INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Firefighter positions are at a 8% growth rate, which is as fast as average. With that said, there are currently 317,200 jobs in the market right now. The total number of jobs is expected to increase by 26,900 to 344,100 in the period of 2020-30.
What’s more, the median annual wage for the Firefighter jobs was $52,500 in May 2020. The lowest 10% earned less than $26,940, and the highest 10% more than $93,790.
Our conclusion? The Firefighter job market is wide open for candidates.
Top firefighter sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
A firefighter resume experience section to be proud of
Writing a strong experience section for your firefighter resume:
- List your previous jobs in chronological or reverse-chronological format;
- Use no more than 4-6 bullets per position;
- Mention only relevant work experience;
- Describe the tasks you were responsible for and how you managed to exceed expectations;
- Show you’re able to take charge by choosing action verbs over buzzwords.
Looking for real-life examples of what a strong experience section looks like? Check out our suggestions below!
- CPR certified and first responder
- Worked with crews of two people all the way to 20+ on training and real-life scenarios
- Held high-responsibility roles like pump management on fire scenes and victim extraction at car accidents
- NFPA Fire Inspector Certified
- Worked as EMS Technology Director.
- Oversaw EMR Implementation and training. Managed EMR system for organization.
- Respond to emergency and non-emergency calls for help
- Trained to operate apparatus equipment in addition to safe driving techniques
- Proficient in fire suppression involving structure fires of all types(Homes, Industrial buildings, automobile and large commercial vehicles)
- Trained in vehicle extrication and Hazardous Materials response
- Experienced in patient stabilization with traumatic injuries including but not limited to full body immobilization onto long backboard and cervical spine stabilization.
- Proven assessment and diagnostic skills.
- Highly skilled in acquiring patient vital signs and providing oxygen therapy.
- Consistently using problem solving skills in high pressure scenarios to resolve incidents safely
- Engaging with the community on a regular basis, delivering fire safety messages and installing free smoke alarms in homes
- Engaging with children through visits to schools, school fairs, youth groups etc.
- Maintain technical aspect of fire department.
- Developed an online Fire Permit System which has increased the revenue of Fire Permits by 250%.
- Successfully train colleagues on various subjects.
- Emergency Management planning and testing.
- I have proven to be a valuable team leader under extreme conditions
- Shown the ability to adapt, improvise and communicate to save lives and property
- Taught entry level firefighters in an academy setting. Lead Instructor for fire ground safety, auto extrication, ladders and confined space
- Lead instructor for advanced medical classes. Training coworkers for ACLS, PALS, PHTLS, CPR
- Always staying humble, being a people pleasing leader, at a job I truly loved over a 30 year Fire Department Career
- Provided fire suppression, rescue and emergency medical services for citizens throughout the entire city of D.C.
- Responded to fires and assigned primary duties as emergency medical technician/paramedic on 911 emergencies.
- Participated in pre-fire planning, fire prevention inspections, and fire safety education.
- Member of the municipality's local Fire & EMS Department, a call-department structure, along with 30+ other firefighters and medical personnel
- Organize department events: Touch-a-Truck, community Halloween Party, and the "Guns & Hoses" Community Outreach program
- Visit RSU #25 schools to education students and staff on Fire Prevention & Public Education annually
- Establish and maintain an effective working relationship with other employees and the public.
- Work with others effectively under a team concept.
- Carry out critical instructions and perform without hesitation under emergency or hazardous conditions.
- Respond to all emergency calls (fires, car accidents, medical responses...) and provide assistance to both victims and first responders alike
- Perform regular inspections of construction sites for preplanning and familiarization in the event of a fire, ensuring proper emergency operations and adequate access points for firefighters
- Participate in public educational activities within the local community such as fire drills, smoke and carbon monoxide alarm maintenance, and basic fire prevention
- Fire dispatcher
- Firefighter
- Planning and troubleshooting
- Was responsible for safety of my team and myself.
- Organising and executing evacuation.
- Extinguishing fires and taking part in other interventions.
PRO TIP
Check the Firefighter job description for inspiration. Look for similarities between your employer’s values and your experience.
Action verbs for your firefighter resume
Recommended Reads:
Taking Control of Your Firefighter Resume’s Skills Section
A skills section that shows what you’re capable of includes:
- Keywords from the job advert to help you pass ATS;
- Both hard and soft skills, incl. technical skills and people skills;
- Skills that are relevant to the position you’re applying for;
- No more than 15 skills – to keep your resume readable.
Top skills for your firefighter resume
MS Office
iWork
RadResponder
ChemResponder
Shopify
Google Suite
ShipStation
Stitch Labs
Active listening
Conflict resolution
Empathy
Compassion
Adaptability
Nonverbal communication
Critical thinking and observation
Building trust
PRO TIP
Avoid getting sidetracked by Applicant tracking software by including a tech skills' section matching the job description and your own qualifications.
"Recommended reads:
Firefighter resume header: Tips, red flags, and best practices
Checklist for your firefighter resume header
- Your name and surname in a legible and larger resume font
- The job title you’re applying for or your current job title as a subheading to your name
- Link to your portfolio or online profile, such as LinkedIn
- Address (City and State for the US; just your city for rest of the world)
- Email address
- Headshot (required or welcomed in the EU; not required and sometimes frowned upon in the US)
Stick to popular email providers such as Gmail or Outlook. And use these professional formats to create your username:
- first.last@gmail.com
- last.first@gmail.com
- firstlast@gmail.com
- f.last@gmail.com
- first.l@gmail.com
recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Include a link to your portfolio in your Firefighter resume header. Most companies will require that you include one in your resume, and even if they don’t, it’s an excellent opportunity to directly show them your proudest projects.
