West Medford Massachusetts Firefighter Salary And Job Requirements

As the name suggests, Firefighters are those who actually save people or some other things from fire simply by fighting it. They’re chosen among the finest to risk their lives in rescue actions. Often loved by women, these pros are not afraid of anything and literally lay down their lives everyday just like policemen. You see the accolades these experts acquire, would you not like to become like these bold firefighters?

firefighter career summary West Medford Massachusetts
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Table Of Contents

How Much Money Does A Firefighter Make In West Medford?

People express that work doesn’t seem like work anymore if you value what you do. Nevertheless, passion is not enough to sustain a lifestyle. We all need bucks so we could move, after all money is everything. Consequently, in terms of choosing a profession, people are always curious about the amount of they might gain from it. Reality check, undeniably that’s the inspiration you set your alarm clock to get you ready for the job daily. People who perform community outreach don’t earn much. Nonetheless, they do have a sense of achievement at the end of the day. {Let’s see how much a firefighter earns.|Without more ado, let’s figure out the wages of a firefighter.

firefighter salary West Medford Massachusetts
*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. 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 could increase or decrease your salary as being a firefighter.

Location Matters

Firefighter’s earnings can be determined by the place of the department you’re designated. Factored to that would be the need of the population of fighters. A place exactly where impulsive wildfires are likely, have a higher need for firemen than any other places. Currently, New York pays their firemen the most at about 70% above the national mean. On the other hand, Columbia pays the cheapest at 38% below the national average.

firefighter average salary by state West Medford Massachusetts
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

Educational Level

If you have undergone a study in fire science in high school, you’ll be eligible to apply as being a firefighter. Nevertheless, education is highly valued in this field. There are two significant reasons for this. This will show you have the required understanding and expertise in firefighting. The second is that the government will have to invest substantially less on you to develop you as being an asset. Thus, they could afford to pay you more. In case you have a degree, whether it is a bachelor’s or an associate’s degree, that would help you gain added benefit. Just how much more when you have a graduate credentials in firefighting.

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 field of 20 years. That percentage is quite as compared with other job which is at 15% to 20% even they have the same duration of experience.

Accreditations

Even the fundamentals of EMT, it’s still needed by a fireman. Nonetheless, aside from learning the fundamental, you can go further and learn the advanced certifications. Possessing these credentials provides you a higher chance of earning more. Besides, this also provides you another option should you opt shift careers later.

Industry

When all’s said and done, you need to receive your paycheck. Per BLS records, it is not the government employers who pay firefighters more, but it’s the private contractors. Included are companies coping with production in oil, manufacturing of metal products and waste management. 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 work is that there is a lot of other benefits that are included with it. You get the services like insurance in your health or even dental check-up. However you also get covered sick leaves and reimbursement for a few specific tuition fees. But nonetheless, advantages may differ from what department you are into.

As you can see, the monetary scope of a fireman isn’t as good as that of a health care professional. However a fireman has the accolades of an instant savior. Consequently, if you want to be that hero, find out the requirements to be a firefighter now!

West Medford Firefighter Job Outlook

firefighter job outlook West Medford Massachusetts
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

The job outlook is an essential factor while determining which profession to get into. You would not wish to choose your favourite career choice simply to realize that it going down the drain in a couple of years. You can find out such information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The career outlook for public servants is definitely on the rise since due to the growing population. Consequently, what does the future hold for the common fireman? Let’s find out.

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There are currently 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 profession. Which means that there will be about 12,000 new jobs by 2024. Nevertheless, this also means that there will be that much more people trying to get the job also. Hence, 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 quite high, but the advantages make up for that. It’s estimated that there may be about 100 individuals competing for the same position by 2024.

firefighter job outlook by state West Medford Massachusetts
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

How To Become A Firefighter

You have to follow a certain procedure 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. Though education is the primary requirement, you must not be worried mainly because employer just needs at least 1 degree completed. Beside, education you should pass other exams such as physical, medical and legal test. Let us explore these in detail.

Education Requirements

The fundamental prerequisite becoming a firefighter would be to complete high school and get a relevant degree. Subjects you earned don’t matter much. But, having some courses in fire sciences does help your cause. It will also teach you how to be a more effective firefighter.

