The Cost of a Firefighter

I often hear residents throughout the surrounding areas wondering why it takes so much money to run a fire department. Government agencies are always looking for ways to cut budgets, and oftentimes public safety is one of the first to get the budget axe, as was the case last week when Pleasantville firefighters were issued layoff notices.
But some seem to find it hard to believe there really are hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment needed by firefighters to safely operate at emergencies, and that’s not including a several hundred thousand dollar fire truck to transport the firefighters to the scene. So in an effort to better portray how expensive firefighting is, I’ve tried to simplify the pricing to show the cost for outfitting a single firefighter.
Here is new volunteer firefighter– we’ll call him John Doe. John is joining the fire service for the first time. In order for John to be able to respond from his home at any given time to assist in an emergency, he is provided a pager, which will alert him of an incident. The average cost of a pager and charger for the pager is in the range of $500.
Next, John will have to have the proper gear to be able to safely and effectively protect him from the many dangers that are encountered in the field of fire service. The department begins to purchase gear for John to wear during his firefighting duties. First, he’ll need a set of turnout gear.
Firefighters wear specially designed jackets and pants, made of fire-resistant Nomex-Kevlar material, to protect them from extremely high temperatures and other conditions they may encounter as a firefighter. This is a tough material constructed to withstand serious use, and is tear-resistant.
Depending on the brand, style, and other considerations, the average combination of firefighter jacket can cost anywhere from $1,200-$2,500, depending on the brand and quality. We’ll take an average, at a cost of $1,900.
Next, John will need a firefighter hood and two sets of firefighter gloves for his turnout gear. Firefighters also wear special Nomex hoods to protect their neck and facial area from intense flames. This hood is worn beneath the helmet.
Firefighters also typically use two sets of gloves, one specifically worn while fighting fires, made of Nomex fire-resistant material, while they wear a separate set for motor vehicle accidents, typically referred to as extrication gloves. These gloves are specially designed to withstand the wear and tear that vehicles present. Each pair of gloves can cost from $35-$100 a piece. So again, simply taking the average, the cost of a Nomex Hood, Fire Gloves, & Extrication Gloves come out to around $150.
John will need some shoes to wear with his turnout gear, of course. Leather fire boots are typically the shoe-wear of choice for firefighters, with these boots running anywhere from $250-$600 dollars, depending on brand and quality. That gives us an average around $350.
In order to protect his head, John will also need a helmet. Fire helmets typically run in the range of $250-$600 a piece, but prices can vary due to style. Choosing a standard style, we’ll go with $300.
To complete the firefighter’s personal gear, John will need an air pack, more commonly referred to in the fire service as Self Contained Breathing Apparatus, or SCBA. Similar to the oxygen systems used to supply divers, firefighter SCBAs feature cylinders filled with pressurized breathing air so that firefighters can adequately breathe without inhaling smoke and other toxins associated with fire.
SCBAs are extremely expensive, with each SCBA unit and mask costing in the ballpark of $5,000 per set. Each firefighter normally will use at least two cylinders on the scene of fire, and each spare cylinder costs in the area of $1,500, leaving a complete set for a functional fireground at $6,500.
In order for John to become a safe and effective firefighter, he’ll have to attend training. Although he’ll likely attend dozens of courses, he will be required to undergo the New Jersey Firefighter I program before become a certified interior firefighter. This program, run at area county fire academies, typically costs within the range of $300.
So, after John has received his pager, jacket and pants, hood and gloves, boots, helmet, SCBA with spare bottle, and his required training, he has accumulated a total cost of $10,000.
$10,000 for a single firefighter. With departments averaging approximately 25 firefighters each, that’s approximately $250,000 for simply outfitting a firefighter to safe standards for firefighting operations. Now of course, these expenses aren’t yearly ones, as equipment can be used for several years once purchased.
However, many of these items have limited life spans to ensure the integrity of the safety aspects, and need to be replaced within several years, not to mention the servicing and maintenance required to keep this equipment operation during its lifespan.
We haven’t even touched apparatus, tools, servicing, supplies and various other expenses that departments across the county incur each year.
It costs money to safely run and operate a fire department. Before calling for cuts to the budget, consider the facts and your safety. Stay safe.
Knoll, 21, of Eldora, can be contacted by email at beyondtheflamescmc@gmail.com. He is a student at Rowan University.