By definition, firefighters are expertly trained people to save lives and properties in case of fire. They’re strong people who can do rescue actions with style as well as panache. The same as any other macho image profession, like policemen, who offer risking their lives just to save another. After hearing so much of praise regarding these brave people, you need to 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 Does A Firefighter Make In Fairbanks?
If you love your work, sometimes you really feel like you are not working anymore. However, passion is not enough to sustain a lifestyle. We all need bucks so we could move, after all money is everything. That is why when you select a career to pursue, it is undeniable that you think also how much money you could earn from it. Reality check, undeniably that’s the motivation you set your alarm clock to get you ready for the job day to day. People in the community service sector do not get paid as much. Nevertheless, they do have a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. {Let’s see how much a firefighter earns.|Without further ado, let’s find out the income of a firefighter.
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Somewhere around $49,000 is the mean annual income a firefighter makes. A median of around $46,000 is the median. There are many factors which affect this number including the size of the population and also the education that a firefighter has undergone. Below is a listing of these aspects and how they can increase or decrease your salary as being a firefighter.
Location Matters
Firefighter’s salary can be determined by the place of the department you’re designated. Factored to that will be the need of the population of fighters. A location just where fire occurs regularly probably will have higher salary compared to less occurrence of fire places. Presently, New York pays their firemen the most at around 70% above the national mean. While Columbia pays the lowest at 38%.
Educational Level
To be a firefighter, one usually just needs to have studied a course related to fire science in high school. Nevertheless, education is extremely valued in this field. There are 2 significant reasons for this. This shows you have the needed understanding as well as expertise in firefighting. The 2nd is that the government will need to spend drastically less on you to develop you as being an asset. Resulting to paying you more. If you have a degree, may it be a bachelor’s or an associate’s degree, that would help you gain added benefit. A master’s degree may help a lot more.
Experience
Career history is undoubtedly the determining aspect of how much a worker must receive. Being a firefighter, your income can rise around 50% with experience in the area of Two decades. That percentage is quite as compared to other job which is at 15% to 20% even they have the same length of experience.
Accreditation and Training
Even the basics of EMT, it’s still needed by a fireman. Nevertheless, you can choose to pursue the medical field a bit further and become a paramedic or get advanced EMT training. Having these credentials provides you a greater chance of generating more. It also provides you a “Plan B” if you do decide to change careers later.
Industry
At the end of the day, your company signs your paycheck. Per BLS records, it’s not the government employers who pay firefighters more, however it is the private companies. Included are companies coping with production in oil, production of metal products and waste management. No matter, the local as well as state government are still needing firefighting individuals.
Other Benefits
In case you are a government employee, one of the advantages you receive is the benefits you can claim. You get the services such as insurance in your health or dental check-up. You may also acquire sick leave benefits. But nonetheless, benefits may differ from what department you’re into.
As you can see, the monetary scope of a fireman is not as good as that of a physician. Nonetheless, by the end of the day, you then become a hero in someone’s eyes. Learn the prerequisites to becoming a firefighter and be the man, the fireman, the hero!
Fairbanks Firefighter Career Outlook
The job outlook is a vital factor while determining which career to get into. You would not wish to pick your favourite career option just 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 always on the rise since because of the ever-growing population. Therefore, what does the future hold for the common fireman? Let us find out.
[asd_program_button /]There are currently about 300,000 firemen employed in the USA. There’s a steady advancement of 5% for the next few years till 2024. This is the average growth rate of any normal profession. This means that there will be about 12,000 new jobs by 2024. Nonetheless, this also implies that there would be that much more individuals hoping to get the job as well. Hence, there would be some competition. This is primarily due to the low education requirements and also the attractions of a public service job. The pay might not be extremely high, however the advantages make up for that. It’s estimated that there might be about 100 people competing for the same job by 2024.
How To Become A Firefighter
Just like any other professional career to pursue, a process is important to follow. Primary requirement is you should have the necessary education. Without these specifications, hardly any employer will be happy to hire you. Though education is the primary requirement, you must not be worried mainly because employer only need at least 1 degree completed. However, there are many other requirements such as physical, medical and legal that you needs to have to qualify for being a firefighter. Let’s explore these in detail.
Educational Requirements
The basic requirement becoming a firefighter is to complete high school and acquire a relevant degree. The subjects usually do not matter as such. Nonetheless, having some courses in fire sciences does help your cause. It will also teach you how to become a more effective firefighter.
[asd_program_search_bar /]A lot of those who planned to be a firefighter, they decide to pursue a degree in college right after earning their diploma in high school. The minimum age requirement is EIGHTEEN years. That’s a primary reason why many of the aspirants are not be eligible after graduating in high school. College degrees in fire sciences are a huge plus in case you are planning to join the field. There are subjects in a curriculum of the degree picked that show you how to save lives, operate machines required in firefighting along with other related technicalities.
