Employment

Firefighters held about 307,000 jobs in 2012. The vast majority — about 91 percent — worked for local governments. Most of the remainder worked for federal and state governments. A few worked at airports, chemical plants, and other industrial sites. These employment numbers exclude volunteer firefighters. There are approximately twice as many volunteer firefighters as there are paid firefighters. Volunteer firefighters share the same duties as paid firefighters and account for the majority of firefighters in many areas. One source indicates that about 69 percent of fire departments were staffed entirely by volunteer firefighters in 2012. Employment of firefighters is projected to grow by 7 percent from 2012 through 2022.

Source:

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2014-2015 edition, Firefighters.