Firefighter
Also called fireman, firewoman, senior firefighter
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 you'd do
Fire fighters · ILO- Responding to fire alarms and other calls for assistance, such as automobile and industrial accidents, bomb threats and other emergencies
- Controlling and extinguishing fires using manual and power equipment and fire-fighting chemicals
- Fighting special types of fires and using special equipment in industrial establishments
- Rescuing people from burning buildings and accident sites and those trapped in dangerous situations
- Preventing or limiting the spread of dangerous substances in case of fires or accidents
- Informing the public about fire prevention
- Indoors and outdoors
- A mix of sitting and standing
- Lots of contact with people, including the public
- Good freedom to decide
- Usually under 40 hours a week
- Deadlines now and then
- Some repetitive tasks
Will there be jobs?
Yes, good prospects9 EU countries are short of fire fighters now, but fewer jobs than in most work will need filling by 2035.
Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.
What does it pay?
Below averagePay depends a lot on the country: from about €700 a month (Bulgaria) to €5,400 (Belgium), before tax.
Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.
Among service and sales workers in the EU, women earn 3% less per hour than men. Service and sales workers · Eurostat
What do I need to study?
Upper secondary or vocationalUpper secondary or vocational training in protection of persons and property is the usual route.
Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.
Will AI change it?
Very littleAI could help with only small parts of the tasks.
Average task score 0.18 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).
See the score for each of the 6 tasks
Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for fire fighters. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).