As the name suggests, Firefighters are those who basically save people or other objects from fire through fighting it. They are selected among the best to risk their lives in rescue operations. Just like any other macho image profession, like policemen, who offer jeopardizing their lives just to save another. You see the accolades these professionals get, would you not like to become like these courageous firefighters?
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 Dracut?
If you love your work, sometimes you feel like you are not working anymore. Nonetheless, passion is not enough to sustain a lifestyle. Everybody requires a financial resources to make them live life the way they deem fit. As a result, in terms of choosing a career, people are always curious about how much they might earn from it. For a few, it’s the only motivation in the morning to get up and go to work. People who do community outreach don’t earn much. But income is not really their basis of happiness and satisfaction. {Let us find out how much a firefighter earns.|Without further ado, let’s figure out the income of a firefighter.
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The mean annual 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 expertise and experience. As we go further, you’ll know aspects affecting salary.
Location Matters
Firefighter’s income can be decided by the location of the department you are designated. Factored to that will be the need of the population of fighters. A place just where fire occurs frequently probably will possess higher salary in comparison to less occurrence of fire places. Currently, New York pays their firemen the most at about 70% above the national mean. On the contrary, Columbia pays the cheapest at 38% below the national average.
Educational Qualification
To be a firefighter, one normally just needs to have studied a course relevant to fire science in high school. In this field of firefighting, having achieved a college degree is favourable. Here’s Two reasons why. One is the reason is evidence of your know-how in the field. Another one is for the department to invest less on you just before becoming an asset in the government. As a result, they can afford to pay you more. If you have a degree, whether it’s a bachelor’s or an associate’s degree, that would help you acquire added advantage. Just how much more when you have a graduate credentials in firefighting.
Length of Work Experience
Career history is certainly the determining factor of how much an employee must receive. If a firefighter has a field experience of approximately Two decades, his income may rise up to 50% This is extremely high when compared to other careers which usually see a 15-20% rise in the same amount of time.
Accreditations
Even the basics of EMT, it’s still needed by a fireman. Nonetheless, apart from learning the fundamental, you can go further and learn the advanced certifications. Possessing a deeper list of accreditations and trainings give you a chance of acquiring a greater income. Besides, this also provides you another option should you opt shift careers later.
Industry
When all’s said and finished, you must receive your paycheck. Per BLS records, it’s not the government employers who pay firefighters more, but it is the private contractors. This includes firms that handle waste management, coal as well as oil production, and metal product production. Regardless, the local as well as state government are still needing firefighting people.
Other Benefits
One of the best things about possessing a government work is that there’s a bunch of other benefits that are included with it. Being a firefighter, you obviously get perks like dental as well as health care insurance. You can also avail sick leave benefits. But nonetheless, benefits may differ from what department you’re into.
As you could see, the monetary scope of a fireman is not as good as that of a health care professional. However a fireman has the accolades of an instant savior. Consequently, if you want to be that hero, know the requirements to be a firefighter now!
Dracut Firefighter Employment Outlook
The job outlook is an essential factor while choosing which career to get into. You would not wish to pick your favorite career choice simply to realize that it going down the drain in a couple of years. You will find out such information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The career outlook for public servants is definitely on the rise since due to the growing population. Therefore, what does the future hold for the common fireman? Let us find out.
[asd_program_button /]There are presently about 300,000 firemen appointed in the USA. There’s a steady progress of 5% for the next couple of 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. Nonetheless, this also implies that there will be that much more individuals trying to get the job too. Therefore, there would be some competition. This is mainly due to the low education requirements and also the attractions of a public service job. The pay may not be extremely high, but the advantages make up for that. It’s approximated that there might be about 100 people competing for the same position by 2024.
How To be A Firefighter
One needs to follow a certain procedure to join any profession. Main requirement is you need to have the necessary education. You should have your diploma or you will never get hired. Although education is the primary requirement, you should not be worried because employer just needs at least 1 degree completed. Nonetheless, there are many other requirements such as physical, medical as well as legal that you needs to have to be approved for being a firefighter. We will go further in details to better understand the prerequisites.
Educational Requirements
High school diploma and a degree in higher education are the basic specifications to be qualified as being a firefighter. The subjects usually do not matter as such. However , if you have fire fighting related subjects attained, that would be very helpful. It will also educate you on how to be a better firefighter.
