The job of a firefighter is to deal with situations involving fire outbreaks, bringing the fire to a controlled halt, and helping evacuate the residents of the building(s) involved, if any. Firefighters are normally deployed in teams, trained to cooperate between themselves, to maximize their efficiency and their ability to control the situation. Even in cases of small-scale fires, at least two firefighters would normally be deployed to ensure that they’re always covered between each other.
Becoming a firefighter doesn’t hold any specific educational requirements – the job can be obtained by simply signing up at one’s local department. However, academies for firefighters do exist around the world, and their graduates are able to begin their jobs as firefighters starting at a higher rank than other recruits. Various personal skills and traits are required to perform the job, including excellent physical fitness, critical thinking, and the ability to work under severe pressure. Additionally, good teamwork is also required between firefighters, and is part of their on-the-job education.
A firefighter can earn between $30,000 – $58,000 per year, and the median for 2009 was $51,000. The job is a moderately well-paying one for the amount of work involved, and it also comes with some very well-designed healthcare benefits, which are one of the main reasons candidates see it as an attractive prospect. On the other hand, many consider the risk attached to the job to not be worth the payment they’re offered for it, leading to a decline in the market for firefighters in recent years.