Utah Firefighter Salary (2026) – Salt Lake City, Provo & Park City Pay

Utah fire departments do not all describe compensation the same way. Salt Lake City publishes a contractual step table with separate Operations and Support hourly rates. Provo publishes annual EMT and paramedic ranges. Park City tells applicants exactly what they earn during recruit class and after paramedic placement. Ogden publishes a biweekly range and requires applicants to arrive with advanced EMS and firefighter certifications.

Those differences are more useful than a single statewide “entry-to-top-step” estimate. This page therefore keeps each department's pay system in its own terms rather than forcing every agency into the same template.

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Utah Firefighter Wages: Statewide Data vs. Wasatch Front Career Pay

May 2025 BLS wage data put the Utah firefighter median at about $48,310 per year. The statewide mean is about $51,270, with the lower end of the published distribution near $27,660.

That statewide number is useful as a labor-market benchmark, but it is not representative of every Wasatch Front career department. Salt Lake City's new July 2026 Firefighter-EMT entry step is more than $63,000, and several current paramedic classifications run into six figures.

One reason is that the statewide occupational series combines firefighters working across different regions and employer types. The pay package attached to a Salt Lake City 48/96 operations position is not the same labor market as a seasonal wildland position or a smaller rural department.

Utah Firefighter Salary by Department — Current Public Figures

Ranges can reflect years-of-service steps, experience-based placement or separate EMS classifications. A Firefighter/Paramedic maximum is not a new-recruit salary.

Salt Lake City Firefighter Salary: New Schedule Effective July 1, 2026

Salt Lake City has one of the strongest current official sources in Utah: the Local 81 labor agreement includes a complete Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Base Wage Schedule effective July 1, 2026.

Salt Lake City Firefighter-EMT pay

Salt Lake City Firefighter-Paramedic pay

The same FY2026-27 schedule lists Firefighter Captain at $123,230 estimated annual equivalent. Firefighter-Specialists are paid 7% above the Firefighter-EMT wage rate under the agreement.

Salt Lake City uses separate Operations and Support hourly rates. Full-time Operations employees are assigned a 48 hours on / 96 hours off schedule. The contract also contains specific holdover, support-differential and acting-out-of-class rules rather than one generic overtime add-on.

Provo Firefighter Salary: EMT and Paramedic Are Different Pay Markets

Provo Fire & Rescue currently publishes two annual salary bands:

• Firefighter/EMT: $54,291–$73,015 depending on experience
• Firefighter/Paramedic: $72,885–$102,739 depending on experience

After successful recruit training, firefighters are assigned to a platoon and work a 48/96 schedule.

Provo also accepts lateral firefighter/paramedics continuously and lists the same $72,885–$102,739 range for that pathway.

The difference between the EMT and paramedic ranges is too large to hide inside a generic “premium pay” paragraph. In Provo, EMS certification is part of the pay classification itself.

Park City Firefighter Salary in the 2026 Recruit Class

Park City Fire Service District's April-May 2026 recruitment was specifically for its September 8, 2026 recruit class, making it an especially useful current source.

The district listed:

• Firefighter/EMT starting wage: $62,832.56
• Firefighter/Paramedic starting wage after recruit class: $71,684.83

There is an important training-pay rule: newly hired paramedics are paid at the EMT rate during recruit class. They move to the paramedic starting wage after recruit class.

Park City firefighters work a rotating 48 hours on / 96 hours off schedule.

Ogden Firefighter Salary and Why Its Entry Requirements Matter

Ogden's current firefighter recruitment page lists a salary range of $2,102.24 to $2,992.13 biweekly. Over 26 biweekly pay periods, that is roughly $54,658 to $77,795 annually.

But Ogden is not an uncredentialed recruit comparison. Entry-level applicants must already hold:

• National Registry or Utah Advanced EMT or higher
• Firefighter I
• Firefighter II
• HazMat Awareness
• HazMat Operations

That qualification package helps explain why comparing Ogden's published salary directly with an academy-based recruit position can be misleading.

Unified Fire Authority: Current 2026 Hiring, but the Linked Pay Table Is Old

Unified Fire Authority is actively running both entry-level and lateral firefighter processes in 2026. Its entry-level recruit camp is scheduled for August 2026, and the lateral process allows placement up to Step 10 based on credited service and qualifications.

UFA also says paramedic applicants can qualify for additional pay and preference points.

The data-quality problem is the salary link. UFA's current FAQ still links to a firefighter pay-plan PDF labeled July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025.

This is exactly the kind of situation where copying a number from the first official PDF found in Google would make a salary page look authoritative while still being wrong.

48/96 Firefighter Schedules Change How Hourly Pay Should Be Read

Salt Lake City, Provo and Park City all publish or describe 48/96 operations schedules. A firefighter works two consecutive 24-hour shifts followed by 96 hours off.

That schedule is not a normal 40-hour workweek, so annual salary is the safer comparison when departments use different hourly structures.

Salt Lake City's agreement makes this especially clear by publishing separate Operations and Support hourly rates next to an estimated annual equivalent. When comparing departments, use the annual figure provided by the employer rather than multiplying a platoon hourly rate by 2,080 hours.

Utah Wildland Fire Exposure Does Not Create a Guaranteed Overtime Number

The old article said Utah's wildfire season could add significant income to municipal firefighters. That may happen in some assignments or mutual-aid deployments, but it is not a dependable annual salary component.

