- What should your firefighter resume include?
- How can you create a professional summary?
- How should you describe your work experience as a firefighter?
- Include a fitting firefighter resume education and certifications section
- Which key skills are relevant for a firefighter resume?
- How to select the most impactful firefighter resume template
- Copyable firefighter resume example
- Key takeaways for writing a firefighter resume
Be a hero and land your next firefighting position with our expert firefighter resume example and writing guide. Learn how to highlight your firefighting skills with expert formatting advice and helpful tips for demonstrating why you’re the best candidate to help those in times of need.
Firefighters are truly some of our nation’s greatest heroes. A good firefighter is brave, knowledgeable, and capable of taking charge in emergencies. An effective resume is a great way to showcase your skills and accomplishments as a first responder, and help you stand out from the crowd.
This resume guide and corresponding firefighter resume example will cover the following topics:
What to include on a firefighter resume
Advice on each section of your resume (summary, work history, education)
Adding relevant key skills to your resume
Choosing the right resume template for a firefighter
What should your firefighter resume include?
Your firefighter resume should highlight your disaster response skills, fire suppression techniques, and knowledge of safety protocols, among other things. When you work in any type of first response environment, you'll be dealing with people at their most vulnerable. You need a resume that emphasizes your skills, work experience, and background to effectively showcase your unique value as a reliable professional.
Your firefighter resume should contain the following elements:
The resume header with your contact information
The resume summary
The resume skills section
How can you create a professional summary?
Being a firefighter can be a tough job with a myriad of responsibilities. Your resume’s professional summary is a great place to spotlight your top attributes. It’s a brief (two to three sentence) summary of your career that outlines your relevant skills, work experience, and value you’d bring to the organization.
This short paragraph blends your core strengths as a firefighter with your relevant work experience. That could include your top rescue operations, how you lead training exercises, or your commitment to fire safety and education.
You can also include a list of bullet points after your professional summary to illustrate your unique skills and qualifications, with room for additional context if you want to expand on each one.
See our adaptable firefighter resume summary below:
Knowledgeable and accomplished firefighter with 14 years of progressively responsible experience, currently holding authority as Action Captain. Oversee and lead day-to-day department operations, personnel performance, training, and professional development to create a highly capable and dedicated team. Drive continuous improvement to firefighting and emergency services through implementation of new programs, practices, and equipment. Obtain funding via grants from government and private organizations, effectively managing budget to ensure appropriate use of resources.
How should you describe your work experience as a firefighter?
The work experience section is the highlight reel of your resume, where you demonstrate why you’re the best firefighter to have on their roster. The job description is your map, helping you align your work history and achievements with the skills and experience that the fire department is looking for.
For a firefighter position, list your work experience in reverse chronological order—meaning your most current position first—and include your job title, how long you worked there, and your core job responsibilities.
Then, list your achievements in bullet points under each job, using quantifiable data when possible. Incorporating your accomplishments shows that you’re a firefighter who is committed to making a measurable difference in public safety.
For example, if you specialize in training and mentoring rookie firefighters, you could phrase it this way:
"Trained and mentored 15 new firefighters over the last eight years, contributing to their skill development and ensuring a consistently high level of competence."
Take a look at the adaptable firefighter resume employment history section below:
Acting Captain, Windsor Fire Protection District, Windsor, CA January 2022 - Present
Safely and effectively perform all Fire Captain duties to manage engine company operations.
Serve as incident commander during emergency situations, supervising and coordinating personnel in performing fire suppression, fire prevention, search and rescue, emergency medical services, and other tasks.
Hold additional responsibility as Incident Qualification System Manager, Ladder Program Manager, Small Tool Program Manager, Water Program Manager, and Canine Program Manager.
Successfully completed 2900 hours as Acting Captain.
Led firefighting personnel and emergency medical technicians in highly dangerous environments, ensuring appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and compliance with safety protocols to protect emergency personnel and members of the public.
Spearheaded and conducted multi-agency drills to maintain training proficiency, including extraction, ventilation, tactical medical, and other skills; as California State Fire Marshall Instructor I, taught multiple classes at the company level.
Wrote grants to obtain vital funding for PPE, SCBA, water rescue, and other specialized equipment.
Recommended implementation of Urban Search and Rescue Canine Program, Swiftwater Rescue Program (OES Type 4), Earthquake Operations SOG, and Lock-out/Tag-out SOG.
Designated FEMA California Task Force 4 Canine Search Specialist and Transportation Specialist.
Since 8/2014, Selected as US&R Canine Handler responsible for animal’s development, training, and wellbeing; implement strategies to use canine to locate live victims in debris; and participate in public relations events.
Emergency Medical Technician, Sonoma Valley Fire and Rescue Authority, Sonoma, CA April 2005 - March 2012
Served as EMT-B on a part-time basis.
Assessed patients, triaged wounds and injuries, performed CPR, and administered medication.
Stabilized patients for transportation from emergency scene to hospital.
Used appropriate equipment, including backboards, splints, AED, and manual ventilation equipment.
Include a fitting firefighter resume education and certifications section
Your education is the scaffold on which to hang your firefighting skills and knowledge, so make sure it stands out. You don’t need a college degree to be an effective firefighter, but it’s still important to let an employer know that you have the skills and training they need.
