firefighter
Key facts
Are you driven by a desire to help others and thrive in high-pressure situations? As a firefighter, you'll be at the forefront of emergency response, protecting lives and property with courage and skill.
Firefighters are essential first responders, facing a wide range of challenges beyond just extinguishing fires. Your days may involve responding to medical emergencies, hazardous material incidents, and rescue operations. You’ll work as part of a team, following strict protocols to ensure safety and efficiency, and maintaining equipment to be ready for any situation. The role demands physical fitness, quick thinking, and a commitment to public safety.
- • Responding to fire alarms and other emergency calls.
- • Evacuating people from dangerous premises and providing first aid.
- • Extinguishing fires using various techniques and equipment.
Where this occupation is in demand
Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
Deeper colour: reported the same way in more consecutive years.
Figures cover Protective services workers — 28 jobs including this one.
In shortage: Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany and 6 more.
Longest-running shortage: Norway, 3 years.
Where it is regulated, your qualification would need formal recognition before you could practise.
Select a place on the map to see its figures.
About this source›
Source: ELA/EURES labour shortages and surpluses. Readings are published at occupation-group level, and cover Europe. Editions differ in annex layout and country coverage, so a change between years does not always mean the labour market changed. Countries in grey were not reported, which is not the same as being in balance.
What these words mean
The four things this section reports
- Reported demand
- Whether employers report needing people in this job — a judgement published by a national or EU body, not a count.
- Where it is heading
- Which way employment in this job is expected to move over the coming years, from an official projection.
- Openings
- Roughly how many openings arise — from growth and from people leaving the job.
- Typical pay
- What people in this job typically earn where the source publishes it. Blank does not mean unpaid; it means nobody publishes it for that place.
A measure is left out when nobody publishes it for that place, rather than shown as zero.
Which way the market leans for you
- In your favour
- More openings than people looking — employers are competing for candidates.
- Balanced
- Openings and candidates are roughly matched.
- Competitive
- More people looking than openings — expect to compete.
- Mixed evidence
- Sources disagree, or the same occupation group is short in one part and oversupplied in another.
Every source resolves to one of these four, so there is a single vocabulary to learn. What differs is the evidence behind it, which is printed underneath each verdict — a measured ratio of openings to jobseekers, or an assessment published by a national body.
How this job compares with other jobs in the same country
- Strong
- Among the strongest in that country
- Good
- Stronger than most jobs in that country
- Mixed
- About typical for that country
- Weak
- Weaker than most jobs in that country
This is a rank within one country, not a score you can carry across borders — the registers behind two countries count different people, so the same number means different things in each. It is also why a job can be among the strongest in a country and still show as Competitive: it leads the field in a market that is crowded overall.
Where these come from
Every figure is published by a national statistics office, a public employment service or an EU body, and each card names its source and the period it covers. Some places are counted monthly, others assessed once or twice a year, so two places on the same map can be describing different moments — the date is always shown.
None of this predicts one person's chances. It describes a market.
Explore More
Find your career path and explore the science behind our recommendations.
Could firefighter fit you?
Answer three quick questions. This is not a full assessment — it is a teaser to help you decide whether to compare your profile.
Do you enjoy tasks that require Integrity?
Do you enjoy tasks that require Leadership?
Do you enjoy tasks that require Stress Tolerance?
Future Outlook for firefighter
The outlook for firefighter is exceptionally stable. While AI tools will assist with daily tasks, the core of this role relies on human judgment, resulting in a high resilience score of 77%.
How are these scores calculated?
The Resilience Score (0–100) estimates how structurally protected this occupation is from automation and AI disruption, based on task-level analysis. Higher scores mean more human-judgment-intensive tasks. AI Exposure shows the estimated percentage of task hours that current AI capabilities could affect. These are model-derived structural indicators, not predictions about individual job security.
How could firefighter change as AI adoption grows?
Human judgement, trust, and context remain strong protectors for this role.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
How could firefighter change as AI adoption grows?
Human judgement, trust, and context remain strong protectors for this role.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
How AI may change this role
Deterministic, model-based interpretation of current role signals — not a guarantee of replacement.
What still depends on people
- apply first response
- provide first aid
- select hazard control
Where AI may become a co-pilot
Limited AI co-pilot overlap right now.
Tasks most exposed to automation
No single task here is highly automatable yet.
Vital Signs & AI Vectors
AI Exposure Vectors
0-100%Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement
Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation
Technical Details
NexFuture v3.0 estimates automation exposure natively from ESCO essential-skill groups, weighted by skill mass and calibrated against expert anchors. Scores are probabilistic estimates, not guarantees. See the NexFuture Methodology White Paper for full details.
