Here’s Why Firefighters Across the Country Are Often the Highest Paid Employees in Their Cities

Firefighters work under excessive heat conditions putting out the Fairview Fire in Hemet, Calif., on Sept. 6, 2022. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Across the country, it is not the mayors, municipal judges, city attorneys or city managers who are often the highest-paid municipal employees. Firefighters have become the top-paid employees due to a staffing model that triggers an enormous amount of overtime by mandating any absences must be filled regardless of need.

And for those willing to work the extra hours, the compensation can reward them with pay almost four times that of the firefighters’ base salary.