Career Explorer Protective services
Human edge, growing
First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
Directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in firefighting and fire prevention and control.
Among the most resilient careers: more resilient than 85% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it low), and US jobs are projected to change by +3.7% by 2035, faster than average. The work leans on ethical judgement and emotional intelligence.
AI struggles with much of this work, and US employers are expected to hire more people into it than average.
- Median pay (2025)
- $93,530
- Job growth to 2035
- +3.7%
- Openings a year
- 6,600
- People doing it (2025)
- 102,000
- Usual route in
- College certificate, then moderate on-the-job training
Where people already use AI for this work
- Determine operational methods or procedures
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Direct security or safety activities or operations
- Maintain tools or equipment
- Notify others of emergencies or problems
What the work looks like
- Provide emergency medical services as required, and perform light to heavy rescue functions at emergencies.
- Maintain fire suppression equipment in good condition, checking equipment periodically to ensure that it is ready for use.
- Assign firefighters to jobs at strategic locations to facilitate rescue of persons and maximize application of extinguishing agents.
- Communicate fire details to superiors, subordinates, or interagency dispatch centers, using two-way radios.
- Serve as a working leader of an engine, hand, helicopter, or prescribed fire crew of three or more firefighters.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Forest fire inspectors and prevention specialistsHuman edge, growing, Index 99, +13.1%
- Respiratory therapistsHuman edge, growing, Index 93, +8.5%
- Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangersHuman edge, steady, Index 87, +3.0%
- Occupational therapy assistantsHuman edge, growing, Index 99, +21.5%
Also known as: Engine Boss, Fire Battalion Chief, Fire Captain, Fire Chief, Battalion Chief, Fire Lieutenant, Fire Marshal, Fire Suppression Captain.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.