Firefighters

Also Called:

Fire Engineer,

Fire Equipment Operator,

Firefighter,

Wildland Firefighter

What they do: 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 assistance.

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Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security

Career Cluster

What do they typically do on the job?

  • Rescue survivors from burning buildings, accident sites, and water hazards.
  • Dress with equipment such as fire-resistant clothing and breathing apparatus.
  • Assess fires and situations and report conditions to superiors to receive instructions, using two-way radios.

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.

Initiative

Self-Confidence

Adaptability

Perseverance

Stress Tolerance

Self-Control

Interests

Career interests describe the perspectives and interests of people who enjoy the type of work involved in this career.

Discover what your interests are by taking the Interest Profiler Quiz

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Realistic

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Conventional

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Social

Knowledge

People who want to pursue this career have knowledge in these areas.

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

Abilities

Whether you have received formal training or not, these types of abilities are helpful in this career.

Endurance

  • Exercise for a long time without getting out of breath

Verbal

  • Listen and understand what people say

  • Communicate by speaking

Physical Strength

  • Lift, push, pull, or carry

  • Exercise for a long time without your muscles getting tired

Hand and Finger Use

  • Keep your arm or hand steady

Skills

People who want to pursue this career have skills in these areas.

Basic Skills

  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem

  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things

Problem Solving

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

Social

  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions

  • Looking for ways to help people

Work Values

Work values describe how your core beliefs align with those commonly needed for this career.

Support

Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.

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. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.

Achievement

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.

Does this sound like something you'd like to do?

1. Do some research
  • Identify how your interests, values, and strengths match this occupation
  • Talk to someone who works in this field or spend a day job shadowing
  • Use the colleges and training directory to explore programs related to this career
2. Plan your next move
  • Talk to your college and career counselor or school admissions staff
  • Visit Idaho Launch
  • Search for available Firefighters jobs on Idaho Works

Data for NSI career cards comes from the following: Idaho Department of Labor, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, O*NET, MyNextMove, and Career OneStop