Firefighters vs Ship Engineers
Side-by-side · O*NET · BLS · AI-exposure research · Anthropic Economic Index
A factual, source-backed comparison of Firefighters and Ship Engineers on the dimensions both occupations carry. Every figure is a position within an independent published dataset — not a verdict on which job is better, safer, or more “future-proof.”
At a glance
| Dimension | Firefighters | Ship Engineers |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $59,530 | $101,320 |
| Employment | 332,240 | 8,580 |
| Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection | About average (+3.4%) | About average (+1.6%) |
| Annual openings · BLS projection | 27,100 | 1,100 |
| Typical education · O*NET | Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. | Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. |
| AI exposure · published exposure studies | Low · 18th pct | Low · 4th pct |
| Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk | 29th pct · 18% of tasks | 42nd pct · 23% of tasks |
| Observed AI use · Anthropic Economic Index | — | — |
| Mostly remote-capable · Dingel–Neiman | No | No |
Pay and employment are BLS OEWS estimates; outlook and openings are BLS 2024–2034 projections; AI exposure and observed-use figures come from separate research and reflect exposure and usage, not predictions that either job will disappear. Compare like with like.
Skills
Shared: Public Safety and Security, Problem Sensitivity, English Language, Critical Thinking, Oral Comprehension, Mechanical, Oral Expression, Deductive Reasoning, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Judgment and Decision Making, Inductive Reasoning, Control Precision, Near Vision, Speech Clarity, Active Listening, Speaking, Active Learning, Monitoring, Information Ordering, Flexibility of Closure, Manual Dexterity, Speech Recognition, Transportation.
Specific to Firefighters
- Customer and Personal Service
- Education and Training
- Building and Construction
- Static Strength
- Far Vision
- Coordination
- Service Orientation
- Medicine and Dentistry
Specific to Ship Engineers
- Operations Monitoring
- Operation and Control
- Equipment Maintenance
- Troubleshooting
- Repairing
- Written Comprehension
- Engineering and Technology
- Complex Problem Solving
Knowledge, skills & abilities O*NET rates as important for each occupation. “Shared” are common to both; the columns list what is distinctive to each (top by the order O*NET surfaces).
Tools & technology
Shared: Data base user interface and query software , Spreadsheet software , Office suite software , Electronic mail software , Presentation software , Operating system software , Word processing software , Project management software .
Specific to Firefighters
Full profiles
This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Firefighters or Ship Engineers — tasks, the full skill graph, tools, work context, preparation, wages by percentile, industries, AI exposure and the AI work map.
More comparisons
Related occupations you can place side by side on the same sourced scale.
- Firefighters vs First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers
- Firefighters vs Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists
- Firefighters vs Fire Inspectors and Investigators
- Firefighters vs Fire-Prevention and Protection Engineers
- Firefighters vs Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers
- Firefighters vs Emergency Medical Technicians
- Firefighters vs Paramedics
- Firefighters vs Occupational Health and Safety Specialists
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Singulariki. "Firefighters vs Ship Engineers." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/compare/firefighters-vs-ship-engineers
Singulariki. (2026). Firefighters vs Ship Engineers. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/firefighters-vs-ship-engineers
@misc{singulariki-firefighters-vs-ship-engineers,
title = {Firefighters vs Ship Engineers},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/compare/firefighters-vs-ship-engineers}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.