Chesapeake Virginia Firefighter Salary And Job Requirements

As the name suggests, Firefighters are those who basically save people or other objects from fire simply by fighting it. They are chosen among the best to risk their lives in rescue actions. Just like any other macho image profession, like policemen, who offer risking their lives to save another. You see the accolades these experts get, would you not like to become like these bold firefighters?

firefighter career summary Chesapeake Virginia
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

Table Of Contents

Just How Much Does A Firefighter Make In Chesapeake?

If you love your work, sometimes you really feel like you aren’t working anymore. Nonetheless, passion is not more than enough to sustain a life-style. We all need bucks so we could move, after all money is crucial. That’s why when you select a profession to pursue, it’s indisputable that you think also how much cash you could gain from it. Reality check, undeniably that’s the motivation you set your alarm clock to get you ready for the job daily. Individuals who carry out 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’s determine the earnings of a firefighter.

firefighter salary Chesapeake Virginia
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

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Somewhere around $49,000 is the mean yearly income a firefighter makes. A median of around $46,000 is the median. The figures may vary based on the what state he is in or his education degree or his expertise and experience. Below is a listing of these aspects and how they are able to increase or decrease your income being a firefighter.

Location Matters

The precise location of the fire department is a main aspect in deciding someone’s wage. This is due to a few aspects like – population size, availability of firemen as well as frequency of fighters. A place exactly where spontaneous wildfires are likely, have a higher need for firemen than any other locations. Currently, New York pays their firemen the most at around 70% above the national mean. On the contrary, Columbia pays the cheapest at 38% below the national average.

firefighter average salary by state Chesapeake Virginia
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

Education Level

If you have gone through a study in fire science in high school, you will be qualified to apply as a firefighter. In this area of firefighting, having achieved an education is beneficial. There are 2 main reasons for this. This shows you have the needed understanding and expertise in firefighting. Another one is for the department to invest less on you just before becoming an asset in the government. Bringing on paying you more. A bachelor’s degree or an associate’s degree in fire science can help you advance your career as well as earn a lot more. How much more when you have a graduate credentials in firefighting.

Working Experience

Experience is usually a major key in determining someone’s revenue. As being a firefighter, your revenue can rise about 50% with experience in the field of Twenty years. This is extremely high when compared to other careers which commonly see a 15-20% rise in the same period of time.

Certificates and Training

Even the basics of EMT, it’s still needed by a fireman. Nevertheless, you can pick to pursue the medical field a bit more and be a paramedic or get advanced EMT training. Having a deeper list of accreditations and trainings provide you with a chance of acquiring a better earnings. It also provides you a “Plan B” if you do decide to change careers later.

Industry

By the end of the day, your employer signs your paycheck. Per BLS records, it’s not the government employers who pay out firefighters more, but it is the private companies. This includes firms that handle waste management, coal and oil production, and metal product production. Nonetheless, the local and also the state government still employ the most number of firefighters.

Other Benefits

In case you are a government worker, one of the advantages you receive is the benefits you could claim. As a firefighter, you obviously get benefits like dental as well as health care insurance. But you also get covered sick leaves and reimbursement for some specific tuition fees. The exact benefits differ from department to department.

As you can see, the financial scope of a fireman is not as good as that of a health care professional. However, at the end of the day, you become a hero in someone’s eyes. Learn the requirements to becoming a firefighter and be the man, the fireman, the hero!

Chesapeake Firefighter Career Outlook

firefighter job outlook Chesapeake Virginia
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

The job outlook is an important factor while determining which profession to get into. You wouldn’t want 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 obviously on the rise since due to the growing population. Consequently, what does the future hold for the common fireman? Let us find.

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

firefighter job outlook by state Chesapeake Virginia
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

How To Become A Firefighter

One needs to follow a specific process to join any profession. Primary requirement is you must have the necessary education. Without these specifications, hardly any employer will be happy to hire you. Although education is the main requirement, you shouldn’t be worried simply because employer just needs at least 1 degree completed. Alongside, education you need to pass other tests like physical, medical and legal test. We’ll go further in details to better understand the prerequisites.

Education Requirements

High school diploma and a degree in advanced schooling are the basic requirements to be qualified as a firefighter. Subjects you earned don’t matter much. However, having some courses in fire sciences does help your cause. Which will provide you a backgrounder of the profession you’re about to go into.

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After high school, many people choose to get some formal college education in the field before they will become a firefighter. You need to be at least EIGHTEEN years old to meet the age requirement. That’s one good reason why most of the aspirants aren’t be eligible right after graduating in high school. If you would like to have options later if you decide to become a firefighter, much better pick a degree with subjects in firefighting, you may need them. There are subjects in a curriculum of the degree picked that teach you how to save lives, handle equipment needed in firefighting along with other related technicalities.

