Seattle Fire Department among nation’s highest starting salaries

The Seattle Fire Department (SFD) is among the highest-paying departments in the nation, offering $98,124 annually for an entry-level fire recruit position.

SFD exponentially increases employees’ annual salaries based on the amount of time working with the department, the City of Seattle stated.

SFD employees earn the following amounts per month, with increased pay after service-time milestones:

• $8,177 per month — starting recruit firefighter pay.
• $8,664 per month — 6 months with SFD.
• $9,151 per month — 18 months with SFD.
• $9,637 per month — 30 months with SFD.
• $10,124 per month — 42 months with SFD.

“We’re down 125 people from a full staff,” Chief Harold Scoggins told city council members earlier this year, according to The Seattle Today. “We don’t want to keep going to the same encampments 12,000 or 14,000 times a year or respond to 5,000 overdoses. It wears on you as an individual.”

SFD among the most competitive salaries in the nation

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics noted the median annual wage for firefighters was $59,530 in May 2024.

Comparing the top five U.S. cities’ entry-level fire department salaries, other cities are less generous than Seattle with their starting salaries.

The New York Fire Department offers $54,122 as its starting salary, with annual salaries reaching as high as $105,146 after five and a half years.

The Los Angeles Fire Department provides $85,784 as an annual salary for entry-level firefighters, with increases of up to $124,549 for employees working 30 months after academy graduation.

As of June 30, 2021, the Chicago Fire Department offers $62,160 annually for entry-level employees, and annual salaries can reach as high as $98,424 after five years with the department.

First-year firefighters with the Houston Fire Department earn $58,738 per year, with employees in their 8th-10th years with the department earning $71,040 annually.

The Phoenix Fire Department offers a maximum of $42,660 annually for trainees, a maximum of $50,627 for recruits, and a maximum of $76,626 for “Firefighter 56hr.”

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