Fire Marshal job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

16

O*NET task statements

O*NET occupation

First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers

O*NET-SOC 33-1021.00

Preparation

Job Zone 3 of 5

medium preparation

Typical entry education

Postsecondary nondegree award

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$93,530

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers (O*NET-SOC 33-1021.00). O*NET 31.0 lists “Fire Marshal” as a job title for this occupation only (evidence: O*NET's Sample of Reported Titles (titles job holders report) and O*NET job-incumbent data). Figures on this page are for that occupation. TryHired has no separate career page for this title yet.

1. Provide emergency medical services as required, and perform light to heavy rescue functions at emergencies. importance 4.6 of 5
2. Maintain fire suppression equipment in good condition, checking equipment periodically to ensure that it is ready for use. importance 4.5 of 5
3. Assign firefighters to jobs at strategic locations to facilitate rescue of persons and maximize application of extinguishing agents. importance 4.5 of 5
4. Communicate fire details to superiors, subordinates, or interagency dispatch centers, using two-way radios. importance 4.4 of 5
5. Serve as a working leader of an engine, hand, helicopter, or prescribed fire crew of three or more firefighters. importance 4.4 of 5
6. Evaluate size, location, and condition of fires. importance 4.3 of 5
7. Instruct and drill fire department personnel in assigned duties, including firefighting, medical care, hazardous materials response, fire prevention, and related subjects. importance 4.3 of 5
8. Recruit or hire firefighting personnel. importance 4.3 of 5
9. Assess nature and extent of fire, condition of building, danger to adjacent buildings, and water supply status to determine crew or company requirements. importance 4.2 of 5
10. Monitor fire suppression expenditures to ensure that they are necessary and reasonable. importance 4.2 of 5
11. Direct the training of firefighters, assigning of instructors to training classes, and providing of supervisors with reports on training progress and status. importance 4.1 of 5
12. Perform maintenance and minor repairs on firefighting equipment, including vehicles, and write and submit proposals to modify, replace, and repair equipment. importance 4.1 of 5
13. Evaluate the performance of assigned firefighting personnel. importance 4.1 of 5
14. Perform administrative duties, such as compiling and maintaining records, completing forms, preparing reports, or composing correspondence. importance 4.0 of 5
15. Recommend personnel actions related to disciplinary procedures, performance, leaves of absence, and grievances. importance 3.9 of 5
16. Direct firefighters in station maintenance duties, and participate in these duties. importance 3.9 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events and Getting Information.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Drive crew carriers to transport firefighters to fire sites.
• Analyze burn conditions and results, and prepare postburn reports.
• Supervise and participate in the inspection of properties to ensure that they are in compliance with applicable fire codes, ordinances, laws, regulations, and standards.
• Plan, direct, and supervise prescribed burn projects.
• Study and interpret fire safety codes to establish procedures for issuing permits to handle hazardous or flammable substances.

Knowledge areas: Customer and Personal Service, Education and Training, Public Safety and Security, Personnel and Human Resources and Building and Construction.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a postsecondary nondegree award as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists less than 5 years of work experience in a related occupation as typical.
• Training on the job: BLS lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 3 of 5 (medium preparation). Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board.

The most common answer among fire marshals surveyed by O*NET is a high school diploma or equivalent (38%).

Job title: Fire Marshal
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Fire Marshal.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Provide emergency medical services as required, and perform light to heavy rescue functions at emergencies.
- Maintain fire suppression equipment in good condition, checking equipment periodically to ensure that it is ready for use.
- Assign firefighters to jobs at strategic locations to facilitate rescue of persons and maximize application of extinguishing agents.
- 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.
- Evaluate size, location, and condition of fires.
- Instruct and drill fire department personnel in assigned duties, including firefighting, medical care, hazardous materials response, fire prevention, and related subjects.
- Recruit or hire firefighting personnel.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a postsecondary nondegree award as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists less than 5 years in a related occupation as typical; adjust to this role]
- Strength in active listening, management of personnel resources and speaking
- Working knowledge of Customer and Personal Service and Education and Training
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Office software]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

For First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers, the median annual wage was $93,530 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $44.96. BLS estimates about 99,140 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers to grow 3.7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 6,600 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

• Read a real fire marshal posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Provide emergency medical services as required, and perform light to…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only fire marshal work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (active listening and management of personnel resources): a real situation, what you did and what changed.