If wanted, you can also decide to finish an associate’s, bachelor’s or a master’s degree in the same. The graduate studies you attain can help you land a promotion. Simultaneously, bear in mind that the maximum age requirement is kept at 28-30 years old. That’s why you should not over focus on getting too much education in order to be eligible.
Paramedic Training
All of the firefighters must have this EMT certification. The one required is the EMT-B or the EMT-Basic. This certifies firefighters that they know what to complete in case of fires or in accidents. The training might last for up to 12 months. If one desires, they can decide to pursue further studies in the field Emergency Medical Services and become a paramedic. This helps them gain an edge over other candidates and hopefully, a greater salary. In some cases, fire victims rescued are attended by medical expert which are firefighters also.
Licensed to Drive Vehicle In Alaska State
In most states, employing of firefighter requires an applicant to possess experience in driving. A driving license to each and every candidate is necessary so they could be useful in case of urgent situation where for an instance no other fire truck driver is available. The driver’s license also confirm other details needed in application like for instance the age.
Legal Record
Firefighters are vetted almost as thoroughly as police officers. Similar to policemen, firefighters also undertake lifestyle check just before getting hired. It definitely required that an aspiring firefighters should have a clean record, no criminal record. If you feel you have previous records, then better not to pursue this profession as you will right away be disqualified. On the other hand, there are instances where a pardoned individual of his offences are acknowledged however, not all department practice that.
Physical Fitness
Firefighters should be physically active to accomplish thier responsibility at all times. Scenarios like lifting fire victims or even objects to free victims arise quite often in rescue tasks, consequently, firefighter’s upper body strength is a must. Not only body strength is need to have, firefighter’s endurance must be high as they must deal lots of factors like running even in harsh surroundings. No one become a firefighter without undergoing heavy and extremely thorough physical exams.
Free From Health Conditions
Firefighters should cope with a lot of suffocating situations. Firefighters have face masks to conquer those scenarios but even so, if have respiratory condition, this may hinder your chances. Individuals having respiratory problems cannot operate such heavy machinery with precision under suffocating situations. That is why it’s a must that an applicant must be clear from any of that respiratory conditions.
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!
Fairbanks Firefighter Job Description
Firefighters are the unsung heroes who risk their lives just to save other lives. They are also in command of rescue operations for common daily troubles. The same as what you see in films, a firefighter saving a kitten in a tree. Aside from the common job they are doing, firefighters help teach people to avoid fire from taking place. In some cases, they’re supposed to inspect causes of fire and dig deep in to the case because of the chance of an arsonist.
Putting Out Fires
This is the main function of firefighters. They’re always in check waiting for a call for their assistance. When a distress call is got, firefighters together with their devices rush to the fire location to extinguish it. Some of the fire trucks are just meant to deliver wounded people.
[asd_program_button /]At the scene of the fire, every person has a distinct job. A certain firefighter maybe responsible for handling the ladder and hose. Another firefighter is only for extinguishing the fire, while other carry out the rescue of fire victims. Similar to any other team which has a leader commanding the operation, their group is in the direction by their commanding officer. Given that they work in shifts, each and every unit has their own commanding officer.
Saving People
A certification in EMT is needed to all firefighters. This is important given that one of the primary tasks of the firefighters are to save people. A firefighter might need this technical know-how if a victim is cornered in fires. Not all rescue operations are fire related. There are situations that a fireman comes first in the scene. Casualties maybe caused natural phenomena or road crashes. The firefighters are supposed to work together and save the victims from further harm. Sometimes a firefighter is also a qualified paramedic helping them provide better healthcare to the victims.
Teach People
Firefighters are commonly educated in fire sciences. Their know-how may vary as to how further firefighters go after this field. Consequently, 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 situations also, they go to schools or other public places to teach and sometime do demonstration on what to perform in case there is fire.
Investigating Fires
To educate people about how to prevent fires, the firemen/firewomen have to first find the cause of the fire. Knowing the causes can help firefighters prevent fire for the same scenario happen again. Cases like criminals set the first to explode are possible. Working with law enforcement officers, it’s firefighter’s job to determine what causes the fire or who possibly started it. There are firefighters who are also called arson investigators that specialize fire investigation. Along with the law enforcement, they work to check into possible arsonists.
As you can see, there’s a wide number of reasons to contact these people our everyday heroes. While extinguishing fires in various places, they ignite one in our hearts. So, if you think you would like to be like them, begin filling up the list!