Atomic Punk,
I just recently retired as a Fire Lieutenant/Paramedic from my department after 21+ years of service. In my area, firefighters make a decent living but no, you won't get rich from the profession. Overtime is the ticket (time and a half), and usually available, which does wonders for the pay check. The reason many of us get paid a decent wage is the fact we work so many hours, vs. the 40 hour per week employee. I worked an average of 56 hours per week. Also, the fire service schedule allows the opportunity to hold down a second job, if so desired. If you compare the average firefighter's hourly rate compared to other vocations, it is relatively low. As a matter of fact, some of our administrative assistants (office staff) made more money per hour than I did, even after 20 years in the biz.
Bud