First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers
Overview
SaveJob Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Experience
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Education
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Job Training
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Examples
These occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include hydroelectric production managers, desktop publishers, electricians, agricultural technicians, barbers, court reporters and simultaneous captioners, and medical assistants.
Directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in firefighting and fire prevention and control.
Yearly Salary
| High: | $129K |
| Median: | $78K |
| Low: | $43K |
Demand
Core Tasks
- 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.
- 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.
- Instruct and drill fire department personnel in assigned duties, including firefighting, medical care, hazardous materials response, fire prevention, and related subjects.
- Maintain fire suppression equipment in good condition, checking equipment periodically to ensure that it is ready for use.
- Evaluate the performance of assigned firefighting personnel.
- Direct the training of firefighters, assigning of instructors to training classes, and providing of supervisors with reports on training progress and status.
- Inspect and test new and existing fire protection systems, fire detection systems, and fire safety equipment to ensure that they are operating properly.
- Perform maintenance and minor repairs on firefighting equipment, including vehicles, and write and submit proposals to modify, replace, and repair equipment.
- Schedule employee work assignments and set work priorities.
- Monitor fire suppression expenditures to ensure that they are necessary and reasonable.
- Participate in creating fire safety guidelines and evacuation schemes for nonresidential buildings.
- Drive crew carriers to transport firefighters to fire sites.
- Maintain required maps and records.
- Evaluate fire station procedures to ensure efficiency and enforcement of departmental regulations.
- Inspect stations, uniforms, equipment, or recreation areas to ensure compliance with safety standards, taking corrective action as necessary.
- Direct firefighters in station maintenance duties, and participate in these duties.
- Recommend personnel actions related to disciplinary procedures, performance, leaves of absence, and grievances.
- Perform administrative duties, such as compiling and maintaining records, completing forms, preparing reports, or composing correspondence.
- Study and interpret fire safety codes to establish procedures for issuing permits to handle hazardous or flammable substances.
- Direct investigation of cases of suspected arson, hazards, and false alarms and submit reports outlining findings.
- Recommend equipment modifications or new equipment purchases.
- Supervise and participate in the inspection of properties to ensure that they are in compliance with applicable fire codes, ordinances, laws, regulations, and standards.
Technology Skills
Technology
Example
Hot Technology
Tools Used
Tool
Example
Top 10 Knowledge Required
Public Safety and Security
94%
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
88%
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
82%
Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Administration and Management
81%
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.
Building and Construction
81%
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
80%
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
Mechanical
75%
Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Law and Government
73%
Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Personnel and Human Resources
70%
Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Administrative
68%
Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Top 10 Skills
Active Listening
80%
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Critical Thinking
78%
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Social Perceptiveness
75%
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Coordination
73%
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Judgment and Decision Making
73%
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Management of Personnel Resources
73%
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Monitoring
73%
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Reading Comprehension
73%
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Service Orientation
73%
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Speaking
73%
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Top 10 Abilities
Oral Expression
85%
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Oral Comprehension
83%
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Problem Sensitivity
83%
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.
Near Vision
80%
The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Deductive Reasoning
75%
The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Inductive Reasoning
75%
The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Information Ordering
73%
The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Speech Clarity
73%
The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition
73%
The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Written Comprehension
73%
The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Top 10 Work Activities
Assisting and Caring for Others
93%
Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems
93%
Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
92%
Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
Getting Information
90%
Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
90%
Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment
89%
Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
88%
Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates
88%
Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
88%
Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
88%
Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
Detailed Work Activities
- Request emergency personnel.
- Direct fire fighting or prevention activities.
- Rescue people from hazardous situations.
- Administer first aid.
- Assess characteristics of fires.
- Relay information about incidents or emergencies to personnel using phones or two-way radios.
- Operate firefighting equipment.
- Train employees in proper work procedures.
- Inspect equipment to ensure safety or proper functioning.
- Maintain fire fighting tools or equipment.
- Evaluate employee performance.
- Direct employee training programs.
- Prepare activity or work schedules.
- Develop fire safety or prevention programs or plans.
- Maintain operational records.
- Drive vehicles to transport individuals or equipment.
- Inspect facilities to ensure compliance with security or safety regulations.
- Monitor operational procedures in technical environments to ensure conformance to standards.
- Write operational reports.
- Direct criminal investigations.
- Recommend improvements to increase safety or reduce risks.
- Inspect facilities to ensure compliance with fire regulations.
- Determine operational procedures.
- Locate fires or fire danger areas.
- Monitor environmental conditions to detect hazards.
- Perform forest firefighting activities.
- Prepare operational reports.
- Maintain professional knowledge or certifications.
- Communicate situation details to appropriate personnel.
- Supervise employees.
- Hire personnel.
- Recruit personnel.
Education
Interests
Enterprising
88%
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.
Realistic
74%
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.
Conventional
67%
Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.
Social
54%
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.
Investigative
33%
Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.
Artistic
15%
Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art.
Work Values
Independence
81%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Support
79%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
Achievement
77%
Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Working Conditions
75%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
Recognition
72%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
Relationships
72%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Colleges
SAGE Scholars Member Schools that offer majors leading to this career.
Check out the College Search to see the full list of schools with majors for this career.