Firefighter Career Path And Overview
Firefighters put out fires to buildings, property, and environment. Firefighters also respond to emergencies such as accidents, medical emergencies, and natural disasters. Firefighters provide immediate medical treatment to people having medical emergencies befoe they are teken to hospitals.
| Put out fires in buildings and environment |
| Use fire trucks, hoses, extinguishers, and water pumps to put out fire |
| Find and rescue people impacted by fire |
| Respond to medical and other emergencies |
| Treat and provide medical attention to people in emergencies |
| Operate fire trucks and other emergency vehicles |
In addition to above core job duties, firefighters may have additional job duties specific to their specialization (example: search and rescue operations, wildland firefighters, cleanup of hazardous material spills etc.)
| Communication skills |
| Decision-making skills |
| Physical stamina |
| Physical strength |
| Emotional skills |
| Compassion |
| Empathy |
Firefighters must have good communication skills to effectively convey the right message to all the parties involved in the emergency situation - people, other firefighters, and to other emergency responders.
Firefighters must have good decision-making skills to make quick actions in a stressful situation.
Firefighters must have the physical stamina to be able to work at the incident areas for long periods of time.
Firefighters must have physical strength to carry heavy equipment, operate fire fighting and other equipment, remove debris, carry injured people etc.
Firefighters must have the emotional skills and stability to deal with human suffering which they will encounter as part of emergencies.
Similar to other medical providers, Firefighters must have compassion and empathy to help and treat the people in emergencies.
| Min | Median | Max |
|---|---|---|
| $29,030 | $50,700 | $81,640 |
Firefighters in USA earned a median of $50,700 in May 2021. i.e. half of firefighters earned below $50,700 and half earned above that.
The lowest 10% firefighters earned less than $29,030 and the highest 10% earned more than $81,640.
The salary of firefighters vary based on the job specialization and on the numbers of overtime hours that they work
| Projected growth: 4% from 2021 to 2031 |
| Number of jobs in 2021 - 326,100 |
| Projected number of jobs in 2031 - 340,000 |
| Average annual job openings - 48,700 |
Number of jobs for attorneys is projected to grow 10% from 2021 to 2031, with about 28,000 job openings expected each year, over the next 10 years.
This projected growth is attributed to the expected coninued need for firefighters in fire and medical emergencies.
Some of this growth is also attributed to the expected need to replace firefighters who retire or move to other occupations.
| Education Level | Major | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| High School Diploma | Required | |
| Bachelors's | Fire science, Public administration, and similar | Optional |
Firefighters require a high school diploma to become a firefighter.
Senior positions such and battalion chief and above requires a bachelor's degree in Fire science, Public administration, and similar majors.
| Columbia Southern University |
| Utah Valley University |
| University of New Haven |
| Southern Illinois College |
| American Public University System |
| St Petersburg College |
| Valencia College |
| Macomb Community College |
| Lake Superior State University |
| University of Akron |
| Certification or License | Provider |
|---|---|
| EMT - Basic | |
| EMT - Advanced | |
| Paramedic Certification | |
| Fire Academy Training |