Fire department battalion chief vs fire captain

The differences between fire department battalion chiefs and fire captains 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 department battalion chief and a fire captain. Additionally, a fire captain has an average salary of $66,742, which is higher than the $53,709 average annual salary of a fire department battalion chief.

The top three skills for a fire department battalion chief include emergency response, and . The most important skills for a fire captain are emergency response, EMT, and fire suppression.

Fire department battalion chief vs fire captain overview

	Fire Department Battalion Chief	Fire Captain
Yearly salary	$53,709	$66,742
Hourly rate	$25.82	$32.09
Growth rate	6%	4%
Number of jobs	44,526	5,885
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 43%	Associate Degree, 41%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	8	8

Fire department battalion chief vs fire captain salary

Fire department battalion chiefs and fire captains have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Fire Department Battalion Chief	Fire Captain
Average salary	$53,709	$66,742
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $77,000	Between $40,000 And $109,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between fire department battalion chief and fire captain education

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

	Fire Department Battalion Chief	Fire Captain
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 43%	Associate Degree, 41%
Most common major	Fire Science And Protection	Fire Science And Protection
Most common college	Lewis University	Northwestern University

Fire department battalion chief vs fire captain demographics

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

	Fire Department Battalion Chief	Fire Captain
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 89.5% Female, 10.5%	Male, 93.8% Female, 6.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.4% Asian, 2.1% White, 81.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black 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%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between fire department battalion chief and fire captain duties and responsibilities

Fire department battalion chief example responsibilities.

Manage the combat logistics operations center's daily operations and ensure efficient information flow between internal and external organizations.
Coordinate training with grind combat elements enablers in support of battalion operations.
Oversee burning and welding operations to ensure the safety of Chrysler's personal and property.

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.

Fire department battalion chief vs fire captain skills

Common fire department battalion chief skills

Emergency Response, 100%

Common fire captain skills

Emergency Response, 8%
EMT, 6%
Fire Suppression, 5%
EMS, 5%
Fire Service, 5%
Medical Services, 4%

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Fire Department Battalion Chief
Fire Department Battalion Chief vs Fire Captain

Updated January 8, 2025

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