If desired, you may also choose to complete an associate’s, bachelor’s or a master’s degree in the same. The former ones are needed to get promoted to higher positions. While earning your education, you always remember that age limit requirement of 28 to 30 years old limit for you to be qualified as well. That is why you shouldn’t over focus on getting too much education in order to meet the requirements.

Required Training in Paramedic

All the firefighters must have this EMT certification. The one needed is the EMT-B or the EMT-Basic. This helps firefighters tend to victims in accidents or fires. The training might last for up to 1 year. If one desires, they can decide to pursue further studies in the field Emergency Medical Services and be a paramedic. This helps them gain an edge over other candidates and hopefully, a better income. There are also a few medical professional firefighters who are able to take better care of people after they have already been rescued from the fires.

Virginia State Driving License

In many states, employing of firefighter needs an applicant to have experience in driving. A drivers license to every applicant is needed so they can be useful in case of urgent situation where for an instance no other fire truck driver is out there. The driver’s license also verify other information needed in application like for instance the age.

Free of Criminal Record

Firefighters are vetted almost as meticulously as police officers. Just like policemen, firefighters also go through life-style check just before getting employed. To get hired, the firefighters could not have a criminal history. If its discovered that there was one, or the firefighter was previously arrested, then that candidate is instantly disqualified. People who were pardoned for their crimes are usually accepted, however, not all fire departments acknowledge such people.

Chesapeake Physical Prerequisites

Firefighters must be physically fit to execute thier duty all the time. They must have the high upper body strength to be able to lift objects and people to help them in rescue situations. They’re also supposed to have the high endurance to cope with the excessive running around they should do. All firefighters undertake rigorous physical tests both in the academy and before it.

Chesapeake Medical Requirements

Suffocations in rescue missions happen and firefighters learn how to deal with it. Firefighters have masks to conquer those scenarios but even so, if have respiratory condition, this may hinder your chances. Individuals having respiratory conditions could not handle such heavy machinery with precision under suffocating circumstances. As a result, applicants are checked accurately for any such diseases which may cause them harm in such scenarios.

There a number of boxes that must be ticked while selecting a firefighter. 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 Chesapeake Firefighter Do?

Firefighters are your everyday heroes who work together to set out fires as well as help people if they get stuck in such situations. They are around in rescue quests you see in common incidents, not only fire. This means that the image of firefighters saving a kitten stuck on a tree usually shown on televisions is actually true. Aside from the usual job they are doing, firefighters help instruct individuals to prevent fire from happening. In many cases, they’re supposed to examine sources of fire and dig deep into the case due to the chance of an arsonist.

Extinguishing Fires

Obviously, fire extinguishing is their major work. They are always in check waiting for a call for their assistance. When they get a call, they rush to the area in one of their firetrucks which might contain hoses or ladders. A few of the fire trucks are just 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 responsible for handling the ladder and hose. Others are in command of controlling the water flow as well as extinguishing the fire. Similar to any other team which has a leader commanding the operation, their group is in the direction by their commanding officer. They work in shifts, because of that, each shifting unit has its corresponding officers.

Saving People

A certification in EMT is required to all firefighters. This is important since one of the primary jobs of the firefighters are to save people. Most of the time this comes in handy when taking care of those who are stuck inside the fires. Not all rescue procedures are fire related. There are cases that a fireman comes first in the scene. Casualties possibly caused natural phenomena or road accidents. The firefighters are supposed to work together and rescue the victims from further harm. This is where a firefighters knowledge in EMT comes in handy.

Educating People

Fire science is one of the skills a firefighter has. 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 happening. Firefighters commonly do it after visiting an extinguished fire scene. In a few other circumstances also, they go to schools or other public areas to educate and sometime perform demonstration on what to perform in the event of fire.

Fire Investigation

To educate people about how to prevent fires, the firemen/firewomen should first find the source of the fire. They have to identify what caused it so they can prevent further such cases. Sometimes, it’s possible that criminals with malicious intent set such fires. Working together with law enforcement officers, it’s firefighter’s job to figure out what causes the fire or who possibly started it. There are firefighters who are also known as arson investigators which specialize fire investigation. They work with the police to catch arsonists.

There is no doubt why we should not call them our life savers and unsung heroes. While extinguishing fires in several areas, they ignite one in our hearts. Consequently, if learning about their duties fired you up, see what education requirements you have to become one!