Firefighter Salaries

Fire fighting is an extremely dangerous job that demands knowledge, physical strength, agility, stamina, and courage.  It is a job that also requires compassion, understanding and the ability to work in hostile environments.  You must also be able to work as a member of a team and interact with fellow firefighters and the public.

If your goal is to become a firefighter, firefighter salaries may not be your most important criteria.  If you are a typical of most firefighter candidates, you have chosen the job because of the challenges and reward and not just the salary.

However, we are sure that you would like to have some idea of what you can expect earn once you become a firefighter.

Here are some salary examples taken from a large American city, Denver, Colorado.  The city's contract with the firefighters union calls for the following salaries.

Fire Fighter 1^st Grade, effective January 1, 2008    $61,548

Fire Fighter 2^nd, effective January 1, 2008           $51,206

Fire Fighter 3^rd,  effective January 1, 2008           $46,085

Fire Fighter 4^th, effective January 1, 2008              $41,605

Effective January 1, 2008,  the position of Engineer will earn $71,048. And a Technician will be paid $68,808.

The positions of fire Systems Technical Specialist and Mechanic 1 will earn $74,889.

Colorado Springs Fire Fighter Salaries

In comparison, the city of Colorado Springs, a mid-sized city, pays firefighters as follows:

Fire Fighter 1^st Grade, effective January 1, 2008   $60,576

Fire Fighter 2^nd, effective January 1, 2008           $53,844

Fire Fighter 3^rd,  effective January 1, 2008           $47,868

Fire Fighter 4^th, effective January 1, 2008            $42,552

Small city Fire Fighter Salaries

Finally, a small city, Grand Junction, CO pays fire fighters these salaries

Entry level     Step 1             Step 2       Proficient

Firefighter               $3695.00        $3879.00         $4073.00   $4481.00
Paramedic/

Firefighter

Firefighter               $4082.00         $4286.00        $4500.00    $4950.00

Engineer                  $4490.00        $4714.00 -                    $4950.00

There are also national average salaries for firefighters.  These averages show that the median base salary for a firefighter is $38,451, and those in the 75th percentile earned an average of $48,065.

Note : The figures shown here are only base salaries. Since firefighting is a civil service job and one in which you will most likely be represented by a union, there will also be a number of fringe benefits --  such as paid health insurance, retirement pensions, etc. Also, some fire departments pay for overtime which, again, is not included in these salary figures.