[asd_program_search_bar /]Right after high school, a lot of people choose to get some formal college education in the field before they will become a firefighter. The minimum age qualification is EIGHTEEN years. Therefore, one cannot opt to be a firefighter right out of high school. College degrees in fire sciences are a huge plus if you are planning to be a part of the field. Courses that teach you how to save people, handle hydraulic equipment like ladders or some other related things are a major plus.
If desired, you may also opt 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. Simultaneously, keep in mind that the maximum age requirement is kept at 28-30 years of age. That’s why you must not over concentrate on acquiring too much education in order to qualify.
Paramedic Training
All of the firefighters need to have this EMT certification. The one needed is the EMT-B or the EMT-Basic. This will help firefighters tend to victims in accidents or fires. The training may last for up to 12 months. Should you decided to become a paramedic at later time, you should acquire education in the field of Emergency Medical Services. The benefits of entering this direction are possible increase in salary or added edge over other candidates. In most cases, fire victims rescued are attended by medical specialist that are firefighters as well.
Qualified to Drive Vehicle In Massachusetts State
Many states need the candidates to be able to drive. A driving license to every candidate is needed so they can be useful in case of emergency where for an instance no other fire truck driver is out there. It also serves as an ID proof to confirm the applicant’s age.
Legal Record
In certain scenarios, a firefighter is compared as a policeman. They undergo an extensive criminal background check just before they are appointed. To get hired, the firefighters could not have a criminal record. If you think you possess previous records, then much better to not pursue this career as you will immediately be disqualified. On the other hand, there are situations where a pardoned individual of his violations are acknowledged but not all department perform that.
Dracut Physical Requirements
One of the main characteristics that a firefighter needs to have is physical strength. Instances like lifting fire victims or objects to free victims arise much of the time in rescue missions, therefore, firefighter’s upper body strength is vital. Not just body strength is need to have, firefighter’s endurance should be high as they have to deal a lot of factors like running even in harsh environment. No one become a firefighter without undergoing heavy and extremely detailed physical examinations.
Free From Healthcare Problems
Firefighters should cope with a lot of suffocating situations. Firefighters have masks to overcome those circumstances but even so, if have respiratory condition, this may hinder your chances. When you have history in your respiratory, that would affect your efficiency. Consequently, applicants are checked properly for any such diseases which may cause them harm in such cases.
If you fill up the forms, lots of boxes must be marked. Without a doubt, the list is long, so learn how long will it take you become a firefighter!
What Really Does a Dracut Firefighter Do?
Firefighters are your everyday heroes who work together to set out fires and help people when they get stuck in such situations. They are also in control of rescue operations for common everyday challenges. Which means that the image of firefighters saving a kitten stuck on a tree usually shown on televisions is actually true. Apart from the usual job they are doing, firefighters help instruct individuals to avoid fire from taking place. They also carry out the investigation as to the reasons of fire, its origin or cause.
Putting Out Fires
This is the major role of firefighters. When on-duty, these people stay in their firehouse to take action to a call as quickly as possible. When a distress call is got, firefighters together with their equipment rush to the fire location to extinguish it. There are also fire trucks which are used for taking wounded fire victims.
[asd_program_button /]Firefighting is a team work. Each member already has its designated task. Some individuals 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. The same as any other team that has a leader ordering the operation, their group is headed by their commanding officer. Given that they work in shifts, every unit has their own commanding officer.
Saving People
All firefighters must be qualified as an EMT. This is necessary given that one of the major 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. Nevertheless, not all rescue operations that the firefighters carry out are fire related. There are cases that a fireman comes first in the scene. These casualties might be caused due to natural disasters, motor accidents or a few other reasons. Firefighter needs to work to save the victim. Sometimes a firefighter is also a knowledgeable paramedic helping them provide better healthcare to the victims.
Educating People
Fire science is one of 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. Therefore, they help most of the people by educating them about ways to prevent fires. Firefighters normally do it right after visiting an extinguished fire scene. Or else, they also visit schools and other locations to positively teach individuals about fires, how to avoid fires and if necessary, how to extinguish them.
Investigating Fires
It’s also very important to be aware of the source of fire. Understanding the causes can assist firefighters prevent fire for the same situation happen again. Cases like criminals set the first to blow up are possible. Working together with law enforcement officers, it’s firefighter’s task to find out what causes the fire or who possibly started it. Firefighters specializing in investigations related to fire are called arson investigators. Together with the police, they work to check into possible arsonists.
There’s no doubt why we should not call them our life savers and unsung heroes. While extinguishing fires in various locations, they ignite one in our hearts. So, if you feel you wish to be like them, start filling up the list!