For this reason, it is popularly called the flesh-eating disease and although rare, it became well-known to the public in the 1990s. Even with top-notch care today, the prognosis can be bleak, with a mortality rate of around 25% and severe disfigurement common in survivors.
Nationally, while the average firefighter will earn in the mid-$40,000âs, a lieutenant will earn about $55,000 annually, a captain about $60,000 and a fire chief approximately $70,000. Firefighters frequently earn overtime wages, training or education reimbursements, paid vacation time, and sick leave.
Basics. Firefighters nationwide earned an average salary of $47,720 a year as of May 2011, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The median salary, or halfway point, was $45,420 a year. The lowest 10 percent of earners made $22,480 or less a year, while the highest paid 10 percent earned $75,520 or more. The BLS reports that about 90 percent of the 304,080 firefighters employed as of May 2011 worked for municipal and county fire departments. Average wages here were $48,450 a year. The highest pay came from computer systems design companies, where the mean annual salary was $69,280 per year.