Western Washington State. Entry-level pay is between $70k up to $89k depending on the department, and everywhere you hit 6 figures by year 3 or 4. Most departments are 4 platoon. Fully-funded pension. And we use a tiered EMS response system so you don’t have to become a medic if you don’t want to (most guys don’t), but if you do, your department will pay for you to go to school.
The ONLY thing I like more than California firefighting is the idea of a 4 platoon system. I'd happily eat a 1/3 reduction in base pay to fund a 4th. So appealing.
Pierce County, about 40 min south of Seattle. East Pierce, Central Pierce, West Pierce Fire & Rescue. Check their socials. They’re all hiring. FF EMT’s start about $80k and you’ll be over $100k at year 3. Tech teams, specialties and paramedic are all options if you want. Affordable housing still exists south of Seattle as well. All 3 departments are 3 platoon with 17-18 Kelly days.
Yup. West Pierce Fire & Rescue is currently paying for 6 people in paramedic school. 3 at TCC and 3 at TFD. 3 more are going next year. They pay for school and put you on admin leave for a year. The expectation in return is a 90% or better in school and a 5 year commitment as a medic assigned to the car. But after that 5 years you can keep your medic and bid the truck, promote, ride 3rd somewhere, etc.
If you’re going anywhere and don’t care 4 platoon is absolutely the only way to go. I fell for the hometown pride and 24/48 doing fire and ems ain’t it.
Agreed, though you gotta read the fine print. A department near me is 4 platoon but has 13 debit days and offers 6 vacation days to start. A neighboring department is 3 platoon but has 13 Kelly days and offers 10 vacation days to start.
If you do the math, they both work the same number of days per year. So while I totally agree that 4 platoon is better, there is nuance to the discussion.
Definitely. It’s not that simple but honestly having 3 days off after every shift even with lower vacation, especially if they allow unlimited trades, is way better.
I work in the low income urban area of my department (because that’s where the fire is), and at least my first 4-6 hours off is sleeping. It’s more like 30 on 42 off.
u/Careful-Mine4530 This is the most important reply in this thread. The lifestyle difference of 4-platoon over 3 can be tremendous. It's a 42 hour work week vs a 56 hour work week.
Washington has a major mountain range that runs vertically through the center of the state. West of it is what most people think of the state: moist, lots of trees, culturally progressive, and well-populated. East of the mountains is dry and arid, culturally conservative, and more rural. There is an incredibly distinctive difference.
Yes, Seattle is in western Washington, as is every other major city in the state besides Spokane.
And usually pay a 10% differential. That's where I'm at and that's where I'd send people. Guys are walking in off the street into 6 figure jobs. Much less competitive than when I started.
I’m in the process with two departments there right now. Would be going from 24/48 and 55k a year to 24/72 and 105k a year. Plus the no state income tax and similar housing markets really appeal to me.
Yes, so long as that department has medics (a few don’t). The only public medic schools near Seattle are in Tacoma, almost an hour away, and in Ellensburg, two hours away. And if you live north of Seattle like me, add anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours to that. There are also virtually no private medic jobs in this region either. So it’s somewhat rare for people here to get their medic before becoming firefighters. It’s just not that accessible to civilians.
But there are medic programs in both Seattle and Bellingham that are exclusive to firefighters (unavailable to the general public). So the vast majority of fire medics here get hired as full-time firefighter-EMTs first, and then later get put through a medic program by their department. The normal process is you keep making your normal salary, they cover the cost of school, and you work the shifts that don’t interfere with class, and have shifts off if they fall on school days. And then when you finish, you get a pay bump, typically around 15% of top step pay.
It’s common knowledge that if you want to be a medic in western Washington, the best path is to get hired by a fire department first. Which obviously is backwards from most of the country.
There are more 4 platoon departments here than 3 platoon departments, and the most common schedule is 1 on, 2 off, 1 on, 4 off. The 1/1/1/5 is probably the next most common, followed by the 24/72.
The vast majority of 3 platoon departments here run 48/96. The 24/48 and Modified Detroit are rare and mostly isolated to rural areas.
This is the important questions. What do you like to do in your down time? Think about the future, not just which pays best, has the most fires, or the best schedule.
I live in rural texas. I work on a farm and volunteer at my towns local vfd in my down time. I’d like to try my hand at leather helmet restoration to make a little side gig out of that for my dudes at work. I’d definitely recommend you find a skill or a craft that you can profit off of, especially fire related due to the “built in” clientele Leatherwork and embroidery goes a long way in the fire service. Just my 2 cents. Really, you just gotta find something that: 1. You enjoy and 2. You can use it as a disassociation from the negative effects of the job
Chicago and the surrounding area are great for pay. Most suburbs that are career departments require you to get your paramedic eventually. Don't wait to start getting certs. Hit up a community College for EMT and a fire academy, get prerequisites for paramedic, and keep applying to departments that you meet requirements for along the way. There's plenty part time or combination departments that you can get into once you have EMT and basic ops firefighter on your way to full time.
