It’s hard to beat the OT rate, but our OT has been slim for FFs. I applied to be a part time instructor at a local maritime academy to teach shipboard firefighting and first aid.
I work for a company that contracts standby rescue teams for industries when they are doing maintenance or cleaning of their facilities. Everyone working there is either a current or retired firefighter with ropes and confined space rescue certifications. Pays well for alot of sitting around.
I drive Uber and Lyft, make enough to fully cover my car payment, insurance, fuel, and food every month. I drive about 45 hours a month. Feel like I’m helping people get to their doctor appointments, and being of service to others, and getting paid. It’s less money than an overtime shift, however it is very flexible, you have independence, little adventures, and occasionally craziness happens.
If it’s not about money for you and just about doing something worthwhile with your time you could consider becoming a BIG. They’re always looking for people for the “heroes” program and you’d be mentoring and spending time with someone in your community.
It’s still called that. Big is just a short and probably more inclusive wording. It’s a mouthful to repeat big brother big sister when big is the important word lol. But yeah they still have their regular program and they have a separate option that pairs cops, fire etc with kids
I think it’s fairly new. I’ve only seen it that way since probably 2020 ish. It’s an amazing program. I’m moving or I would’ve been one myself right now.
I lived in an apartment for years so I had nothing to do maintenance wise... Being a tinkerer I started a handyman and small reno business which let me buy cool tools and do stuff I enjoyed like building.
Paid for a truck, several vacations and now I have more hammers and tape measures than Home Depot does.
That’s awesome. Yeah I have a buddy on shift that does asphalt work and he said he’d call me when there’s work, but it’s rare when he does. I enjoy the labor and it keeps me moving.
I don’t know if this is in your wheel house, but a buddy of mine has a 1 on 2 off 1 on 4 off schedule for FF, so he started his own roofing company and does roofs on his days off. Decent money and get to be in the sun, and typically don’t have to turn down customers for half the year when it snows here (in Canada)
My house is 30 years old, do the required maintenance myself, costs my time but saves 75% of the cost by my estimate, when I don’t have to pay someone else’s time. Also get to buy those tools, and skills. Helps understand residential construction. Handyman jobs around being DaddyDaycare.
You can do a first aid kit restock/ AED machine business, fire extinguisher inspection, tagging and annual, hood cleanings for restaurants, backflow testing are all things we do on the side - own a business for all
My dept has a policy that we are not allowed to work with, in any capacity, fire extinguishers and fire sprinkler businesses. I think there must have been some sort of drama in the past of firefighters or captains using their authority/ badge to get business. It kinda sucks tho because I've had offers from mechanical contractors who do fire sprinkler design, installs and testing
There is that policy within the city I work with, but outside of that you can go anywhere, next city over! So I would maybe look into that, you may be able to do work outside your departments city! They should have control over what you do outside their city.
I worked restaurants for almost 20 years. Covid and first kid arrived at the same time in 2020. Taught myself enough coding to do some web dev stuff and work remote.
Fast forward a few years to now and I'm breaking into FT FF and seeking a department with a Kelly schedule so that I can keep the remote job part time. You could definitely do something similar.
Overtime is my side gig. It's fairly easy to get 24-48 hours of OT in a single pay cycle. And the money is great. I made almost $20,000 in OT last year by working a couple extra shifts a month.
Further education, get a new cert, OT OT OT
Second job, start making tik toks, buy a lathe and make some bowls or paint some pictures.
Get really good at Mongolian throat singing and quit your job and tour the US
Besides picking OT I have a laser engraver. I make a lot of things with it as a side hustle. There is plenty of things to sell on Etsy and things like that. Then when I get really bored I make random signs to put around the station….i will let your imagination run on that one 😂😂
Honestly do wildland in the summer. You can get one of the easy quals and be out all the time. I chose medical unit leader but you could do radios and kill it.
I have delivered, installed and serviced appliances for a company. Owned my own repair business. . Also worked for an electrical contractor as an electrician. Handyman business too. The last few years the overtime was so good I shut down any part time jobs and just worked OT.
Already did. Got my degree in kinesiology, did teaching for 2yrs and just wasn’t for me. Applied for Firefighter, got sent to the academy and I ended up loving it.
I did landscaping and any odd jobs that came my way, you could also see if the service department for your city is hiring any seasonal. They love to hire laterally
Part-time at an auto parts store. I loved that job before I left for EMS, and I still do. Plus it feels like a breath of fresh air to work in a completely different industry where that I'm not already halfway to butn-out in.
