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First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers

Law, Public Safety, Corrections and SecurityO*NET 33-1021.00United States

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in firefighting and fire prevention and control.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning
Median annual earnings
$93,517

50th percentile, United States

Projected change
+6.7%

2025 to 2035

Typical education
High school diploma or less

32.3% of the workforce

Employment
100.14K jobs

Growing to 106.81K by 2035

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Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

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The work

What first-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

  • Assign firefighters to jobs at strategic locations to facilitate rescue of persons and maximize application of extinguishing agents.
  • Provide emergency medical services as required, and perform light to heavy rescue functions at emergencies.
  • Assess nature and extent of fire, condition of building, danger to adjacent buildings, and water supply status to determine crew or company requirements.
  • Communicate fire details to superiors, subordinates, or interagency dispatch centers, using two-way radios.
  • Serve as a working leader of an engine, hand, helicopter, or prescribed fire crew of three or more firefighters.
  • Instruct and drill fire department personnel in assigned duties, including firefighting, medical care, hazardous materials response, fire prevention, and related subjects.
  • Maintain fire suppression equipment in good condition, checking equipment periodically to ensure that it is ready for use.
  • Evaluate the performance of assigned firefighting personnel.
  • Direct the training of firefighters, assigning of instructors to training classes, and providing of supervisors with reports on training progress and status.
  • Perform maintenance and minor repairs on firefighting equipment, including vehicles, and write and submit proposals to modify, replace, and repair equipment.
  • Schedule employee work assignments and set work priorities.
  • Monitor fire suppression expenditures to ensure that they are necessary and reasonable.
  • Participate in creating fire safety guidelines and evacuation schemes for nonresidential buildings.
  • Maintain required maps and records.
  • Drive crew carriers to transport firefighters to fire sites.
  • Inspect stations, uniforms, equipment, or recreation areas to ensure compliance with safety standards, taking corrective action as necessary.
  • Evaluate fire station procedures to ensure efficiency and enforcement of departmental regulations.
  • Direct firefighters in station maintenance duties, and participate in these duties.
  • Recommend personnel actions related to disciplinary procedures, performance, leaves of absence, and grievances.
  • Perform administrative duties, such as compiling and maintaining records, completing forms, preparing reports, or composing correspondence.
  • Direct investigation of cases of suspected arson, hazards, and false alarms and submit reports outlining findings.
  • Recommend equipment modifications or new equipment purchases.
  • Supervise and participate in the inspection of properties to ensure that they are in compliance with applicable fire codes, ordinances, laws, regulations, and standards.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile
$53,435
25th percentile
$72,134
50th percentile
$93,517
75th percentile
$119,496
90th percentile
$140,005

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $93,517 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+6.7%faster than average
2025100,141 jobs
2035 projected106,810 jobs

6,669 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

High school diploma or less
32.3%
Associate degree
23.8%
Certificate
18.7%
Bachelor's degree
13.2%
Some college
11.8%
Doctoral degree or more
0.1%
Master's or Professional degree
0%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

  • Fire Prevention
  • Firefighting
  • Fire Suppression Systems
  • Fire Service
  • Emergency Medical Services
  • Fire Science
  • Fire Protection
  • Emergency Response
  • Incident Command Systems
  • Fire Safety
  • Fire Investigation
  • Emergency Management
  • NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) Codes
  • Public Administration
  • National Incident Management Systems
  • Performance Review
  • Construction
  • Fire And Life Safety
  • Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus
  • Good Driving Record

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Management of Personnel Resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Persuasion
Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Negotiation
Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Systems Evaluation
Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Operations Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

  1. 01Fire Chiefs311 postings
  2. 02Fire Marshals193 postings
  3. 03Fire Captains166 postings
  4. 04Deputy Fire Chiefs123 postings
  5. 05Deputy Fire Marshals106 postings
  6. 06Assistant Fire Chiefs86 postings
  7. 07Battalion Chiefs85 postings
  8. 08Assistant Fire Marshals81 postings
  9. 09Chief Engineers64 postings
  10. 10Wildland Firefighters56 postings
  11. 11Crew Chiefs46 postings
  12. 12Fire Battalion Chiefs41 postings
  13. 13Deputy State Fire Marshals37 postings
  14. 14Division Chiefs36 postings
  15. 15Assistant Chiefs35 postings
  16. 16Captains/Firefighters31 postings
  17. 17Fire Engineers18 postings
  18. 18Corrections Captains16 postings
  19. 19Deputy Chiefs15 postings
  20. 20Firefighters13 postings

Top employers

  1. 01State of California127 postings
  2. 02Vallen Distribution28 postings
  3. 03Rural Metro Fire24 postings
  4. 04GardaWorld23 postings
  5. 05Aimbridge Hospitality18 postings
  6. 06Department Of The Interior in16 postings
  7. 07TMI Hospitality13 postings
  8. 08California State Personnel Board12 postings
  9. 09Amentum11 postings
  10. 10International City/County Management Association11 postings
  11. 11KBR10 postings
  12. 12State of South Carolina10 postings
  13. 13United States Department of Defense10 postings
  14. 14Waterway10 postings
  15. 15Orange County Fire Authority9 postings
  16. 16Peckham & Mckenney8 postings
  17. 17Servpro8 postings
  18. 18State Of Alaska8 postings
  19. 19State of Louisiana8 postings
  20. 20Commonwealth of Massachusetts7 postings

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