Should You Pursue Firefighting as a Career?

Firefighting is a rewarding job. Not many people opt for this career path due to the risk attached to it. If you love serving the community and helping people, firefighting is the right career option for you. Although the job offers a high level of internal satisfaction, it’s extremely dangerous, stressful, and often demanding.

Teamwork is very crucial in this job. Several firefighters work together to save peoples’ lives and property. This job is not for people who don’t enjoy working as a team. If you find yourself a perfect candidate for the position and want to take the NYC firefighter department exam, it’s best to start preparing for it immediately.

Civil Service Success offers NYC firefighter preparation classes and helps students clear the firefighter exam in New York City. If you need any help, you can contact us to get more details.

If you’re confused about this career path, then here are a few reasons that might convince you to opt for it as a career path. The job has its pros and cons; let’s explore them now.

Responsibilities of a Firefighter

A firefighter’s first responsibility is to save peoples’ lives and property from damage through prevention, rescue, and firefighting. The firefighters put their own life at risk to save other people. The person is usually trained to work in such tough situations, but they must be willing to compromise their well-being.

Here are some of the responsibilities of a firefighter.

• Responding to the fire alarms to extinguish building and forest fires.
• Working with the firefighting and rescuing equipment.
• Offering emergency medical help to the people.
• Identify the reason for the fire by thoroughly searching the scenes.
• Prepare reports with findings and submit them to the upper management.

NYC firefighter department exams are held every 4–6 years, so students must perform remarkably well or lose their chance to start a new career.

Why Should You Become a Firefighter?

It’s a risky job and requires a strong heart to pursue this profession as a career. If you’re looking for reasons to make this choice, then here is why you should go for this profession.

1. Serve the Community and Helping Others

The job demands the firefighter to put their life at risk on every call and save other people. They are always at a high risk of injury or even death on every call, and yet, they respond to emergencies and mitigate the situation.

Know that becoming a firefighter is not everyone’s cup of tea, so make sure you’re fully aware of the risks that come with it before choosing it as a full-time career.

2. Good Salary

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, firefighters earned about $52,500 in 2020. This pay has increased from $49,620 in 2018. The salaries are slightly different from one state to another due to the cost of living.

Firefighters can work extra hours to get additional pay as well. They can also work towards getting a promotion, becoming a captain, and so on. There’s no limit to what you can do at the job and how much you can earn. Make sure you stick to the rules and regulations to get plenty of raises with time.

3. Job Benefits: Health Insurance, Retirement Plans & More

Full-time firefighters can enjoy plenty of benefits from their job. Firefighters normally get regular health insurance, vision insurance, emergency medical care, dental insurance, and prescription. These benefits are for firefighters’ spouses and children as well.

The firefighters will also get a good pension upon retirement compared to others. Generally, some amount is deducted from your salary every month, and the employer contributes the same amount to the retirement plan. Once it reaches maturity, you can collect the sum and use it.

Apart from these benefits, you will also get additional loan opportunities, job security, life insurance benefits, and so on. The job covers most of your worries, so you only need to focus on saving people’s lives.

4. Flexible Working Hours

If you dread working 9–5 hours, firefighting is a good career option for you. Firefighters often work long hours and then take 24 hours or 48 hours of leave to get rest. The firefighting department normally has living quarters, showers, kitchens, etc. for firefighters so that they can get some rest during the shifts.

The workload depends on the call volume at the firefighting station. These flexible hours allow firefighters to work a second job for extra pay.

5. Perfect for People Who Like to Stay Fit

Firefighters need to be fit, healthy, and full of stamina to perform well on emergency calls. It’s the perfect profession for people who enjoys working out or staying fit. Many firefighting stations are stocked with workout equipment, so firefighters can exercise all they want.

Even firefighters’ training includes several exercises to check a person’s stamina. The training is held in a team, so people can try to stay fit as a team to help people.

Taking NYC Firefighter Department Exams? Enroll in NYC Firefighter Preparation Classes Now

Becoming a firefighter is not easy. You have to clear exams and get training to be eligible to answer emergency calls. To make it easy for you, Civil Service Success helps you prepare for NYC firefighter department exams. We also provide training for Suffolk police tests, sanitation worker exams in NYC, etc.

The experienced professionals in our team can help you score high in the exam and secure a position in no time. We’ve been in the business for over 45 years, so you confidently start preparing for the NYC firefighters’ exam with us.

Send us a message or call us to get more details.