Firefighters

Typical tasks

From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.

• Rescue survivors from burning buildings, accident sites, and water hazards.
• Administer first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation to injured persons or provide emergency medical care such as basic or advanced life support.
• Dress with equipment such as fire-resistant clothing and breathing apparatus.
• Move toward the source of a fire, using knowledge of types of fires, construction design, building materials, and physical layout of properties.
• Drive and operate fire fighting vehicles and equipment.
• Respond to fire alarms and other calls for assistance, such as automobile and industrial accidents.
• Search to locate fire survivors.
• Operate pumps connected to high-pressure hoses.
• Maintain contact with fire dispatchers at all times to notify them of the need for additional firefighters and supplies, or to detail any difficulties encountered.
• Extinguish flames and embers to suppress fires, using shovels or engine- or hand-driven water or chemical pumps.
• Maintain knowledge of current firefighting practices by participating in drills and by attending seminars, conventions, and conferences.
• Select and attach hose nozzles, depending on fire type, and direct streams of water or chemicals onto fires.