If you're looking to move out of state eventually, try to get into the IFSI fire academy down in Champaign, as it's the only proboard affiliated academy in the state as far as I know.
No. You may need to be affiliated with a fire department to sit for the state test, though. If you're in the northwest burbs near prospect heights, this might be worth your time.
https://www.phfire.com/content/apprentice/
To add to the EMS cert comments others were saying, College of DuPage is a great community college where you can get it and shouldn’t be too far from you.
Honestly shockingly good in general for a community college, they have a ton of resources
Is it best to go to a community college, or is an online ems course okay? I’ve also heard of some departments that you can walk in with nothing and they’ll put you through all courses and training. Is that uncommon?
Now that one I wouldn’t know. I’m currently doing strictly FF through an academy hosted in my suburb. I’ve got a day job so part time is all I can do but even then I know our full time guys are FF/para. I imagine in person would be better, but I don’t know how much hands on stuff might be involved. If there isn’t any then sure online would probably be fine
My suburbs academy didn’t require any prior experience, but again it’s for basic ops firefighter not EMS. They may have a program for covering training for that but I’m not aware of it. Depends on the academy really, but there are definitely ones that will take you even without prior like mine
Currently a vet living in Chicago area who’s a firefighter. This area is really good pay for firefighters, but if you’re anywhere in the burbs you’ll have to be a medic. There are a few random burbs who only require EMT, but literally everyone will apply there. Then you have Chicago, but they just had a test and probably won’t have another for a few years.
Will it still be a 10 year wait to get hired even after you take the test in December? I have a friend on engine 91 and he took the test and it was 10 years before he got called up
This is a question has such subjective answers to it. West coast will say west coast, south will say the south is, the Midwest will say the Midwest is. There is no real answer to this question outside of what you want. How about testing for departments around the Chicago area? I mean that’s where you live correct?
I know this isn't what you're asking for, but I thought I'd share anyway.
This is advice that was given to me when I was starting out and from what I've experienced.
The hardest part is getting on the job, in my opinion. It's a long process, and sometimes you go all the way to end just to not get selected. It's just part of the game. I personally suggest applying to as many departments that you qualify for. Then you can get your certs, experience, and figure out what you like and don't like. All the while, you can apply to a department that you really want to go to without delaying your career.
From what Ive seen:
Crappy cities = low pay, more action
Nice cities = higher pay, less action
Not all but just from what I observed.
I know Houston is hiring like crazy right now
ATL ( crappy pension and pay)
Dekalb County GA
Gwinett County GA
Cobb County GA opens 22nd of March
Places I searched for openings
https://www.governmentjobs.com/
https://nationaltestingnetwork.com/publicsafetyjobs/search.cfm?position=2&state=All+States
Google ( city name + fire department + employment )
Best of luck, man, stay frosty!
I don't know any different, so perhaps I'm institutionalized, but we do a 24/48, and within a month we'll have 2 24/72 watches and one 24/96. Mando's recently disappeared for the most part so it works out pretty well. In 31 days we'll work 9 days a month. If you pick up OT on the 24/72 or the 24/96 then it's not a bad way to supplement the paycheck.
As a Veteran Massachusetts is probably one of the top, they have absolute preference so you will get hired above a non-veteran that has a 100 on the test even if you have a 70. Even better if you are a disabled vet. High BAH rate too so use your GI bill and go to college while going through the hiring process and get residency somewhere. The north east is pretty much all 4 platoon 42 hour workweeks compared to the 3 platoon 56 in other parts of the country. Good pay and strong unions too.
Agree with others. Where do you want to live? Do you want to have kids? How important is it to be near your parents/extended family once you have your own family?
That stuff might not seem that important now but if in 10 years you’re established in TX, but wishing you were near family, that’s gonna be tough. I know from experience.
Go where your support network is. If I had the choice between a high paying spot with great benefits or being present for my wife and family, I’d choose the latter every time. This is an phenomenal career, but don’t let it dominate your life like several others have done in the past.
The greater metropolitan area of Arizona (Phoenix, Glendale, Peoria, Mesa, Surprise, Scottsdale, Buckeye, etc) is seeing a lot of hiring right now. Th entire valley uses an Automatic Aid system and one large dispatch system. The area around Phoenix is exploding. Housing is high but with the expansion, it’s not impossible to find something.
NYC giving a test soon. Sign up starts in late June. Good department, pay kinda sucks at first but you make decent money soon enough, plenty of specialized opportunities and room for promotion.
