Salaries of Firefighters Based on Length of Service

One of the major factors that greatly affect firefighter salaries is length of service. For instance, a certain individual who has been working as such for a duration of 1 year or less, the annual salary is somewhere between $29,716 and $45,167. From 1 year to 4 years of service, expect that average salary to increase somewhere between $30,532 and $47,165. For a firefighter who is 5 to 9 years in service, the annual salary is expected to be between $35,782 and $55,813. A service of 10 to 19 years has an equivalent annual salary of about $41,442 to $65,480. From 20 years further, expect the pay to rise even more, which usually ranges from $49,986 to $77,052.

Salaries of Firefighters Based on Employer Type

The second major factor that affects the annual salaries of firefighters is the type of employer. For instance, a firefighter who is working for the state or local government can earn as much as $35,459 to $59,447. In case that individual is working for the federal government, the average annual salary ranges from $31,047 to $53,389. Meanwhile, the average salary of a company firefighter is somewhere between $30,051 and $48,548. For other types of organizations, the usual pay for this job is $30,004 to $51,264 annually. For a fireman working for a non-profit organization, the pay is somewhere around $27,239 to $49,132. If a fireman is contractual, the annual salary is supposedly around $32,556 to $58,958. For a self-employed firefighter, the expected annual salary is $38,884 to $52,903.

More Points on Firefighter Salaries

A firefighter can fall in any of the three main classifications. The first one is forest firefighters, the primary responsibility of which is to suppress and control fires in vacant public lands or forests. The second is municipal firefighters, the basic role of which is to extinguish and control fires within the municipality. Furthermore, they are also responsible for conducting rescue as well as protecting property and life. The third classification is the municipal firefighting and prevention supervisors, the primary roles of which are to conduct rescue efforts, protect property and life as well as supervise other firefighters, specifically those whose roles are to extinguish and control municipal fires.

Firefighters are very important because without them, controlling fires and other related emergencies can be very difficult and disorganized. Aside from determining the salaries of firefighters based on employer type and length of service, another important aspect is the location. For instance, being a firefighter is a popular in numerous U.S. cities including Houston in Texas, San Diego in California as well as Atlanta in Georgia. The same thing can also be expected in other places such as New York, Chicago in Illinois and Los Angeles in California. In these places, firefighters earn better compared to those from other locations.