Why do we put up with it?

We work 16 hours more than almost everyone else per week, we make about a 3rd less than most (even though we work longer) and for retirement; they actually pay us in snickers bars and skittles. I requested the green ones, they are my favorite.

But seriously, something has to give. We are continuously screwed over while the Feds have enough money to bail out every bank that ever existed and give everyone healthcare! When it comes to us, they laugh themselves all the way to the bank with the money they save. It has been decades since most departments went to a 56. Why aren't we there yet? Do you think the cities and counties got a 56 handed to them? I think they have some smart folks who fought hard and won. When are we going to stand up and say enough?

Why is it whenever you call your buddy who works for a city, he is always off, and you're always calling from work? And ask yourself when the last time you held a hose and put out a fire was?

Federal Fire so far has pretty much been everything I'd come to expect from the Feds, without the fire. I'm gonna get into an interview class and get the hell out of here.

I really do hope things change for the better, but hoping for the "56", "3@50" and over $1,000 per overtime shift seems as distant as the colonization of the moon right now.

I asked the same question 31 years ago!!!!

boy how times have not changed.

Unforunantly you work for congress as ayou kind of mention, so that is the main problem.


I do not know how you can get the hours changed????

are you seriously complaining about pay/retirement?

geez-us!

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Originally Posted by ShredddinCali

are you seriously complaining about pay/retirement?

geez-us!

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Just stating a fact.

what dept pays better than a dod dept in the same area?

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Originally Posted by ShredddinCali

what dept pays better than a dod dept in the same area?

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I agree with ShreddinCali. The pay is good, and the hours well you knew about them when you took the job. As for firefighting, you can't create emergencies. If city departments had the capabilities of conducting the amount of fire prevention we do their fires would be down. You shouldn't evaluate your career based on how many fire you showed up to, but by how you preformed.

All department have their problems. Trust me I work at a city department as well as DOD. For me the choice was financial 32,000 a year or 60,000 a year. I chose 60,000. You have to learn to pick your battles somethings will never change. Its unfortunate, but that's the federal government.

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Originally Posted by ShredddinCali

what dept pays better than a dod dept in the same area?

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It's all in where you work.

When I worked at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard FD I was a GS5, IIRC I pulled down high 30's, low 40's with locality adjustment and overtime.

A 5 year City of Philadelphia Firefighter can make over $65,000.

FWDbuff

Thank you

Yes it depends on what area of the country you are in if the feds pay better than the city

but calculate hours in to the pay and see what you come up with????

and if you like to see yourself coming and going each day, yes a job is a job.

Job Title: Firefighter
Closing Date/Time: Fri. 02/05/10 11:59 PM Eastern Time
Salary: $40,036.00 - $55,603.00 Annually
Job Type: Full Time
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Department: Fire
Exam Number: 10Q36B01

ref:http://agency.governmentjobs.com/phi...bSearchParams=

A GS-6/Step 1 with Philly locality will make $56,158.44.

...and even if that same GS-6 were working a 56/hr work week, he would still pull in $48,458.28 annually.



Not trying to be argumentative, but hell, for what we actually do, we get paid very well. To take the words from another forum:

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"...most of us have an outrageous gig making $50K a year to keep a truck and station clean. In our current international financial situation not a bad thing. We all should be thankful."

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I'd have to agree with a previous poster stating the pay (pro or con) depends upon where you're working. Here in SC, the DoD guys make mostly comparable pay. In only a few communities would a DoD firefighter make substantially less money than his/her local government counterpart.

A few thoughts:
* interested in moving? Some bases/areas pay more or the cost of living is less (if the pay doesn't seem great). There are several websites which provide a cost of living comparison.

* interested in promotion? Searching the USAJobs website, administrative and line chief officer type and specialty (fire prevention, training, etc) pay extremely well.

* if the above selections are not an option... Have you considered moving from the federal side to the local government firefighting forces?

I have worked for a city, county and now the feds for last 5 years. I do not know ANY city firefighter/paramedic that makes anything close to me. I have a friend that is a city captain in a large metro department in the southwest and I make approx. 25k more a year, and this is before any extra overtime. The feds is where its at. Like someone said above choose your battles.. if you want a ton of calls and the need to worry if the city/county government is going cut your job....well then go to the city and work that 56 hour work week you dream of. OR, you can work your 3 days a week, not worry about anything except your maybe 5 calls a day TOPS (during working hours), and idle minds at work.

This is not a GS-09 thing, you can argue the same points for the GS-07 FF/EMT.

HOW MANY LIEUTENANT OR CAPTAIN PARAMEDICS DO YOU KNOW IN THE 0081 SERIES. HOW MANY OF THE THOSE GS-9's WHO ARE FIREFIGHTERS ARE GOING TO GET PROMOTED PROPERLY TO COMPANY OFFICER?

its a different carrer track if you are a GS-0081-9 medic. You can get 'promoted' to GS-8 captain but what GS-9 would want that pay cut (after SAVE pay)? thats not the point being argued in this thread either...

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Originally Posted by XFedFF

HOW MANY LIEUTENANT OR CAPTAIN PARAMEDICS DO YOU KNOW IN THE 0081 SERIES. HOW MANY OF THE THOSE GS-9's WHO ARE FIREFIGHTERS ARE GOING TO GET PROMOTED PROPERLY TO COMPANY OFFICER?

