Security & DefenceISCO 5411
Firefighter
A firefighter is a person who responds to emergencies at a fire or other dangerous situation, supervises the evacuation of people from endangered buildings, and rescues casualties.
Check yourself in a minute: firefighter
Rate 5 of the 17 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.
apply first response
provide first aid
select hazard control
extinguish fires
manage major incidents
About firefighter
The firefighter first gets people out of a building, hands casualties over to the appropriate specialists, and provides first aid and emergency care in the meantime, including when several people are injured. Dealing with major accidents, such as a building collapse, a road crash, a chemical release or a flood, is also part of the role.
Once people are out, the firefighter makes sure a fire is extinguished in line with health and safety rules, selects hazard control measures appropriate to what is burning, and uses the different types of fire extinguisher and media correctly, since water on some fires makes them worse.
After the fire, the firefighter supervises the clean-up and the assessment of damage, and checks whether the building is safe to re-enter. The firefighter applies fire safety legislation throughout. Entry requirements, medical standards and training are set by each national fire service.
European Skills Framework
Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.
Essential (17)
fire safety regulationsfire safety regulationsThe legal rules to be applied for fire safety and fire prevention in a facility.hydraulicshydraulicsThe power transmission systems that use the force of flowing liquids to transmit power.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.health and safety regulationshealth and safety regulationsNecessary health, safety, hygiene and environmental standards and legislation rules in the sector of particular activity.first aidfirst aidThe emergency treatment given to a sick or injured person in the case of circulatory and/or respiratory failure, unconsciousness, wounds, bleeding, shock or poisoning.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 ...provide first aidprovide first aidAdminister cardiopulmonary resuscitation or first aid in order to provide help to a sick or injured person until they receive more complete medical treatment.select hazard controlselect hazard controlPerform appropriate selection of hazard control measures and risk management.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.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.evacuate people from buildingsevacuate people from buildingsEvacuate 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.perform search and rescue missionsperform search and rescue missionsAssist in fighting natural and civic disasters, such as forest fires, floods and road accidents. Conduct search-and-rescue missions.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...manage emergency care situationsmanage emergency care situationsManage situations in which decision making under time pressure is essential to save lives.
Optional (50) — 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...navy operationsnavy operationsThe operational procedures and regulations of military naval organisations, on base and on ships during missions.mechanics of vesselsmechanics of vesselsThe mechanical aspects and principles of vessels operations, and the technicalities and mechanical composition of boats and ships.dock operationsdock operationsThe 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 shipmen...pollution legislationpollution legislationBe familiar with European and National legislation regarding the risk of pollution.pyrotechnic articles legislationpyrotechnic articles legislationThe legal rules surrounding pyrotechnics and pyrotechnic materials.types of maritime vesselstypes of maritime vesselsVarious types of maritime vessels such as container ships, passenger ships and fishing vessels, and their characteristics and specifications, security, technical, and maintenance requirements.vessel electrical systemvessel electrical systemThe various components making up a vessel electrical system and the interplay between these components.industrial toolsindustrial toolsThe tools and equipment used for industrial purposes, both power and hand tools, and their various uses.industrial engineeringindustrial engineeringThe field of engineering concerned with the development, improvement, and implementation of complex processes and systems of knowledge, people, equipment, etc.regulations on substancesregulations on substancesThe national and international regulations on the classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures, e.g. regulation (EC) No 1272/2008.maintain safety systemsmaintain safety systemsPerform activities for the maintenance of fire fighting and related safety systems.rescue in road accidentsrescue in road accidentsSave and extricate victimes of road traffic accidents.assess impact of industrial activitiesassess impact of industrial activitiesAnalyse data to estimate the impact of industrial activities on resource availability and groundwater quality.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.assist people in contaminated areasassist people in contaminated areasAssist workers in remediation activities as well as people at risk of exposure in safety operations, such as instructing on wearing protective gear, entering and leaving restricted areas, and usage of...investigate maritime accidentsinvestigate maritime accidentsInvestigate maritime accidents; gather evidence in the event of claims for damages.operate marine machinery systemsoperate marine machinery systemsOperate principles of marine machinery, including marine diesel engine, steam turbine, boiler, shafting installations, propeller, various auxiliaries, steering gear, automatic control systems, and dec...assess contaminationassess contaminationAnalyse evidence of contamination. Advise on how to decontaminate.maintain logbooksmaintain logbooksMaintain the required logbooks according to practice and in established formats.operate emergency equipmentoperate emergency equipmentUtilise emergency equipment and tools such as fire extinguishers, wheel chocks, pocket lamps, and warning signs.ensure vessel securityensure vessel securityEnsure that security requirements for vessels are met according to