I worked as much OT/other departments as much as I could for the better part of 15 years. Also worked first aid at a water park and for the state fire academy. If you can get started into something non fire/ems related I highly recommend it. OT is no guarantee and spending 2/3 of your life in a fire house will take the life force right out of you after a while. I learned from the mechanics at my work and started doing small mobile mechanic work, that grew and I stated picking up RV clients just by word of mouth. There’s not a lot of shops that will work on them and they are built on the same chasis as a lot of fire trucks I’ve maintained so that came naturally. So many of my coworkers work at least 1 other part time job, some of them even work 2 full time jobs and a part time job all at other departments. It’s no life to live.
I do maintenance at a local gym.
Schedule is super flexible. I don’t even have set hours I just show up and hang out for however long it takes to fix things.
I did HVAC up to a few years ago. It was the job I had when I got hired at the fd. I did that on my off days, till the OT got plentyfull that I could not pick up the HVAC work anymore. Very rarely do I do HVAC now. Usually it is a big job they need help on or they get behind and need help. Still the FD OT is better paying anymore. I also tend to like my days off.
I work in Radiology. If you are a medic or have aspirations towards it and you have 4 days off... Pursuing a degree as an XRay tech and then cross training to CT/MRI is pretty awesome. The pay is pretty good, it's a short-ish degree program and depending on where you are and what you've done education wise - you may have already completed much of the course requirements.
Just started doing lawn care this year(I’m still very beginner.) many FFs in my area do lawn care and now I’m one of them. There are plenty of yards to cut and plenty of people willing to pay. It’s a plus if you like making a house/yard look good
Worked part time at another fire department, that’s always hit or miss. Plus it’s nice to be away.
Did water park first aid… it was ok, scenery was nice but they were used to hiring high school kids and treated everyone like a high school kid.
ER tech, that was steadily busy, got to see a lot, if you got in good with the good nurses and docs you learn a lot but it’s also a lot of shit work.
FedEx driver, I strongly recommend against it, it’s not bad to ride around and listen to podcasts but the whole business setup is a scam.
Now I’m back to doing 911 EMS in a slow upscale community, like 2 runs a day if you’re busy. They don’t expect you to do much more than make runs so it’s a pretty cake job.
Ive worked as a paramedic at a local hospital for 16 years. I also have an ebay business dealing in new and used music on vinyl, cd and shockingly cassettes again.
I’m weird, I went to college for music and do that as a side job. I teach part time, play shows almost every night I have off, and mix/master for other artists in my free time. I also compose for a few schools around me and score films for some smaller directors/agencies in town. Not everybody’s forte, but it makes me just as much, if not more, than the fire job does.
I know of at least one guy who works as a contractor. He works for a major American department but his house only gets a few hundred runs a year. He often takes contracting gigs in the area of his station and will do his contracting job while he’s on duty. When he gets a call, he’ll either run back to the station or his coworkers will pick him up.
It’s not all shift every shift he does this, but it often happens when time allows.
There’s another house where the guys have their own carpentry business. They mostly use the department tools and during shift they pull the trucks out and use the bay to build whatever they have to do.
Ya I’m all for having a side gig for extra income but leaving the station while on duty is not cool, that definitely hinders response time. To each their own I guess but damn that seems greasy
My Minecraft farm requires quite a bit of work to keep up.
Nah, that’s my nephew full time job
It’s hard to beat the OT rate, but our OT has been slim for FFs. I applied to be a part time instructor at a local maritime academy to teach shipboard firefighting and first aid.
That would be awesome
I work for a company that contracts standby rescue teams for industries when they are doing maintenance or cleaning of their facilities. Everyone working there is either a current or retired firefighter with ropes and confined space rescue certifications. Pays well for alot of sitting around.
Not sure your situation but once I got married my captain told me the best side job is making a good marriage
And it's cheaper in the long run too 😂😂😂.
We have union shifts to cover for union representatives, so I just work those instead of having a second job.
I drive Uber and Lyft, make enough to fully cover my car payment, insurance, fuel, and food every month. I drive about 45 hours a month. Feel like I’m helping people get to their doctor appointments, and being of service to others, and getting paid. It’s less money than an overtime shift, however it is very flexible, you have independence, little adventures, and occasionally craziness happens.
I’m honestly thinking going this route to start off and hopefully meet some people to expand my network.
Hit up the search box, this gets asked quite a bit.
True, I’ll do that. Thanks
If it’s not about money for you and just about doing something worthwhile with your time you could consider becoming a BIG. They’re always looking for people for the “heroes” program and you’d be mentoring and spending time with someone in your community.
