Soldotna Alaska Firefighter Salary And Job Requirements

By definition, firefighters are expertly trained individuals to save lives and properties in case of fire. They’re strong people who can perform rescue actions with style as well as panache. 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 about these brave people, you need to have developed a slight desire to become one yourself.

firefighter career summary Soldotna Alaska
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

Table Of Contents

How Much Money Does A Firefighter Make In Soldotna?

People say that work does not seem like work anymore if you value what you are doing. On the other hand, passion is not enough to sustain a lifestyle. We all need bucks so we can move, after all money is everything. As a result, in terms of choosing a profession, individuals are always curious about how much they might earn out of it. For some, it is the only motivation in the morning to get up and go to work. People in the community service sector do not get paid as much. But income is not really their basis of pleasure and fulfillment. {Let’s find out how much a firefighter earns.|Without further ado, let’s determine the income of a firefighter.

firefighter salary Soldotna Alaska
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

[asd_program_button /]

Somewhere around $49,000 is the mean annual income a firefighter would make. A median of about $46,000 is the median. The figures may vary based on the what state he is in or his education qualification or his expertise and experience. As we go more, you’ll figure out components affecting earnings.

Location Matters

The precise location of the fire department is a major aspect in determining someone’s wage. This is because of a few aspects 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 locations. Currently, New York pays their firemen the most at around 70% above the national mean. While Columbia pays the lowest at 38%.

firefighter average salary by state Soldotna Alaska
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

Educational Level

If you have undergone a study in fire science in high school, you’ll be eligible to apply being a firefighter. Nevertheless, education is highly valued in this area. Here’s 2 main reasons why. This shows you have the needed understanding as well as expertise in firefighting. The 2nd is that the government will need to spend considerably less on you to develop you as an asset. 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. A master’s degree may help even more.

Length of Work Experience

Work experience is certainly the determining aspect of how much an employee must gain. In case a firefighter has a field experience of approximately Two decades, his income may rise to 50% That percentage is quite as compared to other job which is at 15% to 20% even they have got the same length of experience.

Accreditations

Even the fundamentals of EMT, it’s still required by a fireman. On the other hand, you can choose to pursue the medical field a bit more and become a paramedic or get advanced EMT training. Getting these credentials provides you a greater chance of gaining more. Besides, this also gives you another option should you decide shift careers later.

Industry

When all’s said and done, you must receive your paycheck. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the highest paying employers for this job aren’t the government but private companies. Included are firms handling production in oil, production of metal products and also waste management. Regardless, the local and state government are still needing firefighting individuals.

Other Benefits

In case you are a government worker, an advantage you receive is the benefits you could claim. As being a firefighter, you definitely get benefits like dental as well as health care insurance. You can also get sick leave benefits. The exact advantages vary from department to department.

Being a medical professional might have a higher earning as compared to being a fireman. But a fireman has the accolades of an instant savior. Learn the requirements to becoming a firefighter and be the man, the fireman, the savior!

Soldotna Firefighter Job Outlook

firefighter job outlook Soldotna Alaska
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

The job outlook is a crucial aspect while deciding which profession to get into. You would not want to select 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 definitely on the rise since due to the ever-growing population. So, what does the future hold for the common fireman? Let us find.

[asd_program_button /]

There are currently about 300,000 firemen appointed in america. There’s a steady advancement of 5% for the next couple of years till 2024. This is the average progress rate of any normal profession. This means that there would be about 12,000 new jobs by 2024. Nevertheless, this also implies that there will be that much more people trying to get the job also. Therefore, there would be some competition. This is mainly because of the low education requirements and also the attractions of a public service job. The pay might not be very high, but the advantages make up for that. It’s approximated that there may be about 100 individuals competing for the same job by 2024.

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

Steps To Becoming a Firefighter

Much like any other expert career to follow, a procedure is essential to follow. The most important part of these procedures would be to accomplish the education specifications. Without these requirements, hardly any employer would be happy to hire you. As being a firefighter, there aren’t too many education requirements that one needs to possess. Nevertheless, there are a lot of other needs like physical, medical as well as legal that one needs to have to be approved for being a firefighter. We will go further in details to better understand the prerequisites.

Education Requirements

High school diploma along with a degree in advanced schooling are the basic prerequisites to be qualified being a firefighter. The subjects usually do not matter as such. Nevertheless, having some courses in fire sciences does help your cause. Which will provide you a backgrounder of the profession you are about to enter.

