Lansford Pennsylvania Firefighter Salary And Job Requirements

By definition, firefighters are professionally trained individuals to save lives and properties in case of fire. They’re chosen among the best to risk their lives in rescue actions. Similar to any other macho image profession, like policemen, who offer jeopardizing their lives just to save another. Right after hearing so much of praise regarding these brave individuals, you should have developed a slight desire to become one yourself.

firefighter career summary Lansford Pennsylvania
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

Table Of Contents

How Much Does A Firefighter Make In Lansford?

People say that work doesn’t seem like work anymore if you love what you do. However, passion is not enough to sustain a lifestyle. We all need bucks so we could move, after all money is everything. Therefore, with regards to picking out a profession, individuals 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 in the community service sector don’t get paid as much. But income is not their basis of pleasure and satisfaction. {Let us see how much a firefighter earns.|Without more ado, let’s find out the earnings of a firefighter.

firefighter salary Lansford Pennsylvania
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

[asd_program_button /]

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

Location Matters

The location of the fire department is a major element in deciding someone’s earnings. Factored to that would be the need of the population of fighters. A location where fire occurs regularly probably will have higher income compared to less occurrence of fire areas. New York has the highest rate among firefighters with 70% above the national mean. While Columbia pays the cheapest at 38%.

firefighter average salary by state Lansford Pennsylvania
*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. Here’s 2 main reasons why. One is the reason is evidence of your know-how in the field. The second is that the government will have to spend substantially less on you to develop you as an asset. As a result, they could afford to pay you more. If you have a degree, whether it’s a bachelor’s or an associate’s degree, that will help you acquire added benefit. A master’s degree may help a lot more.

Length of Work Experience

Experience is mostly a major key in determining someone’s salary. If a firefighter has a field experience of approximately Two decades, his earnings may rise to 50% This is quite high when compared to other careers which commonly see a 15-20% rise in the same amount of time.

Accreditation and Training

Being a fireman, you will have to know the basics of EMT to even apply for the job. Nevertheless, apart from learning the fundamental, you can go more and learn the advanced certifications. Having these credentials gives you a better chance of earning more. Besides, this also provides you another choice should you decide shift careers later.

Industry

At the end of the day, your company signs your paycheck. Based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the biggest paying employers for this job are not the government but private companies. This includes companies that handle waste management, coal and oil production, and also metal product manufacturing. On the other hand, the local and also the state government still employ the most number of firefighters.

Other Benefits

One of the best things about possessing a government career is that there’s a lot of other benefits that are included with it. As being a firefighter, you definitely get benefits like dental as well as health care insurance. You can also get sick leave benefits. But nonetheless, benefits may vary from what department you are into.

Being a medical professional might have a higher earning as compared with being a fireman. 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 hero!

Lansford Firefighter Career Outlook

firefighter job outlook Lansford Pennsylvania
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

The job outlook is a crucial aspect while deciding which career to get into. You would not wish to pick your favorite 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 obviously on the rise since because of the ever-growing population. Consequently, what does the future hold for the common fireman? Let us find.

[asd_program_button /]

There are presently about 300,000 firemen employed in the USA. There is a steady growth of 5% for the next several years till 2024. This is the average growth rate of any normal profession. Which means that there will be about 12,000 new jobs by 2024. Nonetheless, this also implies that there will be that much more individuals looking to get the job as well. Thus, there will be some competition. This is primarily because of the low education requirements and also the attractions of a public service job. The pay may not be extremely high, however the benefits make up for that. It’s estimated that there may be about 100 people competing for the same position by 2024.

firefighter job outlook by state Lansford Pennsylvania
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

How To be A Firefighter

One needs to follow a certain process to join any career. Main requirement is you should have the necessary education. Without these specifications, hardly any employer would be happy to hire you. Being a firefighter, there aren’t too many education requirements that you have to have. Alongside, education you have to pass other tests such as physical, medical and legal test. Let us explore these in detail.

Educational Qualification

High school diploma and a degree in advanced schooling are the basic specifications to be qualified as being a firefighter. The subjects usually do not matter as such. Nevertheless, acquiring some courses in fire sciences does help your cause. It will also teach you how to be a more efficient firefighter.