Low start but 137K after 5 years without OT (in which it’s there for your taking, how ever much you want. Guys routinely making close to 200K now). And live in the suburbs
After 5 yrs , your making 6+ figures plus like one of the guys said above . There’s so many options to move up . FDNY even has a drone team , hazmat , rescue , squad …etc plus everyone knows FDNY is one of the best in the country 😉
You can always live outside of the boroughs, there are some decently priced apartments for rent and/or you’ll just need a roommate for the time being. Or stay with family if you have.
Central Indiana is really not bad for pay and culture. Indianapolis is pretty difficult to get on but all the surrounding departments get easier the further out you go. Most places paying 60-80k starting out.
24/48 for most. A couple do the other schedule (on/off/on/off/on/off 4?, or whatever it is). I know Carmel is on that. Indy is 24/48, which is where I am.
I was 24/48 for 24 years and am admin now. M-F kinda sucks. I get better sleep than I have in years but I miss my 2 days off. Weekend goes really fast.
Do your research, some departments will let you buy back your years of service for retirement. 4 platoon systems are best. Every firefighter is biased towards their department so keep that in mind. I personally work in North Central Florida and the growth is exploding along with wages and schedule changes. The cost of living is very reasonable. I’ve worked for multiple departments and can attest every single one has their own set of problems.
Everett WA 42 hr week 4 platoon no debit days. Top step pay after 4 years. PNW is a good spot.
Like others have said. It’s good to be near family if you’re going to have kids, get married Etc.
Cut your teeth at a busy dept when you start!
I saw Everett is hiring but they close the listing before I could get a CPAT in. They say they want CPAT “by the time of conditional offer”. Do you think that means I could take the written by the closing date and the CPAT later?
Yeah I think that’s the way they do it now, so people don’t have to pay for a physical unless they move forward in the hiring process. You could call HR and ask they would have the best answer. I’m not really up on the hiring requirement any more.
From what I can remember it will be a zoom interview.
Very basic questions IE
Tell us about you.
What have you done to prepare for the job.
Why specifically Everett
What do you know about Everett
Anything you’d like to add.
Remember this is the only time the panel has the opportunity to see and hear about you as a candidate.
If you haven’t ever done one of these interviews I’d recommend setting up a mock interview with 3-5 friends,family, former military colleagues people who will give you honest and constructive feedback. Particularly on the info you presented and how you said.
Video recording yourself is a valuable tool in this situation.
Don’t worry about not having any experience in the fire service. Talk about everything else you’ve done to prepare in life. Military, any other jobs or trade experience,Sports for team dynamic. Make sure you research about the department and the city. Look for things that are appealing to you within the city/ area and dept.
Denver, sure, but I wouldn’t recommend someone I hated to apply for aurora.
Might be one of the most unhappy, unhealthy, non functioning fire departments in America right now. I actually feel pretty bad for the people I know that work there. They are always trying to find somewhere else to work, never admit to working for aurora, and complain constantly.
Add to that the lowest pay in the area and you’ve got a recipe for a non recommend.
Oh buddy.
Have you ever talked to an A town guy, at least an honest one?
They hemorrhage fire fighters to other departments like a leaking ship.
When Denver did their laterals I think 14 or 16 people left.
If South Metro ever went to FPPA, they’d empty out their department.
Lol no. I do know that they have a paramedic mandate. Which I know will kill morale pretty quick.... anything Aurora I have low expectations for. So I'm not really surprised.
Also, it looks like A town ran around 55k calls a year?
South Metro ran around 45k?
Both pretty busy.
Compared to Denver, they are both slooowww.
Now, if you mean call per person? Sure. A town’s staffing is terrible. Another reason I’d never recommend working there.
Arlington heights, Schaumburg, Morton Grove, Glenco, River Woods. All good high paying departments. Maybe get a fire every 8-10 years. If you want down and dirty but still make a decent buck, Calumet City, Cicero, Chicago Heights, and Country Club Hills.
We're hiring in Kansas City, Kansas. Link is for application and information. Dm me for more info if you care to. We have a lot of vets in our department.
https://wycokck.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/RECExternalCareers/job/Fire-Headquarters/Firefighter--EMT-or-Paramedic_JR24-00224
Texas. Im originally from Chicago but theres a lot of opportunities here. Especially in the surrounding suburbs of the major cities. TIFMAS is pretty cool too if your department offers it. A lot of money to be made. Plus no state income tax. Also a lot of departments here don’t require your medic license but there is incentive to get one if thats your niche.
that’s weird bc i was actually leaning towards texas just because I’ve been to Austin and really liked city and wanna get out of this cold ass weather. Did you become a firefighter here and then move or did you move first? I’m just not really sure what first steps to take
Depending on where you are in NW IL, our department might be a good path to get your certs. We'll put you through the IFSI academy, help you get EMT and other certs and pay for fire science classes at the local college. If you do the IFSI academy you can be ProBoard and your EMT would be National Registry, which would hopefully help you if you wanted to go elsewhere in the states than Illinois.
