TL;DR: A BFP Fire Officer I earns a monthly base pay of ₱31,151 as of January 1, 2026, and a Fire Director earns ₱108,041, under DBM National Budget Circular No. 600 implementing Executive Order No. 107, s. 2025. Add the ₱350-a-day subsistence allowance, ₱2,000 PERA, and ₱540 hazard pay and an entry-level fire officer gets roughly ₱44,000 a month before deductions. BFP personnel are not on the civilian Salary Grade table. The CSC's Fire Officer Examination ended with its June 7, 2026 sitting, and two more base pay tranches take effect on January 1, 2027 and January 1, 2028.
Fire service is one of the steadier government careers open to any bachelor's degree holder, and "BFP salary" is a common search for criminology students and fresh graduates comparing it against the PNP. This guide covers the 2026 BFP rank pay table straight from the DBM circular, the allowances on top, the changes coming in 2027 and 2028, and what it now takes to get in, including what the end of the CSC Fire Officer Exam means for applicants. Government figures come from DBM issuances and the laws behind them; private-sector figures come from job-ad data and are labelled as estimates.
How Much Does a BFP Fire Officer Earn?
A Fire Officer I earns a monthly base pay of ₱31,151 as of January 1, 2026. The rate comes from Annex A of DBM National Budget Circular No. 600 (January 13, 2026), which implements the first of three tranches of the updated base pay schedule under Executive Order No. 107, s. 2025. The same schedule covers the PNP, BJMP, AFP, BuCor, and Coast Guard, and equivalent ranks get identical base pay: a Fire Officer I and a PNP Patrolman both start at ₱31,151.
RA 9263, the 2004 law that professionalized the BFP, originally assigned fire ranks to civilian salary grades (Fire Officer I at SG 10, Fire Inspector at SG 22). That is no longer how BFP pay works. Uniformed personnel are now paid under the separate base pay schedule for military and uniformed personnel, and DBM's civilian salary schedule, NBC No. 601, explicitly excludes them. Our government salary grade table covers the civilian side.
Disclaimer: base pay rates change with each EO 107 tranche and can be revised by later DBM issuances. Confirm current rates with the BFP or the latest DBM circular before budgeting around a specific figure.
BFP Salary by Rank (2026 Base Pay)
| BFP Rank | Monthly Base Pay (from Jan 1, 2026) | PNP Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Fire Officer I | ₱31,151 | Patrolman |
| Fire Officer II | ₱32,410 | Police Corporal |
| Fire Officer III | ₱33,720 | Police Staff Sergeant |
| Senior Fire Officer I | ₱35,082 | Police Master Sergeant |
| Senior Fire Officer II | ₱35,783 | Police Senior Master Sergeant |
| Senior Fire Officer III | ₱36,499 | Police Chief Master Sergeant |
| Senior Fire Officer IV | ₱40,284 | Police Executive Master Sergeant |
| Fire Inspector | ₱52,004 | Police Lieutenant |
| Fire Senior Inspector | ₱59,411 | Police Captain |
| Fire Chief Inspector | ₱65,683 | Police Major |
| Fire Superintendent | ₱74,879 | Police Lieutenant Colonel |
| Fire Senior Superintendent | ₱84,612 | Police Colonel |
| Fire Chief Superintendent | ₱95,611 | Police Brigadier General |
| Fire Director | ₱108,041 | Police Major General |
Source: DBM National Budget Circular No. 600, Annex A, which lists BFP and BJMP ranks in the same column. Rank titles follow RA 9263. Bills to rename BFP ranks have been filed in Congress, including House Bill 7558 in February 2026, but none has been enacted, so the RA 9263 titles still apply.
The biggest jump is from Senior Fire Officer IV (₱40,284) to Fire Inspector (₱52,004), the first commissioned rank. That ₱11,720 gap is the reason the officer track matters over a career.
What Allowances Do BFP Personnel Get?
BFP personnel receive the same core allowances as other uniformed personnel under the Department of the Interior and Local Government:
| Allowance | Amount | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Subsistence allowance | ₱350/day (about ₱10,500 in a 30-day month), up from ₱150 | EO 107, s. 2025, Sec. 4; DBM NBC No. 600 |
| PERA | ₱2,000/month | DBM Budget Circular No. 2009-3 (covers BFP) |
| Hazard pay | ₱540/month, fixed for all MUP | JR No. 1, s. 2018; DBM NBC No. 576 |
| Longevity pay | 10% of base pay per 5 years of service, capped at 50% | RA 6975, Sec. 71 (applies to fire, jail, and police) |
| Quarters and clothing allowances | Rates vary by rank and situation | RA 6975, Sec. 71 |
For a Fire Officer I, base pay plus subsistence, PERA, and hazard pay comes to roughly ₱44,191 a month (₱31,151 + ₱10,500 + ₱2,000 + ₱540) before deductions. That is our arithmetic from the official rates, not a published BFP figure, and it excludes quarters, clothing, and longevity pay.
"The increase in the subsistence allowance is not a luxury and not a favor," DBM Secretary Rolando Toledo said when the 2026 increase took effect.
Will BFP Pay Go Up in 2027 and 2028?
Yes. EO 107 sets three tranches: January 1, 2026 (the rates above), January 1, 2027, and January 1, 2028. Funding for the 2027 and 2028 adjustments goes into each year's proposed national budget, so the exact per-rank amounts are confirmed only when DBM issues the circular for each tranche.
