Career Details
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Career Details

33-1021.00 - First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers


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


Key Facts
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Bright Outlook
Career Details
Green Job
Career Details
Current Employment
63,500
Estimate
Forecasted Employment
66,800
Estimate
Change in Employment
+3,300
Estimate
Change in Employment %
+5.2%
Estimate
Tasks
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Tasks
The tasks listed below can be performed to prepare you for a career in this field.
Core
  • 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.
Generic
  • Analyze burn conditions and results, and prepare postburn reports.
  • Evaluate size, location, and condition of fires.
  • Maintain knowledge of fire laws and fire prevention techniques and tactics.
  • Plan, direct, and supervise prescribed burn projects.
  • Recruit or hire firefighting personnel.
Supplemental
  • Inspect and test new and existing fire protection systems, fire detection systems, and fire safety equipment to ensure that they are operating properly.
  • Study and interpret fire safety codes to establish procedures for issuing permits to handle hazardous or flammable substances.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Knowledge
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Knowledge

The items listed below are organized into sections that contain knowledge useful for pursuing a career in this field. Each section also contains a "Percentage of Importance" statistic that shows how relevant an item is to the occupation.
 Public Safety and Security
  • 89%
    Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
 Customer and Personal Service
  • 82%
    Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
 Administration and Management
  • 79%
    Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
 English Language
  • 79%
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
 Education and Training
  • 78%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
 Mechanical
  • 75%
    Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
 Personnel and Human Resources
  • 74%
    Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
 Law and Government
  • 73%
    Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
 Clerical
  • 70%
    Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
 Building and Construction
  • 66%
    Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
 Geography
  • 65%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
 Psychology
  • 62%
    Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
 Computers and Electronics
  • 62%
    Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
 Mathematics
  • 62%
    Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
 Transportation
  • 60%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
 Telecommunications
  • 60%
    Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
 Chemistry
  • 58%
    Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
 Physics
  • 57%
    Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.
 Communications and Media
  • 57%
    Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
 Medicine and Dentistry
  • 53%
    Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
 Engineering and Technology
  • 53%
    Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
 Economics and Accounting
  • 53%
    Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
 Sociology and Anthropology
  • 50%
    Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Tools
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Tools
The tools listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Aerial lifts
  • Aerial lifting apparatus
 Lifting equipment and accessories
  • Air bag lifting systems
  • Truck-mounted winches
 Respiratory protection
  • Air purifying respirators
  • Self-contained breathing apparatus
 Specialized and recreational vehicles
  • All terrain vehicles ATV
  • Farm tractors
  • Marsh rigs
 Ladders and scaffolding
  • Aluminum ladders
  • Extension ladders
 Emergency medical services resuscitation products
  • Automated external defibrillators AED
 Blood pressure units and related products
  • Automatic blood pressure cuffs
  • Manual blood pressure cuffs
 Emergency medical services extricating and immobilizing and transporting products
  • Backboards
  • Evacuation stretchers
  • Field emergency services neck braces
  • Stokes baskets
 Igniters
  • Backfiring fusees
  • Drip torches
 Pumps
  • Backpack pumps
  • Foam pumps
  • Portable centrifugual pumps
  • Portable diaphragm pumps
  • Portable low-pressure pumps
  • Portable pumps
  • Power pumps
 Cutting and crimping and punching tools
  • Bolt cutters
  • Hand saws
  • Hydraulic extrication equipment
  • Utility knives
 Safety and rescue vehicles
  • Bomb response vehicles
  • Fire engines
  • HAZMAT response vehicles
  • Ladder trucks
  • Water tenders
  • Wildland fire engines
 Fire fighting equipment
  • Carbon dioxide CO2 fire extinguishers
  • Ceiling hooks
  • Dry chemical fire extinguishers
  • Fire axes
  • Fire hose nozzles
  • Fire hoses
  • Fire shelters
  • McLeod tools
  • Multipurpose fire extinguishers
  • Pike poles
  • Pulaski tools
 Power tools
  • Chain saws
  • Circular saws
  • Falling saws
  • K-12 fire rescue saws
  • Power saws
  • Ventilation saws
 Safety footwear
  • Chemical protection footwear
 Safety apparel
  • Chemical protection gloves
  • Fire resistant clothing
  • Fire resistant gloves
  • Hazardous materials protective suits
  • Protective fire coats
 Forming tools
  • Claw hammers
  • Sledgehammers
 Passenger motor vehicles
  • Crew transport buses
  • Passenger vans
 Computers
  • Desktop computers
  • Laptop computers
  • Mobile data computers
  • Personal computers
 Product and material trailers
  • Equipment transport trailers
 Security and control equipment
  • Explosive detection robots
 Emergency and field medical services kits
  • First aid kits
  • Intravenous IV administration sets
 Power generators
  • Gas-powered generators
 Audio and visual equipment
  • Global positioning system GPS receivers
 Prying and bending tools
  • Halligan bars
  • Hux bars
  • Pinch bars
  • Pry bars
  • Wrecking bars
 Face and head protection
  • Hard hats
  • Safety helmets
 Wrenches and drivers
  • Hydrant shutoff wrenches
 Temperature and heat measuring instruments
  • Infrared thermometers
  • Surface thermometers
  • Thermal imaging cameras
 Water safety
  • Life throw rings
  • Life vests
 Gas analyzers and monitors
  • Multi-gas detectors
 Meteorological instruments
  • Portable meteorological stations
  • Wind gauges
 Pulse oximeters
  • Pulse oximeters
 Pyrotechnics
  • Pyrotechnic flares
 Vision protection and accessories
  • Safety glasses
  • Safety goggles
 Cameras
  • Search cameras
 Ropes
  • Self-rescue ropes
 Ventilation
  • Smoke ejectors
 Earth moving machinery
  • Tracked bulldozers
 Dock equipment
  • Truck wheel chocks
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Technology
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Technology
The technologies listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Data management and query software
  • Affiliated Computer Services ACS FIREHOUSE
  • BIO-key FireRMS
  • Fire incident reporting systems
  • Microsoft AccessHOT
  • Wildland Fire Assessment System WFAS
 Industry specific software
  • BehavePlus
  • FARSITE
  • FlamMap
  • Plume modeling software
 Business function specific software
  • Computer aided dispatch software
  • Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
  • Incident command system ICS software
  • Microsoft OfficeHOT
  • Resource Ordering and Statusing System ROSS
 Information exchange software
  • Email software
  • ESRI ArcView
  • Geographic information system GIS softwareHOT
  • Mapping software
 Content authoring and editing software
  • IBM Lotus 1-2-3
  • Microsoft ExcelHOT
  • Microsoft PowerPointHOT
  • Microsoft WordHOT
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Certifications
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Certifications
FastForward at Virginia's Community Colleges is a short-term training program for high-demand industries, like healthcare, information technology, and skilled trades and infrastructure, helping Virginians get the jobs and salaries they need. Our goal is to get you trained, help you earn your certification, and get you into a career that can support you and your family. Explore the latest training program offerings by visiting FastForward
The certifications listed below are useful to pursue if you are interested in a career in this field.
 Specialty
 Core
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Licensing
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Licensing
The licensing information below is organized into sections and is useful for pursuing if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific licensing information is listed for this occupation in the area you have selected.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Related Programs
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Programs related to this career, offered by participating institution(s), are listed below.

Clicking on the Degree programs in the list below will take you away from the Careers page.
INSTITUTION
PROGRAMS
J Sargeant Reynolds Community College
Tidewater Community College
Virginia Peninsula Community College