Data & Research
 
* ELMI Occupation Profile - Firefighters *
 
Firefighters
(O*NET 33-2011.00, SOC 33-2011)
What they do
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.
 
Also called:
Fire Engineer, Fire Equipment Operator, Fire Fighter, Fire Management Specialist, Fire Technician (Fire Tech), Firefighter, Forest Fire Suppression Specialist, Forestry Fire Technician (Forestry Fire Tech), Hot Shot, Wildland Firefighter
 
 
Wages
Vermont - 2023
Percentile1HourlyYearly
10% $ 14.22   $29,580  
25% $ 16.68   $34,700  
Median $ 23.20   $48,260  
75% $ 24.37   $50,700  
90% $ 31.38   $65,280  
 
Average $ 22.49   $46,780  
1 What are Percentile Wages?
More at CareerOneStop
 
Industries of Employment
United States - 2020
IndustryPercent of total
  • Local government, excluding education and hospitals
89%
  • Administrative and support services
5%
  • State government, excluding education and hospitals
3%
  • Federal government, excluding postal service
3%
  • Ambulatory healthcare services
0%
More at BLS
 
Knowledge
People in this career often know a lot about:
  • Public Safety and Security
    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
    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.
  • Education and Training
    Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • Building and Construction
    Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
  • English Language
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
More at O*NET
 
Skills
People in this career often have these skills:
  • Critical Thinking
    Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
  • Coordination
    Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Judgment and Decision Making
    Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Service Orientation
    Actively looking for ways to help people.
  • Active Learning
    Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
More at O*NET
 
Interests
People in this career often prefer these work environments:
  • Realistic
    Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.
  • Social
    Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.
  • Enterprising
    Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.
What are your interests? Take the O*NET Interest Profiler
 
Work Styles
People in this career will do well at jobs that need:
  • Stress Tolerance
    Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
  • Dependability
    Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
  • Self-Control
    Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
  • Integrity
    Job requires being honest and ethical.
  • Attention to Detail
    Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
More at O*NET
 
Tasks
On the job, you would:
  • 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.
More at O*NET
 
Related Occupations
More at O*NET
 
 
Career Video
Watch at CareerOneStop with transcript or at YouTube.
 
Projected Employment
Projected employment not available for Vermont
but may be for the nation and other states at
CareerOneStop
 
Education and Experience:
  • Typical education needed for entry
    Postsecondary non-degree award
  • Work experience in a related occupation
    None
  • Typical on-the-job training needed to attain competency
    Long-term on-the-job training
Based on BLS Education and Training Classifications
 
Physical Work Activity
Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
 
  • Physical activity is Very Important
  • Level of activity is High
Importance
Low   High
Level
Compare Occupations at O*NET
 
Job Zone
Medium Preparation Needed
  • Specific Vocational Preparation Range
    (6.0 to < 7.0) - A typical worker will require over 1 year up to and including 2 years of training to achieve average performance in this occupation.
Based on O*Net Job Zones and SVP
 
Education Level
How much education do most people in this career have?
Education level Percent of
U.S. Workers
Doctoral or professional degree
or post-MA certificate
  3%
Master's degree or
post-BA certificate
  0%
Bachelor's degree   0%
Associate's degree   7%
Certificate or some college,
no degree
  44%
High school diploma
or equivalent
  36%
Less than high school diploma   9%
More at O*NET
 
Abilities
People in this career often have talent in:
  • Problem Sensitivity
    The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
  • Oral Comprehension
    The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Arm-Hand Steadiness
    The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
  • Deductive Reasoning
    The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Far Vision
    The ability to see details at a distance.
More at O*NET
 
Work Activities
In general, what you might do:
  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
    Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
  • Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment
    Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft.
  • Assisting and Caring for Others
    Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Performing General Physical Activities
    Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
More at O*NET
 
Detailed Work Activities
What you might do in a day:
  • Rescue people from hazardous situations.
  • Select tools, equipment, or technologies for use in operations or projects.
  • Locate fires or fire danger areas.
  • Assess characteristics of fires.
  • Relay information about incidents or emergencies to personnel using phones or two-way radios.
More at O*NET
 
Other Resources
  • CareerOneStop
    resource for job seekers, students, businessess and career professionals
  • O*NET Online
    nation's primary source of occupational information
 
O*NET in-it

This page includes information from the O*NET 28.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

BLS

This page includes information produced in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics and State Occupational Projections programs.

 
 
 
 
Vermont.gov State of Vermont Department of Labor