Safety makes a huge difference. It is so ingrained into firefighter culture such that despite the risks of this profession, it doesn’t rate as one of the most dangerous jobs (although overall it’s much higher than would seem to be the case - 44 fatalities would put it on this chart, but for the large numbers of volunteer firefighters in remote areas that rarely see a call).
I wonder how it compares to other 'public' sector roles that are less unionised - e.g. nursing. Do they earn 100k a year?