Utah's Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands hires dedicated wildland personnel and its current Fire Warden postings explicitly list overtime, on-call and hazard pay. Municipal fire departments can also respond to WUI incidents, but the compensation rules depend on the agency and assignment.

For a city firefighter salary comparison, wildfire deployment should therefore be treated as operational context — not a guaranteed extra $10,000 or $20,000.

Utah Firefighter Retirement: Tier 2 Changed Again on July 1, 2026

The old article said Utah firefighters contribute “around 0%” under Tier 1 and a variable amount under Tier 2. That is too vague for someone applying today.

A firefighter newly hired in 2026 will generally be a Tier 2 member because URS Tier 1 applies to employees hired before July 1, 2011.

For the Tier 2 Public Safety and Firefighter Hybrid System, URS says the required contribution increased again for fiscal year 2026-27. Beginning July 1, 2026, a member may be responsible for up to 5.98% of salary.

The key phrase is “up to.” An employer can formally elect to pick up part or all of the required member contribution. If the employer covers 2%, for example, the employee would pay the remaining 3.98%. If the employer covers the full amount, the employee pays none of that required contribution.

The Tier 2 Hybrid pension formula uses 2% × years of qualifying service × average of the five highest years of salary for service earned after July 1, 2020. Under the current basic formula, 25 years corresponds to 50% of the five-year average before optional adjustments.

URS also offers a Tier 2 401(k)-only option, so pension structure can differ based on the member's election and employer participation.

Utah Income Tax Is 4.45% in 2026

Utah cut its individual income tax rate again in 2026. The Utah State Tax Commission revised its schedules and examples to reflect a 4.45% income tax rate.

The old article also implied Utah does not tax retirement income. That was too broad. Utah's retirement-income tax treatment depends on the type of income and available credits; it should not be summarized as “no state income tax on retirement income.”

For an active firefighter, take-home pay is affected by Utah income tax, federal withholding, URS treatment, insurance premiums and other payroll deductions.

How to Compare Utah Firefighter Take-Home Pay

Use the employer's actual compensation structure:

1. Start with the current entry step or recruit-class rate.
2. Separate EMT, AEMT and paramedic classifications.
3. Check whether academy pay differs from post-academy pay.
4. Use the employer's annual equivalent when the department operates a 48/96 schedule.
5. Ask whether your employer picks up any of the Tier 2 URS member contribution.
6. Apply Utah's current 4.45% income-tax rate along with federal withholding.
7. Add health insurance, union dues and voluntary retirement deductions.
8. Keep callback, holdover, wildfire and unscheduled overtime outside the base comparison unless they are contractually guaranteed.

For example, Salt Lake City's Firefighter-Paramedic entry rate and Park City's post-recruit paramedic rate are both real numbers, but they come from different step systems and should not be treated as interchangeable job offers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average firefighter salary in Utah?

May 2025 BLS wage data put the Utah firefighter median at about $48,310. Current Wasatch Front municipal salaries can be substantially higher.

How much does a Salt Lake City firefighter make in 2026?

The schedule effective July 1, 2026 lists Firefighter-EMT at $63,803–$94,126 and Firefighter-Paramedic at $73,629–$108,621.

How much does a Provo firefighter make?

Provo currently lists $54,291–$73,015 for Firefighter/EMT and $72,885–$102,739 for Firefighter/Paramedic.

How much does a Park City firefighter make?

Park City's 2026 entry recruitment starts Firefighter/EMT at $62,832.56. Paramedics move to a $71,684.83 starting rate after recruit class.

How much does an Ogden firefighter make?

Ogden currently publishes $2,102.24–$2,992.13 biweekly, roughly $54,658–$77,795 annualized across 26 pay periods.

How much do new Utah firefighters contribute to URS?

For the 2026-27 Tier 2 Public Safety/Firefighter Hybrid system, members may be required to contribute up to 5.98% of salary. The employer can pick up part or all of that amount.

What is Utah's income tax rate in 2026?

The Utah State Tax Commission updated its 2026 schedules to reflect a 4.45% individual income tax rate.

Sources and Data Notes

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — May 2025 state OEWS tables.
• Salt Lake City / IAFF Local 81 agreement — includes FY2026-27 wage schedule effective July 1, 2026.
• Salt Lake City Fire Department careers.
• Provo Fire & Rescue — Join Our Team.
• Park City Fire Service District — 2026 Firefighter/EMT or FF/Paramedic recruitment.
• Ogden City — Become a Firefighter.
• Unified Fire Authority — 2026 Entry-Level Firefighter process and 2026 Lateral Firefighter process.
• Utah Retirement Systems — Tier 2 Public Safety & Firefighter member contribution FAQs.
• URS Tier 2 Public Safety and Firefighter Hybrid basics.
• Utah State Tax Commission — 2026 forms and rate revisions.

Editorial note: Utah departments publish firefighter pay as contract steps, annual ranges, biweekly rates and academy/post-academy rates. This page preserves those distinctions. Where a current recruiting page links an older salary schedule — as with Unified Fire Authority — the old schedule is not silently relabeled as 2026. Figures were checked against public sources available September 8, 2026.

Preparing for a Utah fire-service hiring process? Our firefighter hiring guide covers written testing, physical ability, EMS certification and academy basics.