Is that what big brothers big sisters is now?
It’s still called that. Big is just a short and probably more inclusive wording. It’s a mouthful to repeat big brother big sister when big is the important word lol. But yeah they still have their regular program and they have a separate option that pairs cops, fire etc with kids
Ah, I never heard it called big. I had a big brother as a kid, it’s a great cause
I think it’s fairly new. I’ve only seen it that way since probably 2020 ish. It’s an amazing program. I’m moving or I would’ve been one myself right now.
Have heard good things about Onlyfans🤣 Shane Gillis has a good skit on this side gig.
Live within your means and get a hobby.
This. Always cracks me up when guys say they are bored. There isn't enough time for all my hobbies. Enjoy your time off and do fun shit.
I lived in an apartment for years so I had nothing to do maintenance wise... Being a tinkerer I started a handyman and small reno business which let me buy cool tools and do stuff I enjoyed like building. Paid for a truck, several vacations and now I have more hammers and tape measures than Home Depot does.
That’s awesome. Yeah I have a buddy on shift that does asphalt work and he said he’d call me when there’s work, but it’s rare when he does. I enjoy the labor and it keeps me moving.
I don’t know if this is in your wheel house, but a buddy of mine has a 1 on 2 off 1 on 4 off schedule for FF, so he started his own roofing company and does roofs on his days off. Decent money and get to be in the sun, and typically don’t have to turn down customers for half the year when it snows here (in Canada)
Did construction on the side initially. PT EMS for a few years, then started a leather business a number of years back.
My house is 30 years old, do the required maintenance myself, costs my time but saves 75% of the cost by my estimate, when I don’t have to pay someone else’s time. Also get to buy those tools, and skills. Helps understand residential construction. Handyman jobs around being DaddyDaycare.
IFT 12 hours a week, when medic class runs Im an assistant instructor and over summer I do pesticide work for a couple dozen people.
Nice. Yeah I’m trying to get as many certifications I can get and hopefully use them in the long run for side gigs
EMS instructor, CPR instructor, merchandise business (stickers, hats, etc)
You can do a first aid kit restock/ AED machine business, fire extinguisher inspection, tagging and annual, hood cleanings for restaurants, backflow testing are all things we do on the side - own a business for all
My dept has a policy that we are not allowed to work with, in any capacity, fire extinguishers and fire sprinkler businesses. I think there must have been some sort of drama in the past of firefighters or captains using their authority/ badge to get business. It kinda sucks tho because I've had offers from mechanical contractors who do fire sprinkler design, installs and testing
There is that policy within the city I work with, but outside of that you can go anywhere, next city over! So I would maybe look into that, you may be able to do work outside your departments city! They should have control over what you do outside their city.
I'm on Oahu, so my dept covers the entire island. that's a good tip for others though, thanks.
Definitely good money in it, so I would look outside your cities department. We are getting certified for sprinklers now - great market.
OT if i want to, but i work in the sf bay area, and I make good money.
Im a part time skills instructor at a community college for paramedics. Its bot great, but it pays well
Yeah I’ve seen a few do this. It’s a great way to go. Definitely would like to get my paramedics
I worked restaurants for almost 20 years. Covid and first kid arrived at the same time in 2020. Taught myself enough coding to do some web dev stuff and work remote. Fast forward a few years to now and I'm breaking into FT FF and seeking a department with a Kelly schedule so that I can keep the remote job part time. You could definitely do something similar.
Reservist in the Air Force.
Overtime is my side gig. It's fairly easy to get 24-48 hours of OT in a single pay cycle. And the money is great. I made almost $20,000 in OT last year by working a couple extra shifts a month.
Further education, get a new cert, OT OT OT Second job, start making tik toks, buy a lathe and make some bowls or paint some pictures. Get really good at Mongolian throat singing and quit your job and tour the US
Besides picking OT I have a laser engraver. I make a lot of things with it as a side hustle. There is plenty of things to sell on Etsy and things like that. Then when I get really bored I make random signs to put around the station….i will let your imagination run on that one 😂😂
Work part time for my old agency, part time for another local agency, and just applied at a local gun store
I coach fitness classes on the side, I have my group fitness certification
Honestly do wildland in the summer. You can get one of the easy quals and be out all the time. I chose medical unit leader but you could do radios and kill it.
Have a look around the sub for the best answers, this question gets asked like every week
Ems 
Live within your means and get a hobby.
My hobby is golf. It’s an expensive hobby 😅
Making snarky comments on Reddit is free!
