Gulfport Mississippi Firefighter Salary And Job Requirements

As the name says, Firefighters are those who basically save people or some other objects from fire by fighting it. They’re chosen among the finest to risk their lives in rescue actions. Much like any other macho image profession, like policemen, who offer risking their lives to save another. After hearing so much of praise regarding these brave individuals, you need to have developed a slight desire to become one yourself.

firefighter career summary Gulfport Mississippi
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Table Of Contents

How Much Does A Firefighter Make In Gulfport?

People say that work does not seem like work anymore if you value what you do. Still, this passion is not more than enough to supply your finances such as basic needs and life-style. We all need money so we can move, after all money is everything. Therefore, in terms of picking out a profession, people are always curious about the amount of they might receive out of it. Reality check, undeniably that’s the inspiration you set your alarm clock to get you ready for the job daily. People who do community outreach don’t earn much. On the other hand, they do have a sense of achievement at the end of the day. {Let’s find out how much a firefighter earns.|Without more ado, let us figure out the income of a firefighter.

firefighter salary Gulfport Mississippi
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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 such as the size of the population and the education that a firefighter has gone through. Below is a listing of these aspects and how they could increase or decrease your wage being a firefighter.

Location Matters

Firefighter’s income can be decided by the place of the department you’re designated. Factored to that would be the need of the population of fighters. A place where impulsive wildfires are likely, have a higher need for firemen than other areas. Currently, New York pays their firemen the most at about 70% above the national mean. While Columbia pays the lowest at 38%.

firefighter average salary by state Gulfport Mississippi
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Educational Qualification

In case you have gone through a study in fire science in high school, you’ll be qualified to apply as a firefighter. In this field of firefighting, having attained a college degree is advantageous. Here’s 2 reasons why. This will show you have the required understanding and know-how in firefighting. Another one is for the department to invest less on you before becoming an asset in the government. Thus, they can afford to pay you more. In case you have a degree, may it be a bachelor’s or an associate’s degree, that would help you gain added advantage. A master’s degree might help even more.

Experience

Experience is usually a major key in determining someone’s salary. In case a firefighter has a field experience of approximately 2 decades, his revenue may rise up to 50% This is extremely high when compared to other jobs which usually see a 15-20% rise in the same amount of time.

Accreditations

Even the basics of EMT, it’s still required by a fireman. On the other hand, you may choose to pursue the medical field a bit further and be a paramedic or get advanced EMT training. Having these credentials provides you a higher chance of earning more. It also provides you a “Plan B” if you do choose to change careers later.

Industry

At the end of the day, your company signs your paycheck. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the highest paying employers for this career are not the government but private contractors. This includes firms that handle waste management, coal and oil production, and metal product production. Nevertheless, the local and the state government still hire the most number of firefighters.

Other Benefits

If you are a government personnel, one of the advantages you get 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. The exact benefits vary from department to department.

As you can see, the financial scope of a fireman is not as good as that of a doctor. Nevertheless, by the end of the day, you then become a hero in someone’s eyes. Learn the requirements to becoming a firefighter and be the man, the fireman, the savior!

Gulfport Firefighter Employment Outlook

firefighter job outlook Gulfport Mississippi
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The job outlook is a vital aspect while determining which profession to get into. You would not want to pick your favourite career option just 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 always on the rise since because of the ever-growing population. Therefore, what does the future hold for the common fireman? Let’s find.

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There are presently about 300,000 firemen appointed in the USA. There’s a steady advancement of 5% for the next several years till 2024. This is the average growth rate of any normal career. Which means that there would be about 12,000 new jobs by 2024. But, this also means that there will be that much more individuals trying to get the job as well. Hence, 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 might not be very high, however the advantages make up for that. It’s estimated that there may be about 100 people competing for the same job by 2024.

firefighter job outlook by state Gulfport Mississippi
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Steps To Becoming a Firefighter

Much like any other expert career to follow, a process is essential to follow. The most crucial part of these processes is to accomplish the education specifications. You have to have your diploma or you will never get employed. As being a firefighter, there aren’t too many education requirements that one needs to have. However, there are a lot of other requirements such as physical, medical and legal that you must have to qualify for being a firefighter. Let us explore these in detail.

Educational Requirements

High school diploma and a degree in advanced schooling are the basic prerequisites to be qualified as being a firefighter. The subjects really do not matter as such. Nonetheless, possessing some courses in fire sciences does help your cause. That will give you a backgrounder of the profession you are about to go into.

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A lot of those who planned to be a firefighter, they elect to pursue a degree in college right after earning their diploma in high school. You have to be at least 18 years of age to meet the age requirement. Thus, one could not opt to be a firefighter right out of 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 equipment required in firefighting and also other related technical issues.

