Headline risk
20%
Moderate RiskFirefighters
AI displacement pressure score for United States AI Work Index, combining global AI task overlap with local wages, employment trends, and demand signals.
Why This Score
Share of job tasks that overlap with current AI capabilities
Median annual wage
Projected employment change over 10 years
Typical preparation needed for this occupation
Occupation profile
Control and extinguish fires or respond to emergency situations where life, property, or the environment is at risk. Duties may include fire prevention, emergency medical service, hazardous material response, search and rescue, and disaster assistance.
Task evidence
96% weighted task match · 0% effective coverage
Scores combine AI task overlap, human advantages, and local demand. How it works
United States Now
Median Wage
USD 59,530
Employment 2024
344.9K
Projected Change (2024–34)
3.4%
Openings (2024–34)
27.1K
Wage distribution
Demand outlook
Employment of firefighters is projected to grow 3 percent from 2024 to 2034, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
Role Profile
Tasks
- 1. Rescue survivors from burning buildings, accident sites, and water hazards.
- 2. Dress with equipment such as fire-resistant clothing and breathing apparatus. AI use: 0%
- 3. Assess fires and situations and report conditions to superiors to receive instructions, using two-way radios. AI use: 0%
- 4. Respond to fire alarms and other calls for assistance, such as automobile and industrial accidents. AI use: 0%
- 5. Move toward the source of a fire, using knowledge of types of fires, construction design, building materials, and physical layout of properties. AI use: 0%
- 6. Create openings in buildings for ventilation or entrance, using axes, chisels, crowbars, electric saws, or core cutters. AI use: 0%
Technologies
Requirements
Work context
Worker profile
Median age 38.1 · 352K employed
Under 25: 11% · 25–54: 82% · 55+: 8%
Related
No direct US role match is available yet for this occupation.
Source coverage
11/11 source families · O*NET 30.2 / OEWS 2024 / ORS 2025 / OOH 2025-08-28 / Projections 2024-34 / CPS 2025 / Anthropic task penetration
Data quality
Employment data available
Narrative & sources
Firefighters control and put out fires and respond to emergencies involving life, property, or the environment.
On the scene of a fire or other emergency, firefighters’ work may be dangerous. On call at fire stations, firefighters sleep, eat, and perform other duties during shifts that often last 24 hours. Most paid firefighters work full time.
Firefighters typically need a high school diploma and training in emergency medical services. Most firefighters receive training at a fire academy. Other credential requirements, such as emergency medical technician (EMT) certification, vary by state or locality.
The median annual wage for firefighters was $59,530 in May 2024.
Employment of firefighters is projected to grow 3 percent from 2024 to 2034, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
Important context
This score measures structural AI displacement pressure, not actual job losses. Local wages and demand data are specific to United States AI Work Index; the underlying AI task overlap analysis is consistent across all countries.