Career Details
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Career Details

33-2011.00 - 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.


Key Facts
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Bright Outlook
1
Career Details
Green Job
Career Details
Current Employment
327,300
Estimate
Forecasted Employment
344,700
Estimate
Change in Employment
+17,400
Estimate
Change in Employment %
+5.3%
Estimate
Tasks
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Tasks
The tasks listed below can be performed to prepare you for a career in this field.
Core
  • Rescue victims 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.
  • Drive and operate fire fighting vehicles and equipment.
  • Inspect fire sites after flames have been extinguished to ensure that there is no further danger.
  • Position and climb ladders to gain access to upper levels of buildings, or to rescue individuals from burning structures.
  • Select and attach hose nozzles, depending on fire type, and direct streams of water or chemicals onto fires.
  • Maintain contact with fire dispatchers at all times to notify them of the need for additional firefighters and supplies, or to detail any difficulties encountered.
  • Collaborate with other firefighters as a member of a firefighting crew.
  • Patrol burned areas after fires to locate and eliminate hot spots that may restart fires.
  • Collaborate with police to respond to accidents, disasters, and arson investigation calls.
  • Participate in fire drills and demonstrations of fire fighting techniques.
  • Maintain knowledge of current firefighting practices by participating in drills and by attending seminars, conventions, and conferences.
  • Prepare written reports that detail specifics of fire incidents.
  • Participate in physical training activities to maintain a high level of physical fitness.
  • Protect property from water and smoke, using waterproof salvage covers, smoke ejectors, and deodorants.
  • Inform and educate the public on fire prevention.
  • Salvage property by removing broken glass, pumping out water, and ventilating buildings to remove smoke.
  • Orient self in relation to fire, using compass and map, and collect supplies and equipment dropped by parachute.
  • Clean and maintain fire stations and fire fighting equipment and apparatus.
  • Inspect buildings for fire hazards and compliance with fire prevention ordinances, testing and checking smoke alarms and fire suppression equipment as necessary.
  • Take action to contain any hazardous chemicals that could catch fire, leak, or spill.
  • Extinguish flames and embers to suppress fires, using shovels or engine- or hand-driven water or chemical pumps.
Generic
  • Administer first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation to injured persons or provide emergency medical care such as basic or advanced life support.
  • Operate pumps connected to high-pressure hoses.
  • Search to locate fire victims.
  • Train new employees to control and suppress fires.
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
  • 88%
    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.
 Building and Construction
  • 83%
    Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
 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.
 Mechanical
  • 75%
    Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
 Education and Training
  • 75%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
 Transportation
  • 74%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
 English Language
  • 72%
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
 Telecommunications
  • 67%
    Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
 Administration and Management
  • 66%
    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.
 Chemistry
  • 66%
    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.
 Medicine and Dentistry
  • 63%
    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.
 Geography
  • 62%
    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.
 Law and Government
  • 60%
    Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
 Psychology
  • 60%
    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.
 Personnel and Human Resources
  • 58%
    Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
 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.
 Mathematics
  • 56%
    Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
 Clerical
  • 56%
    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.
 Communications and Media
  • 54%
    Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
 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.
 Computers and Electronics
  • 53%
    Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
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.
 Wrenches and drivers
  • Adjustable wrenches
  • Hydrant shutoff wrenches
  • Non-sparking bung wrenches
  • Non-sparking spanner wrenches
  • Open end wrenches
  • Phillips head screwdrivers
  • Pipe wrenches
  • Socket wrenches
  • Spanner wrenches
  • Straight screwdrivers
 Aerial lifts
  • Aerial lifting apparatus
 Safety and rescue vehicles
  • Aerial trucks
  • Bomb response vehicles
  • Fire trucks
  • HAZMAT response vehicles
  • Ladder trucks
  • Pumper trucks
  • Wildland fire engines
 Lifting equipment and accessories
  • Air bag lifting systems
  • Block and tackle equipment
  • Jacks
  • Pulleys
  • Riggings
  • Trench rescue shoring jacks
  • Truck-mounted winches
 Respiratory protection
  • Air purifying respirators
  • Escape respirators