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It is happening as we speak. DLA Whitehall OH has GS-10 Lead Firefighter(Paramedic), Camp Lejune has GS-10 Supervisory Firefighter (Paramedic) which are station captains, and GS-11 Supervisory Firefighter (Paramedic) who is EMS Chief. MCLB Barstow has GS-11 Supervisory Firefighter (Paramedic) who acts as EMS Chief and the last person that had the job went from Firefighter to Assistant Chief of EMS to Assistant Chief of Operations. MCB Twenty Nine Palms has GS-10 Lead Firefighter (Paramedic). MCAS Yuma, the past 3 captains promoted were GS-09 Firefighter(Paramedic), they dropped down to GS-08 and they are all now GS-09 Supervisory Firefighters. At MCAS Yuma, most Firefighter (Paramedics) fill in as acting Captain. Now obviously the supervisors are GS equiv due to NSPS fill that goes away. These are all I can think of off the top of my head, however you need to remember that ALS in the Feds is only about 14 years old and many bases are just now going to ALS. So there will be more as time progresses.

The point of my post earlier was not an ALS issue and the plights of the bastard child GS-0081-09 firefighter (paramedic). I was mearly stating that the feds is a great place to work. The large city next to me is about to start rolling brownouts to save money and we just hired 10 people. So, its not like tv where you are saving the baby from the clutches of the fire, BUT you can feed your family without the stress that our municipal brothers are going through. Now obviously there are exceptions to the rule.

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Originally Posted by MakeitStopFED

We work 16 hours more than almost everyone else per week, we make about a 3rd less than most (even though we work longer) and for retirement; they actually pay us in snickers bars and skittles. I requested the green ones, they are my favorite.

But seriously, something has to give. We are continuously screwed over while the Feds have enough money to bail out every bank that ever existed and give everyone healthcare! When it comes to us, they laugh themselves all the way to the bank with the money they save. It has been decades since most departments went to a 56. Why aren't we there yet? Do you think the cities and counties got a 56 handed to them? I think they have some smart folks who fought hard and won. When are we going to stand up and say enough?

Why is it whenever you call your buddy who works for a city, he is always off, and you're always calling from work? And ask yourself when the last time you held a hose and put out a fire was?

Federal Fire so far has pretty much been everything I'd come to expect from the Feds, without the fire. I'm gonna get into an interview class and get the hell out of here.

I really do hope things change for the better, but hoping for the "56", "3@50" and over $1,000 per overtime shift seems as distant as the colonization of the moon right now.

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Leave for your 56hr work week. Become the low man on the totem pole, and watch your muncipal job disappear as the cities tighten their budgets and layoff firefighters. While you are gone from your fed job there are plenty of people rattling the gates for a job.
It is not what you do every day that matters, it is how you are able to spend your retirement. You could be scraping by while your body is shot from all the calls, or you could be doing what you want with a stable retirement financial portfoloio and medical.

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Originally Posted by Extinguisher911

Leave for your 56hr work week. Become the low man on the totem pole, and watch your muncipal job disappear as the cities tighten their budgets and layoff firefighters. While you are gone from your fed job there are plenty of people rattling the gates for a job.
It is not what you do every day that matters, it is how you are able to spend your retirement. You could be scraping by while your body is shot from all the calls, or you could be doing what you want with a stable retirement financial portfoloio and medical.

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So well put! I have to agree. The department I work for we average around 4,500 call a year. I know that's not as much as a lot of cities, but if you measure the success of your career on the number of calls you ran, you don't understand the job at all.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MakeitStopFED

We work 16 hours more than almost everyone else per week, we make about a 3rd less than most (even though we work longer) and for retirement; they actually pay us in snickers bars and skittles. I requested the green ones, they are my favorite.

But seriously, something has to give. We are continuously screwed over while the Feds have enough money to bail out every bank that ever existed and give everyone healthcare! When it comes to us, they laugh themselves all the way to the bank with the money they save. It has been decades since most departments went to a 56. Why aren't we there yet? Do you think the cities and counties got a 56 handed to them? I think they have some smart folks who fought hard and won. When are we going to stand up and say enough?

Why is it whenever you call your buddy who works for a city, he is always off, and you're always calling from work? And ask yourself when the last time you held a hose and put out a fire was?

Federal Fire so far has pretty much been everything I'd come to expect from the Feds, without the fire. I'm gonna get into an interview class and get the hell out of here.

I really do hope things change for the better, but hoping for the "56", "3@50" and over $1,000 per overtime shift seems as distant as the colonization of the moon right now.

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Hahaha this thread made me laugh when I read it. I’m not looking to start a flame war, so I’ll just post billets of how I feel about it.

1. be glad you have a job. I spoke to a friend in civilian personnel a few days ago. 2 positions opened at my department. Over 1000 people applied for it. Do the math. That means 998 did not get hired. So be glad you have a job.

2. 56 hour work weeks, you’re welcome to work a 56 if you want but I enjoy the extra 16 hours a week X's 2 @20 some odd dollars an hour, I’m working the extra 32 bi weekly.

3. Where else do you get the opportunity to have your job pay into your retirement, and in TSP, where they will Match you up to 5% of your pay, and allow you to take a loan, that pays interest right back into your own retirement.

4. I used to work for the county; I made 29k a year as an Engineer. Now I am a GS-7/4 and last year I made over 65k riding back seat.

If you want work a 56 go find you a municipality job, I’m sure 1 of the 998 people who didn't get picked up where I work would love to take your job.

But hey that’s just my 2 cents.

Your kidding right??

Yes be happy you have a job! But on the west coast at least the federal pay and retirement just doesnt come close to most cities or fire districts.

FWDBuff...I feel your pain.In 72 when I got out of the Navy I went Federal Fire Long Beach Naval Station and took a PAYCUT!!! E-5 over four to Firefighter GS-4 hours were 72 per week.

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Originally Posted by fedup1

Your kidding right??

Yes be happy you have a job! But on the west coast at least the federal pay and retirement just doesnt come close to most cities or fire districts.

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EXACTLY.....it is much better. At least in SO CAL.