In my suburban area, we have volunteer firefighters that get paid meal allowances. The unit was formed in 1951 so homeowners could get lower insurance premiums.
My neighbor across the street is degreed full-time firefighter. I don’t know what he makes, but I’m sure it is more than $15 per hour. He was able to get his paid job easily.
In NYC, the retired firefighters often get pensions over $100,000/year.
The fire chief in our area is a guy I went to high school with. He retired last year with a very comfortable middle class lifestyle. This is out in the sticks. Biden just lies.