

Experience is mostly a major key in deciding someone’s earnings. In case a firefighter has a field experience of approximately 20 years, his earnings may rise up to 50% This is extremely high when compared to other jobs which commonly see a 15-20% rise in the same length of time.

Accreditations

As a fireman, you will need to know the fundamentals of EMT to even apply for the job. However, aside from learning the fundamental, you can go more and learn the advanced certifications. Possessing a deeper list of certifications and trainings provide you with a chance of getting a higher income. Besides, this also gives you another choice should you decide shift careers later.

Industry

By the end of the day, your employer signs your paycheck. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the biggest paying employers for this job are not the government but private companies. This includes firms that handle waste management, coal as well as oil production, and also metal product manufacturing. On the other hand, the local and also the state government still hire the most number of firefighters.

Other Advantages

Among the best things about possessing a government work is that there’s a bunch of other rewards that are included with it. You get the services such as insurance in your health or even dental check-up. You can also avail sick leave benefits. But nonetheless, benefits may vary from what department you’re into.

Being a doctor might have a higher earning as compared to being a fireman. Nevertheless, at the end of the day, you become a hero in someone’s eyes. Therefore, if you wish to be that hero, find out the prerequisites to be a firefighter now!

Cambridge Firefighter Job Outlook

firefighter job outlook Cambridge Massachusetts
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The job outlook is a vital aspect while determining which career to get into. You wouldn’t wish to choose your favorite career choice simply to realize that it going down the drain in a few years. You could find out such info from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The career outlook for public servants is definitely on the rise since due to the ever-growing population. So, what does the future hold for the common fireman? Let us discover.

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There are presently about 300,000 firemen appointed in the USA. There is a steady development of 5% for the next few years till 2024. This is the average progress rate of any normal career. Which means that there will be about 12,000 new jobs by 2024. Nevertheless, this also implies that there would be that much more people trying to get the job too. Hence, there would be some competition. This is mainly because of the low education specifications and the attractions of a public service job. The pay might not be extremely high, however the benefits make up for that. It’s estimated that there might be about 100 people competing for the same position by 2024.

firefighter job outlook by state Cambridge Massachusetts
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How To Become A Firefighter

Much like any other expert career to follow, a process is important to follow. The most crucial part of these procedures would be to complete the education specifications. You should have your diploma or you’ll never get hired. Though education is the main requirement, you shouldn’t be worried because employer only need at least one degree completed. Nevertheless, there are a lot of other requirements like physical, medical and legal that one must have to be approved for being a firefighter. Let’s explore these in detail.

Education Qualification

High school diploma and a degree in advanced schooling are the fundamental requirements to be qualified as being a firefighter. Subjects you gained do not matter much. However , if you have fire fighting related subjects earned, that would be very helpful. It will also teach you how to become a more effective firefighter.

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Right after high school, most people decide to get some formal college education in the field before they will become a firefighter. The minimum age qualification is 18 years. That’s one good reason why many of the aspirants are not be eligible after graduating in high school. College degrees in fire sciences are a big plus if you’re planning to join the field. Courses that teach you how to save people, control hydraulic tools like ladders or other related stuff are a major plus.

It is optional, you may pursue a graduate studies in that same field. The former ones are required to get promoted to greater positions. Concurrently, remember that the maximum age requirement is kept at 28-30 years old. As a result, if you wish to spend most of your life as being a firefighter, you should never focus too much on education.

Paramedic Training

All the firefighters should have this EMT certification. The one required is the EMT-B or the EMT-Basic. This certifies firefighters that they know what to perform in the event of fires or in accidents. The training may last for up to 12 months. Should you decided to be a paramedic at later time, you need to gain education in the area of Emergency Medical Services. The benefits of going into this direction are possible upsurge in salary or added edge over other candidates. In some cases, fire victims rescued are attended by medical specialist that are firefighters also.

Qualified to Drive Vehicle In Massachusetts State

Many states require the applicants to be able to drive. A driving license to every applicant is required so they can be useful in case of emergency where for an instance no other fire truck driver is available. The driver’s license also confirm other information needed in application just like for instance the age.

Free of Criminal Record

Firefighters are vetted almost as thoroughly as police officers. They undergo a thorough background check just before they are appointed. To get employed, the firefighters cannot have a criminal record. If you feel you possess previous records, then better not to pursue this profession as you will immediately be disqualified. Individuals who were pardoned for their crimes are normally accepted, nevertheless, not all fire departments acknowledge such individuals.

Cambridge Physical Requirements

Firefighters must be physically fit to accomplish thier duty at all times. They must have the high upper body strength in order to lift objects and people to help them in rescue situations. Not only 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 rigorous physical exams both in the academy and before it.

Free From Medical Conditions

Firefighters should cope with a lot of suffocating cases. They are normally provided with masks to help them deal with such scenarios however, not always are they so fortunate. When you have history in your respiratory, that will affect your efficiency. Consequently, candidates are checked appropriately for any such conditions which may cause them harm in such cases.

When you fill up the forms, a lot of boxes should be marked. If you really feel you tick these boxes, then go and see how long it will take you to become a firefighter!

What Does a Cambridge Firefighter Do?

Firefighters are your daily heroes who work together to set out fires and help people if they get stuck in such situations. They’re also in charge of rescue actions for common daily troubles. Which means that the image of firefighters saving a kitten stuck on a tree often shown on televisions is actually true. Apart from this, they are also accountable for teaching individuals to avoid further fires. They also carry out the investigation as to the reasons of fire, its source or cause.

Extinguishing Fires

Clearly, fire extinguishing is their main work. When on-duty, these people stay in their firehouse to interact to a call as soon as possible. When they do get a call, they rush to the area in one of their firetrucks which may contain hoses or ladders. A few of the fire trucks are just meant to deliver wounded people.

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At the scene of the fire, every person has a different job. Some people are in charge of controlling the ladder and rescue actions. Another firefighter is solely for extinguishing the fire, while other perform the rescue of fire victims. These people work under the control of their respective commanding officers. Since they work in shifts, each unit has their own commanding officer.

Rescuing People

All firefighters should be qualified as an EMT. Since the major task of the rescuer is to save lives, it is a must that a firefighter has this EMT. Most of the time this comes in handy when looking after people who are cornered inside the fires. Nonetheless, not all rescue operations that the firefighters carry out are fire related. Firemen or firewomen are the first on the field with some police officers wherever there are any casualties. Casualties possibly caused natural phenomena or road crashes. Firefighter has to work to save the victim. This is certainly where a firefighters knowledge in EMT will come in handy.

Teach People

Fire science is among the expertise a firefighter has. The amount of knowledge will depend on which degree they have pursued in the area or which course they have studied. Therefore, they help a lot of the people by teaching them about ways to prevent fires. Firefighters normally do it right after visiting an extinguished fire scene. In some other cases also, they visit schools or other public places to educate and sometime do demonstration on what to undertake in case of fire.

Investigating Fires

To teach people on how to prevent fires, the firemen/firewomen should first find the cause of the fire. They should distinguish what caused it so they could avoid further such cases. Oftentimes, it is possible that criminals with vicious intent set such fires. It is then the job of the firefighters to investigate and provide more clues to the law enforcement officers about who started it. Firefighters specializing in investigations associated with fire are called arson investigators. They work with law enforcement to catch arsonists.

As you could see, there is a wide number of reasons to call these people our everyday heroes. They do rescue lives through extinguishing fires and they develop also our admiration to them. So, if you think you want to be like them, start filling up the list!