Canada’s Best Jobs: Firefighter

(StockPhotosLV/Shutterstock)

Median Salary:	$78,936
Salary Growth (2010–2016):	+15%
Total Employees:	33,200
Change in Employees (2010–2016):	+15%

Job Description:

Firefighters perform everything you’ve come to expect: operating equipment to control and extinguish fires, rescue victims from burning buildings, and applying first aid. But they also maintain their equipment, educate the public, work with other first responders, and of course, do paperwork.

Job Qualifications:

To become a firefighter, it’s required that you complete a pre-service college program, followed by a period of supervised practical training. Certification is mandatory in Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Manitoba and Alberta, but it’s optional in all other provinces in territories—though it may provide a competitive edge. Some places, you’ll need to be a volunteer firefighter to get a foot in the door. It’ll be no surprise either that you’ll need to be extremely fit.

Salary:

The median salary of a firefighter is around $79,000, just under what a police officer makes. Over the past five years, that wage has grown by 15%.

Career Opportunity:

There’s no shortage of firefighters, at least Canada-wide, with the government projecting job prospects to remain fairly steady.

Hot Firefighter Girl Photo

WHY THIS PHOTOGRAPH OF A WOMAN BREASTFEEDING IN A FIREFIGHTER’S UNIFORM IS SO IMPORTANT

Smoking hot firefighter from Norway sets hearts on fire

A female firefighter from Norway has had netizens calling for her douse the flames that she sparked in their hearts.

According to AcidCow, Gunn Narten has been named the world's hottest firefighter and seriously, it is not hard to see why.

Narten, who has 120,000 fans on Instagram, says she is also a personal trainer and nature lover.

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(Photos: Instagram/Gunn Narten)

This is Gunn Narten.

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(Phot0: Instagram/Gunn Narten)

Many people commonly mistake the full-time firefighter/part-time emergency medical technician for a beauty guru or a model. And although the 30-year-old 5’8” Norwegian beauty admittedly likes to dress up and look “girly” — she can also lift a fire truck over her head.

“I decided to become a firefighter when I was 19. I have always loved being active and being part of a team,” Narten said in an interview with Caters. “When I found out you could combine this with a physical job, challenging tasks and doing something good for others, the choice was easy.”

Her mother was admittedly wary when her daughter applied for a job in the fire department. She said to Narten, “I have never heard of a female firefighter before…why you?” To which Narten responded: “Why not me?”

And yes, some men may find her intimidating, but it doesn’t bother Narten too much.

“Maybe they think it’s too ‘manly” — but if they can’t handle a girl with a chainsaw they need to toughen up!’ she told Caters.

When she isn’t extinguishing fires, Narten works as a physical trainer. She started seriously training at 26 and currently does everything from weight lifting and running, to swimming and hiking in the Norwegian mountains. And yup, she can throw the occasional dude over her back.

She said that she needs to be in the best shape possible because working as a firefighter requires lifting a lot of heavy equipment. For the mandatory yearly firefighter test in Norway, she needs to perform the following four exercises while dressed up in bunker gear and a tank filled with sand (total weight 23 kg/50,7 pounds) on her back:

1. Treadmill in 8 minutes (7 degrees, 5,6km/t/ 3,5 mph).

2. Squats with leg raise, minimum 15.

3. Push-ups minimum 7.

4. Pull-ups (hor.) minimum 7.

Her fitness activities are heavily documented on Instagram — an account she set up last summer to inspire others to follow unconventional goals. She has since amassed an impressive 50,000 (and growing) followers.

“I want to be a person who inspires my followers to work out, by being positive and spreading smiles, health and happiness.”

Does Gunn Narten inspire you?

Mandatory Presents: SlickforceGirl Kaitlynn

It has been a while, but a new SlickforceGirl has been released upon the world by photographer and filmmaker Nick Saglimbeni. The next hero in the series is Firefighter Kaitlynn, played by model Kaitlynn Carter, who is willing to risk her life in order to save a couple of Dalmatian puppies.

If you like what you see from Firefighter Kaitlynn, head over to SlickforceGirl and purchase the exclusive collector’s poster of the hero in action. A portion of proceeds from poster sales are donated to the Breast Cancer Charities of America’s iGoPink campaign. Keep scrolling down for more of the sexy Kaitlynn Carter, including some hot behind-the-scenes shots.