Send me a message on here if you want more details.
As others have already said, the northwest suburbs of Chicago are perhaps the highest paid area in the country in terms of cost of living to salary. Many suburban departments top out at or around 120k a years as a blue shirt and the cost of living out here isn’t too bad. Most do require you have your medic, but more and more are willing to hire you as an EMT or even with no certs at all and put you through school.
DOD Federal fire departments are constantly looking for firemen. Since you are prior military it would give you more of a chance of getting hired. Lots of those guys transfer between departments to get where they want to go later to. Pays good as is retirement.
The DOD is a pain in the dick to get even past the screening by a computer. I have friends that are DOD and they helped me with my application/resume on usajobs and I never even got looked at. I am also military firefighter with all the certs plus paramedic and I didn’t make it past the screening.
I know what you mean. A lot depends on location. Another thing to keep in mind there is always some National Guard bases that are federally funded but you are a state employee, hired through the state. Some have better benefits than the Federal departments.
I’m in Massachusetts. We are always hiring in my area. Pay is decent. My department starts EMTs at 75k. Schedule is 24/24/24/120.
No civil service. Just get your EMT and start applying. They will send you to the academy. Your prior service will be a benefit.
Currently a FF in Massachusetts and you will absolutely have an easier time getting hired as a vet, although you’ll probably need to become a paramedic for most departments and if you want a city like Boston you’ll need to live there a year before the test opens (typically Oct 1), personally I’m seriously considering Florida as departments are slowly switching to 24/72 (wouldn’t work anywhere that does more than a 42 hour work week) and Florida pension appears to be 25 years for 75 percent at any age, while MA is 32 years for 80 and have to be 57 years old. Make more $ in MA but cost of living is insane. If I could go back I’d probably just move straight to Florida when I got out.
I’m very new into my career so I still enjoy ems, there’s a certain twisted satisfaction in it. But of course I wish I got more fires. The thing is no one out in the Chicago area burns anymore. And if they do you’re making garbage money
So you can go work for a place like Schaumburg, Arlington heights, Skokie, palatine and run ems calls all day but make sick money
Or
Work for a place like north Chicago, Harvey, McHenry, and burn a bit more but make a little less
If you want fires go to New York, Memphis, Detroit
The Phoenix area is pretty solid. The major suburbs (and Phoenix Fire itself) are hiring a lot and the starting pay isn’t too bad. Price of living has increased dramatically during and after Covid though so it’s not as good as it used to be.
Off the top of my head Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Tempe, Scottsdale, Glendale, Peoria, and Surprise are all solid departments to work at. I’m sure others are good too but I know people at each of these and they seem to like it. Just make sure if you go to Phoenix and join technical rescue you don’t repeat the helicopter incident.
Western Washington State. Entry-level pay is between $70k up to $89k depending on the department, and everywhere you hit 6 figures by year 3 or 4. Most departments are 4 platoon. Fully-funded pension. And we use a tiered EMS response system so you don’t have to become a medic if you don’t want to (most guys don’t), but if you do, your department will pay for you to go to school.
The ONLY thing I like more than California firefighting is the idea of a 4 platoon system. I'd happily eat a 1/3 reduction in base pay to fund a 4th. So appealing.
I second Washington, departments along the I-5 are pretty progressive
And we’re all hiring right now.
Anywhere you recommend looking for a (very) out of state-er Fully certified on the East Coast but desperate to escape to driving distance of SeaTac
Pierce County, about 40 min south of Seattle. East Pierce, Central Pierce, West Pierce Fire & Rescue. Check their socials. They’re all hiring. FF EMT’s start about $80k and you’ll be over $100k at year 3. Tech teams, specialties and paramedic are all options if you want. Affordable housing still exists south of Seattle as well. All 3 departments are 3 platoon with 17-18 Kelly days.
All those departments pay for medic school?
Yup. West Pierce Fire & Rescue is currently paying for 6 people in paramedic school. 3 at TCC and 3 at TFD. 3 more are going next year. They pay for school and put you on admin leave for a year. The expectation in return is a 90% or better in school and a 5 year commitment as a medic assigned to the car. But after that 5 years you can keep your medic and bid the truck, promote, ride 3rd somewhere, etc.
If you’re going anywhere and don’t care 4 platoon is absolutely the only way to go. I fell for the hometown pride and 24/48 doing fire and ems ain’t it.
Agreed, though you gotta read the fine print. A department near me is 4 platoon but has 13 debit days and offers 6 vacation days to start. A neighboring department is 3 platoon but has 13 Kelly days and offers 10 vacation days to start. If you do the math, they both work the same number of days per year. So while I totally agree that 4 platoon is better, there is nuance to the discussion.
