Firefighting is one of those careers people often see from the outside — the rushing into danger, the long shifts, the firehall routines — but the salary details aren’t always as clear. If you’re trying to understand Ontario firefighter salaries for 2025–2026, this guide walks you through how pay actually works, how it grows, and what influences total compensation.
Starting Pay for Firefighters in Ontario
If you’re just beginning your career, the numbers can feel a little all over the place. That’s because firefighter salaries are set at the municipal level, and every city negotiates its own collective agreement.
Still, there’s a pattern:
- Probationary firefighters usually start around $55,000 to $70,000.
- Many departments pay probationary staff at 60%–70% of a first‑class firefighter’s rate.
- Some large departments, like Toronto and Ottawa, typically start recruits in the high‑$60K range, depending on the year and negotiated increases.
If you peek at older salary grids, you’ll notice the starting rate almost always moves up each contract cycle. That’s one thing firefighters count on: predictable, incremental wage progression.
Salary Growth: What Firefighters Earn With Experience
Across Ontario, first‑class firefighters — the fully trained, non‑probationary firefighters — generally fall between:
- $105,000 and $120,000 base salary by 2025–2026.
Most collective agreements include step increases, often over 3–5 years. Once you hit first‑class status, you remain at that rate unless you move into roles like:
- Acting Captain / Captain
- Training Officer
- Fire Prevention Inspector
- Platoon Chief
- District Chief
Those positions can lift salaries into the $130,000 to $160,000+ range, depending on the municipality.
Municipal budgets and arbitration play a major role. In Ontario, firefighting — much like policing — uses interest arbitration when unions and cities hit negotiation dead‑ends. That process tends to create salary “clusters” where similar‑sized cities end up paying similar rates.
If you’d like to explore how this compares to police pay, you can read our recent insights on Ontario police salaries in the Public Sector Insights section.
What Influences Total Earnings?
Base salary is just one piece. Firefighters often earn more than what’s listed on the grid due to:
1. Overtime
Firefighting schedules (24‑hour shifts, rotating platoons) create long hours by default. When staffing shortages or major incidents happen, overtime becomes unavoidable — and well compensated.
2. Specialty Pay
Some departments offer additional pay for:
- Technical rescue
- Hazmat certification
- Fire prevention or inspection duties
3. Benefits & Pension
Firefighters typically participate in OMERS, a defined‑benefit pension plan. Between the pension, extended health coverage, and long‑term disability, the total compensation package is one of the strongest in the public sector.
If you’re curious how pensions and benefits compare across public‑sector jobs, you can find more breakdowns at PublicPayPulse’s Public Sector Insights hub.
How Ontario Firefighter Salaries Compare to Other Public-Sector Roles
Even though the work is different, the compensation structure mirrors what you see in police and paramedic services:
- Strong base pay
- Predictable step increases
- Overtime potential
- Defined‑benefit pension
For many firefighters, the long‑term value of predictable wage growth and pension stability is a major factor in staying in the profession.
If you want to explore similar pay trends, browse our recent posts on public‑sector compensation patterns at PublicPayPulse.
Final Thoughts
When you pull everything together — the base pay, the pension, the overtime, the long shifts, the risk — Ontario firefighter salaries tell a fuller story. For some people, the pay is a practical anchor: a stable income with steady increases. For others, it’s just the background to a job that requires physical grit, emotional stamina, and the ability to drop everything when the alarm goes off.
If you’re considering firefighting as a career, hopefully this gave you a clearer picture of what to expect. And if you’re here simply trying to understand where public dollars go, there’s a lot more to explore in our broader look at public‑sector compensation.
External Links:
https://www.omers.com/