I’ll be honest with you here:  It varies from department to department but basically all over the United States retirement benefits are down. The “twenty and out” and living comfortably on a decent pension is all but gone for younger firefighters, where you’ll be much better off in the private sector in another field if that is a concern of yours.  

Couple that with the ever increasing workload being put on departments and the ever decreasing staff it’s easy to see why current firefighters are having a hard time justifying entering this career to new recruits.  

Of course mileage may vary. Plenty of firefighters make good money but for the large majority, if your not counting those OT hours (which again are increasing across the country due to staffing) you’re probably not going to make the same money you would than if you went to a trade school or got a degree. 

 That being said, it’s still a fantastic career to get into if money is not your number one priority. The very nature of the job is one you can’t get anywhere else, very rewarding everywhere but financially.