Firefighters!

[u3b3rg33k]

I think the word you're looking for is graduates.

[bmwdrifta]

200k a year? that is total bullshit. Ive been a volunteer fire fighter since i was 14, im now 18. seeming its a volunteer department its i guess you can say a small town. This is also in the state of R.I., We have one paid guy and thats a mechanic, all the rest of us are strictly volunteer. So saying we here a call for a house fire we dont have to get up and go we could all say fuck it. But thats not how it is, for this guy to be saying shit like that is fucking ignorant. We put in a shit ton of hours in during trainings and incidents. Now ive see my fair share of shit. Like legs ripped off, arms nowhere to be seen, ive performed cpr on a unconscious victim. and then of course there are house fire where there is fire rolling over your head in a room, with you not knowing when or if the roof will collapse or the floor will.

Sorry about all the writing but this just pissed me off. Um looking at a career with a paid department in the city, and a couple of the guys on my department are also paid. Ive talked to them about salary b4 and about eveyone says if you get lucky with overtime its about 70-80k. Now i would say that is about right for lets sat risking your life atleast one or twice a week.

lol i could go on forever, but im not. i made my point hopefully

[PootieTang]

i wasn't hating on firefighters, just seems like they're a little overpaid

i live in the bay area btw, which probably has a large effect on salary

[e30nub]

I call my firefighter friend a fireman. He doesn't like it.

Carry on...

[E30_(1st Musk)_]

I think the word you're looking for is graduates.

graduates.

200k a year? that is total bullshit. Ive been a volunteer fire fighter since i was 14, im now 18. seeming its a volunteer department its i guess you can say a small town. This is also in the state of R.I., We have one paid guy and thats a mechanic, all the rest of us are strictly volunteer. So saying we here a call for a house fire we dont have to get up and go we could all say fuck it. But thats not how it is, for this guy to be saying shit like that is fucking ignorant. We put in a shit ton of hours in during trainings and incidents. Now ive see my fair share of shit. Like legs ripped off, arms nowhere to be seen, ive performed cpr on a unconscious victim. and then of course there are house fire where there is fire rolling over your head in a room, with you not knowing when or if the roof will collapse or the floor will.

Sorry about all the writing but this just pissed me off. Um looking at a career with a paid department in the city, and a couple of the guys on my department are also paid. Ive talked to them about salary b4 and about eveyone says if you get lucky with overtime its about 70-80k. Now i would say that is about right for lets sat risking your life atleast one or twice a week.

lol i could go on forever, but im not. i made my point hopefully

i completely agree and understand what you are saying. There are always going to be ppl who talk about the fire department but end up crying when there house or in his case "winery" goes up in flames.And will depend on the department to be the only ppl who can save there life from the scene of an accident to the hospital

Funny that its coming from a guy who owns 2 winerys and when he sleeps in his mansion everynight can care less of who he benefited at work throughout his day.

i wasn't hating on firefighters, just seems like they're a little overpaid

i live in the bay area btw, which probably has a large effect on salary

I cant speak for the fire department up north, but im sure that your few firefighters make that much a year.

[BraveUlysses]

I'd wager that only the Fire Chief for a decently-sized city would make 200k. My F-I-L was a station captain before retiring after 25 years and he wasn't anywhere near 200k. Union jobs are pretty well paid and supported up here.

Don't go off numbers for what some "can make with enough overtime" because it only takes a few people working tons of OT to skew that number.

[Restoman]

plush??? Do you speak from experience?

What don't you understand? I'll gladly clarify my statements for you.

[Rodoni]

The area determines the salary pretty much. I know Santa Clara FD gets paid pretty well starting off. And down here in SLO, Pismo Beach FD starting is like 60k (they are a Cal Fire station that works the city).

All you need to become a FF is to be 18 and have your high school diploma. Of course, the more shit you have, EMT cert, medic, college, etc..greatly increases your chances. I was 18 when I got my interview with Pismo Beach FD. Im on the employment eligibility list for them. (they only hired their life guards. All they had to do was transfer them over). All I had at the time of interview was being 18, passed my CPAT, CPR, and had my HS diploma. I was enrolled in the EMT class but had to cert.

