Casco Maine Firefighter Salary And Job Requirements

By definition, firefighters are professionally trained individuals to save lives as well as properties in case of fire. They are strong individuals who can do rescue operations with style and panache. Just like any other macho image profession, like policemen, who offer jeopardizing their lives just to save another. After hearing so much of praise about these brave individuals, you need to have developed a slight desire to become one yourself.

firefighter career summary Casco Maine
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

Table Of Contents

How Much Does A Firefighter Make In Casco?

People express that work doesn’t seem like work anymore if you value what you are doing. Having said that, passion is not enough to sustain a lifestyle. We all need bucks so we could move, after all money is everything. Thus, when it comes to picking out a profession, people are always curious about how much they might gain out of it. For a few, it is the only motivation each morning to get up and go to work. Individuals who perform community outreach don’t earn much. But income is not really their basis of happiness and satisfaction. {Let’s see how much a firefighter earns.|Without more ado, let us find out the income of a firefighter.

firefighter salary Casco Maine
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

[asd_program_button /]

Somewhere around $49,000 is the mean annual income a firefighter would make. A median of about $46,000 is the median. There are many factors that affect this number including the size of the population and also the education that a firefighter has been through. As we go further, you will know aspects affecting salary.

Location Matters

Firefighter’s salary can be determined by the location of the department you are assigned. This is because of a few components like – population size, availability of firemen and frequency of fighters. A place where impulsive 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. While Columbia pays the lowest at 38%.

firefighter average salary by state Casco Maine
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

Educational Level

In case you have undergone a study in fire science in high school, you’ll be eligible to apply as a firefighter. On the other hand, education is highly valued in this field. Here’s Two reasons why. One is the reason is evidence of your expertise in the field. Another one is for the department to spend less on you before becoming an asset in the government. Resulting to paying you more. If you have a degree, whether it is a bachelor’s or an associate’s degree, that will help you gain added benefit. A master’s degree might help even more.

Length of Work Experience

Experience is commonly a major key in determining someone’s salary. Being a firefighter, your income can rise around 50% with experience in the area of 20 years. This is extremely 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 learn the fundamentals of EMT to even apply for the job. Nonetheless, you can pick to pursue the medical field a bit more and become a paramedic or get advanced EMT training. Possessing a deeper list of certifications and trainings provide you with a chance of acquiring a bigger salary. It also gives you a “Plan B” if you do decide to change careers later.

Industry

When all’s said and done, you must receive your paycheck. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the biggest paying employers for this job aren’t the government but private companies. This includes firms that deal with waste management, coal and oil production, and metal product manufacturing. Nonetheless, the local and also the state government still employ the most number of firefighters.

Other Benefits

If you’re a government worker, an advantage you receive is the benefits you could claim. You get the services such as insurance in your health or even dental check-up. You can also avail sick leave benefits. The exact benefits differ from department to department.

As you could see, the financial scope of a fireman isn’t as nice as that of a doctor. But a fireman has got the accolades of an instant savior. So, if you would like to be that hero, know the requirements to be a firefighter now!

Casco Firefighter Career Outlook

firefighter job outlook Casco Maine
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

The job outlook is a vital aspect while choosing which profession to get into. You wouldn’t want to choose your favourite career option simply to realize that it going down the drain in a couple of years. You can find out such info from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The career outlook for public servants is obviously on the rise since because of the ever-growing population. Therefore, what does the future hold for the common fireman? Let’s find out.

[asd_program_button /]

There are presently about 300,000 firemen appointed in the USA. There’s a steady growth of 5% for the next several years till 2024. This is the average progress rate of any normal profession. Which means that there will be about 12,000 new jobs by 2024. Nonetheless, this also means that there will be that much more people trying to get the job also. Thus, there will 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, however 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 Casco Maine
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

Steps To Becoming a Firefighter

You have to follow a specific procedure to join any career. The most crucial part of these procedures would be to accomplish the education requirements. You have to have your diploma or you will never get employed. As being a firefighter, there are not too many education requirements that one needs to possess. However, there are a lot of other needs like physical, medical and legal that one must have to qualify for being a firefighter. We will go further in details to much better understand the prerequisites.

Education Requirements

High school diploma along with a degree in advanced schooling are the fundamental specifications to be qualified as being a firefighter. Subjects you earned do not matter much. But, acquiring some courses in fire sciences does help your cause. It will also educate you on how to be a more effective firefighter.