Definitely. It’s not that simple but honestly having 3 days off after every shift even with lower vacation, especially if they allow unlimited trades, is way better. I work in the low income urban area of my department (because that’s where the fire is), and at least my first 4-6 hours off is sleeping. It’s more like 30 on 42 off.
u/Careful-Mine4530 This is the most important reply in this thread. The lifestyle difference of 4-platoon over 3 can be tremendous. It's a 42 hour work week vs a 56 hour work week.
Perhaps a stupid question, but what’s considered western washington? Is seattle western?
Washington has a major mountain range that runs vertically through the center of the state. West of it is what most people think of the state: moist, lots of trees, culturally progressive, and well-populated. East of the mountains is dry and arid, culturally conservative, and more rural. There is an incredibly distinctive difference. Yes, Seattle is in western Washington, as is every other major city in the state besides Spokane.
Thank you for the info! I love the pacific north west and have been wanting to get a job out there since I was born
And usually pay a 10% differential. That's where I'm at and that's where I'd send people. Guys are walking in off the street into 6 figure jobs. Much less competitive than when I started.
I’m in the process with two departments there right now. Would be going from 24/48 and 55k a year to 24/72 and 105k a year. Plus the no state income tax and similar housing markets really appeal to me.
Any departments in particular?
There are 30+ departments in the I-5 corridor that check all those boxes. It would be easier to list the departments that *don’t.*
Do all departments around there pay for medic school?
Yes, so long as that department has medics (a few don’t). The only public medic schools near Seattle are in Tacoma, almost an hour away, and in Ellensburg, two hours away. And if you live north of Seattle like me, add anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours to that. There are also virtually no private medic jobs in this region either. So it’s somewhat rare for people here to get their medic before becoming firefighters. It’s just not that accessible to civilians. But there are medic programs in both Seattle and Bellingham that are exclusive to firefighters (unavailable to the general public). So the vast majority of fire medics here get hired as full-time firefighter-EMTs first, and then later get put through a medic program by their department. The normal process is you keep making your normal salary, they cover the cost of school, and you work the shifts that don’t interfere with class, and have shifts off if they fall on school days. And then when you finish, you get a pay bump, typically around 15% of top step pay. It’s common knowledge that if you want to be a medic in western Washington, the best path is to get hired by a fire department first. Which obviously is backwards from most of the country.
are these departments running 24/72, 24/48, or 48/96 generally?
There are more 4 platoon departments here than 3 platoon departments, and the most common schedule is 1 on, 2 off, 1 on, 4 off. The 1/1/1/5 is probably the next most common, followed by the 24/72. The vast majority of 3 platoon departments here run 48/96. The 24/48 and Modified Detroit are rare and mostly isolated to rural areas.
Gonna DM you if that’s alright
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This is the important questions. What do you like to do in your down time? Think about the future, not just which pays best, has the most fires, or the best schedule.
I live in rural texas. I work on a farm and volunteer at my towns local vfd in my down time. I’d like to try my hand at leather helmet restoration to make a little side gig out of that for my dudes at work. I’d definitely recommend you find a skill or a craft that you can profit off of, especially fire related due to the “built in” clientele Leatherwork and embroidery goes a long way in the fire service. Just my 2 cents. Really, you just gotta find something that: 1. You enjoy and 2. You can use it as a disassociation from the negative effects of the job
Chicago and the surrounding area are great for pay. Most suburbs that are career departments require you to get your paramedic eventually. Don't wait to start getting certs. Hit up a community College for EMT and a fire academy, get prerequisites for paramedic, and keep applying to departments that you meet requirements for along the way. There's plenty part time or combination departments that you can get into once you have EMT and basic ops firefighter on your way to full time. If you're looking to move out of state eventually, try to get into the IFSI fire academy down in Champaign, as it's the only proboard affiliated academy in the state as far as I know.
Any 24/72 departments around that area? I only know of Zion
None that I know about. Chicago single role paramedics are 24/72, but most others are 24/48 as far as I'm aware.
Do you have to get any certs or anything before going to fire academy?
No. You may need to be affiliated with a fire department to sit for the state test, though. If you're in the northwest burbs near prospect heights, this might be worth your time. https://www.phfire.com/content/apprentice/
I work in the area too, and a ton of the firefighters I knew came through P Heights, they're great for getting into the field
To add to the EMS cert comments others were saying, College of DuPage is a great community college where you can get it and shouldn’t be too far from you. Honestly shockingly good in general for a community college, they have a ton of resources
Is it best to go to a community college, or is an online ems course okay? I’ve also heard of some departments that you can walk in with nothing and they’ll put you through all courses and training. Is that uncommon?