Measures automation exposure. It does not measure pay, demand, or how many jobs exist near you.
What people in this role usually do
Public Service & Safety
A typical day as a firefighter
09 09:00 · Morning ensure public safety and security
10 10:30 · Mid-morning implement fire safety management plans
12 12:00 · Midday perform search and rescue missions
14 14:00 · Afternoon apply first response
15 15:30 · Late afternoon evacuate people from buildings
17 17:00 · Wrap-up extinguish fires
Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.
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dock operations
The different operations that take place in docks, primarily those concerned with the incoming and outgoing of cargo shipments, and the logistics activities relating to cranes, containers, and shipments.
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industrial tools
The tools and equipment used for industrial purposes, both power and hand tools, and their various uses.
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mechanics of vessels
The mechanical aspects and principles of vessels operations, and the technicalities and mechanical composition of boats and ships.
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navy operations
The operational procedures and regulations of military naval organisations, on base and on ships during missions.
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pollution legislation
Be familiar with European and National legislation regarding the risk of pollution.
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regulations on substances
The national and international regulations on the classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures, e.g. regulation (EC) No 1272/2008.
- fire prevention procedures
- fire safety regulations
- fire-fighting systems
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extinguish fires
Choose the adequate substances and methods to extinguish fires depending on their size, such as water and various chemical agents. Use a breathing apparatus.
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evacuate people from buildings
Evacuate a person from a dangerous building or situation for protection purposes, ensuring the victim reaches safety and is able to receive medical care if necessary.
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perform search and rescue missions
Assist in fighting natural and civic disasters, such as forest fires, floods and road accidents. Conduct search-and-rescue missions.
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use different types of fire extinguishers
Understand and apply various methods of firefighting and various types and classes of fire extinguishing equipment.
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select hazard control
Perform appropriate selection of hazard control measures and risk management
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manage major incidents
Take immediate action to respond to major incidents that affect the safety and security of individuals in private or public places such as road accidents.
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implement fire safety management plans
Implement the arrangements included in detailed fire safety management plans where the process of monitoring fire safety, preventing fire occurring and fire safety standards are described, in order to protect people and properties.
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manage emergency care situations
Manage situations in which decision making under time pressure is essential to save lives.
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apply first response
Respond to medical or trauma emergencies and care for the patient in a manner compliant with health and safety regulations, assessing the legal and ethical issues of the situation, and provide proper pre-hospital care.
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provide first aid
Administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation or first aid in order to provide help to a sick or injured person until they receive more complete medical treatment.
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ensure public safety and security
Implement the relevant procedures, strategies and use the proper equipment to promote local or national security activities for the protection of data, people, institutions, and property.
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work as a team in a hazardous environment
Work together with others in a dangerous, sometimes noisy, environment, such as a building on fire or metal forging facilities, in order to achieve a higher degree of efficiency while heeding the co-workers' safety.
Skill DNA
Work personality traits and values that define this role
See whether this role fits your Career DNA
Take the free Career DNA assessment to see how firefighter aligns with your interests, work style, and future path. In less than 10 minutes, you will get a personalized fit signal and a roadmap for what to do next.
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Where does firefighter fit?
Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.
Frequently asked questions
- What kind of physical fitness is required to be a firefighter?
- Firefighting is physically demanding. You'll need to be able to lift heavy equipment, climb stairs, work in confined spaces, and endure extreme temperatures. Regular physical training and maintaining a high level of fitness are crucial.
- What are some of the emotional challenges of being a firefighter?
- Firefighters often witness traumatic events. It's important to have strong coping mechanisms and access to support services to manage the emotional toll of the job. Teamwork and peer support are vital.
- Beyond fighting fires, what other types of incidents might I respond to?
- Firefighters are often called upon to assist in a variety of emergencies, including medical incidents, vehicle accidents, hazardous material spills, and search and rescue operations. Your training will cover a broad range of response scenarios.
- Firefighter — what does it pay in the United States?
- $59,530 a year at the median, as of 2025-05. State medians run from $33,120 to $100,960. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is a United States figure and not a projection for Europe.
- Firefighter — is it a regulated profession?
- It is listed as a regulated profession in 8 European countries: Denmark, Belgium, Finland, Czechia and 4 more. The lowest qualification level required among them is EQF 3. Where a profession is regulated, a qualification earned elsewhere has to be formally recognised before you can practise. Source: EU Regulated Professions Database.