Manufacturing & ProductionISCO 1349

Chief fire officer

A chief fire officer is a person who supervises a fire service, coordinates the activities of its department and directs its personnel.

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Rate 5 of the 15 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.

extinguish fires

manage staff

use geographic information systems

manage major incidents

use different types of fire extinguishers

About chief fire officer

The officer supervises and directs fire and rescue personnel during operations, ensuring the safety of personnel and reducing risk. Dealing with major incidents means deciding what is attempted and what is not, with incomplete information and a scene that changes. Geographic information systems are used to understand the ground, the access and what is around the fire, and emergency care is managed where there are casualties, with first aid given before any ambulance arrives.

The officer applies fire safety legislation, which sets requirements for buildings and their operators, in inspections and in the aftermath of an incident.

The officer leads a team, organises fire drills and makes sure crews know how to use the different types of fire extinguisher and equipment before they need them. The officer also carries out administrative duties: keeping records and implementing policy intended to improve how the department works. Formal requirements are set by national fire service rules.

European Skills Framework

Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.

Essential (15)

pyrotechnic articles legislationpyrotechnic articles legislationThe legal rules surrounding pyrotechnics and pyrotechnic materials.fire safety regulationsfire safety regulationsThe legal rules to be applied for fire safety and fire prevention in a facility.fire prevention proceduresfire prevention proceduresThe regulations concerning fire and explosion prevention, and the equipment, systems and methods used in it.fire-fighting systemsfire-fighting systemsThe devices and systems used to extinguish fires; the classes and chemistry of fire.first responsefirst responseThe procedures of pre-hospital care for medical emergencies, such as first aid, resuscitation techniques, legal and ethical issues, patient assessment, trauma emergencies.lead a teamlead a teamLead, supervise and motivate a group of people, in order to meet the expected results within a given timeline and with the foreseen resources in mind.extinguish firesextinguish firesChoose the adequate substances and methods to extinguish fires depending on their size, such as water and various chemical agents. Use a breathing apparatus.manage staffmanage staffManage employees and subordinates, working in a team or individually, to maximise their performance and contribution. Schedule their work and activities, give instructions, motivate and direct the wor...use geographic information systemsuse geographic information systemsWork with computer data systems such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS).ensure public safety and securityensure public safety and securityImplement 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.manage major incidentsmanage major incidentsTake immediate action to respond to major incidents that affect the safety and security of individuals in private or public places such as road accidents.use different types of fire extinguishersuse different types of fire extinguishersUnderstand and apply various methods of firefighting and various types and classes of fire extinguishing equipment.implement fire safety management plansimplement fire safety management plansImplement 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...organise fire drillsorganise fire drillsOrganise emergency procedures, practices and actions that should be performed to safely leave a building in case of fire.manage emergency care situationsmanage emergency care situationsManage situations in which decision making under time pressure is essential to save lives.

Optional (20) — show

environmental policyenvironmental policyLocal, national and international policies dealing with the promotion of environmental sustainability and the development of projects which reduce negative environmental impact and improve the state o...pollution legislationpollution legislationBe familiar with European and National legislation regarding the risk of pollution.hydraulicshydraulicsThe power transmission systems that use the force of flowing liquids to transmit power.apply first responseapply first responseRespond 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 ...perform risk analysisperform risk analysisIdentify and assess factors that may jeopardise the success of a project or threaten the organisation's functioning. Implement procedures to avoid or minimise their impact.manage budgetsmanage budgetsPlan, monitor, report on the budget and prepare set production budgets.select hazard controlselect hazard controlPerform appropriate selection of hazard control measures and risk management.assess employees' capability levelsassess employees' capability levelsEvaluate the capabilities of employees by creating criteria and systematic testing methods for measuring expertise of individuals within an organisation.recruit employeesrecruit employeesHire new employees by scoping the job role, advertising, performing interviews and selecting staff in line with company policy and legislation.supervise worker safetysupervise worker safetyEnsure safety of site personnel; supervise correct use of protective equipment and clothing; understand and implement safety procedures.manage security equipmentmanage security equipmentOversee and conduct inventory of security tools and equipment.plan health and safety proceduresplan health and safety proceduresSet up procedures for maintaining and improving health and safety in the establishment or workplace.test safety strategiestest safety strategiesTest policies and strategies related to risk and safety management and procedures, such as testing evacuation plans, safety equipment, and carrying out drills.coordinate rescue missionscoordinate rescue missionsCoordinate rescue missions during the event of a disaster or during an accident, ensure that all possible methods are being used to ensure the safety of the people being rescued, and that the search i...educate public on fire safetyeducate public on fire safetyDevelop and execute educational and promotional plans to educate the public on fire prevention knowledge and methods, fire safety such as the ability to identify hazards and the use of fire safety equ...train employeestrain employeesLead and guide employees through a process in which they are taught the necessary skills for the perspective job. Organise activities aimed at introducing the work and systems or improving the perform...maintain operational communicationsmaintain operational communicationsMaintain communications between different departments of an organisation, between the staff, or during specific operations or missions, to ensure that the operation or mission is successful, or that t...coordinate with other emergency servicescoordinate with other emergency servicesCoordinate the firefighters' work with the activities of the emergency medical services and of the police.operate fire extinguishersoperate fire extinguishersUnderstand the operation of fire extinguishing equipment and fire extinguishing techniques.conduct public presentationsconduct public presentationsSpeak in public and interact with those present. Prepare notices, plans, charts, and other information to support the presentation.

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Frequently asked questions

What does a chief fire officer do?

Chief fire officers supervise a fire department. They coordinate the operations of the department, and supervise and lead the fire and rescue staff during firefighting and rescue activities to ensure the safety of the staff and limitation of risks. They perform administrative duties to ensure record maintenance, and implement policies to improve the department's operations.

What skills does a chief fire officer need?

A chief fire officer needs 15 essential skills, including pyrotechnic articles legislation, fire safety regulations, fire prevention procedures, fire-fighting systems, first response.

Will AI replace chief fire officer jobs?

The AI disruption score for chief fire officer is 20/100 (low risk). Skills most exposed to automation: fire safety regulations, manage budgets, pollution legislation. Most resilient: first response, manage emergency care situations, extinguish fires.

AI Replacement Risk

20/ 100

Low Risk

Low riskHigh risk

Skills most at risk from AI

fire safety regulations manage budgets pollution legislation

Skills resilient to automation

first response manage emergency care situations extinguish fires

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Quick Facts

SectorManufacturing & Production

ISCO GroupProduction and specialised services managers

Essential Skills15

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