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

What is a fire captain and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Expert

Matthew Claflin

The average fire captain salary is $66,742. The most common degree is a associate degree degree with an fire science and protection major. It usually takes 6-8 years of experience to become a fire captain. Fire captains with a Certified Fire Inspector I certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 800 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a Fire Captain?

Matthew Claflin

Chief of Training and Adjunct Professor, University of Akron

Candidates can increase their salary potential by obtaining higher education and certifications. Most fire departments in the country will have monetary benefits and salary increases for candidates who hold degrees related to Fire and Emergency Services, and extra certifications like Paramedic certifications, Hazardous Materials Technician, Tactical EMS, High-Angle Rescue, Confined Space Rescue, Swift Water Rescue, etc. It is important to note that new candidates will have a better chance of being promoted to higher ranks within organizations when they hold more certifications and degrees related to the fire and emergency services field. Promoting within organizations also means increases in salaries.

ScoreFire CaptainUS Average

Salary

5.2

Avg. Salary $66,742

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

9.8

Growth Rate 4%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

1.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.05%

Asian 2.26%

Black or African American 5.77%

Hispanic or Latino 8.18%

Unknown 5.88%

White 76.86%

Gender

female 6.15%

male 93.85%

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

9.8

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.6

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.8

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a fire captain

Explore fire captain education requirements

Most common fire captain degrees

Associate

41.5 %

Bachelor's

34.2 %

High School Diploma

12.4 %

Start to develop specific fire captain skills

Skills	Percentages
Emergency Response	8.01%
EMT	6.22%
Fire Suppression	5.00%
EMS	4.77%
Fire Service	4.73%

Complete relevant fire captain training and internships

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

Research fire captain duties and responsibilities

Achieve a long time department goal by exceeding the NFPA and DPSST standards by recreating the fire district's training program.
Manage the combat logistics operations center's daily operations and ensure efficient information flow between internal and external organizations.
Certify as CPR and defibrillator instructor.
Fulfill a specialize function in the HAZMAT discipline.

Prepare your fire captain resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your fire captain 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 captain 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 Captain Resume templates

Build a professional Fire Captain 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 Captain resume.

Apply for fire captain jobs

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

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

How do fire captains rate their job?