Protective Service Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 33-1021

First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers

The published band from $53,430 to $140,010 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Transit and Railroad Police.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers: Transit and Railroad Police ($90K) , Private Detectives and Investigators ($51K) , Firefighters ($59K) , Fish and Game Wardens ($74K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 33-1021 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Assign firefighters to jobs at strategic locations to facilitate rescue of persons and maximize application of extinguishing agents
  2. 2. Provide emergency medical services as required, and perform light to heavy rescue functions at emergencies
  3. 3. Assess nature and extent of fire, condition of building, danger to adjacent buildings, and water supply status to determine crew or compa…
  4. 4. Communicate fire details to superiors, subordinates, or interagency dispatch centers, using two-way radios
  5. 5. Serve as a working leader of an engine, hand, helicopter, or prescribed fire crew of three or more firefighters
  6. 6. Instruct and drill fire department personnel in assigned duties, including firefighting, medical care, hazardous materials response, fire…
  7. 7. Maintain fire suppression equipment in good condition, checking equipment periodically to ensure that it is ready for use
  8. 8. Evaluate the performance of assigned firefighting personnel
  9. 9. Direct the training of firefighters, assigning of instructors to training classes, and providing of supervisors with reports on training…
  10. 10. Perform maintenance and minor repairs on firefighting equipment, including vehicles, and write and submit proposals to modify, replace, a…
  11. 11. Schedule employee work assignments and set work priorities
  12. 12. Inspect and test new and existing fire protection systems, fire detection systems, and fire safety equipment to ensure that they are oper…

First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 33-1021 - lead skill Active Listening at 4.0 ; lead knowledge Public Safety and Security. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 4.0
  2. 2. Critical Thinking 3.9
  3. 3. Social Perceptiveness 3.8
  4. 4. Reading Comprehension 3.6
  5. 5. Speaking 3.6
  6. 6. Monitoring 3.6
  7. 7. Coordination 3.6
  8. 8. Service Orientation 3.6

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Public Safety and Security 4.7
  2. 2. Customer and Personal Service 4.4
  3. 3. Education and Training 4.1
  4. 4. Building and Construction 4.0
  5. 5. Administration and Management 4.0
  6. 6. English Language 4.0
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$53,430 to $140,010
median $93,530 · ~2.6× spread
$94K
National median
↑ +3%
Growth 2024-2034
6,500
Annual openings
99,140
Estimated US jobs
Transit and Railroad Police
Highest-pay peer · $90K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Postsecondary nondegree award
Related experience Less than 5 years

Top Paying States for First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers

1. Maryland $120,530
2. New Jersey $133,210
3. Washington $129,350
4. New York $132,520
5. Utah $100,380
6. Colorado $102,580
7. Pennsylvania $101,050
8. Illinois $123,500
9. District of Columbia $126,560
10. California $127,630

Other Protective Service Occupations titles

  1. 1. Firefighters $59,280
  2. 2. Fish and Game Wardens $74,060
  3. 3. Transit and Railroad Police $90,230
  4. 4. Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $76,210
  5. 5. First-Line Supervisors of Protective Service Workers, All Other $76,400
  6. 6. Private Detectives and Investigators $51,220

The OEWS band for First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers runs from $53,430 (10th) to $140,010 (90th), about 2.6× wide, with median $93,530. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +3% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 6,500 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Postsecondary nondegree award as typical education needed for entry and less than 5 years as the typical related-work-experience category. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Maryland at $120,530. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Transit and Railroad Police at $90,230. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers pay-rank #3 in Protective Service Occupations

Among 24 detailed Protective Service Occupations with a published OEWS median, First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers is pay-rank #3, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 33-1021 · national median $93,530 · upper third of Protective Service Occupations (#3/24). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 33-1021

Maryland · top state for First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers

$121K published median

New Jersey · #2 state pay

$133K · behind Maryland

Transit and Railroad Police

Highest-pay peer vs First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers · $90K

Private Detectives and Investigators

Lower-pay peer beside First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers · $51K

Compare First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Protective Service Occupations titles sit near First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers at the top of the pay table? ▼
First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers is pay-rank #3 of 24 detailed Protective Service Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Detectives and Criminal Investigators ($94K), Transit and Railroad Police ($90K), First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives ($106K), First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers ($78K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do first-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers. Leading ones include: Assign firefighters to jobs at strategic locations to facilitate rescue of persons and maximize application of extinguishing agents; Provide emergency medical services as required, and perform light to heavy rescue functions at emergencies; Assess nature and extent of fire, condition of building, danger to adjacent buildings, and water supply status to determine crew or compa…; Communicate fire details to superiors, subordinates, or interagency dispatch centers, using two-way radios. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for first-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers? ▼
For SOC 33-1021, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (4.0), Critical Thinking (3.9), Social Perceptiveness (3.8), Reading Comprehension (3.6). Knowledge areas emphasize Public Safety and Security, Customer and Personal Service, Education and Training. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $53,430 and the 90th at $140,010 for First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers (2.6× spread). The national median is $93,530. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers is +3%. Projected annual openings: about 6,500. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers? ▼
BLS assigns Postsecondary nondegree award as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers. Related-work-experience category: less than 5 years. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers? ▼
Maryland ($120,530), New Jersey ($133,210), Washington ($129,350) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 33-1021. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics