Posts on Wages

THE INITIAL POST WITH THE VERY EASY TO MAKE EDIT - Does the initial post appear I don't support Firefighters? I don't think so.

----------
​
August 6, 2025

STATISTICS that were brought up, so, I looked it all up, while hiring more firemedics would reduce overtime, our fire services are also the highest paid when compared to Edmonton and Calgary. First 6-12mos/probationary only <>:
​
Red Deer $109,850**
Winnipeg $95,000
St. Albert $81.195
Medicine Hat $81,195
Fort Mac $80,709
Montreal $75,000
Lacombe* $74,000
Halifax $73,700
Toronto $73,000
Vancouver $72,706
Regina* $72,706^
Calgary $72,600
Edmonton $64,300
Airdrie $62,585
North Bay $60,000
Grand Prairie $56, 471
Lloydminster $47,881
Fredericton $46,000
National Average $72,000*-87,314*

The question is: Is Red Deer Firefighters overpaid OR are all of the cities listed grossly underpaid?

In 2023, overall life expectancy in Canada was approximately 81.5 years, with variations by province—for example, 82.3 in Ontario and 80.7 in Alberta.

While there isn’t a precise, nationally aggregated number for the average lifespan of Canadian firefighters, multiple credible sources and studies provide context indicating that their life expectancy is lower than that of the general Canadian population, typically by 5 to 10 years.
From Workers’ Compensation Board data (2007–2021), nearly 85% of job-related firefighter fatalities in Canada were due to cancer. These occur at nearly double the rate of the general population's cancer deaths.

<> AI-generated estimate for a full-time, probationary position (6-12 months). Figures are averaged and represent base salary only; they do not account for staffing levels, fire vs firemedic (in limited cases), coverage area, or annual overtime. These excluded factors are important. For instance, when more firemedics share the workload, individual pay can be lower due to reduced personal responsibility.


--- added August 11, 2025 ---

** Watch how easy this is to correct because someone lost their minds over what AI said. This is literally all I had to do, but it doesn't change my support of the Red Deer Firefighters, my call for more staffing, and my comment that firefighters are grossly underpaid (whether it's $77k or $33k. I think $110k is a reasonable 'starting' wage for a firefighter even if this actually applied to a 'first class firefighter'
"The starting wage for a City of Red Deer firefighter is not explicitly stated in the provided search results. However, the average salary for a firefighter in Red Deer is around $77,990 per year, according to Salary Expert. The base salary for a first-class firefighter is $109,853 per year, plus benefits and pension, according to The City of Red Deer. Some online salary sources suggest that a firefighter with 1-3 years of experience can earn between $111,000 and $129,000 annually, according to Glassdoor. 

​I asked Google a second time a few minutes later, and it gave me yet another answer: The starting wage for a probationary firefighter in Red Deer, Alberta, is approximately $24.97 per hour. This is equivalent to an annual salary of around $51,940. " "
​
See how easy that was to adjust? **

THE COMMENT MADE TODAY (which led to the part ADDED to the original post):

"LAR -If you’re going to present numbers to the public, at least present an accurate comparison.

First — your list mixes apples, oranges, and watermelons. Many of the departments you’ve included are not integrated services (meaning they don’t do both fire and EMS), many are not career departments (they’re composite or volunteer), and some are not even professional firemedic services at all. Red Deer is one of only a few handfuls of fully integrated, dual-trained, career firemedic services in the country. That matters, because the job is significantly more demanding and the scope of training, responsibility, and risk is far higher.

Second — the Red Deer wage number you’ve quoted is not a probationary firefighter’s wage. You’ve taken the first-class firefighter rate, which requires multiple years of service to achieve, and compared it to probationary rates elsewhere. If you want an honest conversation, you compare probationary to probationary, first class to first class — and you do it only with comparable integrated departments. Maybe try a little closer to home…St Albert, Strathcona County, Frt Mac to name a few.
The real issue in Red Deer isn’t whether our firemedics are “overpaid,” it’s that they are overworked and dangerously understaffed. Bringing wages into the discussion without context is a distraction from the real problem: meeting NFPA 1710 standards so we can protect both the public and the people sworn to protect it.

And if you’re willing to run your campaign on inaccurate, misleading information, why would I ever put my trust in you to make decisions that affect public safety?"

MY REPLY TODAY August 11, 2025 shortly after the comment:

LAR you seem to think that I'm against the firefighters, when I am the only candidate who has publicly declared my support for them. Perhaps you should actually ask me a question before you make accusations. I have repeatedly said that we need more Staffing. I have said that dynamic scheduling works provided there is a minimum of four FireMedics per truck at any time. In fact my only question, in this posting, was are other departments grossly underpaid, not that Red Deer is overpaid. But of course you wouldn't know that because you didn't actually read my posting. And finally any information regarding the accuracy is clearly explained in the final paragraph of this posting. I couldn't have made it any more clear.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

"Red Deer is one of only a few handfuls of fully integrated, dual-trained, career firemedic services in the country."

"<> AI-generated estimate for a full-time, probationary position (6-12 months). Figures are averaged and represent base salary only; they do not account for staffing levels, fire vs firemedic (in limited cases), coverage area, or annual overtime. These excluded factors are important. For instance, when more firemedics share the workload, individual pay can be lower due to reduced personal responsibility."

​Community Paramedicine services, which include firemedics, are available in areas surrounding major cities like Calgary and Edmonton, as well as within a 50km radius of these cities. They also serve areas within 80km of Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Red Deer, Camrose, Grande Prairie, and Peace River, according to Alberta Health Services.

COMMENT: "the Red Deer wage number you’ve quoted is not a probationary firefighter’s wage. You’ve taken the first-class firefighter rate"

REPLY: For some reason the starting wage of a firemedic in Red Deer is a secret, so, as stated, I used what AI provided as the wage. It was VERY EASY to correct this based on additional data.

​COMMENT: "The real issue in Red Deer isn’t whether our firemedics are “overpaid,” it’s that they are overworked and dangerously understaffed."

​REPLY: I did not make the claim they were overpaid I made it very clear in the first sentence "STATISTICS that were brought up, so, I looked it all up, while hiring more firemedics would reduce overtime, our fire services are also the highest paid when compared to Edmonton and Calgary. First 6-12mos/probationary only <>:"

COMMENT: "And if you’re willing to run your campaign on inaccurate, misleading information, why would I ever put my trust in you to make decisions that affect public safety?""

REPLY: I did not produce this data, as was clearly stated at the end of the posting. If you had bothered to read any of my comments or posts on the firefighters in Red Deer you would not make such assumptions. I did research and posed the information that was available to everyone. At least I took the time to look it up and didn't just go around attacking people instead of just requesting a change to the data that I DID NOT CREATE.