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Fireman vs police officer

The differences between firemen and police officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a police officer has an average salary of $52,638, which is higher than the $47,094 average annual salary of a fireman.

The top three skills for a fireman include emergency calls, safety standards and auxiliary equipment. The most important skills for a police officer are patrol, public safety, and law enforcement agencies.

Fireman vs police officer overview

FiremanPolice Officer
Yearly salary$47,094$52,638
Hourly rate$22.64$25.31
Growth rate4%3%
Number of jobs47116,287
Job satisfaction-2
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 37%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age3940
Years of experience--

Fireman vs police officer salary

Firemen and police officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

FiremanPolice Officer
Average salary$47,094$52,638
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $73,000Between $38,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City-Anchorage, AK
Highest paying state-Alaska
Best paying company-Icma-rc
Best paying industry-Government

Differences between fireman and police officer education

There are a few differences between a fireman and a police officer in terms of educational background:

FiremanPolice Officer
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 37%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common majorBusinessCriminal Justice
Most common college-Pennsylvania State University

Fireman vs police officer demographics

Here are the differences between firemen' and police officers' demographics:

FiremanPolice Officer
Average age3940
Gender ratioMale, 88.2% Female, 11.8%Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 1.8% White, 69.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%Black or African American, 12.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 3.3% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage3%7%

Differences between fireman and police officer duties and responsibilities

Fireman example responsibilities.

  • Implement logistics support and material plan to manage advance shipment of hazardous goods to area of responsibility.
  • Educate fire department personnel regarding firefighting, paramedic procedures, hazardous materials and fire prevention.
  • Train in CPR, ship firefighting duties, and protection from biological and chemical attack.
  • Train in cpr and rescue techniques.
  • Maintain any electrical, plumbing, and hardware.
  • Perform all the plumbing tasks and some HVAC jobs as well.
  • Show more

Police officer example responsibilities.

  • Apprehend violators and log evidence, complete require USAF and DoD forms, and accomplish report.
  • Train in CPR and first aid, radar speed enforcement, domestic violence intervention, pepper spray, and basic anti-terrorism.
  • Gather preliminary investigation information as a first responder to crime scenes.
  • Perform basic patrol functions including criminal and traffic law enforcement, incident reporting and community relations.
  • Complete numerous testimonies at criminal hearings and traffic violations, serve summons, subpoenas and other official documentation.
  • Patrol MARTA trains and bus lines.
  • Show more

Fireman vs police officer skills

Common fireman skills
  • Emergency Calls, 14%
  • Safety Standards, 14%
  • Auxiliary Equipment, 5%
  • CPR, 5%
  • Diesel Engines, 4%
  • HVAC, 3%
Common police officer skills
  • Patrol, 27%
  • Public Safety, 6%
  • Law Enforcement Agencies, 5%
  • Emergency Situations, 5%
  • Field Training, 4%
  • CPR, 3%

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