Homer Alaska Firefighter Salary And Job Requirements

As the name says, Firefighters are people who literally save people or other things from fire simply by fighting it. They’re selected among the best to risk their lives in rescue actions. Often loved by girls, these professionals are not afraid of anything and literally lay down their lives daily like policemen. You see the accolades these professionals get, would you not like to become like these bold firefighters?

firefighter career summary Homer Alaska
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Table Of Contents

How Much Does A Firefighter Make In Homer?

People say that work doesn’t seem like work anymore if you love what you do. On the other hand, passion is not enough to sustain a life-style. Everybody requires a financial backing to help them live life the way they think fit. That is why when you select a career to pursue, it is indisputable that you think also how much money you can gain from it. For some, it is the only motivation each morning to get up and go to work. People who carry out 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 further ado, let’s figure out the wages of a firefighter.

firefighter salary Homer Alaska
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

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The mean annual income of a firefighter is around $49,000 with the median around $46,000. There are many factors that affect this number such as the size of the population and also the education that a firefighter has gone through. Below is a listing of these components and how they could increase or decrease your wage as being a firefighter.

Location Matters

Firefighter’s wage can be determined by the location of the department you’re assigned. This is due to a few factors 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 areas. New York has the greatest rate among firefighters with 70% above the national mean. While Columbia pays the lowest at 38%.

firefighter average salary by state Homer Alaska
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Educational Qualification

To be a firefighter, one usually just needs to have studied a course related to fire science in high school. In this field of firefighting, having achieved a college degree is beneficial. Here’s 2 reasons why. One is the reason is proof of your know-how in the field. Another one is for the department to spend less on you just before becoming an asset in the government. Bringing on paying you more. A bachelor’s degree or an associate’s degree in fire science will help you advance your career as well as earn quite a bit more. Just how much more when you have a graduate credentials in firefighting.

Working Experience

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

Accreditations

Even the basics of EMT, it’s still needed by a fireman. Nonetheless, you can choose to pursue the medical field a bit more and become a paramedic or get advanced EMT training. Having these credentials gives you a higher chance of generating more. Besides, this also provides you another choice should you opt shift careers later.

Industry

By the end of the day, your employer signs your paycheck. Per BLS records, it’s not the government employers who pay firefighters more, however it’s the private contractors. This includes firms which deal with waste management, coal and oil production, and also metal product manufacturing. Regardless, the local as well as state government are still in need of firefighting people.

Other Benefits

If you are a government personnel, 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. You can also get sick leave benefits. The exact advantages vary from department to department.

As you can see, the financial scope of a fireman isn’t as good as that of a physician. However a fireman has got the accolades of an instant savior. Learn the requirements to becoming a firefighter and be the man, the fireman, the savior!

Homer Firefighter Job Outlook

firefighter job outlook Homer Alaska
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The job outlook is a crucial aspect while determining which profession to get into. You wouldn’t want to pick your favorite 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. Consequently, 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 is a steady progress of 5% for the next several years till 2024. This is the average progress rate of any normal career. Which means that there will be about 12,000 new jobs by 2024. Nonetheless, this also means that there will be that much more people trying to get the job also. As a result, there will 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 position by 2024.

firefighter job outlook by state Homer Alaska
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

Steps To Becoming a Firefighter

Just like any other expert career to go after, a procedure is crucial to follow. Main requirement is you must have the necessary education. You have to have your diploma or you’ll never get employed. Being a firefighter, there are not too many education requirements that you have to have. Beside, education you should pass other examinations such as physical, medical and legal test. Let us explore these in detail.

Education Requirements

High school diploma along with a degree in higher education are the fundamental prerequisites to be qualified as a firefighter. The subjects really do not matter as such. But if you have fire fighting related subjects earned, that would be very helpful. That will provide you a backgrounder of the profession you are about to enter.

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Many of those who planned to be a firefighter, they decide to pursue a degree in college after earning their diploma in high school. You have to be at least 18 years of age to meet the age qualification. That is one of the reasons why most of the aspirants aren’t be eligible after graduating in high school. College degrees in fire sciences are a huge plus if you are planning to join the field. There are subjects in a curriculum of the degree chosen that show you how to save lives, handle machines needed in firefighting and also other related technicalities.

