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Fire captain vs station chief

The differences between fire captains and station chiefs can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a fire captain and a station chief. Additionally, a fire captain has an average salary of $66,742, which is higher than the $59,001 average annual salary of a station chief.

The top three skills for a fire captain include emergency response, EMT and fire suppression. The most important skills for a station chief are emergency incidents, hazardous materials, and FAA.

Fire captain vs station chief overview

Fire CaptainStation Chief
Yearly salary$66,742$59,001
Hourly rate$32.09$28.37
Growth rate4%6%
Number of jobs5,88513,738
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 41%Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age4949
Years of experience88

Fire captain vs station chief salary

Fire captains and station chiefs have different pay scales, as shown below.

Fire CaptainStation Chief
Average salary$66,742$59,001
Salary rangeBetween $40,000 And $109,000Between $40,000 And $84,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between fire captain and station chief education

There are a few differences between a fire captain and a station chief in terms of educational background:

Fire CaptainStation Chief
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 41%Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common majorFire Science And ProtectionFire Science And Protection
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityCalifornia Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Fire captain vs station chief demographics

Here are the differences between fire captains' and station chiefs' demographics:

Fire CaptainStation Chief
Average age4949
Gender ratioMale, 93.8% Female, 6.2%Male, 95.1% Female, 4.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 2.3% White, 76.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 2.2% White, 77.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage7%7%

Differences between fire captain and station chief duties and responsibilities

Fire captain example responsibilities.

  • Achieve a long time department goal by exceeding the NFPA and DPSST standards by recreating the fire district's training program.
  • Manage the combat logistics operations center's daily operations and ensure efficient information flow between internal and external organizations.
  • Certify as CPR and defibrillator instructor.
  • Fulfill a specialize function in the HAZMAT discipline.
  • Train local nationals and Americans on EVOC and CPR.
  • Establish incident command and mitigate all fire, medical, hazmat emergency scenes.
  • Show more

Station chief example responsibilities.

  • Manage the combat logistics operations center's daily operations and ensure efficient information flow between internal and external organizations.
  • Maintain oversight and responsibilities for the overall airline operation and compliance with all company and government mandate regulations within assign location.
  • Instruct station personnel on FCC policy and procedures to ensure operational compliance within establish guidelines.

Fire captain vs station chief skills

Common fire captain skills
  • Emergency Response, 8%
  • EMT, 6%
  • Fire Suppression, 5%
  • EMS, 5%
  • Fire Service, 5%
  • Medical Services, 4%
Common station chief skills
  • Emergency Incidents, 20%
  • Hazardous Materials, 14%
  • FAA, 9%
  • Fire Prevention, 7%
  • Firefighting, 7%
  • Training Programs, 6%

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