  • Self-contained breathing apparatus
 Specialized and recreational vehicles
  • All terrain vehicles ATV
  • Farm tractors
  • Marsh rigs
 Ladders and scaffolding
  • Aluminum ladders
  • Extension ladders
  • Wood ladders
 Emergency medical services resuscitation products
  • Automated external defibrillators AED
 Blood pressure units and related products
  • Automatic blood pressure cuffs
  • Manual blood pressure cuffs
 Cutting and crimping and punching tools
  • Aviation snips
  • Bolt cutters
  • Glass cutters
  • Hacksaws
  • Handsaws
  • Hydraulic extrication tools
  • Insulated wire cutters
  • Reciprocating hacksaws
  • Utility knives
 Emergency medical services extricating and immobilizing and transporting products
  • Backboards
  • Evacuation baskets
  • Evacuation chairs
  • Evacuation stretchers
  • Field emergency services neck braces
  • Full-spine immobilization devices
  • Spinal immobilization equipment
  • Stokes baskets
 Igniters
  • Backfiring fusees
  • Drip torches
 Pumps
  • Backpack pumps
  • Foam pumps
  • Hand-operated pumps
  • Hydraulic rams
  • Power pumps
  • Truck-mounted water pumps
 Fire fighting equipment
  • Bomb blankets
  • Carbon dioxide CO2 fire extinguishers
  • Ceiling hooks
  • Charged fire hoses
  • Dry chemical fire extinguishers
  • Fire axes
  • Fire blankets
  • Fire hose nozzles
  • Fire hoses
  • Fire shelters
  • Flat head axes
  • High pressure fire hoses
  • McLeod tools
  • Multipurpose fire extinguishers
  • Pick head axes
  • Pike poles
  • Pulaski tools
  • Rubbish hooks
  • Single-bit axes
  • Synthetic fire hoses
  • Uncharged fire hoses
 Power tools
  • Chain saws
  • Circular saws
  • Falling saws
  • K-12 saws
 Holding and clamping tools
  • Channel lock pliers
  • Diagonal cutting pliers
  • Fire hose clamps
  • Needlenose pliers
  • Slip joint pliers
  • Vise grip pliers
 Chemical evaluation instruments and supplies
  • Chemical detection testers
  • pH testing strips
 Safety footwear
  • Chemical protection footwear
  • Firefighting boots
  • Protective fire boots
 Safety apparel
  • Chemical protection gloves
  • Fire resistant clothing
  • Fire resistant gloves
  • Hazardous materials protective suits
  • Liquid splash protective clothing
  • Protective fire coats
  • Protective hoods
 Forming tools
  • Claw hammers
  • Mattocks
  • Non-sparking hammers
  • Picks
  • Sledgehammers
 Anti static equipment and supplies
  • Copper grounding cables
  • Grounding cables
 Electrical measuring and testing equipment and accessories
  • Electrical resistance meters
  • Ground resistance testers
 Indicating and recording instruments
  • Electronic leak detectors
  • Field radiological measuring devices
  • Listening devices
  • Metal detectors
 Product and material trailers
  • Equipment transport trailers
 Security and control equipment
  • Explosive detection analyzers
  • Explosive detection robots
 Face and head protection
  • Face shields
  • Hard hats
  • Protective fire helmets
  • Safety helmets
 Emergency and field medical services kits
  • First aid kits
  • Intravenous IV administration sets
  • Trauma type first aid kits
 Agriculture, forestry and garden handtools
  • Forest fire shovels
  • Machetes
  • Shovels
 Power generators
  • Gas-powered generators
 Geophysical and geotechnical instruments
  • Geological compasses
  • Navigation compasses
 Audio and visual equipment
  • Global positioning system GPS receivers
 Prying and bending tools
  • Halligan bars
  • Hux bars
  • Pinch bars
  • Pry bars
  • Steel wedges
 Computer data input devices
  • Handheld computers
  • Radio frequency identification RFID devices
 Absorbents
  • Hazardous materials spill control devices
 Hearing protectors
  • Hearing protectors
 Temperature and heat measuring instruments
  • Infrared thermometers
  • Surface thermometers
  • Thermal imaging cameras
 Positive mechanical pressure ventilators and accessories
  • Intermittent positive pressure breathing IPPB ventilators
 Computers
  • Laptop computers
  • Mobile data computers
  • Personal computers
 Ropes
  • Life safety ropes
  • Self-rescue ropes
 Water safety
  • Life throw rings
  • Life vests
 Restraints and accessories
  • Limb restraints
  • Torso restraints
 Gas analyzers and monitors
  • Multi-gas detectors
 Casting and splinting supplies
  • Orthopedic splint sets
 Meteorological instruments
  • Portable meteorological stations
  • Wind gauges
 Pulse oximeters
  • Pulse oximeters
 Pyrotechnics
  • Pyrotechnic flares
  • Safety flares
 Personal communication devices
  • Radio communications systems
  • Two way radios
 Vision protection and accessories
  • Safety glasses
  • Safety goggles
 Scuba and snorkeling gear
  • Scuba air regulators
  • Scuba suits
 Cameras
  • Search cameras
  • Underwater video cameras
 Ventilation
  • Smoke ejectors
 Viewing and observing instruments and accessories
  • Spotting scopes
  • Surveillance binoculars
 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
  • Fire incident reporting systems
  • Microsoft AccessHOT
 Business function specific software
  • Corel WordPerfect
  • Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
  • Incident command system ICS software
  • Microsoft OfficeHOT
 Information exchange software
  • Email software
  • Geographic information system GIS softwareHOT
 Content authoring and editing software
  • Microsoft ExcelHOT
  • Microsoft WordHOT
  • Spreadsheet software
 Industry specific software
  • Plume modeling software
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
 Advanced
 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