legal norms. Check if the security equipment is in place and operational. Communicate with marine engineers to ensure that the techni...contain firescontain firesTake the appropriate measures to prevent fires from spreading.dispose of hazardous wastedispose of hazardous wasteDispose of dangerous materials such as chemical or radioactive substances according to environmental and to health and safety regulations.use different communication channelsuse different communication channelsMake use of various types of communication channels such as verbal, handwritten, digital and telephonic communication with the purpose of constructing and sharing ideas or information.use geographic information systemsuse geographic information systemsWork with computer data systems such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS).avoid contaminationavoid contaminationAvoid the mixing or contamination of materials.operate marine communication systemsoperate marine communication systemsOperate on board marine communication systems. Communicate with other ships or with on-shore control centre e.g. to send urgent messages concerning safety. Transmit or receive alerts, etc.relay messages through radio and telephone systemsrelay messages through radio and telephone systemsPossess the communication abilities to relay messages through a radio and telephone system.monitor disposal of radioactive substancesmonitor disposal of radioactive substancesEnsure correct management and disposal of radioactive substances used for medical purposes, in compliance with established procedures.drive firetruck under emergency conditionsdrive firetruck under emergency conditionsDrive and operate firetruck in response to emergency situations, at a safe and controlled speed, complying with laws, regulations and standards for this type of activity.work safely with chemicalswork safely with chemicalsTake the necessary precautions for storing, using and disposing chemical products.work with chemicalswork with chemicalsHandle chemicals and select specific ones for certain processes. Be aware of the reactions which arise from combining them.inspect industrial equipmentinspect industrial equipmentInspect equipment used during industrial activities such as manufacturing or construction equipment in order to ensure that the equipment complies with health, safety, and environmental legislation.manage factory operationsmanage factory operationsSupervise factory operations, planning, formulating, organising, controlling. and directing factory production activities.manage personal professional developmentmanage personal professional developmentTake responsibility for lifelong learning and continuous professional development. Engage in learning to support and update professional competence. Identify priority areas for professional developmen...perform minor repairs to equipmentperform minor repairs to equipmentConduct routine maintenance on equipment. Recognise and identify minor defects in equipment and make repairs if appropriate.operate emergency vehicleoperate emergency vehicleDrive and maneuver an emergency vehicle and operate its fixed equipment following standard procedures.perform preventive maintenance on fire fighting vehiclesperform preventive maintenance on fire fighting vehiclesKeep firefighting vehicles ready for use at any time. Maintain all aspects of firefighting vehicles and ensure that vehicles function correctly.liaise with industrial professionalsliaise with industrial professionalsEstablish relationships with engineers and other industrial professionals.assess risk factorsassess risk factorsDetermine the influence of economical, political and cultural risk factors and additional issues.install vessel's safety equipmentinstall vessel's safety equipmentInstall and maintain safety equipment such as bells and horns, deck boxes holding life jackets, life boats or life raft pods, and the Electronic Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB).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...organise fire drillsorganise fire drillsOrganise emergency procedures, practices and actions that should be performed to safely leave a building in case of fire.handle flammable substanceshandle flammable substancesManage flammable substances to roasting operations and ensure that safety measures are in place.evacuate people from heightsevacuate people from heightsSafely evacuate people from heights using rope access techniques.climb treesclimb treesAscend and descend from trees in a safely manner.monitor chemical process conditionmonitor chemical process conditionMonitor the conformity of the chemical process, checking all indicators or warning signals provided by the instruments such as recording instruments, flowmeters and panel lights.prevent marine pollutionprevent marine pollutionConduct inspections and take measures in order to prevent or mitigate marine pollution. Adhere to international codes and resolutions.assist communityassist communitySupport the community or other public services technically in situations which create risks to the public or when special support is needed.
Related Occupations
Occupations that need many of the same essential skills, so the move between them is shortest.
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Frequently asked questions
What does a firefighter do?
Firefighters are responsible for emergency response in case of a fire outbreak or other hazardous situations. They oversee the evacuation of the endangered premises and ensure victims are rescued and taken care of by the appropriate professionals. Once the premises are clear of victims, they ensure the fire is extinguished, compliant with health and safety regulations. They also regulate the clean-up of the scene and assess the damage.
What skills does a firefighter need?
A firefighter needs 17 essential skills, including fire safety regulations, hydraulics, fire prevention procedures, fire-fighting systems, health and safety regulations.
Will AI replace firefighter jobs?
The AI disruption score for firefighter is 20/100 (low risk). Skills most exposed to automation: health and safety regulations, monitor chemical process condition, maintain logbooks. Most resilient: evacuate people from buildings, rescue in road accidents, contain fires.
AI Replacement Risk
20/ 100
Low Risk
Low riskHigh risk
Quick Facts
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