So what are the going salaries for firefighter/paramedics around the country?

[gah74]

I debated whether even to post this topic, but I'm curious to see the broad range of pay all of us get for doing the same job.

I am topped out at our tailboard (private) pay scale and make 46K per year without any extra overtime. This does not include the $200 a month I get for being a paramedic and we get $20 a shift on the days we ride the ambulance.

[spo0k]

Including FLSA overtime, medic propay, personal time buyback, wellness pay, and another benefit that I cant think of our starting salary is 40k. Topout after 5 years (again including previously mentioned benefits) is 60k.



------------------
FF. Mike Burnes
Whitehall Fire Division

[Dalmatian90]

Neat site when talking salaries is:
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/movecalc.asp

It helps put your salary in perspective!

[FireLt1951]

Here starting salary is $27,860 and top FF pay after 5 years is $45,846. The city does not allow overtime, they will close companies first. Here our EMT's and Paramedics are totally seperate from fire.

[spo0k]

THEY CLOSE COMPANIES BEFORE OVERTIME??!?! Holy cow man, do your citizens know this? I'm not slamming you at all, I have a lot of respect for your department, but that just seems like a completely ignorant policy.

Do the guys support it?



------------------
FF. Mike Burnes
Whitehall Fire Division

[FireLt1951]

Originally posted by spo0k:
THEY CLOSE COMPANIES BEFORE OVERTIME??!?! Holy cow man, do your citizens know this? I'm not slamming you at all, I have a lot of respect for your department, but that just seems like a completely ignorant policy.

Do the guys support it?

We have offered and tried to negotiate overtime for over 20 years and the city refuses. Yes the citizenry knows. They have closed as many as 11 companies during high furlough times. Every department in the city gets overtime except the firefighting division. City says they can't afford it. They also refuse to staff all companies with 4. We run with 3-85% of the time. Go figure huh!

[gah74]

We often close companies down towards the end of the fiscal year if we are low on overtime money. Usually, they see it coming and what they do is close an engine down from 7AM to 5PM and then hire an overtimer from 5PM til 7AM the next morning. That is our peak run period so they try to "guess" when we'll need the other engine.

[mys2ry]

In Hawaii FF1 pay is $2669.00/month. EMT pay is an extra $1.55/hr each day you are on the medic. Paramedic pay is an extra $3.09/hr each day you are on the medic. If you aren't on the medic, paramedics get paid $150.00 a month extra. Hope this helps
aloha

[FHandz17]

We start at $41,000 and top at $61,000 but we are "paid for performance", so it takes from 7-10 years to top out (municipal FD). That is base, w/o overtime, holiday or benefits...etc.

Believe it or not, there are several tax based "FPD's" in our county that have FF/Medics topping out around $80,000 after 3 years, then add $10-15,000 in overtime and benefits and they are pushing $100,000, with a cost of living index at the national average. Holy S**T, I love this job.

[gah74]

What is an "FPD"s?? Maybe I'm having a brain fart by I'm not sure what you're talking about....fire/police dept. maybe?

Whatever it is, they are making some good money!!

[BFD847]

Our FF/paramedic starting base salery here is 28,500. Usually 2000 to 3000 min on added overtime and holiday pay. I think we top out around 38,000 after five years.
We do not have a lot of regular overtime for filing shifts. But we can gain some good money on "call backs". We tone out for off duty personell on all structure fires or during heavy call volumes.
gah74 FPD is most likely fire protection districts.
I'm wishing St. Louis was a little closer to me. I have always been under the impression that there cost of living was higher but apparently not.

[OFDLUIT33]

FPD = Fire Protection District
They get LOTS of $$$$$

FHands17 I live across the river. I will begin medic school in january. How do I get hired in the county, that is where i want to work. Will my AAS degree in fire science help?
E-mail me [email protected]

[gah74]

Fire Protection Districts...I see. So why exactly is it they get paid so much? So are FPD's actually a group of cities that go in on fire service together or what? Excuse my ignorance on the subject, I work in suburbia and don't know much about it.

[Firediver]

Here is one for the books, we start out at $1134.00 per month, plus a state supplemental of $300.00 that the state pays due to the fact of our low salaries.

------------------
Craig Walker

stay low....stay safe....BUT GET YOU SOME!!!!

[FHandz17]

Fire Protection Districts are political sub-divisions of the state, tax supported with an elected board of directors, usually 3-5. Basically, these are the areas in the suburbs that 20-30 years ago were farmland, covered by volunteer FD's, but now are sprawling residential and commercial gold mines (urban sprwal).

Cities have to split the financial pie with police, water, parks...etc. Districts get the whole pie of fire tax money all to themselves. So, if a district has strong commercial areas, they get lots of tax dollars to spend any way they want, on things like salaries, new trucks and stations, did I mention salaries...etc.

They work just as hard as the rest of us in city FD's, they just are better off financially. I'm definately envious.