Fire chief vs deputy fire chief

The differences between fire chiefs and deputy fire 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 chief and a deputy fire chief. Additionally, a deputy fire chief has an average salary of $104,289, which is higher than the $69,961 average annual salary of a fire chief.

The top three skills for a fire chief include fire protection, emergency response and public safety. The most important skills for a deputy fire chief are emergency response, fire protection, and life safety.

Fire chief vs deputy fire chief overview

	Fire Chief	Deputy Fire Chief
Yearly salary	$69,961	$104,289
Hourly rate	$33.64	$50.14
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	16,088	17,724
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 37%	Associate Degree, 48%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	8	8

Fire chief vs deputy fire chief salary

Fire chiefs and deputy fire chiefs have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Fire Chief	Deputy Fire Chief
Average salary	$69,961	$104,289
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $121,000	Between $72,000 And $150,000
Highest paying City	Sacramento, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	CVR Energy	-
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between fire chief and deputy fire chief education

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

	Fire Chief	Deputy Fire Chief
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 37%	Associate Degree, 48%
Most common major	Fire Science And Protection	Fire Science And Protection
Most common college	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	Stanford University

Fire chief vs deputy fire chief demographics

Here are the differences between fire chiefs' and deputy fire chiefs' demographics:

	Fire Chief	Deputy Fire Chief
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 94.2% Female, 5.8%	Male, 96.0% Female, 4.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 2.3% White, 76.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 5.9% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 2.3% White, 76.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between fire chief and deputy fire chief duties and responsibilities

Fire chief example responsibilities.

Manage the combat logistics operations center's daily operations and ensure efficient information flow between internal and external organizations.
Determine appropriate control techniques and direct firefighting teams during numerous fire, hazardous material releases and medical emergencies.
Respond to fires, medical, HAZMAT, bombs and threat calls.
Maintain and inspect the SCBA equipment.
Conduct departmental assessments in accordance with DoD, standards.
Provide emergency medical care including first-aid and CPR to victims.

Deputy fire chief example responsibilities.

Achieve advance levels of Fire/EMS management certification.
Provide performance oversight of inspections/preventive maintenance of fire apparatus and firefighting equipment.
Maintain department personnel and equipment records in accordance with privacy act and NFPA requirements.
Conduct plans reviews of building construction projects ensuring compliance with NFPA, local and regional reference code compliance documents.
Serve as incident commander of firefighting activities.
Develop and implement rapid training and replacement program to fill critical personnel shortages in support of combat logistics operations in Afghanistan.

Fire chief vs deputy fire chief skills

Common fire chief skills

Fire Protection, 10%
Emergency Response, 8%
Public Safety, 8%
Fire Service, 5%
Fire Suppression, 5%
Emergency Services, 4%

Common deputy fire chief skills

Emergency Response, 11%
Fire Protection, 11%
Life Safety, 10%
Fire Suppression, 5%
Personnel Management, 5%
Hazardous Materials, 4%

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Protective Service Industry
Fire Chief
Fire Chief vs Deputy Fire Chief

Updated January 8, 2025

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