Westover Pennsylvania Firefighter Salary And Job Requirements

As the name suggests, Firefighters are those who literally save people or some other things from fire through fighting it. They’re strong people who can perform rescue operations with style as well as panache. The same as any other macho image profession, like policemen, who offer risking their lives to save another. You see the accolades these professionals acquire, would you not like to become like these courageous firefighters?

firefighter career summary Westover Pennsylvania
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Table Of Contents

How Much Money Does A Firefighter Make In Westover?

People say that work doesn’t seem like work anymore if you value what you do. However, this passion is not enough to provide your finances such as basic needs and life-style. We all need money so we can move, after all money is everything. Thus, with regards to choosing a profession, people are always curious about the amount of they might earn from it. Reality check, undeniably that’s the inspiration you set your alarm clock to get you ready for the job everyday. Individuals who carry out community outreach do not earn much. However, they do have a sense of achievement at the end of the day. {Let’s find out how much a firefighter earns.|Without further ado, let’s determine the wages of a firefighter.

firefighter salary Westover Pennsylvania
*Image Credit – BLS.gov

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Somewhere around $49,000 is the mean yearly income a firefighter makes. A median of about $46,000 is the median. There are many factors that affect this number including the size of the population as well as the education that a firefighter has gone through. Below is a list of these components and how they can increase or decrease your salary as a firefighter.

Location Matters

The location of the fire department is a major aspect in determining someone’s wage. Factored to that are the need of the population of fighters. A place where spontaneous wildfires are likely, have a higher need for firemen than other locations. New York has the greatest rate among firefighters with 70% above the national mean. However, Columbia pays the cheapest at 38% below the national average.

firefighter average salary by state Westover Pennsylvania
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Education Level

If you have gone through a study in fire science in high school, you will be qualified to apply as a firefighter. On the other hand, education is highly valued in this field. There are two major reasons for this. One is that it is proof of your know-how in the field. The second is that the government will need to expend considerably 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 advantage. A master’s degree may help a lot more.

Length of Work Experience

Experience is commonly a major key in determining someone’s income. As a firefighter, your revenue can rise around 50% with experience in the area of Two decades. That percentage is quite as compared to other job which is at 15% to 20% even they have the same length of experience.

Certifications

As a fireman, you will have to know the basics of EMT to even apply for the job. Nonetheless, you may choose to pursue the medical field a bit more and become a paramedic or get advanced EMT training. Possessing a deeper list of accreditations and trainings give you a chance of getting a bigger wage. Besides, this also gives you another choice should you opt shift careers later.

Industry

By the end of the day, your employer signs your paycheck. Per BLS records, it’s not the government employers who pay firefighters more, however it’s the private contractors. This includes firms which deal with waste management, coal and oil production, and metal product production. On the other hand, the local and also the state government still hire the most number of firefighters.

Other Benefits

One of the best things about possessing a government job is that there is a bunch of other advantages that come with it. As a firefighter, you certainly get benefits like dental as well as health care insurance. You may also avail sick leave benefits. The exact benefits vary from department to department.

As you could see, the financial scope of a fireman isn’t as nice as that of a physician. However a fireman has the accolades of an instant savior. So, if you want to be that hero, know the requirements to be a firefighter now!

Westover Firefighter Career Outlook

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

The job outlook is a vital aspect while choosing which profession to get into. You would not want to choose your favorite career choice just to realize that it going down the drain in a few years. You could find out such information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The career outlook for public servants is always on the rise since because of the ever-growing population. So, what does the future hold for the common fireman? Let us find.

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There are currently about 300,000 firemen employed in america. There is a steady progress of 5% for the next couple of years till 2024. This is the average progress rate of any normal career. This means that there would be about 12,000 new jobs by 2024. Nonetheless, this also means that there would be that much more people trying to get the job too. As a result, 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, however the benefits make up for that. It’s approximated that there may be about 100 people competing for the same job by 2024.

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

Steps To Becoming a Firefighter

Just like any other professional career to pursue, a process is important to follow. Primary requirement is you need to have the necessary education. You should have your diploma or you’ll never get employed. Although education is the main requirement, you must not be worried simply because employer only need at least one degree completed. However, there are a lot of other requirements such as physical, medical and legal that one should have to qualify for being a firefighter. We will go further in details to much better understand the prerequisites.

Educational Qualification

High school diploma along with a degree in advanced schooling are the fundamental specifications to be qualified being a firefighter. Subjects you gained don’t matter much. But, having some courses in fire sciences does help your cause. Which will provide you a backgrounder of the profession you are about to enter.

