Firefighter Salary Australia

Updated firefighter salaries for 2026 are listed below, along with links to each service’s current pay agreement so you can check the exact figures for your state.

Scroll down for NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, TAS and WA firefighter salary breakdowns.

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In this guide, I break down the 2025 firefighter salaries for every fire service in Australia, including base pay, rank progression, some allowances and overtime. You can also download the source documents and enterprise agreements these numbers come from for more detail.

If you’re preparing for the firefighter selection process, make sure you also check out my free training on How To Succeed At The Firefighting Aptitude Test – it’s helped hundreds of candidates land in the top 5%.

Across Australia in 2026, most firefighters earn between $75,000 and $115,000 a year. That’s before overtime, shift penalties or allowances.

Here’s the 2026 salary breakdown for Australian firefighters, covering recruits, qualified firefighters, senior/leading firefighters and station officers. These figures combine pay rates from several fire services around Australia.

How Much Do Firefighters Get Paid in 2026?

The figures below represent the average firefighter salaries across Australia in 2026.

Pay varies between states and departments, but this gives you a reliable guide to what firefighters earn today:

$51k–$75k as a firefighter recruit
$70k–$95k as a qualified firefighter
$90k–$120k as a senior or leading firefighter
$100k–$139k for station officer ranks

(These figures exclude firefighter pay items like overtime, allowances and other benefits packages.)

Each Australian fire department has different allowances & overtime demand. I have linked to the enterprise agreements below so you can see what allowances are available on top of generous sick leave and holidays.

Some services also offer additional payments for medical and paramedic-style training, which can form part of the role depending on your brigade.

We’ve pulled these figures from the most reliable and up-to-date sources available. Some fire services have delays in updating public documents, but we will refresh this guide annually to keep you informed.

Here is a full breakdown and the resources from which they came. We did our best to get the most up-to-date firefighter salaries in Australia as we could. Some fire services haven’t published wages or have out-of-date agreements. We will update this post each year to keep you informed.

If You Want to Become a Firefighter – Take The Quiz

Fact: Most applicants miss out on getting paid as a firefighter due to the firefighting aptitude test

The following state service pay rate cards and salary agreements will be updated to 2025 as they become available.

FRNSW Pay Rate as of 2025

Employees rates of pay will increase annually by 4% from the 26th Feb 2023 meaning the approximate firefighter salary for NSW as of 2025 would be just shy of $2000 per week. Learn what it takes to become a firefighter in NSW

https://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/page.php?id=10

NSW Firefighter Salary Agreement 2023

VIC Pay Rate as of 2024

https://firefighter.vic.gov.au/about-career-firefighters/

Other Ranks for firefighter salary Melbourne

FRV Leading Firefighter

Leading firefighter salary with frv is around 105k pa

FRV Commander salary

Cammander salary with frv starts around 130k to 160k depending on the level

Note: Victoria is currently in negotiations and has an outdated Enterprise Agreement, further information to come

ACTFR Pay Rate as of 2024

https://www.cmtedd.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/1552524/ACT-Fire-and-Rescue-Enterprise-Agreement-2020-2024.pdf

TFS Pay Rate 2024

https://www.tic.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/701502/T15005-of-2023-Firefighting-Industrial-Agreement-2022-Final.pdf

ARFF Pay Rate as of 2024

https://ufuav.asn.au/airservices-australia-aviation-rescue-and-fire-fighting-enterprise-agreement-2022-2023/

NTFRS Pay Rate as of May 2024

Click on: Recruit Firefighter Information Booklet under documents on upper right

http://www.pfes.nt.gov.au/Fire-and-Rescue/Careers-in-firefighting.aspx

NTFRS Current Pay Agreement 2024

Pay Increases

Pay increases for firefighter positions across Australia tend to follow the same path each time an enterprise bargaining agreement is up for renewal. The federal government has a policy referencing 3.0 per cent per annum over the life of the agreement.

