No, not “entry level.” The positions are ALWAYS clearly listed on the salary tables. There are entry-level positions, mid-level positions, and high-level positions, and they are all listed there in their separate rows and columns. The salary tables are totally transparent, so I’m not sure what you are talking about. Perhaps you didn’t realize there are different positions in fire departments, and it’s good to ask so one can find more information about it, rather than say that there are “lies” on the salary tables. There aren’t any lies there, but you might not have known about the different positions. Just because you don’t know about something doesn’t mean that anyone is trying to fool you or hide anything from you. EVERYTHING is there on the salary tables.
Firefighters do NOT get extra pay for the things you’ve listed: EMT, heavy duty operator (class B driver’s license???), etc. which are required for the job. They DO get paid extra for being paramedics (see below), or for being Fire Engineers (a totally different position from that of Firefighter I/II).
The pay scales DO reflect the different jobs and pay enhancements. Firefighters get paid extra for paramedic certification (not EMT) because some firefighters are not paramedics, as they were hired before the paramedic requirements were enacted. Other departments might allow recruits to get their paramedic certification while on the job, etc., and they are paid at the basic level you see on the pay scales (no enhancement for paramedic certification). Some departments pay a VERY small stipend for having a college degree, but that is NOT required for the job.
All of this is listed **clearly** on the salary tables, from entry-level up to chief.
When you see those examples of “excessive” pay in the newspapers, they are usually listing the pay of the HIGHEST paid person for that year. There are some years — like when there are a lot of wildfires — when a firefighter can earn a LOT of money. The next year, the highest pay may not even come close to the highest pay of the previous year.
The difference between the “published” pay and the W-2 pay is **overtime** (not stipends, etc.). The people who earn that kind money (published for its “shock value”) often work for days, weeks, or months straight. It is not unusual for those employees to work 6-7 days/week. Mind you, unlike people with “regular” jobs, they do not go home at night. The ones with the REALLY high pay you see in the newspapers are often gone for weeks (sometimes months) at a time, all the time, 24/7. I’m sure most reasonably competent people could make the same money if they worked the same hours.
I have a problem with newspapers publishing pay levels without explaining why the pay is so high. It would be much better and more informative if they also published the number of hours worked for the year.