A firefighter resume summary that spotlights your achievements
Checklist: a strong firefighter resume summary.
- Use adjectives that highlight the character traits you’re most proud of;
- Mention 1-2 of your biggest achievements;
- Add keywords from the job advert to increase your chances of passing ATS;
- Keep the recruiter’s attention by going for short sentences.
Resume summary formula:
PRO TIP
Highlight specific past projects that you’re most proud of in your summary. It sets an excellent tone for the rest of your resume. You can talk about all of your former jobs in your work experience section later on.
Recommended reads:
Creating an impressive education section for your firefighter resume
The education section: Checklist
- List your degrees in reverse-chronological order;
- Include your degree subject, place of study, name of institution, and year of graduation;
- Add a line or two about your relevant certifications;
- Mention some classes and projects that have helped you gain additional skills.
Top Certifications for your Firefighter Resume
Firefighter Code: Pass Your Firefighter Oral Board Interview
Firefighter Code Is The Most Comprehensive "Fire Service Interview Preparation" Service Available.
How to Become a Firefighter!
Seek the Thrills Outside a Regular 9-5 Job by Becoming a Firefighter
Learn FireFighting Design (MEP) (arabic)
كورس لتعلم تصميم انظمة مكافحة الحريق لمهندسين الميكانيكا
ASL | Occupation Dialogues | American Sign Language
Explore a wealth of ASL occupational vocabulary as you learn to sign words, sentences, questions, and dialogues.
Be a Lean Construction Leader
Easy to understand systems for improving any construction project
recommended reads:
PRO TIP
There are dozens of certifications that you can claim as a Firefighter. But, some are more effective than others. That’s why you mustn’t include every certificate other applicants might have. Try instead to earn and list a few of the difficult ones.
A professional format for your firefighter resume
There are some aspects worth taking into consideration when choosing the format of your Firefighter resume. These include the position and company you’re applying for, your total years of experience, whether you’ve been through some employment gaps, and so on.
Generally speaking, there are three basic resume formats for you to choose from:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional skills-based resume format;
- Combination (or Hybrid) resume format.
The reverse-chronological resume format is just that: all your jobs listed in a reverse-chronological way, starting from the most recent and moving backward. It’s great for highly experienced professionals with over 10 years in the industry behind their backs. The reason for this: it’s almost entirely focused on experience and achievements.
The functional skills-based resume format, on the other hand, is just the opposite. It’s based on your skills, personality, and expertise. It highlights what you’re capable of even when you don’t have sufficient work experience. This makes it great for students, recent graduates, or people with larger career gaps.
If neither of these sounds like you, go for the combination resume format. It’s a combination of the best characteristics of other formats, which makes it great for showcasing different aspects of your career and education. It also gives you plenty of options to choose from – in terms of colors, structure, and sections.
Check out our additional tips on perfecting your Firefighter resume’s style and layout:
- Choose traditional 1-inch resume margins;
- Go for a serif or sans serif resume font that’s easy to read yet looks professional (e.g. Arial, Verdana, or Calibri);
- Keep your Firefighter resume short: one-page template are preferable, but if you have over 10 years of experience, you can also go for a two-page format;
- Save your resume as PDF and choose a suitable name, e.g. NameSurnameResume;
Tired of looking for ways to make your resume stand out? Read this article!
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Test your draft Firefighter resume by sending it out to peers and mentors in your circles. Ask them to review it as if they are hiring you for a project and implement the feedback afterwards.
Additional sections for your firefighter resume
After drafting the required sections of your Firefighter resume, it’s now time to move to something a bit more fun. There are a number of sections you can add to your resume depending on the company, the position, and how you’re feeling in general:
Adding the right kind of creativity to your firefighter resume
It is through creativity that we express ourselves. And trust us, it’s important to show at least a bit of your personality if you want to leave a strong first impression.
But what are the ways to add creativity to your Firefighter resume? Well, you can either go for a colorful and engaging template, or you could add some out-of-the-box sections, such as ‘life philosophy’ or ‘what my typical day looks like’.
It’s up to you! Just make sure that the level of creativity matches the position, the company, and the industry you’re applying for.
What makes a great firefighter resume: key takeaways
- Choose a resume layout that sends the right message across and fits your current career situation;
- Create a resume header that shows your desired job title, and easy to find contact numbers;
- Be specific about your experience, accomplishments and future goals in your summary;
- Feature detailed metrics and specific examples that show the impact you made in your previous roles when describing your experience;
- List soft skills backed by examples;
- Add all of your technical skills and certifications that you have and match the job description;
- Show off a dash of personality in your resume that will demonstrate your culture fit and the right mix of hard and soft skills.
Firefighter resume examples
Explore additional firefighter resume samples and guides and see what works for your level of experience or role.
By Experience
Senior Firefighter
Entry-Level Firefighter
By Role
Volunteer Firefighter
Volunteer firefighting, even though unpaid, requires a diverse set of skills similar to professional firefighting. If you've undergone relevant training like EMT or CPR certification, be sure to include that. Volunteer firefighting is about more than just putting out fires, it's about saving lives.
Any experience with tools or equipment used in firefighting needs to feature on your resume. Show how using them in the right manner made a meaningful difference, e.g., 'Improved safety protocol by…' or 'Enhanced rescue operation speed through…' Keep it factual.
Exposure to high-stress situations, and resilience and composure in those, should be highlighted. Volunteer firefighting is not for the faint-hearted. Proving your mettle in crises will shoot up your chances.
Finally, detail your work ethic. Volunteer positions thrive on dedication and dependability. List instances solidifying these traits.
View Volunteer Firefighter Resume