[asd_program_search_bar /]

A lot of those who planned to be a firefighter, they choose to pursue a degree in college right after earning their diploma in high school. You have to be at least 18 years old to meet the age requirement. Therefore, one cannot choose to be a firefighter right out of high school. If you wish to have options later if you choose to be a firefighter, much better pick a degree with subjects in firefighting, you might need them. Courses that show you how to save individuals, handle hydraulic tools like ladders or other related stuff are a major plus.

If desired, you can also choose to complete an associate’s, bachelor’s or a master’s degree in the same. The former ones are required to get promoted to bigger positions. While earning your education, you always keep in mind that age limitation requirement of 28 to 30 years old limit for you to be qualified also. As a result, if you want to spend most of your life as a firefighter, you shouldn’t focus too much on education.

Needed Training in Paramedic

Every firefighter is needed to present 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 do in the event of fires or in accidents. One year is required in order to complete this training. If one desires, they could decide 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 better income. Additionally, there are a few medical specialist firefighters who are able to take better care of individuals after they have already been rescued from the fires.

Qualified to Drive Vehicle In Maine State

Many states require the applicants to be able to drive. Therefore, they need their candidates to be a licensed driver that may help them when person is required to drive the firetruck to the area. It also serves as an ID proof to validate the applicant’s age.

Clean Record

Firefighters are vetted almost as meticulously as police officers. They carry out a comprehensive background check before they are hired. It absolutely required that an aspiring firefighters should have a clean record, no criminal record. If its found that there was one, or the firefighter was previously busted, then that applicant is promptly disqualified. However, there are instances where a pardoned individual of his offences are acknowledged but not all department perform that.

Casco Physical Requirements

Firefighters need to be physically fit to execute thier responsibility always. They should have the high upper body strength in order to lift objects and people to help them in rescue cases. Not just body strength is need, firefighter’s endurance should be high as they must deal a lot of aspects like running even in harsh surroundings. All firefighters endure strenuous physical exams both in the academy and before it.

Free From Medical Conditions

Firefighters must cope with a lot of suffocating situations. They are usually supplied with masks to help them cope with such cases but not always are they so lucky. If you have history in your respiratory, that would affect your efficiency. Therefore, applicants are checked accurately for any such conditions which may cause them harm in such circumstances.

If you fill up the forms, lots of boxes have to be marked. If you feel you tick these boxes, then go and see how long it takes to become a firefighter!

Casco Firefighter Job Description

Firefighters are your daily heroes who work together to set out fires and also help people when they get stuck in such situations. They are also in control of rescue operations for common everyday troubles. Just like what you see in movies, a firefighter saving a kitten in a tree. Aside from the usual job they are doing, firefighters help educate people to avoid fire from going on. In many cases, they’re supposed to check sources of fire and dig deep in to the case due to the chance of an arsonist.

Extinguishing Fires

This is the primary role of firefighters. They’re always in check waiting for a call for their assistance. When a distress call is acquired, firefighters along with their equipment rush to the fire location to extinguish it. A few of the fire trucks are simply meant to deliver wounded people.

[asd_program_button /]

Firefighting is a team work. Every single member already has its specified task. A certain firefighter maybe in control of controlling the ladder and hose. Another firefighter is solely for extinguishing the fire, while other do the rescue of fire victims. These individuals work under the order of their respected commanding officers. Given that they work in shifts, every unit has their own commanding officer.

Saving People

All firefighters are required to be qualified as an EMT. This is required since one of the main tasks of the firefighters are to save people. Most of the time this comes in handy when looking after people who are cornered inside the fires. Nevertheless, not all rescue procedures that the firefighters undertake are fire related. Firemen or perhaps firewomen are the first on the scene with a few police officers wherever there are any casualties. Casualties possibly caused natural phenomena or road crashes. Firefighter should work to save the victim. This is where a firefighters knowledge in EMT comes in handy.

Teach People

Fire science is among the skills a firefighter has. Their know-how may vary as to how further firefighters go after this field. By sharing what they know, they help individuals by educating them how to prevent fire from going on. This is normally carried out right after they visit a fire site and extinguish it. In some other instances also, they visit schools or other public areas to educate and sometime perform demo on what to undertake in the event of fire.

Investigating Fires

To teach people about how to avoid fires, the firemen/firewomen should first find the cause of the fire. Understanding the causes can help firefighters avoid fire for the same situation happen again. Instances like criminals set the first to explode are probable. It is then the job of the firefighters to check out and provide more hints to the law enforcement officers about who started it. Firefighters expert in investigations related to fire are called arson investigators. They work with law enforcement to catch arsonists.

There is no doubt why we must not call them our life savers and unsung heroes. They do rescue lives by extinguishing fires and they develop also our admiration to them. Consequently, if learning about their duties fired you up, see what education prerequisites you have to become one!