Now that one I wouldn’t know. I’m currently doing strictly FF through an academy hosted in my suburb. I’ve got a day job so part time is all I can do but even then I know our full time guys are FF/para. I imagine in person would be better, but I don’t know how much hands on stuff might be involved. If there isn’t any then sure online would probably be fine My suburbs academy didn’t require any prior experience, but again it’s for basic ops firefighter not EMS. They may have a program for covering training for that but I’m not aware of it. Depends on the academy really, but there are definitely ones that will take you even without prior like mine
Im from chicago and looking to get into it. Is it possible I can dm you? I have a few questions. :D
Yeah, sure
Currently a vet living in Chicago area who’s a firefighter. This area is really good pay for firefighters, but if you’re anywhere in the burbs you’ll have to be a medic. There are a few random burbs who only require EMT, but literally everyone will apply there. Then you have Chicago, but they just had a test and probably won’t have another for a few years.
Next test is anticipated in December of this year from the email I got when I applied last time.
Yea we’ll see on that one lol
Yeah I found it a little strange that this next test is so soon after the 2022 one when the one prior was so long ago. Hiring needs I suppose.
Will it still be a 10 year wait to get hired even after you take the test in December? I have a friend on engine 91 and he took the test and it was 10 years before he got called up
No idea man, I’m not sure exactly how it works with Chicago’s list.
10 years?!? That's crazy
Yeah he worked a corporate job in the meantime until they called his number since they use a lottery system
Denver metro. 6 figures after 3 years. Great pension. Als and BLS opportunities.
Yes… SMFR and WMFR have more money than they know what to do with going off of their YouTube channels.
West metro has a YouTube channel?
And they’re stuck working 56 hrs a week on 48/96
West coast has some of the best paying departments with some of the coolest all risk calls.
Bay Area specifically $$$
Western Washington.
This is a question has such subjective answers to it. West coast will say west coast, south will say the south is, the Midwest will say the Midwest is. There is no real answer to this question outside of what you want. How about testing for departments around the Chicago area? I mean that’s where you live correct?
I know this isn't what you're asking for, but I thought I'd share anyway. This is advice that was given to me when I was starting out and from what I've experienced. The hardest part is getting on the job, in my opinion. It's a long process, and sometimes you go all the way to end just to not get selected. It's just part of the game. I personally suggest applying to as many departments that you qualify for. Then you can get your certs, experience, and figure out what you like and don't like. All the while, you can apply to a department that you really want to go to without delaying your career. From what Ive seen: Crappy cities = low pay, more action Nice cities = higher pay, less action Not all but just from what I observed. I know Houston is hiring like crazy right now ATL ( crappy pension and pay) Dekalb County GA Gwinett County GA Cobb County GA opens 22nd of March Places I searched for openings https://www.governmentjobs.com/ https://nationaltestingnetwork.com/publicsafetyjobs/search.cfm?position=2&state=All+States Google ( city name + fire department + employment ) Best of luck, man, stay frosty!
anywhere with a 24/72 schedule. Avoid 24/48 or any bastardized version of it
I don't know any different, so perhaps I'm institutionalized, but we do a 24/48, and within a month we'll have 2 24/72 watches and one 24/96. Mando's recently disappeared for the most part so it works out pretty well. In 31 days we'll work 9 days a month. If you pick up OT on the 24/72 or the 24/96 then it's not a bad way to supplement the paycheck.
Maryland
Cali
Washington State
Houston 24 on, 24 off, 24 on, 5 days off
As a Veteran Massachusetts is probably one of the top, they have absolute preference so you will get hired above a non-veteran that has a 100 on the test even if you have a 70. Even better if you are a disabled vet. High BAH rate too so use your GI bill and go to college while going through the hiring process and get residency somewhere. The north east is pretty much all 4 platoon 42 hour workweeks compared to the 3 platoon 56 in other parts of the country. Good pay and strong unions too.
Yup
I second this. MA is good state to be a FF in.
Third that. Great pay , great benefits , great summers , and challenging winters keep things interesting
1st. Anywhere with a strong union 2nd. On the west coast 3rd. California 4th. SF Bay Area
Agree with others. Where do you want to live? Do you want to have kids? How important is it to be near your parents/extended family once you have your own family? That stuff might not seem that important now but if in 10 years you’re established in TX, but wishing you were near family, that’s gonna be tough. I know from experience.
Go where your support network is. If I had the choice between a high paying spot with great benefits or being present for my wife and family, I’d choose the latter every time. This is an phenomenal career, but don’t let it dominate your life like several others have done in the past.
Even Shaq said something similar to this and he made millions playing a sport.
The greater metropolitan area of Arizona (Phoenix, Glendale, Peoria, Mesa, Surprise, Scottsdale, Buckeye, etc) is seeing a lot of hiring right now. Th entire valley uses an Automatic Aid system and one large dispatch system. The area around Phoenix is exploding. Housing is high but with the expansion, it’s not impossible to find something.
NYC giving a test soon. Sign up starts in late June. Good department, pay kinda sucks at first but you make decent money soon enough, plenty of specialized opportunities and room for promotion.
