Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers
Occupation · SOC 33-1021.00
Directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in firefighting and fire prevention and control.
Also called: Engine Boss · Fire Battalion Chief · Fire Captain · Fire Chief · Fire Lieutenant · Fire Marshal · Fire Prevention Chief · Fire Suppression Captain · Forest Fire Specialist Supervisor · Section Forest Fire Warden · Battalion Chief · Captain
Job family: Protective Service Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-33-1021-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- About average employment outlook (+3.4% by 2034)
- 6,500 openings/yr
- Low AI exposure
- Median pay $92,430/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
26th-percentile task overlap — yet about 6,500 openings a year (+3.4% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) Low | 32nd | -0.6 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Moderate | 50th | 0.6 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Low | 2nd | 0.0 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.2), with simple added tooling (β 0.4), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.6). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
This job mostly cannot be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman) — its hands-on tasks sit outside what software-based AI reaches.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.0 · 1st percentile among occupations · Low
How AI is actually used in this job
Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.
| Perform administrative duties, such as compiling and maintaining records, completing forms, preparing reports, or composing correspondence. | 0.2% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | About average · +3.4% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 6,500 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 97,200 → 100,500 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international 3 occupations below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers sits at the 44th percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure eased from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
24% mean task exposure (2025)
44th percentile of 427 placed occupations
−6 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Civil Engineering Technicians · 3112 | 28% | Not exposed |
| Physical and Engineering Science Technicians Not Elsewhere Classified · 3119 | 26% | Not exposed |
| Fire Fighters · 5411 | 18% | Not exposed |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Tasks
All 30 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Assign firefighters to jobs at strategic locations to facilitate rescue of persons and maximize application of extinguishing agents. Core · importance 4.7
- Provide emergency medical services as required, and perform light to heavy rescue functions at emergencies. Core · importance 4.7
- Assess nature and extent of fire, condition of building, danger to adjacent buildings, and water supply status to determine crew or company requirements. Core · importance 4.6
- Communicate fire details to superiors, subordinates, or interagency dispatch centers, using two-way radios. Core · importance 4.6
- Serve as a working leader of an engine, hand, helicopter, or prescribed fire crew of three or more firefighters. Core · importance 4.5
- Instruct and drill fire department personnel in assigned duties, including firefighting, medical care, hazardous materials response, fire prevention, and related subjects. Core · importance 4.4
- Maintain fire suppression equipment in good condition, checking equipment periodically to ensure that it is ready for use. Core · importance 4.4
- Evaluate the performance of assigned firefighting personnel. Core · importance 4.2
- Direct the training of firefighters, assigning of instructors to training classes, and providing of supervisors with reports on training progress and status. Core · importance 4.2
- Inspect and test new and existing fire protection systems, fire detection systems, and fire safety equipment to ensure that they are operating properly. Supplemental · importance 4.1
- Perform maintenance and minor repairs on firefighting equipment, including vehicles, and write and submit proposals to modify, replace, and repair equipment. Core · importance 4.1
- Schedule employee work assignments and set work priorities. Core · importance 4.1
- Monitor fire suppression expenditures to ensure that they are necessary and reasonable. Core · importance 4.1
- Participate in creating fire safety guidelines and evacuation schemes for nonresidential buildings. Core · importance 4.0
- Maintain required maps and records. Core · importance 4.0
- Drive crew carriers to transport firefighters to fire sites. Core · importance 4.0
- Inspect stations, uniforms, equipment, or recreation areas to ensure compliance with safety standards, taking corrective action as necessary. Core · importance 3.9
- Evaluate fire station procedures to ensure efficiency and enforcement of departmental regulations. Core · importance 3.9
- Direct firefighters in station maintenance duties, and participate in these duties. Core · importance 3.9
- Recommend personnel actions related to disciplinary procedures, performance, leaves of absence, and grievances. Core · importance 3.9
- Perform administrative duties, such as compiling and maintaining records, completing forms, preparing reports, or composing correspondence. Core · importance 3.9
- Study and interpret fire safety codes to establish procedures for issuing permits to handle hazardous or flammable substances. Supplemental · importance 3.8
- Direct investigation of cases of suspected arson, hazards, and false alarms and submit reports outlining findings. Core · importance 3.8
- Recommend equipment modifications or new equipment purchases. Core · importance 3.7
- Supervise and participate in the inspection of properties to ensure that they are in compliance with applicable fire codes, ordinances, laws, regulations, and standards. Core · importance 3.6
- Analyze burn conditions and results, and prepare postburn reports.
