Wakefield Massachusetts Firefighter Salary And Job Requirements

By definition, firefighters are professionally trained individuals to save lives and properties in case of fire. They’re selected among the finest to risk their lives in rescue operations. 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 individuals, you should have developed a slight desire to become one yourself.

firefighter career summary Wakefield Massachusetts
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Table Of Contents

How Much Money Does A Firefighter Make In Wakefield?

People say that work does not seem like work anymore if you love what you are doing. Nevertheless, this passion is not enough to supply your finances like basic needs as well as life-style. We all need bucks so we can move, after all money is everything. That is why when you pick a career to pursue, it is indisputable that you think also how much money you can earn from it. Reality check, undeniably that’s the inspiration 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. But income is not really their basis of pleasure and satisfaction. {Let’s find out how much a firefighter earns.|Without more ado, let’s determine the earnings of a firefighter.

firefighter salary Wakefield Massachusetts
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

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The mean yearly income of a firefighter is around $49,000 with the median somewhere around $46,000. The figures may vary based on the what state he is in or his education degree or his abilities and experience. Below is a listing of these factors and how they are able to increase or decrease your income as a firefighter.

Location Matters

Firefighter’s salary can be determined by the place of the department you’re assigned. This is due to a number of 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 any other areas. Presently, New York pays their firemen the most at around 70% above the national mean. While Columbia pays the cheapest at 38%.

firefighter average salary by state Wakefield Massachusetts
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Educational Level

If you have been through a study in fire science in high school, you will be qualified to apply being a firefighter. On the other hand, education is extremely valued in this area. There are 2 major reasons for this. This shows you have the needed understanding as well as knowledge in firefighting. Another one is for the department to invest less on you 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.

Length of Work Experience

Experience is mostly a major key in determining someone’s salary. In case a firefighter has a field experience of around Twenty years, his earnings may rise up to 50% This is quite high when compared to other jobs which usually see a 15-20% rise in the same amount of time.

Certifications

As being a fireman, you will need to learn the fundamentals of EMT to even apply for the job. On the other hand, aside from learning the basic, you can go further and learn the advanced certifications. Having a deeper list of certifications and trainings give you a chance of getting a greater earnings. It also provides you a “Plan B” if you do decide to change careers later.

Industry

At the end of the day, your employer signs your paycheck. Per BLS records, it is not the government employers who pay out firefighters more, but it’s the private contractors. This includes companies which deal with waste management, coal as well as oil production, and metal product production. However, the local and also the state government still employ the most number of firefighters.

Other Benefits

If you are a government employee, one of the advantages you obtain is the benefits you could claim. You get the services like insurance 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.

Being a doctor might have a higher earning as compared with being a fireman. On the other hand, by the end of the day, you then become a hero in someone’s eyes. So, if you want to be that hero, figure out the prerequisites to become a firefighter now!

Wakefield Firefighter Job Outlook

firefighter job outlook Wakefield Massachusetts
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The job outlook is a crucial aspect while choosing which profession to get into. You wouldn’t wish to choose your favorite career option simply to realize that it going down the drain in a couple of years. You will 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 growing population. Consequently, what does the future hold for the common fireman? Let us discover.

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

firefighter job outlook by state Wakefield Massachusetts
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How To be A Firefighter

Much like any other professional career to go after, a procedure is important to follow. Main requirement is you must have the necessary education. You should have your diploma or you’ll never get hired. Although education is the main requirement, you should not be worried simply because employer just needs at least one degree completed. However, there are many other requirements like physical, medical as well as legal that you should have to qualify for being a firefighter. We will go further in details to better understand the requirements.

Educational Qualification

The basic requirement to become a firefighter is to complete high school and acquire a relevant degree. Subjects you gained do not matter much. Nonetheless, possessing some courses in fire sciences does help your cause. It will also teach you how to become a more efficient firefighter.

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After high school, many people choose to get some formal college education in the field before they will become a firefighter. You must be at least EIGHTEEN years of age to meet the age requirement. That’s one of the reasons why many of the aspirants aren’t be eligible after graduating in high school. If you wish to have options later if you opt to be a firefighter, better choose a degree with subjects in firefighting, you might need them. Courses that educate you on how to save individuals, handle hydraulic devices such as ladders or some 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 limit requirement of 28 to 30 years of age limit for you to be qualified also. That is why you should not over focus on having too much education so as to meet the requirements.

