Firefighter Salary in Arkansas (2026)

Worth knowing: Arkansas's substantial Tornado Alley exposure + post-tornado hurricane response training is a distinctive feature of AR firefighting most national firefighter career surveys understate for the state. AR substantial tornado exposure (the substantial AR-MO-OK-KS Tornado Alley positioning with major recent AR tornado events including the 2014 Vilonia + Mayflower EF4 tornado outbreak ~16 fatalities + the 2024 Western Arkansas tornado outbreak + substantial annual AR tornado activity averaging ~25-35 tornadoes per year + AR-substantial post-2011 Joplin MO + post-2013 Moore OK tornado response specialty training across substantial AR fire departments + USAR + post-disaster + structural collapse + mass casualty response training + equipment investment) has driven substantial AR fire department training + equipment investment in tornado response + post-tornado USAR + structural collapse rescue. Little Rock Fire Department (~480 sworn + IAFF Local 34 + the largest AR fire department + the only AR Class 1 ISO-rated major urban department) supports substantial high-acuity AR urban + post-disaster firefighter operations. The substantial NW Arkansas fire department growth post-2010 (Walmart-driven Bentonville + Rogers + Springdale + Fayetteville population growth driving substantial fire department + EMS expansion) supports substantial AR career firefighter career pipeline. Senior Little Rock + Fort Smith + Fayetteville + Bentonville + Springdale firefighter officers clear $72-112K + OT. The substantial AR petrochemical industrial fire brigade demand at El Dorado (Lion Oil + Murphy USA) + Pine Bluff Arsenal (post-chemical-demilitarization closure) supports substantial industrial fire brigade + hazmat specialty work. Little Rock Air Force Base (the country's largest US Air Force C-130 base + the C-130 Center of Excellence) substantial federal civilian firefighter work. AR firefighter pension via the Arkansas Local Police and Fire Retirement System (LOPFI, ~$2.7B AUM + ~12K active + retired members + the substantial AR municipal firefighter + police pension serving substantially all AR career firefighter + police officers) provides defined-benefit pension at 2.94% × years × FAS multiplier supporting career firefighter retirement after 28 years. AR does NOT recognize public-sector collective bargaining at state level — AR RTW since 1947 + IAFF Locals operate as professional advocacy. AR progressive 2-4.4% top phasing 3.9% by 2026 + no state estate tax. The 2025 OBBBA No Tax on Overtime federal deduction applies through 2028.