1 answer
Connor
Student
Kerrville, Texas
6
Questions
1 answer
Ryan Pfeiffer, MA
Firefighter Training Officer / EMT
83
Answers
Fort Collins, Colorado
Updated
Ryan’s Answer
Hello Connor. Firefighters have a fairly wide variety of salaries depending on a number of factors.
The main factor is where you live / work - places with a higher cost of living will typically pay more. For example, a firefighter in Austin, TX will likely make more than a similar firefighter in San Angelo, TX.
The next biggest factor is your firefighting speciality. Some firefighters are also paramedics, some specialize in wildland firefighting, others work with hazardous materials (think nuclear, chemical, biological, high explosive, etc.) An entry level wildland firefighter will probably make significantly less than an entry level firefighter / paramedic.
Another consideration is overtime. Some firefighters, especially wildland firefighters, can make a tremendous amount of overtime. So, while their hourly rates might be lower than other firefighters, they end up making more because of hundreds or thousands of hours per year at time -and-a-half-pay.
The final factor I'll mention is your rank, and seniority. If you make a career of firefighting, and your interested in advancing into a leadership role, your salary can increase quite a bit as your responsibilities increase. You'll never be Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos on a firefighter's salary, but you can make a comfortable living for you and your family.
Here in Northern Colorado, an entry level city firefighter makes roughly $45-55k per year. As a supervisor, I make about $75-90k. A Fire Chief, the head honcho in charge of the entire fire department, can make anywhere from $115k to $200k a year.
I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any follow up questions!
The main factor is where you live / work - places with a higher cost of living will typically pay more. For example, a firefighter in Austin, TX will likely make more than a similar firefighter in San Angelo, TX.
The next biggest factor is your firefighting speciality. Some firefighters are also paramedics, some specialize in wildland firefighting, others work with hazardous materials (think nuclear, chemical, biological, high explosive, etc.) An entry level wildland firefighter will probably make significantly less than an entry level firefighter / paramedic.
Another consideration is overtime. Some firefighters, especially wildland firefighters, can make a tremendous amount of overtime. So, while their hourly rates might be lower than other firefighters, they end up making more because of hundreds or thousands of hours per year at time -and-a-half-pay.
The final factor I'll mention is your rank, and seniority. If you make a career of firefighting, and your interested in advancing into a leadership role, your salary can increase quite a bit as your responsibilities increase. You'll never be Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos on a firefighter's salary, but you can make a comfortable living for you and your family.
Here in Northern Colorado, an entry level city firefighter makes roughly $45-55k per year. As a supervisor, I make about $75-90k. A Fire Chief, the head honcho in charge of the entire fire department, can make anywhere from $115k to $200k a year.
I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any follow up questions!