How To Become A Fire Engine Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a fire engine operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a fire engine operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $20.86 an hour? That's $43,390 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 13,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreFire Engine OperatorUS Average

Salary

3.4

Avg. Salary $43,390

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.1

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.95%

Asian 1.85%

Black or African American 7.59%

Hispanic or Latino 15.75%

Unknown 4.78%

White 69.08%

Gender

female 10.67%

male 89.33%

Age - 38

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 - 38

Stress level

8.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.2

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a fire engine operator

Explore fire engine operator education requirements

Most common fire engine operator degrees

Bachelor's

40.0 %

Associate

33.3 %

High School Diploma

23.3 %

Start to develop specific fire engine operator skills

Skills	Percentages
CDL	19.99%
Crew Safety	19.88%
Firefighting	8.54%
Portable Pumps	6.87%
Fire Behavior	6.48%

Complete relevant fire engine operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New fire engine operators 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 engine operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real fire engine operator resumes.

Research fire engine operator duties and responsibilities

Develop and implement a comprehensive physical training program to enhance the ability of crewmembers to perform their require arduous firefighting duties.
Utilize optimum use of firefighting and first-aid techniques following proper safety protocols.
Fire apparatus operator and driver.

Prepare your fire engine operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your fire engine operator 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 engine operator 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 engine operator resume templates

Build a professional fire engine operator 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 engine operator resume.