Paramedic Training

All the firefighters should 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. The training may last for up to one year. If one desires, they could choose to pursue further studies in the field Emergency Medical Services and be a paramedic. Some great benefits of going into this direction are possible increase in salary or added edge over other candidates. In most cases, fire victims rescued are attended by medical specialist that are firefighters also.

Licensed to Drive Vehicle In Massachusetts State

In many states, hiring of firefighter needs an applicant to have experience in driving. Consequently, they require 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 validate the applicant’s age.

Clean Record

In a few scenarios, a firefighter is compared as a policeman. They carry out a thorough criminal background check just before they are hired. It completely required that an aspiring firefighters must have a clean record, no criminal history. If it is discovered that there was one, or the firefighter was previously arrested, then that candidate is promptly disqualified. Individuals who were pardoned for their crimes are commonly accepted, nevertheless, not all fire departments admit such individuals.

Wakefield Physical Requirements

Firefighters need to be physically active to carry out thier job always. Cases like lifting fire victims or even objects to free victims arise much of the time in rescue tasks, consequently, firefighter’s upper body strength is important. They’re also supposed to possess the high endurance to deal with the excessive running around they must do. All firefighters endure rigorous physical exams both in the academy and before it.

Wakefield Medical Requirements

Suffocations in rescue missions happen and firefighters know how to deal with it. They’re normally supplied with masks to help them cope with such cases but not always are they so lucky. Individuals having respiratory conditions could not handle such heavy machinery with precision under suffocating circumstances. Thus, applicants are checked properly for any such diseases which may cause them harm in such situations.

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

Wakefield Firefighter Job Description

Firefighters are your everyday heroes who work together to set out fires and also help people when they get stuck in such situations. They are also in control of rescue operations for common daily challenges. The same as what you see in films, a firefighter saving a kitten in a tree. Besides this, they’re also responsible for teaching individuals to prevent further fires. They also do the investigation as to the reasons of fire, its source or cause.

Putting Out Fires

This is the major role of firefighters. They are always in check waiting for a call for their expert services. When a distress call is got, firefighters together with their devices rush to the fire area to extinguish it. A few of the fire trucks are just meant to deliver injured people.

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Firefighting is a team work. Every single member already has its designated job. A particular firefighter maybe in charge of handling the ladder and hose. Others are in charge of controlling the water flow as well as extinguishing the fire. The same as any other team which has a leader ordering the operation, their group is headed by their commanding officer. They work in shiftings, because of that, every shifting unit has its corresponding officers.

Saving People

All firefighters are required to be qualified as an EMT. This is necessary given that one of the primary duties of the firefighters are to save people. Most of the time this comes in handy when looking after people who are stuck inside the fires. Not all rescue operations are fire related. Firemen or maybe firewomen are the first on the scene with some police officers wherever there are any casualties. These casualties may be caused due to natural disasters, motor crashes or several other reasons. Firefighter must work to save the victim. Sometimes a firefighter is also a knowledgeable paramedic helping them provide better health care to the victims.

Teaching People

Firefighters are usually educated in fire sciences. 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 educating them about ways to prevent fires. This is commonly done right after they visit a fire site and extinguish it. In a few other circumstances also, they visit schools or other public places to educate and sometime do demo on what to do in case there is fire.

Investigating Fires

It’s also very important to be aware of the origin of fire. Understanding the causes can help firefighters prevent fire for the same scenario happen again. Instances like criminals set the first to explode are probable. Working together with law enforcement officers, it’s firefighter’s job to figure out what causes the fire or who possibly started it. There are firefighters who are also known as arson investigators which are skilled fire investigation. Together with the law enforcement, they work to check into possible arsonists.

As you can see, there’s a large number of reasons to contact these people our everyday heroes. They do rescue lives through extinguishing fires and they develop also our appreciation to them. So, if learning about their duties fired you up, see what education specifications you need to become one!