Firefighters

Control and extinguish fires or respond to emergency situations where life, property, or the environment is at risk. Duties may include fire prevention, emergency medical service, hazardous material response, search and rescue, and disaster assistance.

What you'd actually do

• Rescue survivors from burning buildings, accident sites, and water hazards.
• Dress with equipment such as fire-resistant clothing and breathing apparatus.
• Assess fires and situations and report conditions to superiors to receive instructions, using two-way radios.
• Move toward the source of a fire, using knowledge of types of fires, construction design, building materials, and physical layout of properties.
• Respond to fire alarms and other calls for assistance, such as automobile and industrial accidents.
• Create openings in buildings for ventilation or entrance, using axes, chisels, crowbars, electric saws, or core cutters.

How you get there

Typical entry-level education: Post-secondary certificate. Overall preparation: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).

The feel of the work

Much of the work happens outdoors; you're around people constantly. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)

Working for yourself

About 0% of firefighters are self-employed.

Who it tends to fit

This work tends to fit people who are hands-on, organized and detail-focused and people-focused.

Related careers

• Transportation Security Screeners
• Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers
• First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers
• First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers
• Detectives and Criminal Investigators
• First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives

Quick questions

How much does a firefighter make?

The median pay is $28.50 per hour — roughly $59,500 a year, with the real range running from about $16.79/hr (10th percentile) to $48.58/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Do you need a degree to be a firefighter?

The typical entry-level education is: Post-secondary certificate. Overall preparation level: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).

What does a firefighter actually do all day?

Rescue survivors from burning buildings, accident sites, and water hazards. Dress with equipment such as fire-resistant clothing and breathing apparatus. Assess fires and situations and report conditions to superiors to receive instructions, using two-way radios.