As the name says, Firefighters are those who basically save people or other things from fire through fighting it. They’re selected among the best to risk their lives in rescue actions. Similar to any other macho image profession, like policemen, who offer jeopardizing their lives to save another. Right after hearing so much of praise regarding these brave people, you must 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 Money Does A Firefighter Make In Dothan?
If you love your work, sometimes you really feel like you are not working anymore. Still, this passion is not more than enough to supply your finances such as basic needs as well as lifestyle. We all need bucks so we could move, after all money is everything. That’s why when you go with a profession to pursue, it’s undeniable that you think also how much cash you could acquire from it. Genuinely, undeniably that’s the motivation you set your alarm clock to get you ready for the job day to day. People who carry out community outreach don’t earn much. But income is not really their basis of joy and fulfillment. {Let’s find out how much a firefighter earns.|Without further ado, let us determine the income of a firefighter.
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Around $49,000 is the mean yearly income a firefighter makes. A median of about $46,000 is the median. There are many factors which affect this number such as the size of the population as well as the education that a firefighter has been through. As we go more, you will figure out aspects affecting income.
Location Matters
Firefighter’s salary can be decided by the place of the department you’re assigned. This is due to a number of aspects like – population size, availability of firemen and frequency of fighters. A place exactly where impulsive wildfires are likely, have a higher need for firemen than other locations. New York has the greatest rate among firefighters with 70% above the national mean. On the other hand, Columbia pays the smallest at 38% below the national average.
Education Level
To be a firefighter, one normally just needs to have studied a course related to fire science in high school. Nevertheless, education is extremely valued in this area. There are two major reasons for this. One is the reason is proof of your know-how in the field. The second is that the government will have to expend substantially less on you to develop you being an asset. Bringing on paying you more. In case you have a degree, whether it is a bachelor’s or an associate’s degree, that will help you acquire added benefit. A master’s degree might help even more.
Experience
Experience is mostly a major key in determining someone’s revenue. If a firefighter has a field experience of approximately 2 decades, his revenue may rise to 50% 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. On the other hand, you can choose to pursue the medical field a bit more and become a paramedic or get advanced EMT training. Possessing a deeper list of accreditations and trainings give you a chance of acquiring a better wage. It also gives you a “Plan B” if you do decide to change careers later.
Industry
When all’s said and done, you have to receive your income. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the biggest paying employers for this job aren’t the government but private companies. Included are firms handling production in oil, manufacturing of metal products and also waste management. No matter, the local and state government are still in need of firefighting people.
Other Benefits
In case you are a government employee, an advantage you obtain is the benefits you can claim. You get the services like insurance in your health or even dental check-up. You can also get sick leave benefits. But then again, benefits may differ from what department you’re into.
As you can see, the financial scope of a fireman is not as good as that of a doctor. Nevertheless, at the end of the day, you then become a hero in someone’s eyes. So, if you would like to be that hero, find out the prerequisites to be a firefighter now!
Dothan Firefighter Career Outlook
The job outlook is an essential factor while choosing which career to get into. You would not wish to choose your favorite career choice simply to realize that it going down the drain in a couple of years. You will find out such info from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The career outlook for public servants is always on the rise since due to the ever-growing population. Consequently, what does the future hold for the common fireman? Let us discover.
[asd_program_button /]There are currently about 300,000 firemen appointed in america. There is a steady growth of 5% for the next couple of 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. But, this also means that there will be that much more people trying to get the job as well. Thus, there would be some competition. This is mainly because of the low education requirements and also the attractions of a public service job. The pay may not be extremely high, however the advantages make up for that. It’s approximated that there might be about 100 people competing for the same position by 2024.
Steps To Becoming a Firefighter
You have to follow a certain process to join any profession. The most crucial part of these processes would be to accomplish the education requirements. Without these specifications, hardly any employer would be happy to hire you. Though education is the primary requirement, you should not be worried mainly because employer just needs at least one degree completed. However, there are a lot of other requirements like physical, medical as well as legal that one must have to qualify for being a firefighter. Let us explore these in detail.
Educational Qualification
The fundamental requirement to become a firefighter is to complete high school and acquire a relevant degree. Subjects you earned do not matter much. However, 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 /]Right after high school, most people choose to get some formal college education in the field just before they will become a firefighter. You must be at least EIGHTEEN years old to meet the age requirement. That’s a primary reason why most of the aspirants are not be eligible after graduating in high school. If you wish to have options later if you choose to become a firefighter, better pick a degree with subjects in firefighting, you might need them. There are subjects in a curriculum of the degree chosen that show you how to save lives, operate machines needed in firefighting and also other related technicalities.