- Evaluate size, location, and condition of fires.
- Maintain knowledge of fire laws and fire prevention techniques and tactics.
- Plan, direct, and supervise prescribed burn projects.
- Recruit or hire firefighting personnel.
Emerging tasks
Newer responsibilities O*NET has flagged as growing for this occupation.
- Deploy and monitor drones for aerial surveillance and assessment of fire situations.
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.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
Abilities
| Oral Expression | 4.3 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 4.1 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 4.1 | |
| Near Vision | 4.0 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.8 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.8 | |
| Written Comprehension | 3.6 | |
| Written Expression | 3.6 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.6 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.6 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.6 | |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.5 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.4 |
Essential skills
| Active Listening | 4.0 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.9 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.6 | |
| Speaking | 3.6 | |
| Monitoring | 3.6 | |
| Writing | 3.3 | |
| Active Learning | 3.3 |
Transferable skills
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Tools & technology
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- Typical entry-level education
- Postsecondary nondegree award · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related 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.
- Preparation level
- SVP (6.0 to < 7.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services , Natural Resources and Conservation . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| High School Diploma | 29.3% | |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 23.8% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 18.7% | |
| Some College Courses | 11.8% | |
| Bachelor's Degree | 9.6% | |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate | 3.7% | |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 3.0% | |
| Post-Doctoral Training | 0.1% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Work styles
| Integrity | 10.0 | |
| Cooperation | 9.0 | |
| Achievement Orientation | 8.0 | |
| Self-Control | 7.0 | |
| Stress Tolerance | 6.0 | |
| Perseverance | 5.0 | |
| Adaptability | 4.0 |
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Enterprising | 6.2 | |
| Realistic | 5.1 | |
| Conventional | 4.7 | |
| Social | 3.7 |
Interest areas
| Protective Service | 6.0 | |
| Management/Administration | 5.8 | |
| Physical/Manual Labor | 4.6 | |
| Human Resources | 3.3 | |
| Public Speaking | 3.3 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $53,970 |
| 25th percentile | $72,240 |
| Median (50th) | $92,430 |
| 75th percentile | $115,990 |
| 90th percentile | $142,300 |
| People employed | 93,680 |
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 3,010 | $61,400 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 110 | $98,070 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 100 | $103,910 |
| Utilities · Sector | 40 | $134,080 |
| Transportation and Warehousing · Sector | — | $99,670 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | — | $51,690 |
| Ambulance Services · National industry | — | $74,330 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector | — | $66,920 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 0.55× | 3,010 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 0.01× | 110 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 0.01× | 100 |
Related occupations
Part of the Public Service & Safety career cluster.
- Firefighters · 33-2011.00 Compare →
- Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists · 33-2022.00 Compare →
- Fire Inspectors and Investigators · 33-2021.00 Compare →
- Fire-Prevention and Protection Engineers · 17-2111.02 Compare →
- First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers · 33-1091.00 Compare →
- First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives · 33-1012.00 Compare →
- Emergency Management Directors · 11-9161.00 Compare →
- Occupational Health and Safety Specialists · 19-5011.00 Compare →
- First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers · 47-1011.00 Compare →
- First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers · 45-1011.00 Compare →
- First-Line Supervisors of Passenger Attendants · 53-1044.00 Compare →
- Airfield Operations Specialists · 53-2022.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- Postsecondary nondegree award · typical entry level
- Job zone 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services · field of study
- Natural Resources and Conservation · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 44th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers show 26th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 6,500 annual U.S. openings
- First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers rank in the 26th percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 6,500 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be about average (+3.4%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $92,430, across about 93,680 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers show 26th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 6,500 annual U.S. openings • First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers rank in the 26th percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 6,500 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be about average (+3.4%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $92,430, across about 93,680 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-33-1021-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
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
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- 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
Plain
Singulariki. "First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers." 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; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); 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/roles/role-33-1021-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-33-1021-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-33-1021-00,
title = {First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); 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/roles/role-33-1021-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.