The meaning of the salamander is perfect for a fireman because firemen are supposed to withstand heat and a salamander used to be believed to not be able to be harmed by fire. Basically the salamander represents dominance over fire.
The phoenix symbolizes rebirth in both Montag�s spiritual resurrection and the collective rebirth of human kind. It tells how even though a phoenix burns it self down it will still keep coming back and never stop. This shows that that as people make more and more mistakes they will always learn from it and get a better understanding of it. Overall the phoenix explains the belief that a single person isn�t as important as a mass of people.