Resume guide · Job Zone 3

First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workersresume guide.

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in firefighting and fire prevention and control. A strong First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers resume shows active listening, critical thinking and management of personnel resources, and names the tools you have worked with, such as Microsoft Access, Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Office software.

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01Also called

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Battalion ChiefEngine BossFire Battalion ChiefFire CaptainFire ChiefFire LieutenantFire MarshalFire Suppression CaptainForest Fire Specialist SupervisorSection Forest Fire Warden

02Skills employers expect

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Importance is how much the skill matters to the job; level is how much of it the job demands. Both are worth naming on the resume, in this order.

SkillImportanceLevel
Active ListeningVery highAdvanced
Critical ThinkingHighAdvanced
Management of Personnel ResourcesHighIntermediate
SpeakingHighIntermediate
Judgment and Decision MakingHighIntermediate
MonitoringHighIntermediate
Reading ComprehensionHighIntermediate
Complex Problem SolvingHighIntermediate
CoordinationHighIntermediate
InstructingHighIntermediate

03Knowledge areas

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  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Education and Training
  • Public Safety and Security
  • Personnel and Human Resources
  • Building and Construction
  • English Language
  • Administration and Management
  • Medicine and Dentistry
  • Mechanical
  • Mathematics

04Common responsibilities

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Ordered by importance. Each one is a bullet waiting for a result and a number.

  1. Provide emergency medical services as required, and perform light to heavy rescue functions at emergencies.
  2. Maintain fire suppression equipment in good condition, checking equipment periodically to ensure that it is ready for use.
  3. Assign firefighters to jobs at strategic locations to facilitate rescue of persons and maximize application of extinguishing agents.
  4. Communicate fire details to superiors, subordinates, or interagency dispatch centers, using two-way radios.
  5. Serve as a working leader of an engine, hand, helicopter, or prescribed fire crew of three or more firefighters.
  6. Evaluate size, location, and condition of fires.
  7. Instruct and drill fire department personnel in assigned duties, including firefighting, medical care, hazardous materials response, fire prevention, and related subjects.
  8. Recruit or hire firefighting personnel.
  9. Assess nature and extent of fire, condition of building, danger to adjacent buildings, and water supply status to determine crew or company requirements.
  10. Monitor fire suppression expenditures to ensure that they are necessary and reasonable.

05Software and tools

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25 tools across 12 categories. The six largest categories are below; Hot marks a hot technology, In demand a tool employers ask for most often.

Data base user interface and query software5
  • Microsoft AccessHotIn demand
  • Fire incident reporting systems
  • Affiliated Computer Services ACS FIREHOUSE
  • BIO-key FireRMS
  • Wildland Fire Assessment System WFAS
Analytical or scientific software4
  • BehavePlus
  • FARSITE
  • FlamMap
  • Plume modeling software
Geographic information system3
Electronic mail software2
Office suite software2
Project management software2
  • Incident command system ICS software
  • Resource Ordering and Statusing System ROSS
Spreadsheet software2
Helpdesk or call center software1
  • Computer aided dispatch software
Internet browser software1
Map creation software1
  • Mapping software
Presentation software1
Word processing software1

06Education and preparation

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Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
38% of surveyed workers. Others report Post-Secondary Certificate (35%) and Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree (22%).
Preparation level
Job Zone 3 · Medium preparation
Usually vocational training, an associate degree or a few years of related experience.

07Putting it on your resume

ResumeXRays guidance
BEE · How to show it

Lead with the credential and the record. Job Zone 3 roles usually ask for training, a license or a few years of related experience. Put those on the first screen, then show what you did with them.

Name the tools exactly. This occupation is heavy on named software. A skills section that says "Microsoft Access, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Excel" matches more job descriptions than a general phrase. Use the spelling employers use.

Show critical thinking and management of personnel resources, not just active listening. Critical thinking and management of personnel resources rank close to active listening for this occupation. One bullet per role that shows a decision, a tradeoff or a result covers them.

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