[asd_program_search_bar /]

Right after high school, most people decide to get some formal college education in the field just before they become a firefighter. The minimum age requirement is EIGHTEEN years. Consequently, one cannot elect to be a firefighter right out of high school. If you want to have options later if you decide to be a firefighter, much better select a degree with subjects in firefighting, you may need them. Courses that educate you on how to save people, handle hydraulic devices such as ladders or other related things are a major plus.

If desired, you may also choose to complete an associate’s, bachelor’s or a master’s degree in the same. The former ones are needed to get promoted to bigger positions. While earning your education, you always remember that age limit qualification of 28 to 30 years old limit for you to be qualified too. Consequently, if you wish to spend most of your life as a firefighter, you shouldn’t concentrate too much on education.

Paramedic Training

Every firefighter is needed to have an EMT certification. The one required 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 one year. Should you decided to become a paramedic at later time, you should earn education in the field of Emergency Medical Services. This will help them gain an edge over other applicants and hopefully, a higher earnings. There are also some medical professional firefighters who can take better care of people after they have been rescued from the fires.

Pennsylvania State Driving License

Many states require the applicants to be able to drive. A driving license to each and every applicant is required so they could be useful in case of unexpected emergency where for an instance no other fire truck driver is available. It also functions as an ID proof to validate the applicant’s age.

Free of Legal Record

In a few cases, a firefighter is compared as a policeman. Similar to policemen, firefighters also go through life-style check just before getting employed. It definitely required that an aspiring firefighters must have a clean record, no criminal record. If you feel you have previous records, then better to not pursue this profession as you will instantly be disqualified. Individuals who were pardoned for their crimes are commonly accepted, however, not all fire departments admit such people.

Physical Fitness

One of the main characteristics that a firefighter needs to have is physical durability. Instances like lifting fire victims or objects to free victims arise quite often in rescue tasks, therefore, firefighter’s upper body strength is essential. They are also supposed to possess the high endurance to cope with the excessive running around they must do. Nobody become a firefighter without undergoing heavy and extremely thorough physical examinations.

Lansford Medical Requirements

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

If you fill up the forms, lots of boxes need to be marked. If you feel you tick these boxes, then go and see how long it takes to be a firefighter!

What Really Does a Lansford Firefighter Do?

Firefighters are your daily heroes who work together to put out fires as well as help people if they get stuck in such circumstances. They’re also in command of rescue operations for common everyday troubles. Just like what you see in films, a firefighter saving a kitten in a tree. Apart from this, they’re also in charge of instructing people to avoid further fires. They also carry out the investigation as to the reasons of fire, its origin or cause.

Putting Out Fires

Obviously, fire extinguishing is their primary job. When on-duty, these people stay in their firehouse to take action to a call as quickly as possible. When they do get a phone call, they rush to the location in one of their firetrucks which may contain hoses or ladders. There are also fire trucks which are utilized for transporting harmed fire victims.

[asd_program_button /]

Firefighting is a team work. Each member already has its given job. A particular firefighter maybe in charge of controlling the ladder and hose. Others are responsible for controlling the water flow and extinguishing the fire. These individuals work under the command of their respected commanding officers. Since they work in shifts, each and every unit has their own commanding officer.

Rescuing People

A certification in EMT is required to all firefighters. Considering that the main task of the rescuer would be to save lives, it is important that a firefighter has this EMT. A firefighter might need this technical know-how if a victim is trapped in fires. On the other hand, not all rescue procedures that the firefighters carry out are fire related. There are instances that a fireman comes first in the scene. Casualties possibly caused natural phenomena or road crashes. Firefighter needs to work to save the victim. This is certainly where a firefighters knowledge in EMT comes in handy.

Educating People

Firefighters are commonly knowledgeable in fire sciences. The amount of knowledge 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 occurring. This is usually done right after they visit a fire site and extinguish it. Or else, they also visit schools and other places to positively educate individuals about fires, how to prevent fires and if needed, how to extinguish them.

Fire Investigation

To educate people about how to prevent fires, the firemen/firewomen need to first find the source of the fire. Understanding the causes can help firefighters prevent fire for the same situation happen again. Cases like criminals set the first to blow up are probable. Working together with law enforcement officers, it’s firefighter’s job to determine what causes the fire or who possibly started it. Firefighters specializing in investigations associated with fire are called arson investigators. Along with the police, they work to investigate 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. Therefore, if learning about their duties fired you up, see what education specifications you should become one!