Also called: Water Tender Driver, Fire Water Truck Operator
Drives big water trucks on steep dirt roads to refill fire engines, wet down fire lines, and keep dust down in fire camp.
Tender operators fill a 2,000 to 4,000 gallon truck at ponds or hydrants, drive it up narrow mountain roads, and pump water into engines on the line. Between fires they maintain pumps and hoses. Many work for private contractors hired by the government, often for weeks at a time.
Seasonal contract pay; long fire assignments add overtime. Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 1 year after high school. Commercial driver's license, basic wildland firefighter training, and pump experience.
Ways in: Certification, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Diesel Technology (trade school), Fire Science.
Growing about average. Wildland fire seasons are getting longer; federal wildland workforce is being reorganized (approx.).
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Self-driving trucks are far off on rough fire roads; pumping and road judgment stay human.
Classes: Auto shop, Driver education.
Official data: O*NET occupation 53-3032.
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.