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What is a fire medic and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
The average fire medic salary is $52,882. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an medical technician major. It usually takes 2-4 years of experience to become a fire medic. Fire medics with a Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 1,000 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScoreFire MedicUS Average
Salary
4.1

Avg. Salary $52,882

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
8.7

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
1.8
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.81%

Asian 1.22%

Black or African American 5.98%

Hispanic or Latino 11.97%

Unknown 7.26%

White 71.76%

Gender

female 13.27%

male 86.73%

Age - 49
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 - 49
Stress level
8.7

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
7.7

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
6.8

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Fire medic career paths

Key steps to become a fire medic

  1. Explore fire medic education requirements

    Most common fire medic degrees

    Bachelor's

    29.6 %

    Associate

    25.9 %

    High School Diploma

    22.2 %
  2. Start to develop specific fire medic skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Medical Services13.87%
    Hazardous Materials10.34%
    Fire Suppression9.56%
    Emergency Response8.62%
    Advanced Life Support6.82%
  3. Complete relevant fire medic training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New fire medics 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 medic based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real fire medic resumes.
  4. Research fire medic duties and responsibilities

    • Lead infantry teams in combat operations, providing tactical and technical guidance to subordinates and professional support to superiors.
    • Assist with IVs, oxygen administration, basic first aid and CPR.
    • Provide emergency care to the sick or injure individuals and perform firefighting duties, Haz-Mat/ICS response and confine space/high angle rescue skills
    • Determine ladder requirements, direct ladder placement, deploy personnel on ladders, and monitor ladder operations to ensure safety.
  5. Prepare your fire medic resume

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

    Build a professional fire medic 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 medic resume.
    Fire Medic Resume
    Fire Medic Resume
    Fire Medic Resume
    Fire Medic Resume
    Fire Medic Resume
    Fire Medic Resume
    Fire Medic Resume
    Fire Medic Resume
    Fire Medic Resume
  6. Apply for fire medic jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a fire medic job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first fire medic job

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Average fire medic salary

The average fire medic salary in the United States is $52,882 per year or $25 per hour. Fire medic salaries range between $36,000 and $77,000 per year.

Average fire medic salary
$52,882 Yearly
$25.42 hourly

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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