It is optional, you may pursue a graduate studies in that same field. The graduate studies you attain can assist you land a promotion. While gaining your education, you always remember that age limitation requirement of 28 to 30 years of age limit for you to be qualified too. That is why you should not over concentrate on acquiring too much education to be able to meet the requirements.

Needed Training in Paramedic

Every firefighter is needed to present an EMT certification. The one needed is the EMT-B or the EMT-Basic. This helps firefighters tend to victims in accidents or fires. 12 months is needed to be able to finish this training. If one desires, they could choose to pursue further studies in the field Emergency Medical Services and be a paramedic. This helps them acquire an edge over other candidates and hopefully, a higher earnings. Additionally, there are some medical specialist firefighters who can take better care of people after they have been rescued from the fires.

Licensed to Drive Vehicle In Mississippi State

In many states, employing of firefighter needs an applicant to have experience in driving. Consequently, they want their applicants to be a licensed driver that might help them in case that person is needed to drive the firetruck to the area. It also functions as an ID proof to confirm the applicant’s age.

Clean Record

In most scenarios, a firefighter is compared as a policeman. The same as policemen, firefighters also undertake lifestyle check before getting employed. It absolutely required that an aspiring firefighters should have a clean record, no criminal record. If you feel you possess previous records, then much better not to pursue this profession as you will immediately be disqualified. People who were pardoned for their crimes are normally accepted, nevertheless, not all fire departments acknowledge such people.

Gulfport Physical Prerequisites

One of the main features that a firefighter should have is physical strength. Cases like lifting fire victims or objects to free victims arise most of the time in rescue tasks, consequently, firefighter’s upper body strength is essential. Not only body strength is need, firefighter’s endurance must be high as they need to deal lots of aspects like running even in harsh surroundings. Nobody become a firefighter without going through heavy and extremely comprehensive physical tests.

Gulfport Medical Prerequisites

Firefighters must cope with a lot of suffocating situations. Firefighters have face masks to overcome those circumstances but even so, if have respiratory condition, this might hinder your chances. In case you have history in your respiratory, that will affect your efficiency. That is why it’s important that an applicant must be clear from any of that respiratory problems.

There a number of boxes that need to be ticked while selecting a firefighter. Indeed, the list is long, so find out how long will it take you become a firefighter!

What Really Does a Gulfport Firefighter Do?

Firefighters are your everyday heroes who work together to put out fires and help people when they get stuck in such scenarios. They’re around in rescue missions you see in common incidents, not just fire. Which means that the image of firefighters saving a kitten stuck on a tree normally shown on televisions is actually true. Aside from the common job they do, firefighters help teach people to avoid fire from taking place. In many cases, they’re supposed to inspect causes of fire and dig deep into the case because of the chance of an arsonist.

Extinguishing Fires

This is the major function of firefighters. When on-duty, these people stay in their firehouse to respond to a call as quickly as possible. When a distress call is received, firefighters together with their tools rush to the fire location to extinguish it. A few of the fire trucks are simply meant to deliver wounded people.

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At the scene of the fire, every individual has a distinct job. A certain firefighter maybe in charge of handling the ladder and hose. Another firefighter is only for extinguishing the fire, while other perform the rescue of fire victims. The same as any other team that has a leader commanding the operation, their group is in the direction by their commanding officer. They work in shiftings, because of that, every shifting unit has its corresponding officers.

Rescuing People

All firefighters must be qualified as an EMT. This is necessary given that one of the main jobs of the firefighters are to rescue people. Most of the time this comes in handy when taking care of those who are trapped inside the fires. Not all rescue procedures are fire related. Firemen or perhaps firewomen are the first on the scene with some police officers wherever there are any casualties. Casualties possibly caused natural phenomena or road accidents. Firefighter needs to work to save the victim. Oftentimes a firefighter is also a knowledgeable paramedic helping them provide better healthcare to the victims.

Teaching People

Fire science is among the expertise a firefighter has. The amount of know-how depends on which degree they have pursued in the field or which course they have studied. By sharing what they know, they help individuals by teaching them how to prevent fire from taking place. This is usually done just after they visit a fire site as well as extinguish it. In a few other instances also, they visit schools or other public places to teach and sometime perform demo on what to do in the event of fire.

Fire Investigation

To educate people on how to avoid fires, the firemen/firewomen must first find the cause of the fire. They should distinguish what caused it so they could prevent further such scenarios. Sometimes, it is possible that criminals with malicious intent set such fires. Working together with police officers, it’s firefighter’s job to find out what causes the fire or who possibly started it. Firefighters expert in investigations associated with fire are called arson investigators. Along with the police, they work to check into possible arsonists.

There is no doubt why we must not call them our life savers and unsung heroes. They do rescue lives through extinguishing fires and they develop also our appreciation to them. So, if you think you wish to be like them, begin filling up the list!