Wildland fire fighter vs fire engine operator

The differences between wildland fire fighters and fire engine operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a wildland fire fighter has an average salary of $51,848, which is higher than the $43,390 average annual salary of a fire engine operator.

The top three skills for a wildland fire fighter include fire safety, hand tools and DIG. The most important skills for a fire engine operator are CDL, crew safety, and firefighting.

Wildland fire fighter vs fire engine operator overview

	Wildland Fire Fighter	Fire Engine Operator
Yearly salary	$51,848	$43,390
Hourly rate	$24.93	$20.86
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	3,393	30,743
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Wildland fire fighter vs fire engine operator salary

Wildland fire fighters and fire engine operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Wildland Fire Fighter	Fire Engine Operator
Average salary	$51,848	$43,390
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $76,000	Between $28,000 And $66,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between wildland fire fighter and fire engine operator education

There are a few differences between a wildland fire fighter and a fire engine operator in terms of educational background:

	Wildland Fire Fighter	Fire Engine Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	General Studies	Fire Science And Protection
Most common college	-	-

Wildland fire fighter vs fire engine operator demographics

Here are the differences between wildland fire fighters' and fire engine operators' demographics:

	Wildland Fire Fighter	Fire Engine Operator
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 79.3% Female, 20.7%	Male, 89.3% Female, 10.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 1.9% White, 69.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 1.9% White, 69.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between wildland fire fighter and fire engine operator duties and responsibilities

Wildland fire fighter example responsibilities.

Lead and document the crew on six minutes for safety, tailgate safety sessions and JHA's.
Complete reorganization of all job relate JHA's.
Remove hazardous trees and other materials to provide safer conditions for other firefighting teams
Maintain knowledge of current firefighting and medical practices by participating in drills and attending require training.
Use hand tools such as, rakes, pruning saws, saws, hedge and brush trimmers

Fire engine operator example 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.

Wildland fire fighter vs fire engine operator skills

Common wildland fire fighter skills

Fire Safety, 33%
Hand Tools, 20%
DIG, 12%
Shovels, 11%
Water Pumps, 9%
Fire Prevention, 9%

Common fire engine operator skills

CDL, 20%
Crew Safety, 20%
Firefighting, 9%
Portable Pumps, 7%
Fire Behavior, 6%
Incident Command System, 6%

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Protective Service Industry
Wildland Fire Fighter
Wildland Fire Fighter vs Fire Engine Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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