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First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers

Also called: Engine Boss, Fire Battalion Chief, Fire Captain, Fire Chief

What they do:

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

On the job, you would:
  • 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.
On the job, you'll need:

Safety and Government

  • public safety and security
  • law and government

Business

  • customer service
  • management

Education and Training

  • teaching and course design

Engineering and Technology

  • building and construction

Basic Skills

  • listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
  • thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem

Problem Solving

  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Social

  • understanding people's reactions
  • changing what is done based on other people's actions

Verbal

  • communicate by speaking
  • listen and understand what people say

Ideas and Logic

  • notice when problems happen
  • make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information

Attention

  • pay attention to something without being distracted
  • do two or more things at the same time

Hand and Finger Use

  • hold or move items with your hands

Enterprising

People interested in this work like activities that include leading, making decisions, and business.

  • Integrity
  • Leadership
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Dependability
  • Concern for Others
  • Adaptability/Flexibility

Data base user interface and query software

  • Fire incident reporting systems
  • Microsoft Access

Presentation software

  • Microsoft PowerPoint

Analytical or scientific software

  • BehavePlus
  • Plume modeling software

Video courtesy of CareerOneStop.

Job Outlook

The job outlook for this position is Average.

New job opportunities are likely in the future.

Median Annual Salary: $80,150

Education

High school diploma/GED or associate's degree is usually needed.

Explore More

See other careers in the Government industry.