If desired, you can also opt 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. At the same time, bear in mind that the maximum age requirement is kept at 28-30 years of age. As a result, if you wish to expend most of your life as a firefighter, you shouldn’t concentrate too much on education.
Needed Training in Paramedic
All the firefighters should have this EMT certification. It can be either of these Two, EMT-B or the EMT-Basic. This certifies firefighters that they really know what to undertake in case of fires or in accidents. The training might last for up to 12 months. Should you decided to become a paramedic at later time, you need to gain education in the area of Emergency Medical Services. Some great benefits of going into this direction are possible increase in salary or added edge over other candidates. Additionally, there are several medical specialist firefighters who are able to take better care of individuals after they have already been rescued from the fires.
Alabama State Driving License
Many states require the candidates 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 out there. It also functions as an ID proof to verify the applicant’s age.
Free of Legal Record
Firefighters are vetted almost as thoroughly as police officers. They undertake an extensive criminal background check just before they are hired. To get hired, the firefighters cannot have a criminal history. If you feel you have previous records, then much better not to pursue this profession as you will right away be disqualified. Individuals who were pardoned for their crimes are commonly accepted, nonetheless, not all fire departments acknowledge such individuals.
Physical Fitness
One of the main features that a firefighter should have is physical strength. Cases like lifting fire victims or objects to free victims arise quite often in rescue missions, consequently, firefighter’s upper body strength is important. They are also supposed to have the high endurance to deal with the excessive running around they should do. Nobody become a firefighter without going through heavy and extremely comprehensive physical assessments.
Free From Health Conditions
Suffocations in rescue tasks happen and firefighters learn how to deal with it. Firefighters have face masks to overcome those situations but even so, if have respiratory condition, this might hinder your chances. People having respiratory problems cannot handle such heavy machinery with precision under suffocating circumstances. As a result, 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 find out how long it will take you to become a firefighter!
Dothan Firefighter Job Description
Firefighters are your everyday heroes who work together to put out fires and help people when they get stuck in such situations. They’re also in charge of rescue operations for common daily challenges. Which means that the image of firefighters saving a kitten stuck on a tree usually shown on televisions is in fact true. Apart from this, they are also in charge of instructing people to prevent further fires. They also do the investigation as to the reasons of fire, its origin or cause.
Extinguishing Fires
Clearly, fire extinguishing is their main work. When on-duty, these individuals stay in their firehouse to interact to a call as quickly as possible. When a distress call is acquired, firefighters along with their devices rush to the fire location to extinguish it. Several of the fire trucks are just meant to deliver harmed people.
[asd_program_button /]At the scene of the fire, every individual has a distinct task. A certain firefighter maybe responsible for 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 respective commanding officers. Since 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 necessary given that one of the major tasks of the firefighters are to rescue people. A firefighter may need this technical skills if a victim is trapped in fires. Nonetheless, not all rescue procedures that the firefighters undertake are fire related. There are instances that a fireman comes first in the scene. These casualties might be caused due to natural disasters, motor crashes or a few other reasons. The firefighters are supposed to work together and save the victims from further harm. Sometimes a firefighter is also a knowledgeable paramedic helping them provide better health care to the victims.
Teach People
Firefighters are normally knowledgeable in fire sciences. The amount of knowledge depends on which degree they have pursued in the area or which course they have studied. Consequently, they help most of the people by educating them about ways to prevent fires. This is normally performed right after they visit a fire site and extinguish it. Otherwise, they also go to schools and also other areas to actively teach individuals about fires, how to avoid fires and if needed, how to extinguish them.
Investigating Fires
It’s also imperative to know the cause of fire. Knowing the causes can assist firefighters prevent fire for the same situation happen again. Oftentimes, it’s possible that criminals with vicious intent set such fires. Working together with law enforcement officers, it’s firefighter’s task to find out what causes the fire or who possibly started it. Firefighters expert in investigations associated with fire are called arson investigators. Together with the law enforcement, they work to check into possible arsonists.
As you could see, there’s a wide number of reasons to contact these people our everyday heroes. While extinguishing fires in several areas, they ignite one in our hearts. Therefore, if learning about their duties fired you up, see what education requirements you should become one!