I wouldnt say FFs are over paid. FF is pretty high up there on most dangerous jobs list. (top 5 IIRC). They also go through A LOT of work. Once a week drills, continuous training while on shift, high stress, LOTS of physical work, etc. Ever woken up at 3am to go fight a fire for 12 hours? Its not easy.

Now, with seasonal Cal Fire. On average get paid 60-70k for a summer season. IIRC May through October. They are working almost EVERYDAY. Usually Mon-Sun. Its a lot of hard work especially in the fire season. Now, I wasnt questioning the ability of Cal Fire FFs in my earlier statement. I was meaning that the work they do is boring as shit. Thats not the life I want to live. Id rather work a normal shift instead of 6 days a week of 6 months. Fuck that shit. Santa Clara fire has the A,B,C shift stuff (which I love). Its average 3 days a week spaced out (1 day on 2 days off).

Pootie Tang is right about the Bay Area affecting salaries. I dont know if you guys know where Los Gatos is but starting salary for Los Gatos High teachers is about 80k. There are teachers there making 120k+ and staff (principal, etc) are making closer to 150-200k.

BTW, earning a degree in something other than fire science or fire technology earns you about 5% more of a salary. One of the reasons why Im majoring in Construction Management and not FS or FT.

Also, Ill give you some advice about getting hired etc. Yes it is true you only need to be 18 etc (as mentioned above). There are NUMEROUS ways to get hired. For example, Cal Fire just apply and you will probably get in (I dont know with this economy but try anyway). Go to a local station that you want to work for. Meet the FFs and captains etc. Ask them if you can attend their drill nights. They will usually say yes. Go to the drills as much as possible and they will start to get to know you etc. Now, some stations have a Reserve FF/paid call program. You dont need a FF1 to apply etc. With Cal Fire stations, IE Pismo Beach, they will hire you and send you to the PCF academy (FF1 academy for Cal Fire), its 5 weekends long. You will not get your FF1 after those 5 weekends but you will have earned you "lecture time" if you will. You will recieve a rookie book with tasks to complete and to get signed off. Once you get them all signed off you will have earned yourself your FF1. Im pretty sure most stations have a program like this or very similar to it.

[E30_(1st Musk)_]

The area determines the salary pretty much. I know Santa Clara FD gets paid pretty well starting off. And down here in SLO, Pismo Beach FD starting is like 60k (they are a Cal Fire station that works the city).

All you need to become a FF is to be 18 and have your high school diploma. Of course, the more shit you have, EMT cert, medic, college, etc..greatly increases your chances. I was 18 when I got my interview with Pismo Beach FD. Im on the employment eligibility list for them. (they only hired their life guards. All they had to do was transfer them over). All I had at the time of interview was being 18, passed my CPAT, CPR, and had my HS diploma. I was enrolled in the EMT class but had to cert.

I wouldnt say FFs are over paid. FF is pretty high up there on most dangerous jobs list. (top 5 IIRC). They also go through A LOT of work. Once a week drills, continuous training while on shift, high stress, LOTS of physical work, etc. Ever woken up at 3am to go fight a fire for 12 hours? Its not easy.

Now, with seasonal Cal Fire. On average get paid 60-70k for a summer season. IIRC May through October. They are working almost EVERYDAY. Usually Mon-Sun. Its a lot of hard work especially in the fire season. Now, I wasnt questioning the ability of Cal Fire FFs in my earlier statement. I was meaning that the work they do is boring as shit. Thats not the life I want to live. Id rather work a normal shift instead of 6 days a week of 6 months. Fuck that shit. Santa Clara fire has the A,B,C shift stuff (which I love). Its average 3 days a week spaced out (1 day on 2 days off).

Pootie Tang is right about the Bay Area affecting salaries. I dont know if you guys know where Los Gatos is but starting salary for Los Gatos High teachers is about 80k. There are teachers there making 120k+ and staff (principal, etc) are making closer to 150-200k.

BTW, earning a degree in something other than fire science or fire technology earns you about 5% more of a salary. One of the reasons why Im majoring in Construction Management and not FS or FT.

