How To Become A Fire Department Lieutenant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a fire department lieutenant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a fire department lieutenant. For example, did you know that they make an average of $26.85 an hour? That's $55,853 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 3% and produce 300 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreFire Department LieutenantUS Average

Salary

4.4

Avg. Salary $55,853

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.1

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.47%

Asian 2.10%

Black or African American 10.04%

Hispanic or Latino 12.50%

Unknown 4.91%

White 68.98%

Gender

female 15.38%

male 84.62%

Age - 47

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47

Stress level

9.1

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.6

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.1

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a fire department lieutenant

Explore fire department lieutenant education requirements

Most common fire department lieutenant degrees

Bachelor's

35.2 %

High School Diploma

29.6 %

Associate

26.8 %

Start to develop specific fire department lieutenant skills

Skills	Percentages
Emergency Calls	23.63%
EMT	12.52%
Fire Safety	10.55%
Fire Prevention	8.67%
Responder	7.70%

Complete relevant fire department lieutenant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New fire department lieutenants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a fire department lieutenant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real fire department lieutenant resumes.

Research fire department lieutenant duties and responsibilities

Lead infantry teams in combat operations, providing tactical and technical guidance to subordinates and professional support to superiors.
Provide CPR training for Citgo employees and contractors
Select and purchase all firefighting protective clothing, uniforms, and equipment.
Certify first responder and volunteer firefighter.

Prepare your fire department lieutenant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your fire department lieutenant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a fire department lieutenant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable fire department lieutenant resume templates

Build a professional fire department lieutenant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your fire department lieutenant resume.