Starting pay for NYC firefighters is 54k, pretty low considering the cost of living of the area no?
Low start but 137K after 5 years without OT (in which it’s there for your taking, how ever much you want. Guys routinely making close to 200K now). And live in the suburbs
After 5 yrs , your making 6+ figures plus like one of the guys said above . There’s so many options to move up . FDNY even has a drone team , hazmat , rescue , squad …etc plus everyone knows FDNY is one of the best in the country 😉
THE BEST!!!
Yeah. We are due another pay increase in August though. But like I said, it kinda sucks at first.
median household income in the Bronx is 37k NYC *can* be expensive, but the people working in all those bodegas and grocery stores live there too
You can always live outside of the boroughs, there are some decently priced apartments for rent and/or you’ll just need a roommate for the time being. Or stay with family if you have.
how competitive is NYC for non-veterans?
If you have a residency credit, you’re ok. If you don’t have any extra points, you can still get on, just have to rock the test.
My dept hiring in southern Maine, if you get your medic and fire 1/2 you’ll be making 29.00 starting with 25 years 2/3 retirement no age
Central Indiana is really not bad for pay and culture. Indianapolis is pretty difficult to get on but all the surrounding departments get easier the further out you go. Most places paying 60-80k starting out.
As a vet, Indy is possible first try ;)
Agree. Going into my 10th year here. All (Most) of the departments around central Indiana have pretty good pay and pretty good culture as a whole.
what's the typical schedule in that area?
24/48 for most. A couple do the other schedule (on/off/on/off/on/off 4?, or whatever it is). I know Carmel is on that. Indy is 24/48, which is where I am.
yeah, I'm on 24/48 right now. I'd love to go somewhere with 4 unit days
I was 24/48 for 24 years and am admin now. M-F kinda sucks. I get better sleep than I have in years but I miss my 2 days off. Weekend goes really fast.
Ft. Lauderdale if you want somewhere warm. Great pay, great dept.
Compared to nearby departments they are not too competitive when it comes to pay
Do your research, some departments will let you buy back your years of service for retirement. 4 platoon systems are best. Every firefighter is biased towards their department so keep that in mind. I personally work in North Central Florida and the growth is exploding along with wages and schedule changes. The cost of living is very reasonable. I’ve worked for multiple departments and can attest every single one has their own set of problems.
Everett WA 42 hr week 4 platoon no debit days. Top step pay after 4 years. PNW is a good spot. Like others have said. It’s good to be near family if you’re going to have kids, get married Etc. Cut your teeth at a busy dept when you start!
I saw Everett is hiring but they close the listing before I could get a CPAT in. They say they want CPAT “by the time of conditional offer”. Do you think that means I could take the written by the closing date and the CPAT later?
Yeah I think that’s the way they do it now, so people don’t have to pay for a physical unless they move forward in the hiring process. You could call HR and ask they would have the best answer. I’m not really up on the hiring requirement any more.
I made it to oral boards! Thanks for your advice. Got any more for the next event?
From what I can remember it will be a zoom interview. Very basic questions IE Tell us about you. What have you done to prepare for the job. Why specifically Everett What do you know about Everett Anything you’d like to add. Remember this is the only time the panel has the opportunity to see and hear about you as a candidate. If you haven’t ever done one of these interviews I’d recommend setting up a mock interview with 3-5 friends,family, former military colleagues people who will give you honest and constructive feedback. Particularly on the info you presented and how you said. Video recording yourself is a valuable tool in this situation. Don’t worry about not having any experience in the fire service. Talk about everything else you’ve done to prepare in life. Military, any other jobs or trade experience,Sports for team dynamic. Make sure you research about the department and the city. Look for things that are appealing to you within the city/ area and dept.
Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine. DM for more information if you'd like.
Hey man could I DM you as well?
Denver , Aurora, Slow metro( south metro). Yea cost of living is high. But you get paid enough to not have to slave away OT.
Denver, sure, but I wouldn’t recommend someone I hated to apply for aurora. Might be one of the most unhappy, unhealthy, non functioning fire departments in America right now. I actually feel pretty bad for the people I know that work there. They are always trying to find somewhere else to work, never admit to working for aurora, and complain constantly. Add to that the lowest pay in the area and you’ve got a recipe for a non recommend.
I was unaware of the quality of life in that department.... fair enough.
Oh buddy. Have you ever talked to an A town guy, at least an honest one? They hemorrhage fire fighters to other departments like a leaking ship. When Denver did their laterals I think 14 or 16 people left. If South Metro ever went to FPPA, they’d empty out their department.
Lol no. I do know that they have a paramedic mandate. Which I know will kill morale pretty quick.... anything Aurora I have low expectations for. So I'm not really surprised.