Also, Ill give you some advice about getting hired etc. Yes it is true you only need to be 18 etc (as mentioned above). There are NUMEROUS ways to get hired. For example, Cal Fire just apply and you will probably get in (I dont know with this economy but try anyway). Go to a local station that you want to work for. Meet the FFs and captains etc. Ask them if you can attend their drill nights. They will usually say yes. Go to the drills as much as possible and they will start to get to know you etc. Now, some stations have a Reserve FF/paid call program. You dont need a FF1 to apply etc. With Cal Fire stations, IE Pismo Beach, they will hire you and send you to the PCF academy (FF1 academy for Cal Fire), its 5 weekends long. You will not get your FF1 after those 5 weekends but you will have earned you "lecture time" if you will. You will recieve a rookie book with tasks to complete and to get signed off. Once you get them all signed off you will have earned yourself your FF1. Im pretty sure most stations have a program like this or very similar to it.

Completely agreed. I guess thats how the fire department up north works. But the cost of living is alot higher than i expected and if the cost of living was higher, just like everyone else you would need to be payed more to earn a living. But for the most part in LAFD it takes alot for you to be accepted with a minimum of being 18 and a GED. Just this year they had thousands of applicants and when they sent 2 classes to drill tower they had to cancel one of the drill towers leading to 1 class being canceled.

I know that working on Fire Technology isnt the only way. Its just something i konw i can put time into at the moment. Like stated up in the last paragraph they arent accepting many people at the time, and are not really accepting applications. My name is on a waiting list to be called when they do begin to accept apps. For the mean time since i am only 19 and have a while i am working on my Fire Tech next semester i am taking construction management, and hopefully in a month take the national registry to get my EMT certification. After 6 months of experience(while going to school at the same time) I plan on getting school loans to attend UCLA's paramedic program, thats another thing i need to do. It cost LAFD city/County 60k to send a ff to paramedic school and it will only cost me around 11k. So since rite now the budget is so low its giving me a leg up on the competion because if i am hired over someone who is not already a peramedic the department would save money.

As far as going to the station and learning drills i had a chance to do so. but was unable to attend. Since daily i am the one who picks up my little brother from school i can not make it to the "explorer" program(i know explorers sounds boy scoutish) but they really do learn alot of drills and the city's division and station location. They are also allowed to do ride alongs for over 500hrs. My drive to school is 25min with minimul traffic, and my brothers school is very close to my house, the fire station is even farther than school so i just cant make it on time.

[Rodoni]

Thats strange. Most drills are at night, 6-10pm, 7-10 pm etc.

I am also 19 but have had a lot of experience with this stuff. Im scheduled for the fire academy in January. Still havent passed my NREMT yet though (only taken it once). Ive been really busy with school and my friend is taking his NREMT at the end of the year so Ill study with him.

Good luck to you, sounds like you are on the right track

[E30_(1st Musk)_]

Thats strange. Most drills are at night, 6-10pm, 7-10 pm etc.

I am also 19 but have had a lot of experience with this stuff. Im scheduled for the fire academy in January. Still havent passed my NREMT yet though (only taken it once). Ive been really busy with school and my friend is taking his NREMT at the end of the year so Ill study with him.

Good luck to you, sounds like you are on the right track

yeah it usually is around that time. but with the traffic i would hardly be able to get there on time. Plus since so many kids tried this year they made an exam you need to pass to be accepted (i wasnt able to make it to the exam)

Nice! wish i could say i am scheduled for academy. I will most likely sometime in the future.

I am worried about the NREMT tho. In my class the smarted guy has takken it and failed 5 times. But i know of others who take it and pass the first time. My plan is to just take it within a MAXIMUM of 2 weeks after i finish the course since it is most likely that it is fresh in my memory Since we lose about 30% of what we learn every month.

Good luck with the test, we all need to study since its scenerio based

[Lunner]

As someone who's worked in Tax Prep in Northern CA (That's as specific as I'll get), I totally agree with challenging the ludicrous salaries the firefighters around here get.

Didn't see a lot of 200k, but plenty of six figure incomes. Sheriff's too for that matter.

I only get really irritated about when I compare it to the average teacher's salary I've seen, which can be as low as 30-40k.

