Also called: Chief of Department
Leads an entire fire department: firefighters, stations, budgets, and emergency strategy.
Fire chiefs manage stations across a city, plan budgets for new trucks and staffing, and take overall command at the biggest disasters. They also work with the city council and the public on fire prevention.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 20 years after high school. Bachelor's in fire science or public administration plus 20+ years rising through the ranks.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Fire Science, Public Administration, Emergency Management.
Growing about average (about 3% over 10 years). Approximate.
Low risk for 10 years. AI helps model station coverage and budgets; leading at disasters and public accountability stay human.
Classes: Government / Civics, Speech, Business, Health / first aid.
Official data: O*NET occupation 33-1021.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.