Contract vs AF

[clark918]

I am considering one of these in the future if I do not become full-time before I would have the chance for either of these. I will be done with my Fire Service Technician degree and be certified in FF1, FF2, EMT-B, HazMat-Technician, MPO, Fire Officer 1, and Fire Inspector by next December.(I have most of the degree now and half of those certs.)

If I am not full time by then I figured why not become either an Air Force Firefighter or a Contract Firefighter so that I can gain some extra experience. I'm actually part-time at 3 fire departments right now in the Milwaukee area, but this would be a once in a lifetime experience that could teach me a lot.

I was just wondering what would be a better job for me. What would be the differences if I ended up in the Middle East for both. I know that I would be going through the fire academy for the Air Force, where as they already require the certs for contract. I know you make a lot of money with contract, but you get military points with Air Force.

How much could I expect to make with both jobs? It would be nice to come home with a good chunk of cash so that I could afford to travel around more to test with other fire departments.

Do you primarily stay on base with both jobs?

Do you work together with each other? I'm a bit confused about what the contract firefighters actually do. Not sure if they are near bases or if they are actually located in the city.

Which is more dangerous?

How hard is it to get a contract job? I know most ask for experience. I only have about a year on the job. When I finish school in December it will be about two years.

Any information would be great. Thanks!