[asd_program_search_bar /]

After high school, many individuals decide to get some formal college education in the field just before they will become a firefighter. You have to be at least EIGHTEEN years of age to meet the age qualification. That’s a primary reason why most of the aspirants aren’t be eligible after graduating in high school. If you want to have options later if you decide to become a firefighter, better select a degree with subjects in firefighting, you may need them. There are subjects in a curriculum of the degree picked that educate you on how to save lives, operate machines needed in firefighting and other related technicalities.

It’s 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 keep in mind that age limit requirement of 28 to 30 years of age limit for you to be qualified also. Thus, if you want to expend most of your life as being a firefighter, you shouldn’t concentrate too much on education.

Paramedic Training

All of the firefighters need to have this EMT certification. The one required is the EMT-B or the EMT-Basic. This certifies firefighters that they know what to do in case of fires or in accidents. A year 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 become a paramedic. The advantages of entering this direction are possible increase in income or added edge over other candidates. In some cases, fire victims rescued are attended by medical expert that are firefighters as well.

Licensed to Drive Vehicle In Alaska State

Many states require the candidates to be able to drive. Thus, they want their candidates to be a licensed driver that may help them in case that person is needed to drive the firetruck to the location. The driver’s license also confirm other information required in application just like for instance the age.

Clean Record

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

Physical Fitness

Among the main features that a firefighter must have is physical strength. Scenarios like lifting fire victims or even objects to free victims arise quite often in rescue tasks, therefore, firefighter’s upper body strength is vital. Not just body strength is need, firefighter’s endurance should be high as they should deal lots of aspects like running even in harsh environment. No one become a firefighter without undergoing heavy and extremely comprehensive physical examinations.

Free From Healthcare Problems

Suffocations in rescue tasks happen and firefighters learn how to deal with it. Firefighters have masks to conquer those scenarios but even so, if have respiratory condition, this might hinder your chances. If you have history in your respiratory, that would affect your efficiency. That is why it’s essential that an applicant must be clear from any of that respiratory conditions.

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!

Soldotna Firefighter Job Description

Firefighters are the unsung heroes who risk their lives just to save other lives. They are also in charge of rescue actions for common everyday troubles. Which means that the image of firefighters saving a kitten stuck on a tree often shown on televisions is in fact true. Apart from this, they’re also responsible for educating individuals to prevent further fires. They also carry out the investigation as to the reasons of fire, its source or cause.

Putting Out Fires

This is the primary role of firefighters. When on-duty, these individuals stay in their firehouse to respond 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 might contain hoses or ladders. A few of the fire trucks are simply meant to deliver injured people.

[asd_program_button /]

Firefighting is a team work. Every single member already has its designated task. A certain firefighter maybe in charge of controlling the ladder and hose. Another firefighter is solely for extinguishing the fire, while other do the rescue of fire victims. These people work under the command of their respected commanding officers. They work in shiftings, because of that, every shifting unit has its corresponding officers.

Saving People

All firefighters should be qualified as an EMT. Since the main job of the rescuer is to rescue lives, it is a must that a firefighter possesses this EMT. A firefighter may need this technical skills if a victim is stuck in fires. Not all rescue procedures are fire related. There are cases that a fireman comes first in the scene. Casualties possibly caused natural phenomena or road accidents. The firefighters are supposed to work together and rescue the victims from further harm. This is where a firefighters know-how in EMT will come in handy.

Teaching People

Firefighters are commonly educated in fire sciences. The amount of knowledge will depend on which degree they have pursued in the field or which course they have studied. Thus, they help most of the people by teaching them about ways to prevent fires. This is usually carried out right after they visit a fire site and extinguish it. In some other instances also, they visit schools or other public sites to educate and sometime do demonstration on what to do in case of fire.

Investigating Fires

It’s also very important to understand the cause of fire. They have to distinguish what caused it so they can avoid further such cases. Sometimes, it is possible that criminals with vicious 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 that specialize fire investigation. They work with the police to catch arsonists.

There is no doubt why we should not call them our life savers and unsung heroes. They do save lives through extinguishing fires and they develop also our admiration to them. Therefore, if learning about their responsibilities fired you up, see what education prerequisites you need to become one!