When crafting your firefighter resume education section, consider the following:
Keep it simple. Create a concise list of degrees and certifications, including the name of the school, the degree itself, and any honors you were awarded.
List your education in reverse order with the highest or most recent degree first.
List any certifications you’ve completed or are working towards, such as Firefighter I and II, HAZMAT certification, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), or Certified Fire Inspector. These demonstrate your commitment to both fire safety and professional growth. Make sure to include the name of the issuing body and issue date.
Fire Technology Studies, Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa, CA
Which key skills are relevant for a firefighter resume?
While you do need training and experience to be a top-notch firefighter, hiring managers will also be looking for other key skills. You’ll want to tailor your resume to highlight the skills and attributes that the fire department is looking for, especially if you’re applying for a position that faces specific challenges like wildfires.
Start with the job description, which will usually include the keywords and skills required by the employer. Your resume might also be scanned by an applicant tracking system (ATS) that will search your resume for specific keywords and rank them by how closely they match the job description. (To learn more, check out our article on resume ATS optimization.)
Incorporate these skills and keywords throughout your resume, including your work history. If you’re using career.io resume templates, they include a handy key skills list with common skills for different roles.
For a firefighter resume, a few important skills might include:
Physical fitness
Mechanical aptitude
First aid/CPR
Knowledge of public safety and security
Attention to detail
Visualization
Emergency medicine
Don’t discount soft skills on your resume
Firefighters do need a lot of hard skills and technical abilities, such as emergency medical procedures, equipment operations, and even hazardous material handling. However, don’t discount soft skills on your firefighter resume. Soft skills are crucial for community safety and dealing with emotionally difficult situations.
Examples of important soft skills for firefighters include:
Teamwork and collaboration
Communication
Leadership
Critical thinking
Problem solving
Empathy
Adaptability
When you include soft skills on your resume, you’re demonstrating that you’re a well-rounded fire professional who can be an effective leader and teammate.
How to select the most impactful firefighter resume template
An effective resume is an outline of who you are as a professional, and should reflect you accordingly, so choosing the right resume format and layout is essential.
A firefighter resume should use a clean, modern, and uncluttered layout. It should have distinct sections and be easy to read, like our example firefighter resume below. Your resume length should be one to two pages, depending on your level of experience and whether you’re interested in leadership positions.
When exploring the many resume templates in our career.io resume builder, start by selecting the resume layout that best fits your situation. Find inspiration with our over 100 available resume examples.
Copyable firefighter resume example
Summary example
Knowledgeable and accomplished firefighter with 14 years of progressively responsible experience, currently holding authority as Action Captain. Oversee and lead day-to-day department operations, personnel performance, training, and professional development to create a highly capable and dedicated team. Drive continuous improvement to firefighting and emergency services through implementation of new programs, practices, and equipment. Obtain funding via grants from government and private organizations, effectively managing budget to ensure appropriate use of resources.
Employment history example
Acting Captain, Windsor Fire Protection District, Windsor, CA January 2022 - Present
Safely and effectively perform all Fire Captain duties to manage engine company operations.
Serve as incident commander during emergency situations, supervising and coordinating personnel in performing fire suppression, fire prevention, search and rescue, emergency medical services, and other tasks.
Hold additional responsibility as Incident Qualification System Manager, Ladder Program Manager, Small Tool Program Manager, Water Program Manager, and Canine Program Manager.
Successfully completed 2900 hours as Acting Captain.
Led firefighting personnel and emergency medical technicians in highly dangerous environments, ensuring appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and compliance with safety protocols to protect emergency personnel and members of the public.
Spearheaded and conducted multi-agency drills to maintain training proficiency, including extraction, ventilation, tactical medical, and other skills; as California State Fire Marshall Instructor I, taught multiple classes at the company level.
Wrote grants to obtain vital funding for PPE, SCBA, water rescue, and other specialized equipment.
Recommended implementation of Urban Search and Rescue Canine Program, Swiftwater Rescue Program (OES Type 4), Earthquake Operations SOG, and Lock-out/Tag-out SOG.
Designated FEMA California Task Force 4 Canine Search Specialist and Transportation Specialist.
Since 8/2014, Selected as US&R Canine Handler responsible for animal’s development, training, and wellbeing; implement strategies to use canine to locate live victims in debris; and participate in public relations events.
Emergency Medical Technician, Sonoma Valley Fire and Rescue Authority, Sonoma, CA April 2005 - March 2012
Served as EMT-B on a part-time basis.
Assessed patients, triaged wounds and injuries, performed CPR, and administered medication.
Stabilized patients for transportation from emergency scene to hospital.
Used appropriate equipment, including backboards, splints, AED, and manual ventilation equipment.
Education example
Fire Technology Studies, Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa, CA
Skills example
Team Leadership & Coordination
Disaster Response Training (FEMA)
Community Engagement Activities
Fire Suppression/Prevention Techniques
Emergency Medical Services
Key takeaways for writing a firefighter resume
Being a firefighter is a tough but rewarding job, and an effective firefighter resume is a great way to showcase your experience and unique value.
Your professional summary blends your core strengths as a firefighter with your relevant work experience.
Use the job description to tailor your resume to highlight the specific skills, experience, and qualifications that the fire department is looking for.
Get stuck? Use our online resume builder to create your firefighter resume with adaptable, eye-catching templates and AI-powered content.
