Hazel Crest Illinois 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 picked among the best to risk their lives in rescue actions. Usually loved by women, these pros aren’t afraid of anything as well as literally lay down their lives everyday like policemen. Right after hearing so much of praise regarding these brave people, you must have developed a slight desire to become one yourself.

firefighter career summary Hazel Crest Illinois
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

Table Of Contents

How Much Does A Firefighter Make In Hazel Crest?

People express that work does not seem like work anymore if you value what you are doing. However, passion is not enough to sustain a lifestyle. Everyone requires a financial resources to make them live life the way they deem fit. Thus, in terms of selecting a career, people are always curious about how much they might earn from it. Reality check, undeniably that’s the inspiration you set your alarm clock to get you ready for the job everyday. Individuals who perform community outreach do not earn much. However, they do have a sense of achievement at the end of the day. {Let us find out how much a firefighter earns.|Without more ado, let us find out the income of a firefighter.

firefighter salary Hazel Crest Illinois
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

[asd_program_button /]

The mean yearly income of a firefighter is around $49,000 with the median around $46,000. There are various factors which affect this number such as the size of the population as well as the education that a firefighter has undergone. As we go more, you will find out aspects affecting earnings.

Location Matters

The location of the fire department is a main factor in determining someone’s wage. This is because of a few factors like – population size, availability of firemen and frequency of fighters. A place just where fire occurs often is likely to get higher salary compared to less occurrence of fire places. Presently, New York pays their firemen the most at about 70% above the national mean. On the other hand, Columbia pays the cheapest at 38% below the national average.

firefighter average salary by state Hazel Crest Illinois
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

Education Level

To become a firefighter, one usually just needs to have studied a course relevant to fire science in high school. Nevertheless, education is extremely valued in this field. There are two main reasons for this. One is that it is proof of your know-how in the field. Another one is for the department to spend less on you before becoming an asset in the government. Consequently, they could afford to pay 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 advantage. Just how much more if you have a graduate credentials in firefighting.

Experience

Work experience is certainly the determining factor of how much an employee should earn. As 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 duration of experience.

Accreditation and Training

As a fireman, you will have to learn the basics of EMT to even apply for the job. Nonetheless, you may choose to pursue the medical field a bit further and become a paramedic or get advanced EMT training. Possessing a deeper list of accreditations and trainings give you a chance of having a bigger wage. It also gives you a “Plan B” if you do decide to change careers later.

Industry

When all’s said and finished, you should receive your income. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the biggest paying employers for this career aren’t the government but private companies. This includes companies which handle waste management, coal and oil production, and metal product manufacturing. However, the local and the state government still hire the most number of firefighters.

Other Benefits

If you’re a government employee, one of the advantages you receive is the benefits you can claim. You get the services like insurance plan in your health or dental check-up. But you also get covered sick leaves as well as reimbursement for some specific tuition fees. But then again, benefits may differ from what department you are into.

As you could see, the financial scope of a fireman isn’t as good as that of a health care professional. However a fireman has got the accolades of an instant savior. Consequently, if you would like to be that hero, know the prerequisites to become a firefighter now!

Hazel Crest Firefighter Job Outlook

firefighter job outlook Hazel Crest Illinois
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

The job outlook is a vital aspect while choosing which profession to get into. You would not wish to pick your favourite career option simply to realize that it going down the drain in a couple of years. You could 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 growing population. Therefore, what does the future hold for the common fireman? Let’s find out.

[asd_program_button /]

There are currently about 300,000 firemen employed in america. There’s a steady advancement of 5% for the next couple of years till 2024. This is the average growth rate of any normal career. This means that there will be about 12,000 new jobs by 2024. However, this also means that there will be that much more people trying to get the job too. Hence, there would be some competition. This is mainly due to the low education specifications and also the attractions of a public service job. The pay may not be extremely high, but the benefits make up for that. It’s approximated that there might be about 100 individuals competing for the same position by 2024.

firefighter job outlook by state Hazel Crest Illinois
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

How To Become A Firefighter

Much like any other expert career to pursue, a process is imperative to follow. The most significant part of these procedures is to complete the education specifications. Without these requirements, hardly any employer will be willing to hire you. Though education is the primary requirement, you shouldn’t be worried simply because employer just needs at least 1 degree completed. Nevertheless, there are many other requirements like physical, medical and legal that you must have to qualify for being a firefighter. We will go further in details to better understand the requirements.

Educational Qualification

The basic prerequisite becoming a firefighter would be to complete high school and have 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 better firefighter.