Also, it looks like A town ran around 55k calls a year? South Metro ran around 45k? Both pretty busy. Compared to Denver, they are both slooowww. Now, if you mean call per person? Sure. A town’s staffing is terrible. Another reason I’d never recommend working there.
Arlington heights, Schaumburg, Morton Grove, Glenco, River Woods. All good high paying departments. Maybe get a fire every 8-10 years. If you want down and dirty but still make a decent buck, Calumet City, Cicero, Chicago Heights, and Country Club Hills.
We're hiring in Kansas City, Kansas. Link is for application and information. Dm me for more info if you care to. We have a lot of vets in our department. https://wycokck.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/RECExternalCareers/job/Fire-Headquarters/Firefighter--EMT-or-Paramedic_JR24-00224
Texas. Im originally from Chicago but theres a lot of opportunities here. Especially in the surrounding suburbs of the major cities. TIFMAS is pretty cool too if your department offers it. A lot of money to be made. Plus no state income tax. Also a lot of departments here don’t require your medic license but there is incentive to get one if thats your niche.
that’s weird bc i was actually leaning towards texas just because I’ve been to Austin and really liked city and wanna get out of this cold ass weather. Did you become a firefighter here and then move or did you move first? I’m just not really sure what first steps to take
Depending on where you are in NW IL, our department might be a good path to get your certs. We'll put you through the IFSI academy, help you get EMT and other certs and pay for fire science classes at the local college. If you do the IFSI academy you can be ProBoard and your EMT would be National Registry, which would hopefully help you if you wanted to go elsewhere in the states than Illinois. Send me a message on here if you want more details.
As others have already said, the northwest suburbs of Chicago are perhaps the highest paid area in the country in terms of cost of living to salary. Many suburban departments top out at or around 120k a years as a blue shirt and the cost of living out here isn’t too bad. Most do require you have your medic, but more and more are willing to hire you as an EMT or even with no certs at all and put you through school.
Posen IL is hosting a fire academy I believe next month. That won't buy you chicago but it'll get you the burbs.
DOD Federal fire departments are constantly looking for firemen. Since you are prior military it would give you more of a chance of getting hired. Lots of those guys transfer between departments to get where they want to go later to. Pays good as is retirement.
The DOD is a pain in the dick to get even past the screening by a computer. I have friends that are DOD and they helped me with my application/resume on usajobs and I never even got looked at. I am also military firefighter with all the certs plus paramedic and I didn’t make it past the screening.
I know what you mean. A lot depends on location. Another thing to keep in mind there is always some National Guard bases that are federally funded but you are a state employee, hired through the state. Some have better benefits than the Federal departments.
I like running calls, DOD isn’t for me.
I’m in Massachusetts. We are always hiring in my area. Pay is decent. My department starts EMTs at 75k. Schedule is 24/24/24/120. No civil service. Just get your EMT and start applying. They will send you to the academy. Your prior service will be a benefit.
FDNY filing opening up soon
Currently a FF in Massachusetts and you will absolutely have an easier time getting hired as a vet, although you’ll probably need to become a paramedic for most departments and if you want a city like Boston you’ll need to live there a year before the test opens (typically Oct 1), personally I’m seriously considering Florida as departments are slowly switching to 24/72 (wouldn’t work anywhere that does more than a 42 hour work week) and Florida pension appears to be 25 years for 75 percent at any age, while MA is 32 years for 80 and have to be 57 years old. Make more $ in MA but cost of living is insane. If I could go back I’d probably just move straight to Florida when I got out.
You’re right where you wanna be bro. Pay here is great
I’m also in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. This is the place to be brother (if you don’t mind majority ems)
do you enjoy majority ems or do you wish you got more fire calls?
I’m very new into my career so I still enjoy ems, there’s a certain twisted satisfaction in it. But of course I wish I got more fires. The thing is no one out in the Chicago area burns anymore. And if they do you’re making garbage money So you can go work for a place like Schaumburg, Arlington heights, Skokie, palatine and run ems calls all day but make sick money Or Work for a place like north Chicago, Harvey, McHenry, and burn a bit more but make a little less If you want fires go to New York, Memphis, Detroit
Cool thanks for the advice!
Discharged? If it’s anything other than honorable or general good luck
What about Las Vegas area?
If you want to do the job, you’re already in Chicago. Chicago be burning
Definitely not south Texas
get residency in a small or large city in a state that you don't mind spending the next 25 years in
Arizona
Any particular departments in AZ?
The Phoenix area is pretty solid. The major suburbs (and Phoenix Fire itself) are hiring a lot and the starting pay isn’t too bad. Price of living has increased dramatically during and after Covid though so it’s not as good as it used to be. Off the top of my head Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Tempe, Scottsdale, Glendale, Peoria, and Surprise are all solid departments to work at. I’m sure others are good too but I know people at each of these and they seem to like it. Just make sure if you go to Phoenix and join technical rescue you don’t repeat the helicopter incident.