Gallup, CNN and U.S. News and World Report magazine polled almost all firefighters. According to an agency poll, firefighters top the list of the most respected professions, while the president ranks 26th.
Like many developed countries, the United States has a professional system of firefighters, firefighters have always been regarded as civilian heroes in the minds of Americans, and the profession of firefighters has been rated as the most respected profession by the public.
Firefighters became the most respected profession
A big factor in the fact that after the 9/11 terrorist incident, the heroic performance of firefighters touched the whole united States. At the torchbearer of the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay in San Francisco on April 9, 2008, Rick Dolan, a retired firefighter who experienced 9/11, struggled to take 343 steps to represent and honor the 343 firefighters who died in 9/11.
In New York, at every fire station where a team member was killed in the 9/11 attack, there must be a nameplate in front of the door, engraved with the names of firefighters, and some with photos of their lives for passers-by to see. They are the heroes of the Americans.
Competitive acceptance rate of less than 1%
In the United States, there are two types of firefighters: volunteer firefighters and professional firefighters. According to the U.S. Fire Service, two-thirds of firefighters are currently volunteers and one-third are professional firefighters.
For professional firefighters, the United States has a strict screening system and fierce competition. In the United States, thousands of people apply each year, but most of them are rejected, with an acceptance rate of less than 1%. Many departments hire new employees every two years, typically enrolling about 30 applicants at a time.
The minimum standard for the academic qualifications of professional firefighters is a high school degree, but with the development of society, more and more college students, and the threshold for firefighters is gradually rising. Many departments require candidates to have at least a two-year college degree in fire science, and some even require a bachelor's degree. Several existing universities in the United States, such as Maryland State University, Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Oklahoma, have fire departments to train senior engineering and technical talents such as master's and doctoral degrees in fire protection.
In order to be able to participate in the training program, applicants must pass three exams: a written test, a firefighter candidate fitness test (CPAT) and an intelligence test. After passing the test, approximately 600 hours of training are also required, with a training period of 12 to 14 weeks. Most of the training courses are conducted in classrooms, during which participants learn English, physics, chemistry, mathematics and firefighting knowledge related to actual fire situations.
After the end of the basic training, the new firefighters also have to carry out 6 months of off-team internship and intensive training, and can become official firefighters after passing the examination. American firefighter David said, "Firefighters work with high technical content and are very challenging, so once they do this line of work, they will fall in love with it, and it is likely that they will be reluctant to let go at the age of forty or fifty." ”
The role of American firefighters is not only to extinguish fires, but also to serve as emergency medical technicians, handle dangerous items, and deal with various natural and man-made disasters. If you encounter a traffic accident, or if you have a heart attack, dial 911, and after receiving the alarm, the fire truck and ambulance must rush to the scene for rescue at the first time. Fire agencies even take on duties similar to civil nannies, such as being able to legally receive and briefly care for babies abandoned by single mothers within 72 hours.
The high-risk wages for work far exceed those of white-collar workers
In the United States, firefighters are not only a heroic profession, but also a highly rewarding profession.
According to Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in April 2014, there were 302,870 firefighters in the United States with an average annual salary of $48,270 and an average hourly salary of $23.21. In some developed areas, there are ten regions with annual salaries of more than $73,000, among which the average annual salary of firefighters in the CA metropolitan area of San Francisco has reached $90,140, which is much higher than the average income of various industries in the United States in the same period, which is equivalent to the income of many industry managers in the United States.
American firefighters are well paid, which is an important reason why they can work until retirement. Taking the New York City Fire Department as an example, according to the official website of the New York Government Fire Department, in addition to salary, firefighters and their families can enjoy medical insurance for life, and can enjoy up to 4 weeks of paid annual leave a year. In addition, they have a large room for growth, first of all, from the salary point of view, every extra year, the salary will rise, and the increase is also increasing year by year, 1 firefighter who has been in the industry for 5 years, the average annual salary is more than 99,000 US dollars, which is 2 times the annual salary of local general university professors. In addition, firefighters can also be promoted to an annual salary of up to $125848 for lieutenants, $149163 for captains, and $161281 for a fire brigade captain.
