Honesty here in California. Easily yes to both with a pension. I cleared well over $100,000 my second year as a firefighter/paramedic and most our captains make $300,000 with OT. That’s with out gaming the system.

All of our pay is public info at transparent California.com. Look at various fire depts to see what many guys doing this make. It was the number factor that made me switch from airlines to this career, and of course stability.

If you are handy ... ESPECIALLY if you have an A&P, buy your own plane. 500 hours in a 172 you own and maintain is real cheap

If you are chasing bonuses to choose a Regional you are probably making poor decisions to begin with. They were only there to mask poor pay/working conditions so they could still attract applicants. Pilot unions absolutely hated them because as long as they kept attracting suckers (oops, mean FOs) there was no reason for the regional to improve the contract.

Pre-covid I always told people who asked the key was to look at year 3 CA pay, because almost everywhere you can upgrade by then and that is when the money starts rolling in. Any bonus you may have missed out on was quickly erased. Endever and Republic were the best for those. Now my advice is to take whatever job you can get first, and thank your lucky stars you actually got a job offer in this environment. If you are still holding out for a bonus you are in for a real attitude adjustment.

How easy is it to make captain? Once you get there, how long until retirement? The pension helps, but I don't think many firemen can work to age 65 (and get another fire-fighting gig after mandatory retirement).

Also pay is commensurate with COL, which is why it's higher in big metro areas in CA. My friend's husband is a firefighter in NC... she *****es all the time that he only makes like $30K, and that she can't do airlines because of his work schedule.

Airlines you commute if you want big QOL in a low COL area (if the tradeoff is worth it to you).

Fire/police has aviation beat hands down for stability though.

California is a cesspool.

Then why do the unions let them get away with it?

100% agree. Working here until I can collect my pension and then back to Texas.

They fall for the dangling carrot routine.

I agree completely I only moved out to California because I saw what some cities pay their firefighters. It’s a very physical job and there is no way I could do it till 60 nonetheless 65. After spending eight years of the lost decade at a regional I was ready for a change. Hopefully I can retire from this with a pension in a few years and return to the airline gig.

Why do you think there was a “““shortage”””? Spend tens of thousands of dollars and spend half the month in a hotel/crash pad to make what an ASSISTANT manager at a big box retailer does as an RJ captain (store managers smoke the regionals in pay)? Say what you want about millennials, but they realized what a joke that was which forced regionals to pay better wages. We’ll see how the dust settles of the next yearish in regards to the labor market.