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. Usually loved by women, these pros are not frightened of anything and literally lay down their lives daily just like policemen. Right after hearing so much of praise regarding these brave individuals, 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 Piedmont?
If you love your work, sometimes you feel like you aren’t working anymore. On the other hand, passion is not enough to sustain a lifestyle. Everybody needs a financial backing to make them live life the way they deem fit. Therefore, when it comes to choosing a career, people are always curious about how much they might receive from it. Reality check, undeniably that’s the motivation you set your alarm clock to get you ready for the job everyday. People in the community service sector do not get paid as much. On the other hand, 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’s determine the income of a firefighter.
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The mean annual income of a firefighter is around $49,000 with the median somewhere around $46,000. There are many factors that affect this number such as the size of the population and the education that a firefighter has been through. As we go more, you will find out components affecting income.
Location Matters
The location of the fire department is a main element in determining someone’s salary. Factored to that will be the need of the population of fighters. A place where impulsive wildfires are likely, have a higher need for firemen than any other locations. New York has the highest rate among firefighters with 70% above the national mean. While Columbia pays the cheapest at 38%.
Education Qualification
In case you have been through a study in fire science in high school, you will be eligible to apply as a firefighter. In this area of firefighting, having attained a college degree is beneficial. There are 2 main reasons for this. This will show you have the needed understanding and know-how in firefighting. Another one is for the department to spend less on you before becoming an asset in the government. Resulting to paying you more. A bachelor’s degree or an associate’s degree in fire science will help you advance your career and earn quite a bit more. A master’s degree might help a lot more.
Experience
Experience is mostly a major key in deciding someone’s earnings. As a firefighter, your revenue can rise about 50% with experience in the area of 20 years. This is quite high when compared to other careers which commonly see a 15-20% rise in the same period of time.
Certifications
As a fireman, you will need to know the basics of EMT to even apply for the job. Nevertheless, you can choose to pursue the medical field a bit further and become a paramedic or get advanced EMT training. Having these credentials gives you a greater chance of gaining more. Besides, this also gives you another choice should you opt shift careers later.
Industry
When all’s said and finished, you need to receive your paycheck. Per BLS records, it’s not the government employers who pay out firefighters more, however it is the private companies. This includes firms which handle waste management, coal and oil production, and also metal product manufacturing. Nevertheless, the local and the state government still employ the most number of firefighters.
Other Advantages
One of the best things about having a government work is that there’s a lot of other benefits that are included with it. Being a firefighter, you definitely get benefits like dental and medical insurance. You can also acquire sick leave benefits. The exact advantages differ from department to department.
As you could see, the financial scope of a fireman is not as nice as that of a physician. But a fireman has the accolades of an instant savior. Therefore, if you wish to be that hero, find out the requirements to become a firefighter now!
Piedmont Firefighter Career Outlook
The job outlook is an important aspect while determining which profession to get into. You wouldn’t wish to choose your favorite career choice just to realize that it going down the drain in a few years. You could find out such info from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The career outlook for public servants is obviously on the rise since due to the growing population. Consequently, what does the future hold for the common fireman? Let’s discover.
[asd_program_button /]There are presently about 300,000 firemen employed in america. There’s a steady advancement 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. But, this also means that there would be that much more individuals looking to get the job too. As a result, there would be some competition. This is primarily due to the low education specifications 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 might be about 100 individuals competing for the same position by 2024.
How To be A Firefighter
One needs to follow a particular procedure to join any profession. Main requirement is you need to have the necessary education. Without these specifications, hardly any employer would be willing to hire you. Although education is the primary requirement, you must not be worried because employer only need at least one degree completed. Alongside, education you must pass other exams like physical, medical and legal test. We’ll go further in details to better understand the prerequisites.
Educational Requirements
High school diploma along with a degree in advanced schooling are the fundamental specifications to be qualified being a firefighter. Subjects you gained do not matter much. But if you have fire fighting related subjects earned, that would be useful. That will give you a backgrounder of the profession you are about to enter.
[asd_program_search_bar /]Many of those who intended to be a firefighter, they choose to pursue a degree in college after earning their diploma in high school. The minimum age qualification is EIGHTEEN years. As a result, one cannot opt to become a firefighter right out of high school. College degrees in fire sciences are a big plus if you are planning to be a part of the field. Courses which teach you how to save individuals, handle hydraulic tools such as ladders or other related things are a major plus.
