Fire chief vs fire prevention supervisor

The differences between fire chiefs and fire prevention supervisors 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 fire prevention supervisor. Additionally, a fire chief has an average salary of $69,961, which is higher than the $57,941 average annual salary of a fire prevention supervisor.

The top three skills for a fire chief include fire protection, emergency response and public safety. The most important skills for a fire prevention supervisor are fire prevention, community events, and data collection.

Fire chief vs fire prevention supervisor overview

	Fire Chief	Fire Prevention Supervisor
Yearly salary	$69,961	$57,941
Hourly rate	$33.64	$27.86
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	16,088	6,602
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	8	8

Fire chief vs fire prevention supervisor salary

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

	Fire Chief	Fire Prevention Supervisor
Average salary	$69,961	$57,941
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $121,000	Between $41,000 And $80,000
Highest paying City	Sacramento, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	CVR Energy	-
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between fire chief and fire prevention supervisor education

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

	Fire Chief	Fire Prevention Supervisor
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Fire Science And Protection	Business
Most common college	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	California State University - Bakersfield

Fire chief vs fire prevention supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between fire chiefs' and fire prevention supervisors' demographics:

	Fire Chief	Fire Prevention Supervisor
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 94.2% Female, 5.8%	Male, 58.8% Female, 41.2%
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, 5.6% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 2.2% White, 77.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between fire chief and fire prevention supervisor 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.

Fire prevention supervisor example responsibilities.

Direct and lead a hands-on approach to resolve a contagious communicable disease within the APG community daycare centers (CDC).
Monitor on hand amounts of special firefighting extinguishing agents, bench stock and maintains appropriate supplies and firefighting clothing levels.
Implement medically accurate, evidence base curriculum with the purpose of reducing teen pregnancy rates and behavioral risks underlying teen pregnancy.
Implement medically accurate, evidence base curriculum with the purpose of reducing teen pregnancy rates and behavioral risks underlying teen pregnancy.

Fire chief vs fire prevention supervisor skills

Common fire chief skills

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

Common fire prevention supervisor skills

Fire Prevention, 32%
Community Events, 20%
Data Collection, 8%
Child Abuse, 6%
Law Enforcement, 6%
Performance Evaluations, 5%

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Fire Chief
Fire Chief vs Fire Prevention Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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