Occupation Profile

Fire Fighters

(SOC Code : 33-2011)

in California

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 management.

Employers usually expect an employee in this occupation to be able to do the job after Long-term on-the-job training (> 12 months) .

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Occupational Wages

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Area	Year	Period	Hourly Mean	Hourly by Percentile
				25th	Median	75th
California	2012	1st Qtr	$34.51	$24.51	$33.11	$43.88

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Occupational Projections of Employment (also called "Outlook" or "Demand")

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Area	Estimated Year-Projected Year	Employment		Employment Change		Annual Avg Openings
		Estimated	Projected	Number	Percent
California	2010 - 2020	33,100	35,400	2,300	7.0	1,140

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Job Openings from JobCentral National Labor Exchange

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Industries Employing This Occupation (click on Industry Title to View Employers List)

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Data for Industries Employing This Occupation (click on Industry Title to View Employers List) not available.

About Staffing Patterns

Training Programs (click on title for more information)

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Program Title

Fire Prevention and Safety Technology/Technician.

Fire Protection, Other

Fire Science/Fire-fighting.

About Training & Apprenticeships

About This Occupation (from O*NET - The Occupation Information Network)

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Top Tasks (Specific duties and responsibilities of this job.)

Search burning buildings to locate fire victims.

Rescue victims from burning buildings and accident sites.

Administer first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation to injured persons.

Dress with equipment such as fire resistant clothing and breathing apparatus.

Drive and operate fire fighting vehicles and equipment.

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.

Assess fires and situations and report conditions to superiors to receive instructions, using two-way radios.

Position and climb ladders to gain access to upper levels of buildings, or to rescue individuals from burning structures.

Create openings in buildings for ventilation or entrance, using axes, chisels, crowbars, electric saws, or core cutters.

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Top Skills used in this Job

Active Listening - 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.

Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others` actions.

Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

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.

Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.

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Top Abilities (Attributes of the person that influence performance in this job.)

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 there is a problem.

Reaction Time - The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.

Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

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 there is a problem.

Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.

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Top Work Values (Aspects of this job that create satisfaction.)

Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

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Top Interests (The types of activities someone in this job would like.)

Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Social - Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

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Alternate Titles

Fire Engineers; Firefighters/EMTs; Firefighters/Paramedics; Forest Fire Fighters; Forest Ranger Technicians; and Foresters