If wanted, you may also decide to finish an associate’s, bachelor’s or a master’s degree in the same. The former ones are needed to get promoted to bigger positions. Concurrently, bear in mind that the maximum age qualification is kept at 28-30 years old. That is why you shouldn’t over concentrate on acquiring too much education so as to meet the requirements.
Needed Training in Paramedic
All of the firefighters must have this EMT certification. The one required is the EMT-B or the EMT-Basic. This helps firefighters tend to victims in accidents or fires. The training may last for up to one year. Should you decided to be a paramedic at later time, you should acquire education in the field of Emergency Medical Services. This will help them get an edge over other applicants and hopefully, a higher income. In some instances, fire victims rescued are attended by medical specialist which are firefighters too.
Oklahoma State Driving License
Many states require the candidates to be able to drive. As a result, they need their candidates to be a licensed driver which might help them when person is required to drive the firetruck to the location. It also serves as an ID proof to confirm the applicant’s age.
Free of Criminal Record
Firefighters are vetted almost as thoroughly as police officers. The same as policemen, firefighters also undergo lifestyle check just before getting hired. It definitely needed that an aspiring firefighters should have a clean record, no criminal history. If you feel you have previous records, then better to not pursue this career as you will right away be disqualified. However, there are instances where a pardoned individual of his crimes are approved but not all department perform that.
Physical Fitness
One of the main attributes that a firefighter must have is physical strength. They should have the high upper body strength to be able to lift objects and individuals to help them in rescue situations. They’re also supposed to possess the high endurance to deal with the excessive running around they have to do. All firefighters undertake strenuous physical examinations both in the academy and before it.
Free From Medical Conditions
Firefighters must cope with a lot of suffocating cases. They are usually supplied with masks to help them manage such scenarios however, not always are they so fortunate. In case you have history in your respiratory, that would affect your efficiency. That’s why it’s essential that an applicant must be clear from any of that respiratory problems.
There a lot of boxes that must be ticked while selecting a firefighter. If you feel you tick these boxes, then go and find out how long it takes to become a firefighter!
What Really Does a Piedmont Firefighter Do?
Firefighters are your daily heroes who work together to set out fires and also help people if they get stuck in such scenarios. They’re also in control of rescue actions for common everyday challenges. This means that the image of firefighters saving a kitten stuck on a tree usually shown on televisions is actually true. Apart from the usual job they are doing, firefighters help educate individuals to avoid fire from going on. In certain cases, they are supposed to examine causes of fire and dig deep in to the case because of the chance of an arsonist.
Putting Out Fires
Certainly, fire extinguishing is their main work. When on-duty, these people stay in their firehouse to interact to a call as soon as possible. When they do get a call, they rush to the location in one of their firetrucks which might contain hoses or ladders. Several of the fire trucks are just meant to deliver injured people.
[asd_program_button /]Firefighting is a team work. Each member already has its specified task. Some people are in charge of handling the ladder as well as rescue actions. Others are in control of controlling the water flow and extinguishing the fire. The same as any other team that has a leader ordering the operation, their group is in the direction by their commanding officer. Given that they work in shifts, every unit has their own commanding officer.
Rescuing People
A certification in EMT is required to all firefighters. This is required since one of the major jobs of the firefighters are to save people. Much of the time this comes in handy when looking after people who are trapped inside the fires. Nonetheless, not all rescue procedures that the firefighters undertake are fire related. There are instances that a fireman comes first in the scene. Casualties possibly caused natural phenomena or road crashes. The firefighters are supposed to work together and save the victims from additional harm. Oftentimes a firefighter is also a knowledgeable paramedic assisting them provide better health care to the victims.
Teaching People
Fire science is among the expertise a firefighter has. The amount of know-how will depend on which degree they have pursued in the area or which course they have studied. Consequently, they help a lot of the people by teaching them about ways to prevent fires. This is normally carried out just after they visit a fire site as well as extinguish it. In some other cases also, they go to schools or other public places to teach and sometime do demonstration on what to do in the event of fire.
Fire Investigation
To educate people regarding how to avoid fires, the firemen/firewomen have to first find the source of the fire. Understanding the causes can assist firefighters avoid fire for the same situation happen again. Oftentimes, it is possible that criminals with vicious intent set such fires. Working together with law enforcement officers, it’s firefighter’s task 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.
As you can see, there’s a broad number of reasons to call these people our everyday heroes. They do rescue lives through extinguishing fires and they develop also our appreciation to them. Consequently, if learning about their duties fired you up, see what education specifications you have to become one!