Is being a firefighter worth it?

Firefighting is an incredibly rewarding job that's truly worth it if you're willing to put in the time and effort. Though you will have to give up some much-valued time with your friends and family and put yourself at risk in dangerous situations, being a firefighter has plenty of benefits.
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What are the pros and cons of being a firefighter?

Pros and Cons of Becoming a Firefighter
  • Pro: Sense of Fulfillment in Your Career. ...
  • Con: Unusual Shifts. ...
  • Pro: You Get Paid to Sleep on the Job Sometimes. ...
  • Con: Constant Training and Chores. ...
  • Pro: Public Approval of Your Job. ...
  • Con: Dangerous Job Duties. ...
  • Pro: Good Benefits and Job Security. ...
  • Con: Pay Isn't Great.
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What is the hardest part of being a firefighter?

Every firefighter holds a few secrets that they typically keep to themselves.
  • The weight of responsibility that we bear is crushing. ...
  • We are not born with the knowledge necessary to be good firefighters. ...
  • Fear of failure is the greatest unspoken fear that every firefighter carries with them.
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Does being a firefighter shorten your life?

Firefighters have shorter life expectancies than the average population and are three times more likely to die on the job, partly due to inherent risks, physical and mental stresses, and exposures to toxic and carcinogenic compounds released in smoke (source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, University of Cincinnati).
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What are the disadvantages of being a firefighter?

Here are five cons that may accompany a firefighter's job:
  • Constant training. Firefighters undergo extensive and constant training throughout their careers. ...
  • Long shifts. ...
  • Dangerous job. ...
  • Mentally demanding. ...
  • Physically demanding.
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7 Reasons You Should NOT Become A Firefighter



How do you know if firefighting is right for you?

The best firefighters are those who have the ability to maintain their composure while, multi-tasking and thinking on their feet in the face of life and death emergencies. They must be able to organize a great deal of information in a short period of time under extreme mental, physical and psychological conditions.
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What's it like to date a fireman?

Dating a firefighter is mostly the same as dating anyone else. However, the work schedule, high stress, and potential for injuries and exposures can add some different types of challenges to a relationship. So, to be happy dating a firefighter means understanding those constraints and accepting them.
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Why do firefighters retire so early?

health insurance

The fire service requires a high level of physical exertion and takes a serious toll on a worker's physical abilities. As a result, many employers require fire fighters to retire as early as age 50, leaving workers burdened with securing expensive health insurance.
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How much do Disney firefighters make?

The estimated salary for a firefighter is $36,126 per year in Walt Disney World Resort, FL.
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What is the average age a firefighter dies?

3. The life expectancy of a fire fighter aged 20–24 year at entry was 54.9 years, 2.7 and 2.8 years more in comparison to the German or Hamburg reference respectively. For a fire fighter aged 30–34 the advantage in life expectancy was 2.2 years compared to Hamburg and 2.4 years compared to Germany.
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What are the odds of becoming a firefighter?

The average odds of getting hired as a firefighter on any one test are about 1-in-100 or 1% chance. Even though those are still some tough odds, it is very doable. Those are the odds for one test, but most people apply quite a few times before they get hired.
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Are firefighters poor?

Depending on who you ask, emergency responders are either overpaid or underpaid. The median pay for firefighters in 2014 was $48,750, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, while the median paramedic pay was just $31,700 in 2014.
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Do firefighters risk their lives?

Firefighters are always risking their lives and are very vulnerable to physical injuries. They are susceptible to getting burnt and at risk of inhaling smoke, getting crushed injuries due to structures collapsing. It's very common for fighters to get exhausted due to exposure to extreme heat.
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Is firefighting a stressful job?

Firefighting ranked in top 3 most stressful jobs

Firefighting, with a median annual salary of $45,600, was given 71.59 as its stress score with a 7 percent projected growth by 2022. Researchers said most of the stress was due to the physically dangerous and psychologically taxing nature of firefighting.
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Is being a firefighter hard?

Firefighting requires exceptionally difficult and demanding physical work. You will perform strenuous activities and handle all types of emergencies, including life-or-death situations. The job of a firefighter is often times underestimated.
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Does being a firefighter require math?

Firefighters need to use mental math when choosing how to attack a fire safely and avoid damaging the integrity of a building. Our degree program also trains firefighters to use a method called the Fire Flow Formula to determine how much water they will require to suppress a fire.
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Who are the highest paid firefighters?

The states and districts that pay Firefighters the highest mean salary are New Jersey ($86,880), California ($86,860), Washington ($77,700), New York ($77,380), and Hawaii ($68,590).
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Do firefighters pay taxes?

Firefighters may receive amounts that are designated as expenses for transportation, equipment, clothing, etc. In general, these are treated as taxable wages. However, if the amounts are paid under an accountable plan, they may be excluded from wages and no tax reporting is required.
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What age do most firefighters start?

However, typically, the younger a recruit is – the better from the department's point of view. In my experience, most professional firefighters are hired between 25 and 35 years old, but there are definitely exceptions.
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What age do most firefighters retire?

Most police and firefighter members have a normal retirement age of 60.
...
If your normal retirement age changes from 60 to 65:
  • You are immediately entitled to benefits available to normal retirement age 65 members.
  • You begin to pay normal retirement age 65 rates – the rates are lower than normal retirement age 60 rates.
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What kind of girls do firefighters like?

But most firemen like to have fun, so they like women who can hold their own in conversation: who are capable of joking around, busting their chops, pushing back a little. If you're willing to have fun, that's more important than looks, to tell you the truth.
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Why do firefighters have a high divorce rate?

They can suffer post-traumatic stress disorder, which puts a strain on romantic relationships. A firefighter could be physically injured at work. This also increases stress, both emotional and financial. Financial stress, in particular, has led to more than one divorce.
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Is it hard being married to a firefighter?

Being married to a firefighter is not always easy. First, the high risk nature of the job can be difficult for some spouses. There are many more dangerous jobs than firefighting, but waiting to hear from them after a fire can be a cause for worry. The hardest thing for the spouse of a firefighter is the absences.
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