I mean, bravery is one thing, and should be valued, and pretty much is (ribbons, charities, etc. around here). But civil servants (which they seem to loathe being treated like, despite the logic of it) of any distinction do not need incomes that inflated. Taking a taxpayer funded job should never be seen as a way to get rich and retire early, but I've seen plenty of people at local colleges and elsewhere with that exact plan in mind.

Oh also I used to deliver pizzas in a super rich neighborhood (El Dorado Hills), and interacted with quite a few firemen, who seemed no different than the other overpayed, overindulged and overprivelaged CPA's, Lawyers and Doctors of that town. Obviously, that last point's more of a personal one, and strictly applies to a certain city, but still, eat the rich and so on.

[E30_(1st Musk)_]

As someone who's worked in Tax Prep in Northern CA (That's as specific as I'll get), I totally agree with challenging the ludicrous salaries the firefighters around here get.

Didn't see a lot of 200k, but plenty of six figure incomes. Sheriff's too for that matter.

I only get really irritated about when I compare it to the average teacher's salary I've seen, which can be as low as 30-40k.

I mean, bravery is one thing, and should be valued, and pretty much is (ribbons, charities, etc. around here). But civil servants (which they seem to loathe being treated like, despite the logic of it) of any distinction do not need incomes that inflated. Taking a taxpayer funded job should never be seen as a way to get rich and retire early, but I've seen plenty of people at local colleges and elsewhere with that exact plan in mind.

Oh also I used to deliver pizzas in a super rich neighborhood (El Dorado Hills), and interacted with quite a few firemen, who seemed no different than the other overpayed, overindulged and overprivelaged CPA's, Lawyers and Doctors of that town. Obviously, that last point's more of a personal one, and strictly applies to a certain city, but still, eat the rich and so on.

well i doubt that any of them have reached a six figure income without having earned it. There are alot of opportunitys in the fire department other than just being a smoke eater, You can be company, Lieutenant, captain, battalion chief, District chief etc.The more you are trained for and the more people who are under you the more you are expected to make just like any other job. In a multi casualty case there are people who make every decision in the emergency.

After hurricane katrina there is the "incident commander" who runs the show. ultimately he makes the decision and was trained to do so its his job to house these people and set up shop for any medical possibility So alot falls on that single person and during an emergency the proper training is going to be needed and so i believe they should deserve a good salary.

I agree that being "overpaid" dosent make it correct for you to feel like you can look down on people. But what is being overpaid?
Why not get paid more for knowing more in your craft.

Why not pay the neurosurgeon more than a physicians assistant?

earlier someone posted that a firefighters life is expected to be cut short 10 years. Why would it irritate you that he gets paid more than a teacher? Sure we should always value our teachers and education, but is the teacher going to cut ther life 10 years/risk there family to get you from a car accident? school fire?

Its not just about being brave, they are exposed to so many hazardous materials that eventually catchup with them.

falls= back surgery
fire= burns
chemical exposure= terminal cancers

heck just transporting a chemo patient is dangerouse enough. If your skin comes in contact with that chemo med. added to an IV it will almost go dirrectly through your hand. Its made to kill cells, and if exposed can cause deffects in future your children and give you cancer.

And for the people who make the decision to be a firefighter so they can just live off tax payers money i can not speak for. Those are honestly not my intensions and im not speaking for them but you cant say they all have the same intensions.

None of my professors have seen it as a get rich and retire young. All four of them can up almost 200 years of service between them. Sure you can retire but that knee injury, hearing problem(constant sirens), back problems etc. are going with you.

[Kershaw]

But what is being overpaid?

starting at 60k for a high school diploma.

i retain my original point that firemen salaries should be less than or equal to soldier salaries.

[Lunner]

I don't necessarily believe that firemen and teachers salaries should be equal by any means, nor did I argue for that, but to devalue one so much compared to the other seems very unfair, considering how extremely important education is.

I'm not much for forum debates anymore (except when I'm drinking, my bad), so I'll just close by agreeing with the above post. Firefighters being paid soldier's wages sounds good to me.

And hey, if you're a fire fighting fire fighter, thanks. "And if you can read this, thank a teacher".