[asd_program_search_bar /]

After high school, many people choose to get some formal college education in the field before they become a firefighter. You should be at least 18 years of age to meet the age qualification. As a result, one cannot choose to be a firefighter right out of high school. If you wish to have options later if you opt to become a firefighter, much better select a degree with subjects in firefighting, you might need them. Courses that show you how to save people, handle hydraulic tools like ladders or other related things are a major plus.

It is optionally available, you may pursue a graduate studies in that same field. The graduate studies you attain can help you land a promotion. While earning your education, you always remember that age limitation qualification of 28 to 30 years of age limit for you to be qualified as well. As a result, if you wish to expend most of your life as a firefighter, you should not focus too much on education.

Needed Training in Paramedic

Every single firefighter is required to have an EMT certification. It can be either of these Two, EMT-B or the EMT-Basic. This helps 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 need to earn education in the field of Emergency Medical Services. This will help them get an edge over other candidates and hopefully, a higher earnings. Additionally, there are a few medical professional firefighters who are able to take better care of people after they have already been rescued from the fires.

Licensed to Drive Vehicle In Illinois State

In most states, employing of firefighter requires an applicant to possess experience in driving. A driving license to every single candidate is necessary so they could be useful in case of unexpected emergency where for an instance no other fire truck driver is out there. The driver’s license also validate other information needed in application like for instance the age.

Legal Record

Firefighters are vetted almost as thoroughly as police officers. They undertake a thorough criminal background check before they are hired. To get employed, the firefighters could not have a criminal history. If you think you have previous records, then better to not pursue this career as you will instantly be disqualified. On the other hand, there are instances where a pardoned individual of his violations are approved but not all department practice that.

Hazel Crest Physical Prerequisites

One of the main features that a firefighter should have is physical durability. They need to have the high upper body strength in order to lift objects and people to help them in rescue cases. Not just body strength is need, firefighter’s endurance should be high as they have to deal a lot of factors like running even in harsh surroundings. All firefighters undergo strenuous physical examinations both in the academy and before it.

Hazel Crest Medical Specifications

Suffocations in rescue tasks happen and firefighters learn how to handle it. They are normally provided with masks to help them manage such cases however, not always are they so fortunate. If you have history in your respiratory, that will affect your efficiency. Consequently, candidates are checked appropriately for any such illnesses that may cause them harm in such scenarios.

If you fill up the forms, lots of boxes must be marked. Without a doubt, the list is long, so find out how long will it take you become a firefighter!

Hazel Crest Firefighter Work Description

Firefighters are your daily heroes who work together to put out fires and also help people when they get stuck in such scenarios. They’re also in charge of rescue actions for common everyday troubles. This means that the image of firefighters saving a kitten stuck on a tree normally shown on televisions is actually true. Besides this, they’re also accountable for instructing people to prevent further fires. They also do the investigation as to the reasons of fire, its source or cause.

Putting Out Fires

Certainly, fire extinguishing is their primary job. When on-duty, these individuals stay in their firehouse to take action to a call as quickly as possible. When a distress call is received, firefighters together with their devices rush to the fire area to extinguish it. Several of the fire trucks are simply meant to deliver injured people.

[asd_program_button /]

At the scene of the fire, every individual has a different task. Some people are in charge of controlling the ladder and rescue actions. Another firefighter is solely for extinguishing the fire, while other carry out the rescue of fire victims. These people work under the command of their respected commanding officers. They work in shifts, for that reason, every shifting unit has its corresponding officers.

Saving People

A certification in EMT is required to all firefighters. Since the main task of the rescuer would be to rescue lives, it is essential that a firefighter has this EMT. Much of the time this comes in handy when looking after people who are trapped inside the fires. Not all rescue procedures are fire related. Firemen or even firewomen are the first on the scene with a few police officers wherever there are any casualties. Casualties possibly caused natural phenomena or road crashes. The firefighters are supposed to work together and rescue the victims from additional harm. This is certainly where a firefighters knowledge in EMT comes in handy.

Teaching People

Firefighters are commonly educated in fire sciences. The amount of know-how depends on which degree they have pursued in the area or which course they have studied. By discussing what they know, they help individuals by teaching them how to prevent fire from going on. This is commonly performed right after they visit a fire site and extinguish it. In a few other cases also, they go to schools or other public areas to teach and sometime perform demo on what to undertake in case of fire.

Fire Investigation

To educate people regarding how to avoid fires, the firemen/firewomen have to first find the cause of the fire. They should distinguish what caused it so they can avoid further such situations. Oftentimes, it is possible that criminals with malicious intent set such fires. Working together with police officers, it’s firefighter’s job to figure out what causes the fire or who possibly started it. There are firefighters who are also called arson investigators that specialize fire investigation. Together with the law enforcement, they work to investigate possible arsonists.

There’s 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 responsibilities fired you up, see what education requirements you have to become one!