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Right after high school, a lot of people choose to get some formal college education in the field just before they will become a firefighter. The minimum age requirement is EIGHTEEN years. That’s one of the reasons why most of the aspirants aren’t be eligible after graduating in high school. College degrees in fire sciences are a big plus in case you are planning to be a part of the field. There are subjects in a curriculum of the degree chosen that teach you how to save lives, handle devices required in firefighting along with other related technical issues.

If wanted, you may also opt to finish an associate’s, bachelor’s or a master’s degree in the same. The former ones are required to get promoted to higher positions. While earning your education, you always keep in mind that age limitation requirement of 28 to 30 years old limit for you to be qualified as well. That is why you should not over focus on having too much education in order to qualify.

Paramedic Training

All the firefighters should have this EMT certification. The one required is the EMT-B or the EMT-Basic. This certifies firefighters that they know what to perform in case of fires or in accidents. A year is required in order to finish this training. If one desires, they can 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 salary or added edge over other candidates. Additionally, there are several medical professional firefighters who can take better care of people after they have already been rescued from the fires.

Licensed to Drive Vehicle In Pennsylvania State

In many states, hiring of firefighter needs an applicant to possess experience in driving. A driving license to every single candidate is necessary so they can be useful in case of unexpected emergency where for an instance no other fire truck driver is available. It also serves as an ID proof to validate the applicant’s age.

Clean Record

Firefighters are vetted almost as meticulously as police officers. They carry out a thorough criminal background check before they are appointed. To get employed, the firefighters could not have a criminal history. If you think you possess previous records, then better to not pursue this profession as you will right away be disqualified. People who were pardoned for their crimes are commonly accepted, on the other hand, not all fire departments acknowledge such people.

Physical Fitness

Firefighters need to be physically active to perform thier job always. Cases like lifting fire victims or objects to free victims arise most of the time in rescue tasks, consequently, firefighter’s upper body strength is vital. Not just body strength is need to have, firefighter’s endurance should be high as they need to deal lots of factors like running even in harsh environment. No one become a firefighter without undergoing heavy and extremely comprehensive physical assessments.

Westover Medical Specifications

Suffocations in rescue tasks happen and firefighters learn how to handle it. They are normally provided with masks to help them cope with such situations but not always are they so lucky. People having respiratory problems could not handle such heavy machinery with precision under suffocating situations. That’s why it’s a must 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. Certainly, the list is long, so find out how long will it take you turn into a firefighter!

What Really Does a Westover Firefighter Do?

Firefighters are your everyday heroes who work together to set out fires as well as help people if they get stuck in such circumstances. They’re also in charge of rescue actions for common everyday troubles. 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 instruct people to avoid fire from occurring. They also do the investigation as to the reasons of fire, its origin or cause.

Putting Out Fires

Clearly, fire extinguishing is their primary job. When on-duty, these individuals stay in their firehouse to respond to a call as soon as possible. When they 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 just meant to deliver harmed people.

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At the scene of the fire, every individual has a different job. A certain firefighter maybe responsible for controlling the ladder and hose. Others are in control of controlling the water flow as well as extinguishing the fire. These people work under the control of their respected commanding officers. Since they work in shifts, each unit has their own commanding officer.

Saving People

A certification in EMT is needed to all firefighters. Since the main task of the rescuer would be to save lives, it is vital that a firefighter possesses this EMT. Much of the time this comes in handy when looking after those who are trapped inside the fires. Not all rescue operations are fire related. Firemen or maybe firewomen are the first on the scene with a few police officers wherever there are any casualties. Casualties maybe caused natural phenomena or road crashes. Firefighter needs to work to save the victim. Sometimes a firefighter is also a qualified paramedic helping them provide better healthcare to the victims.

Teach People

Fire science is one of the skills a firefighter possesses. The amount of knowledge depends on which degree they have pursued in the field or which course they have studied. Consequently, they help a lot of the people by teaching them about ways to prevent fires. This is commonly done just after they visit a fire site as well as extinguish it. Or else, they also go to schools and other places to positively educate individuals about fires, how to avoid fires and if needed, how to extinguish them.

Fire Investigation

Also, it is very important to know the source of fire. They must identify what caused it so they could avoid further such circumstances. Instances like criminals set the first to blow up are possible. Working with police officers, it’s firefighter’s job to figure out what causes the fire or who possibly started it. Firefighters expert in investigations associated with fire are called arson investigators. They work with the police to catch arsonists.

As you can see, there is a broad number of reasons to call these people our everyday heroes. They do save lives by extinguishing fires and they develop also our appreciation to them. So, if you feel you would like to be like them, start filling up the list!