In addition, firefighters have more flexible working hours, and unlike the traditional Monday to Friday working hours, they implement a shift system to ensure that firefighters can get enough rest. Regardless of age, after 25 years in the fire department, the government can guarantee full retirement, full compliance with the U.S. retirement plan, and provide corresponding benefits, in addition to additional benefits for the department.
Although firefighters are treated well, the dangers they face are unmatched by other industries. With the development of industrial technology, firefighters face greater and greater dangers. For this purpose, firefighters are equipped with advanced firefighting equipment. The fire trucks in the United States can be described as powerful, varied, and efficient rescue capabilities, which can be called the world's top level. In addition, the United States has set up a fire ambulance that integrates fire extinguishing, emergency rescue and first aid. A small amount of space is set aside at the rear of the car for emergency care, with an emergency kit.
Firefighters are also equipped with poison-filtering air breathing apparatus, protective clothing against chemicals and high temperatures, hazardous gas alarms, and a variety of detectors. In addition, firefighters are also equipped with some auxiliary tools, such as explosion-proof flashlights, embankments for containment, decontamination and flushing equipment and goggles, mobile air supply, double cylinder respirators, multi-purpose filter canisters, anti-chemical gloves, anti-chemical safety boots, etc.
Firefighters refused to rescue without paying firefighters
In 2011, when a family in Tennessee, the United States, did not pay fire money, and when a fire broke out in this family's home, firefighters rushed to the scene but refused to help extinguish the fire, watching the house being engulfed in flames.
According to U.S. media reports, the grandson of the Paulette and Jean Kranik family ignited a fire in a burning barrel outside their house, causing a fire. Personnel from the Southern Fulton City Fire Department arrived on the news, but because the Cranwick family was not under the jurisdiction of Fulton City and had not paid the $75 annual fire service fee, the firefighters refused to fight the fire. In the end, the Kranik family lost the house and everything inside, including three dogs and a cat.
After the incident was reported by the media, the mayor of Southern Fulton, Klock, defended the firefighters. He said the main responsibility of the Southern Fulton Fire Brigade was to extinguish the fire for the Southern City of Fulton, and residents of the outer areas of southern Fulton City had to pay a firefighter of $75 per household to ask the fire brigade to help fight the fire. The Kranik family didn't pay fire money, so the fire brigade had no responsibility to help them.
U.S. media reported that firefighters were instructed by their superiors not to extinguish the fire, but in the face of burned houses, their conscience as individuals may be questioned. But Mrs. Klanick later said she didn't blame the firefighters because firefighters would not be responsible for disobeying orders to extinguish fires and were injured in the firefighting operation.
Volunteer firefighters are exempt from taxation
The United States not only has professional firefighters, but also a large number of volunteer firefighters, who account for 2/3 of the total number of firefighters in the United States.
According to U.S. media reports, volunteer firefighters are required to follow the same rules and regulations as professional firefighters, but in many states and jurisdictions in the United States, volunteers are not required to pass certification exams. Volunteer firefighters do not receive government salaries, they each have their own job, they participate in firefighting because they are interested in firefighting, but they are entitled to work compensation, health insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, pension plans and certain tax breaks.
Volunteer firefighters are trained as rigorously as regular firefighters and have the same ability to work, and their task is mainly to fight out initial and small fires. When fighting with regular fire brigades, volunteer firefighters are mainly responsible for auxiliary work such as ambulance, water supply, etc.
Volunteer firefighters can satisfy their own psychology of contributing to society on the one hand, and on the other hand, they like highly intense and stimulating activities. Each volunteer firefighter is on duty 24 hours a month and must go to work on time or be removed.
Communities with volunteer fire brigades are required to set aside a certain amount of tax to purchase and maintain firefighting equipment, such as fireproof clothing, helmets, breathing tanks, protective masks and boots. When local government funding often does not meet the needs of fire brigades, volunteer firefighters organize community events to raise additional funds. In addition, private donations, federal grants, and other firefighting associations provide financial support for the cost of volunteer fire brigades.
Content source: Firefighter's House Comprehensive Finishing