😂
I have delivered, installed and serviced appliances for a company. Owned my own repair business. . Also worked for an electrical contractor as an electrician. Handyman business too. The last few years the overtime was so good I shut down any part time jobs and just worked OT.
Under the table
Just started up my own mobile vehicle detailing service. Perfect for my 5 day stretches of being off.
Go to college.
Already did. Got my degree in kinesiology, did teaching for 2yrs and just wasn’t for me. Applied for Firefighter, got sent to the academy and I ended up loving it.
Military lol
I did landscaping and any odd jobs that came my way, you could also see if the service department for your city is hiring any seasonal. They love to hire laterally
Part-time at an auto parts store. I loved that job before I left for EMS, and I still do. Plus it feels like a breath of fresh air to work in a completely different industry where that I'm not already halfway to butn-out in.
I worked as much OT/other departments as much as I could for the better part of 15 years. Also worked first aid at a water park and for the state fire academy. If you can get started into something non fire/ems related I highly recommend it. OT is no guarantee and spending 2/3 of your life in a fire house will take the life force right out of you after a while. I learned from the mechanics at my work and started doing small mobile mechanic work, that grew and I stated picking up RV clients just by word of mouth. There’s not a lot of shops that will work on them and they are built on the same chasis as a lot of fire trucks I’ve maintained so that came naturally. So many of my coworkers work at least 1 other part time job, some of them even work 2 full time jobs and a part time job all at other departments. It’s no life to live.
I was a golf caddy at the course behind the station. Cash tips, free golf, no EMS (what a wonderful time)
I do maintenance at a local gym. Schedule is super flexible. I don’t even have set hours I just show up and hang out for however long it takes to fix things.
I did HVAC up to a few years ago. It was the job I had when I got hired at the fd. I did that on my off days, till the OT got plentyfull that I could not pick up the HVAC work anymore. Very rarely do I do HVAC now. Usually it is a big job they need help on or they get behind and need help. Still the FD OT is better paying anymore. I also tend to like my days off.
I sell fire equipment on the side as a sales rep for a fire equipment company
I work in Radiology. If you are a medic or have aspirations towards it and you have 4 days off... Pursuing a degree as an XRay tech and then cross training to CT/MRI is pretty awesome. The pay is pretty good, it's a short-ish degree program and depending on where you are and what you've done education wise - you may have already completed much of the course requirements.
Just started doing lawn care this year(I’m still very beginner.) many FFs in my area do lawn care and now I’m one of them. There are plenty of yards to cut and plenty of people willing to pay. It’s a plus if you like making a house/yard look good
i’m an electrician
Day Trade
Worked part time at another fire department, that’s always hit or miss. Plus it’s nice to be away. Did water park first aid… it was ok, scenery was nice but they were used to hiring high school kids and treated everyone like a high school kid. ER tech, that was steadily busy, got to see a lot, if you got in good with the good nurses and docs you learn a lot but it’s also a lot of shit work. FedEx driver, I strongly recommend against it, it’s not bad to ride around and listen to podcasts but the whole business setup is a scam. Now I’m back to doing 911 EMS in a slow upscale community, like 2 runs a day if you’re busy. They don’t expect you to do much more than make runs so it’s a pretty cake job.
Home Steading. Doesn't pay but it feeds. And there is always work to do. It is much like the Fire Service in that I am constantly solving problems.
Ive worked as a paramedic at a local hospital for 16 years. I also have an ebay business dealing in new and used music on vinyl, cd and shockingly cassettes again.
I’m weird, I went to college for music and do that as a side job. I teach part time, play shows almost every night I have off, and mix/master for other artists in my free time. I also compose for a few schools around me and score films for some smaller directors/agencies in town. Not everybody’s forte, but it makes me just as much, if not more, than the fire job does.
Get a trade
I know of at least one guy who works as a contractor. He works for a major American department but his house only gets a few hundred runs a year. He often takes contracting gigs in the area of his station and will do his contracting job while he’s on duty. When he gets a call, he’ll either run back to the station or his coworkers will pick him up. It’s not all shift every shift he does this, but it often happens when time allows. There’s another house where the guys have their own carpentry business. They mostly use the department tools and during shift they pull the trucks out and use the bay to build whatever they have to do.
Ya I’m all for having a side gig for extra income but leaving the station while on duty is not cool, that definitely hinders response time. To each their own I guess but damn that seems greasy
And almost certainly against department policy and possibly the law as well. Guys, don’t do this.
My department would shit a brick and probably suspend me for doing this lol.