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[quote=Anonymous]Actual first responder here. A few things to keep in mind about firefighting careers.

1) Very few are making the $250k numbers being discussed here. Your starting salary will be well below 100k. Best way to crack 100k in salary fast is upgrading to paramedic (fire medic) or getting promotions. Neither is easy. Most firefighters and cops cannot afford to raise families in the DC metro area and often commute in from long distances. A lot of them have side hustles because they feel the need to earn extra income, not for fun.

2) Firefighters and cops have real mental health challenges. You literally see sickness, destruction, and desperation every day. Small mistakes have real human costs, and often legal liability. Firefighters and cops have a really high divorce rate.

3) Saying firefighters only work three days a week is inaccurate. Those three days are 24 hour shifts, so you're working overnight as well. In a busy station, that's a nonstop grind for 24 hours. Even in a station that's not busy, your sleep is being interrupted by calls. And remember those three days a week is not including overtime. Think about what that does to your health after a few years.

4) Speaking of health, the rates of cancer and disease are much higher than the normal population. Most firefighter calls are medical, not actual fires. So in addition to inhaling more particulates, you're also coming into frequent contact with people that have, say, hepatitis or pneumonia.

I could go on (don't even get me started on state bureaucracy), but the point is that while it's great to be a "hero," it's also a difficult gig. No one should be encouraging this career without a realistic view of the pros and cons. [/quote]

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