This is usually negotiated between the firefighter union and the fire department.

The union will always be trying to improve working conditions and get increases above the reference policy. Sometimes this can draw the process out for a long time, for example it appears that the firefighter salary in Melbourne has been in negotiation since 2016.

Is It Hard to Become a Firefighter in Australia?

Aptitude Testing

The aptitude test is often the first significant hurdle. It’s a high-pressure, timed assessment covering verbal reasoning, numerical ability, and problem-solving. Many applicants underestimate the difficulty, thinking general intelligence alone will get them through—but that’s rarely the case. Strong candidates can be caught out without repeated, structured practice in a test-like environment.

That’s why Fire Recruitment Australia’s signature 30-day program focuses heavily on aptitude development. Our training has helped candidates boost their test scores by as much as 57%, using proven strategies replicating real exam conditions. You gain the confidence and speed needed to move past this critical stage by identifying your weak spots early and training strategically.

Psychological Assessments

These assessments go well beyond basic personality profiling. They evaluate how you respond to stress, whether your decision-making aligns with fire service values, and how well you operate in uncertain or high-pressure situations. Unfortunately, many applicants are caught off guard by the depth and nuance of these assessments.

To address this, Fire Recruitment Australia provides in-depth psych prep sessions that unpack what fire services seek. Our members gain access to scenario-based practice, behavioural profiling support, and one-on-one feedback to ensure they’re not just answering questions, but presenting themselves as capable, emotionally intelligent candidates ready for the job.

Physical Ability Tests (PAT)

Firefighting is physically demanding. These tests simulate real-life emergencies—stair climbs, hose drags, ladder carries—all while wearing full gear. A casual gym routine won’t cut it. You’ll need targeted strength, stamina, and mental resilience to push through fatigue and meet time limits.

Structured Interviews

This is the final gatekeeper—and it’s more than a casual chat. Firefighter panels seek candidates who can communicate, reflect on past experiences, and demonstrate alignment with the service’s mission. Without proper preparation, even the most passionate applicant can stumble under pressure.

We wrote a blog post specifically about the difficulty of getting into the NSW Fire brigade. To dive deeper into this topic, check out our complete blog post about how hard it is to get into the NSW Fire Brigade.

Conclusion

I hope this serves as a quick and informative reference for you. There is a lot of bogus information out there, unfortunately. This should help you cut through the nonsense. We will be updating the specific services in 2024, if you look at the updated aggregate at the top for a general idea of firefighter pay across Australia.

TIP: If you need the very latest firefighter pay figures for a specific service and for some reason I have overlooked it you can search with the terms in this example to get the latest firefighter pay figures from the eba of your service.

Example: “nt fire service ufu eba” or “legislation victoria frv eba”

Talk Soon,

Brent

P.S. Whenever you’re ready… here are 4 ways we can help you Get The Edge over the competition

1. Get my FREE Training – “How to Become Firefighter without wasting time”

I conduct a free training where I show you the proven roadmap on how to become a firefighter without wasting time and money. – Click Here

2. Join our Firefighter Recruitment Training page

It’s our new Facebook community where smart, aspiring firefighters learn how to get the edge and land in the top 5% — Click here

3. Join our Membership Implementation Program

Get access to all courses and software, LIVE Q&A group, access to the industry’s best aptitude and interview coaches. — Get into the Top 5% of Applicants – Click Here

4. Work with Me and the team, privately

If you’d like to work directly with me and the team to give yourself the best chance for your upcoming recruitment campaign, let us know a little about your situation to see if we are a good fit for each other – Click Here

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Brent C

After becoming a Firefighter, I developed a massive interest in the Fire Services Recruitment and Selection Processes. I've been in the fire service working since 2007 to learn everything about how Fire Services Recruitment works. I've tested and refined proven methods to help people get the edge over the competition. Today, over 300 of my former students are living their Firefighter dream.