r/Firefighting • u/Voinat107 • 16d ago
Ask A Firefighter Hello, I need to ask important question about the earning
I am 17 and will graduate in 2 years. I have never been the smartest and don't think I am gonna go to university, so I decided I might as well do something useful for society and become a firefighter. I always admired them. But of course I need to ask about the salary. I know firefighters can earn good money from extra shifts. So can you please tell me in what country do you live and are you happy with your income. Thank you in advance!
3
u/tbhagz 16d ago
Sometimes you don’t need those extra shifts to make good money. I know out west they make really great money, but the cost of living is also higher. Someone will say that working in the suburbs in the Midwest is the sweet spot. I know my department starts higher than FDNY, but about $15 lower than LAFD. Cost-of-living is literally half though. Working 10 days a month for a better salary than most 20-year-olds and retired by 50!!! Pretty good gig. And no, you don’t have to be book smart, but you do have to be fairly street smart in my opinion.
2
u/Voinat107 15d ago
Thank you very much, I probably didn't write the post very well, I don't mean I am an idiot, but I am not very book smart as you say.
11
u/Grivza 16d ago
It's one thing not being smart enough for uni and a whole another not being interested in academic subjects. If you don't deem yourself smart enough for uni, don't become a firefighter, please.
2
u/Voinat107 16d ago
I don't think I am a complete idiot. I just don't perform well in school even tho I study a lot. Also the idea of studying for 5 more years doesn't look appealing. I should've said it in the post. Sorry
6
1
u/hailey0866 16d ago
Maybe you’re not studying the right way? Do you just read and take notes? Active recall is one of the best ways to actually memorize. I’ve heard great things about the app Anki.
3
u/Reasonable-Bench-773 Union Thug 16d ago
Pay varies depending on what part of the country you are in. I make good money in the western United States.
1
u/Voinat107 16d ago
Thank you! I figured out the post can be seen by people from various countries and just decided to ask for everyone. In my country the pay is miserable, but it's nice to hear that people like firefighters actually earn enough money in America
2
u/Character-Chance4833 16d ago
It will all vary by country, state to state and even by the metropolitan area. In Texas, the pay here in the DFW metroplex is higher because of cost of living than in many areas of the rest of Texas.
2
u/SirNedKingOfGila Volly FF/EMT 16d ago
Wages are ALL over the place. First of all, most firefighters in the US literally do not get paid. Some get paid minimum wage. Some start out over $100k a year.
The job itself and the qualifications required can also be all over the place. Some will put you through the academy. Others expect you to do it yourself out of pocket. Some don't require any medical training. Others expect you to put yourself through two entire years of medical training. Yet more still may pay you to go through paramedic training.
What you need to do is look at what firefighting looks like in the area you want to live, specifically. Then you'll want to ask those people what requirements and benefits the job has in that region.
When you do be sure to leave out the bit about not wishing to attend a university. That's exactly what you'll be doing to get your paramedic certification.
2
2
2
u/NoCoolWords 16d ago
In Canada, firefighters are often decently paid. Full time firefighters - usually in cities or larger municipalities - won't be rich but are rarely close to poverty. Some have a second job that works alongside their fire department's schedule. In larger cities, their pay can go over $100,000/year CAD without overtime, however this varies across the country. Smaller city/municipality will usually mean less. The range is between $53,000 to $100,000 CAD/year.
There are also a lot of volunteer or paid-on-call firefighters in smaller municipalities, where there is neither enough work nor money to employ many or any full time firefighters. For paid on call, they will usually make $20-$30/hour but the number of calls and training is widely variable, so their annual salary is also variable. Most will work another job and attend fire calls when not working at their primary source of income.
Becoming a firefighter in Canada can be very competitive and there will often be a mix of academic and physical skill requirements. These are tested through interviews, physical skill assessments, document review, and knowledge/aptitude tests. This is true of many full time, volunteer or paid on call departments but as demographics change, this process to get hired may become easier. Volunteer and paid on call are likely easier to get into. Search for these opportunities close to where you live as a way to start.
1
2
u/fuckredditsir 16d ago
There’s a ton of studying to do the first 5 years of firefighting. It’s basically like college, but you’re getting paid. I think that’s something you’re gonna encounter in pretty much every career. No way around it. Studying for things like hazmat ops and EMT can get pretty damn technical too so it’s not easy studying. There’s a lot of chemistry, physics and biology to understand in this profession. Firefighting isn’t a path to take if you think you’re “dumb” and it’s not just grunt work and I personally don’t want people to choose this path because they’re not good at school or whatever. Damn near everyone on my department from administration to the most junior firefighter at least on my shift has a bachelor’s degree and various certifications to boot. A profession that’s involved with people’s lives like this one, is always gonna have tons of schooling to come with it. People who aren’t good at or interested in learning/schooling end up learning the job pretty well over 10 years or so and then get complacent because they’ve done it all and don’t want to develop themselves further or specialize because that’s gonna take more schooling and I don’t want that either. I have a guy on my shift who’s this way and I don’t enjoy working with him as a probie.
Have you considered the military? Of course there’s schooling there too but at least you can have job security for the next 6 years as they whip you into mental, physical and intellectual shape.
As far as money and pay, it of course depends on your area but firefighting is probably near the middle-bottom of the totem pole when it comes to pay as far as “blue collar” work is concerned. I’m comfortable with the pay and save a ton of money and get great benefits because I manage my money well, I’m not in debt and live very very fucking frugally. For 25 year olds and according to Google (which data seems to vary wildly), my wife and I’s household net worth is at least 80% higher than people our age and that’s just us working regular jobs (fire and dispatch) but using our money wisely. By that I mean, we just save a ton and aren’t willing to get into any kind of debt unless we’re buying a home which we’re very capable of at this point with a significant down payment.
We have a 20 year old that just got on our dept and he’s financing a truck and just moved out of his parents house arbitrarily to pay $1000 in rent for whatever reason and we think that’s stupid because, meanwhile my wife and I own our shit and live in a cozy little $500/ month apartment. We’re extreme about saving money as you might be able to tell but it’s all gonna be well worth it eventually.
1
u/Voinat107 15d ago
Thank you for the comment, i didn't mean I am dumb as a rock, I never performed good enough academically for good universities to take me but I love studying things I like. About military, I probably will look it up, soldiers are also people I admire, but I have been told they don't really earn much, when you are a firefighter you can atleast take extra shifts
2
u/fuckredditsir 15d ago
Yeah military folks don’t make that much but still, if you account for free housing, free food, the best benefits out of any career in existence, g.i. bills that you can use to pay for fire certifications after you’re done, etc it’s really pretty good. The tricare health insurance in and of itself through the military is unmatched. I’d take a 10k pay cut to have it
1
2
u/fuckredditsir 16d ago
Oh and as far as working extra shifts and doing all that, make sure you don’t get a dog or a kid. Girlfriend is optional, I think. Idk I came into the job married with a dog. I don’t like being away from my family for 24 hours at a time especially if I have people to nurture like my dog, so working extra sucks imo. Also departments vary on how stingy they are with overtime so you gotta look into your specific department
1
6
u/Every_Iron_4494 16d ago
USA firefighter/EMT here. I was never good at school nor was I interested in it. Dropped out of college three times. Found firefighting and absolutely loved it, found it easier to motivate myself to study something I was actually interested in. That being said there is studying and classes involved but you’d have to be a real dummy or not try if you fail that stuff. Go for it. Salaries will vary wildly but you can make a living. Go for it.