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A lot of those who intended to become a firefighter, they decide to pursue a degree in college right after earning their diploma in high school. You have to be at least 18 years old to meet the age qualification. That’s a primary reason why most of the aspirants are not be eligible right after graduating in high school. If you wish to have choices later if you choose to become a firefighter, better select a degree with subjects in firefighting, you might need them. There are subjects in a curriculum of the degree picked that teach you how to save lives, handle equipment 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 earning your education, you always remember that age limitation qualification of 28 to 30 years of age limit for you to be qualified as well. Therefore, if you want to expend most of your life as a firefighter, you should never focus too much on education.

Required Training in Paramedic

Every single firefighter is needed to have an EMT certification. It could be either of these Two, EMT-B or the EMT-Basic. This certifies firefighters that they know very well what to complete in case of fires or in accidents. The training may last for up to 12 months. If one desires, they can decide to pursue further studies in the field Emergency Medical Services and become a paramedic. Some great benefits of going into this direction are possible increase in salary or added edge over other candidates. Additionally, there are some medical professional firefighters who are able to take better care of individuals after they have been rescued from the fires.

Massachusetts State Driving License

In most states, hiring of firefighter needs an applicant to possess experience in driving. Thus, they require their candidates to be a licensed driver that may help them in case that person is needed to drive the firetruck to the area. It also functions as an ID proof to validate the applicant’s age.

Legal Track Record

In a few scenarios, a firefighter is compared as a policeman. They go through an extensive criminal background check before they are appointed. To get hired, the firefighters cannot 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. Nevertheless, there are situations where a pardoned individual of his offences are approved but not all department practice that.

West Medford Physical Prerequisites

Firefighters must be physically active to accomplish thier job at all times. Scenarios like lifting fire victims or even objects to free victims arise most of the time in rescue tasks, therefore, firefighter’s upper body strength is a must. Not just body strength is need, firefighter’s endurance must be high as they must deal a lot of factors like running even in harsh environment. All firefighters endure rigorous physical examinations both in the academy and before it.

Free From Healthcare Problems

Firefighters should cope with a lot of suffocating scenarios. Firefighters have face masks to overcome those scenarios but even so, if have respiratory condition, this may hinder your chances. When you have history in your respiratory, that will affect your efficiency. That’s why it’s important that an applicant must be clear from any of that respiratory conditions.

There a number of boxes that need to be ticked while selecting a firefighter. Indeed, the list is long, so learn how long will it take you turn into a firefighter!

West Medford Firefighter Job Description

Firefighters are your daily heroes who work together to put out fires and also help people when they get stuck in such situations. They are around in rescue missions you see in common incidents, not only fire. The same as what you see in movies, a firefighter saving a kitten in a tree. Aside from the usual job they are doing, firefighters help instruct people to prevent fire from happening. They also do the investigation as to the reasons of fire, its source or cause.

Putting Out Fires

This is the primary role of firefighters. They’re always in check waiting for a call for their expert services. When they do get a phone call, they rush to the location in one of their firetrucks which might contain hoses or ladders. Some of the fire trucks are simply meant to deliver harmed people.

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At the scene of the fire, every individual has a distinct task. Some individuals are in charge of controlling the ladder as well as rescue actions. Another firefighter is solely for extinguishing the fire, while other carry out the rescue of fire victims. These individuals work under the command of their respected commanding officers. They work in shifts, for that reason, every shifting unit has its corresponding officers.

Rescuing People

All firefighters must be qualified as an EMT. Since the main task of the rescuer would be to save lives, it is vital that a firefighter possesses this EMT. Most of the time this comes in handy when looking after those who are stuck inside the fires. Not all rescue operations 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 rescue the victims from additional harm. This is where a firefighters know-how in EMT will come in handy.

Teaching People

Fire science is among the skills a firefighter possesses. Their know-how may vary as to how further firefighters pursue this field. By sharing what they know, they help people by educating them how to prevent fire from occurring. This is normally done just after they visit a fire site and extinguish it. Otherwise, they also visit schools and also other locations to actively teach people about fires, how to prevent fires and if necessary, how to extinguish them.

Fire Investigation

Also, it is essential to know the cause of fire. They need to distinguish what caused it so they can avoid further such scenarios. Sometimes, it is possible that criminals with vicious intent set such fires. It is then the job of the firefighters to investigate and provide more clues to the law enforcement officers about who started it. Firefighters specializing in investigations related to fire are called arson investigators. They work with the police to catch arsonists.

As you can see, there’s a large number of reasons to contact these people our everyday heroes. While extinguishing fires in several areas, they ignite one in our hearts. So, if you feel you would like to be like them, begin filling up the list!