Firefighter Salaries in Homer, NY

The average salary for a Firefighter is USD 74,176 per year in Homer, NY. Salaries estimates are based on 1872 salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by a Firefighter employees in Homer, NY.

The highest salary for a Firefighter in Homer, NY is USD 96,317 per year.

The lowest salary for a Firefighter in Homer, NY is USD 57,310 per year.

Firefighters receive stable government salaries with high benefits, reflecting their long work hours and sometimes dangerous jobs. Overtime opportunities are frequent, as communities need firefighters to respond to emergencies at all hours of the day and every day of the year. Some departments pay more to bilingual officers or officers that have a college degree. Higher ranking officers are generally paid higher, but they also face a greater degree of responsibility. Some departments offer generous pensions and the opportunity to retire early.

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Are you a firefighter who would like to earn more money? Many fire departments will pay a bonus for firefighters who learn an in-demand second language, earn a bachelor's degree, or certify as a paramedic. You can also advance through the ranks as a fire captain, battalion chief, and eventually chief, earning significantly higher pay as you advance in your career. In some departments, you can earn additional pay for taking on hazardous duty or for learning specialty skills, such as working with toxic or other dangerous materials or expertise in wilderness rescue operations.

There are several ways to improve your position when you're negotiating your pay as a firefighter, especially when looking for a new job. Start by looking around for an area with high base compensation for fire crews. Broaden your search to include wildland firefighting and flight-rescue operations. You can also earn firefighter and EMT certifications on your own before going to the fire academy, which usually reduces the training commitment the department has to make and allows you to negotiate a more promising starting salary with almost any department you apply to. It further helps to have some experience, even as a volunteer firefighter, before applying.