Firefighter job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

16

O*NET task statements

Preparation

Job Zone 1-2 of 5

very little to some preparation

Typical entry education

Postsecondary nondegree award

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$59,280

BLS May 2025

1. Rescue survivors from burning buildings, accident sites, and water hazards. importance 4.5 of 5
2. Administer first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation to injured persons or provide emergency medical care such as basic or advanced life support. importance 4.4 of 5
3. Dress with equipment such as fire-resistant clothing and breathing apparatus. importance 4.4 of 5
4. Move toward the source of a fire, using knowledge of types of fires, construction design, building materials, and physical layout of properties. importance 4.3 of 5
5. Drive and operate fire fighting vehicles and equipment. importance 4.3 of 5
6. Respond to fire alarms and other calls for assistance, such as automobile and industrial accidents. importance 4.3 of 5
7. Search to locate fire survivors. importance 4.3 of 5
8. Operate pumps connected to high-pressure hoses. importance 4.2 of 5
9. 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. importance 4.2 of 5
10. Extinguish flames and embers to suppress fires, using shovels or engine- or hand-driven water or chemical pumps. importance 4.2 of 5
11. Maintain knowledge of current firefighting practices by participating in drills and by attending seminars, conventions, and conferences. importance 4.2 of 5
12. Select and attach hose nozzles, depending on fire type, and direct streams of water or chemicals onto fires. importance 4.2 of 5
13. Collaborate with other firefighters as a member of a firefighting crew. importance 4.1 of 5
14. Train new employees to control and suppress fires. importance 4.1 of 5
15. Position and climb ladders to gain access to upper levels of buildings, or to rescue individuals from burning structures. importance 4.1 of 5
16. Create openings in buildings for ventilation or entrance, using axes, chisels, crowbars, electric saws, or core cutters. importance 4.1 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials and Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events.

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.

• Orient self in relation to fire, using compass and map, and collect supplies and equipment dropped by parachute.

Knowledge areas: Public Safety and Security, Transportation, Customer and Personal Service, Medicine and Dentistry and Mechanical.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Windows. 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 no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists long-term on-the-job training as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 1-2 of 5 (very little to some preparation). Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
• 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 and see how to become a firefighter.

Most firefighters surveyed by O*NET (70%) name a high school diploma or equivalent as the education the job requires.

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

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Firefighter to control and extinguish fires or respond to emergency situations where life, property, or the environment is at risk.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Rescue survivors from burning buildings, accident sites, and water hazards.
- Administer first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation to injured persons or provide emergency medical care such as basic or advanced life support.
- Dress with equipment such as fire-resistant clothing and breathing apparatus.
- Move toward the source of a fire, using knowledge of types of fires, construction design, building materials, and physical layout of properties.
- Drive and operate fire fighting vehicles and equipment.
- Respond to fire alarms and other calls for assistance, such as automobile and industrial accidents.
- Search to locate fire survivors.
- Operate pumps connected to high-pressure hoses.

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 no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in coordination, active listening and critical thinking
- Working knowledge of Public Safety and Security and Transportation
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Access or Microsoft Excel]
- [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.

The median annual wage was $59,280 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $28.50. BLS estimates about 345,990 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of firefighters to grow 3.7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 26,800 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

See the full firefighter salary breakdown by percentile, state and metro.

• Read a real firefighter posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Rescue survivors from burning buildings, accident sites, and water…”, 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 firefighter work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (coordination and active listening); firefighter interview questions turns them into practice questions.