Hiring is also expanding. DBM's 2026 budget funds 10,077 new military and uniformed positions, 2,000 of them in the BFP.
How Do You Join the BFP?
Entry as Fire Officer I. Section 4 of RA 9263, as amended, sets the general qualifications:
- Filipino citizen of good moral character
- A bachelor's degree from a recognized institution
- An appropriate civil service eligibility
- Aged 21 to 30 for new applicants
- Minimum height of 1.57 m for men and 1.52 m for women under RA 11549, with automatic height and age waivers for applicants from indigenous cultural communities
- Weight within 5 kg of the standard for your height, age, and sex
- Passing psychiatric/psychological, drug, and physical tests
The Fire Officer Examination has ended. The CSC held the last FOE on June 7, 2026. Through CSC Resolution No. 2601044 (promulgated August 4, 2026), it approved the DILG's request to stop the exam. The DILG had argued that reforms to BFP recruitment left the bureau with "a steady, adequate supply of qualified eligibles," so a standalone exam was no longer needed. Fire Officer eligibilities already earned remain valid for life. If you do not hold one, check the BFP's recruitment announcement for the eligibilities it currently accepts.
Registered Criminologists skip the exam question entirely. Under RA 11131, licensed criminologists are exempt from BFP qualifying and entrance exams (Section 35) and are treated as civil service eligible for firefighter and fire marshal positions (Section 34). See our BS Criminology guide and Criminology Licensure Exam guide.
Entry as a commissioned officer. RA 9263 provides that graduates of the Philippine National Police Academy are automatically appointed to the initial rank of Fire Inspector (₱52,004 base). Doctors of medicine, members of the Philippine Bar, and chaplains enter by lateral entry at Fire Senior Inspector, and RA 11131 gives Registered Criminologists preference for lateral entry as Fire Inspectors.
Disclaimer: qualification rules, accepted eligibilities, and recruitment schedules are set by the BFP, DILG, and CSC and can change between cycles. Confirm with the BFP regional office handling your application.
How Do BFP Personnel Get Promoted?
Non-commissioned personnel climb from Fire Officer I through Senior Fire Officer IV. Officer posts also carry education requirements under Section 7 of RA 9263: a Municipal Fire Marshal must be at least a Fire Senior Inspector with at least second-year Bachelor of Laws or 12 master's units in a related field, while district and provincial fire marshal posts call for a Fire Superintendent with a law or master's degree. If you are aiming for command roles, plan graduate study early.
Appointments to Fire Chief Superintendent and above are made by the President on recommendation of the DILG Secretary, per Section 5 of RA 9263.
BFP Pay vs. Private Fire and Safety Jobs
Outside government, Jobstreet's job-ad data puts a typical firefighter salary (industrial and private fire brigades) at ₱23,060-₱27,680 a month and a safety officer at ₱20,000-₱26,000. A Fire Officer I's ₱31,151 base pay is above both before any allowance is counted.
Disclaimer: private-sector figures are Jobstreet estimates based on salary ranges employers disclose in job ads, not a government wage survey. Actual offers vary by employer and region.
How to Decide If a BFP Career Is Right for You
- Mind the age window. New applicants must be 21 to 30, so plan your degree and eligibility timing around it.
- Weigh a criminology license. It removes the entrance exam hurdle for the BFP, PNP, and BJMP and gives lateral-entry preference. Compare schools in our best criminology schools roundup.
- Compare PNPA if you want to start as an officer. A Fire Inspector starts at ₱52,004 against ₱31,151 for a Fire Officer I.
- Plan for graduate study if you want command posts. Fire marshal positions carry law or master's requirements under RA 9263.
- Budget around base pay. Subsistence and PERA are reliable add-ons, but take-home pay still drops after GSIS-equivalent, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG, and tax deductions.
Ready to find the right school? Browse schools or compare criminology and other degree programs across hundreds of Philippine schools on SchoolFinderPH.
Sources
- DBM National Budget Circular No. 600 — Implementation of the increase in base pay of MUP beginning January 1, 2026 (official PDF, Annex A)
- DBM — DBM welcomes PBBM's approval to increase base pay, subsistence allowance of MUP (EO 107)
- DBM — "The government will not abandon you": salary increase and higher allowance for MUPs in 2026
- DBM National Budget Circular No. 601 — Third Tranche Salary Schedule for civilian personnel (official PDF)
- DBM National Budget Circular No. 576 — ₱540 hazard pay for MUP (official PDF)
- DBM Budget Circular No. 2009-3 — PERA coverage of military and uniformed personnel
- Republic Act No. 9263 — BFP and BJMP Professionalization Act of 2004 (LawPhil)
- Republic Act No. 6975 — DILG Act of 1990, Sec. 71 (LawPhil)
- Republic Act No. 11549 — minimum height requirement for PNP, BFP, BJMP, BuCor (LawPhil)
- Republic Act No. 11131 — Philippine Criminology Profession Act of 2018, Secs. 34-36 (LawPhil)
- Civil Service Commission — CSC Concludes Fire Officer Examination as BFP Eligibility Needs Have Been Met
- Civil Service Commission — Fire Officer and Penology Officer Examinations Set on 7 June 2026
- House of Representatives — House Bill No. 7558 (20th Congress), BFP rank classification
- Jobstreet — Firefighter salary in the Philippines
- Jobstreet — Safety Officer salary in the Philippines
