Money · 1 of 5
What firefighters make
First-class
$100,000
Probationary
$65,000
Captain
$128,000
Full-time municipal firefighters reach first-class in about 3 to 4 years. Job Bank's national median is about $95,000, and the top of its Ontario range is about $134,000; first-class rates at big-city departments such as Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver sit well above $100,000. Volunteer and paid-on-call firefighters in small towns earn a small stipend.