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 limit qualification of 28 to 30 years old limit for you to be qualified too. Therefore, if you want to spend most of your life as being a firefighter, you shouldn’t focus too much on education.

Needed Training in Paramedic

All the firefighters need to have this EMT certification. It can be either of these Two, EMT-B or the EMT-Basic. This will help firefighters tend to victims in accidents or fires. A year is required to be able to complete this training. If one desires, they could decide to pursue further studies in the field Emergency Medical Services and be a paramedic. Some great benefits of entering this direction are possible increase in income or added edge over other candidates. In most cases, fire victims rescued are attended by medical professional which are firefighters as well.

Licensed to Drive Vehicle In Alaska State

In many states, employing of firefighter requires an applicant to possess experience in driving. As a result, they require their applicants to be a licensed driver that might help them in case that person is required to drive the firetruck to the location. The driver’s license also confirm other details needed in application like for instance the age.

Legal Track Record

Firefighters are vetted almost as thoroughly as police officers. The same as policemen, firefighters also undertake life-style check before getting hired. To get hired, the firefighters could not have a criminal history. If you feel you possess previous records, then better to not pursue this profession as you will instantly be disqualified. People who were pardoned for their crimes are normally accepted, nonetheless, not all fire departments admit such people.

Physical Fitness

Firefighters should be physically fit to perform thier job always. Instances like lifting fire victims or even 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, firefighter’s endurance should be high as they must deal a lot of aspects like running even in harsh surroundings. All firefighters undertake strenuous physical tests both in the academy and before it.

Homer Medical Prerequisites

Suffocations in rescue missions happen and firefighters learn how to handle it. They’re usually provided with masks to help them deal with such situations but not always are they so fortunate. Individuals having respiratory conditions cannot operate such heavy machinery with precision under suffocating circumstances. That is why it’s a must that an applicant must be clear from any of that respiratory problems.

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

Homer Firefighter Work Description

Firefighters are the unsung heroes who risk their lives to save other lives. They are also in charge of rescue actions for common everyday challenges. This means that the image of firefighters saving a kitten stuck on a tree often shown on televisions is really true. Besides this, they are also in charge of educating individuals to prevent further fires. They also perform the investigation as to the reasons of fire, its source or cause.

Putting Out Fires

Obviously, fire extinguishing is their main task. They are always in check waiting for a call for their assistance. 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 wounded people.

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Firefighting is a team work. Each member already has its specified task. Some people are in charge of handling the ladder and rescue operations. Others are in command of controlling the water flow as well as extinguishing the fire. Similar to any other team that has a leader ordering the operation, their group is headed by their commanding officer. They work in shifts, for that reason, each shifting unit has its corresponding officers.

Saving People

A certification in EMT is needed to all firefighters. This is required since one of the primary tasks of the firefighters are to rescue people. Most of the time this comes in handy when taking care of those who are stuck inside the fires. On the other hand, not all rescue operations that the firefighters take on are fire related. Firemen or perhaps firewomen are the first on the scene with a few police officers wherever there are any casualties. These casualties may be caused because of natural disasters, motor crashes or several other reasons. The firefighters are supposed to work together and rescue the victims from further harm. This is certainly where a firefighters know-how in EMT will come in handy.

Teaching People

Fire science is among the expertise a firefighter possesses. Their knowledge may vary as to how more firefighters go after this field. Consequently, they help a lot of the people by educating them about ways to prevent fires. Firefighters normally do it right after visiting an extinguished fire scene. Otherwise, they also visit schools and also other places to positively educate people about fires, how to avoid fires and if necessary, how to extinguish them.

Fire Investigation

To teach people regarding how to prevent fires, the firemen/firewomen have to first find the cause of the fire. They have to identify what caused it so they could avoid further such circumstances. Oftentimes, it’s possible that criminals with malicious intent set such fires. Working together with police officers, it’s firefighter’s task to determine what causes the fire or who possibly started it. There are firefighters who’re also known as arson investigators which are experts fire investigation. Together with the law enforcement, they work to investigate possible arsonists.

As you could see, there is a broad number of reasons to call these people our everyday heroes. They do rescue lives through extinguishing fires and they develop also our admiration to them. Consequently, if learning about their responsibilities fired you up, see what education requirements you have to become one!