Home Firefighter Salary
Firefighter salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a firefighter is $128,600 per annum, before tax, up $27,100 since 2018.
- Your pay comes from an enterprise agreement negotiated by your state or territory fire service, so rank, years of service and the technical allowances you qualify for move it most.
- Shift penalties and public holiday rates sit on top of the base rate, and some services fold those into the advertised figure while others quote base salary alone, so ask which one you are being offered.
The median salary rose by $27,100 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
How to negotiate a higher firefighter salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time firefighter salary is $128,600; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Emergency response and Worksite safety management tend to command a premium over general firefighter experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Firefighter salary questions
How much do firefighters earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a firefighter is $128,600 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is firefighter pay rising or falling?
The median firefighter salary is up $27,100 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
Related salaries
- Work Health and Safety Inspector salary
- Emergency Management Officer salary
- Fire Protection Technician salary
- Park Ranger salary
- Public Relations Officer salary
- Defence Force Member salary
Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.