Firefighter
Respond to fire, road-accident and hazardous-materials emergencies under state fire services.
Registration: Entry through state fire services (FRNSW, FRV, CFA, QFES, SAMFS, DFES WA, TFS, NTFRS, ACT FB)
Salary
Cited figures only: median full-time weekly earnings for the ANZSCO unit group Fire and Emergency Workers (4412) from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia), and where available the QILT graduate starting salary for the matching study area.
| Figure | AUD | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time weekly earnings | $2280 | Your Career (2026-09-23) |
Jobs, demand and who does this work
Figures for the ANZSCO occupation Fire Fighter (441212), the closest official match for firefighter, from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia data, sourced 2026-09-23).
- People employed
- 13,300
- Future demand
- Moderate
- Work full-time
- 93%
- Average full-time hours
- 47 a week
- Women
- 8%
- Median age
- 43
Where the jobs are (share of workers)
| NSW | 30.8% |
| VIC | 28% |
| QLD | 18.3% |
| WA | 8.9% |
| SA | 7.1% |
| TAS | 2.9% |
| ACT | 2.1% |
| NT | 1.9% |
Highest qualification held by workers
| Postgraduate qualification | 5.2% |
| Bachelor degree | 15.8% |
| Diploma or advanced diploma | 18.9% |
| Certificate I-IV | 39.5% |
| Year 12 | 10.1% |
| Below Year 12 | 4.6% |
What a firefighter actually does
Urban firefighters work a 10-and-14 roster (two day shifts, two night shifts, then four days off) at a metropolitan fire station. A shift starts with a parade and equipment check: the appliance, breathing apparatus, hoses and rescue tools. The crew then runs a structured programme of drills, building familiarisation visits, station maintenance and physical training. A pager or station alarm can cut any of that short. Calls range from structure fires and car fires to motor-vehicle rescues, hazardous-materials incidents, lift entrapments and medical assists. Bushfire and rural-fire crews ramp up in summer and run preparation and burn-off work in cooler months. Hours sit at an average 42 a week across the cycle, with extended shifts during major incidents. Most of the work happens in pairs and four-person crews and depends on trusting the firefighter on either side of you.
Typical tasks
- Respond to emergencies as part of a fire crew.
- Conduct hazard inspections and community safety programmes.
- Maintain equipment and station readiness.
Skills you'll use
- Operating pumps, hoses, breathing apparatus and rescue tools
- Reading a fire and choosing the right tactic
- Working under breathing apparatus in low-visibility conditions
- Driving a heavy fire appliance under emergency conditions
- Casualty assessment and first aid before paramedics arrive
- Calm communication during a chaotic incident
- Physical strength and cardiovascular fitness
- Maintaining equipment and station systems
How to become one
- 1Finish Year 10 at minimum; Year 12 is required or strongly preferred by most state fire services
- 2Hold a current full driver's licence (manual highly preferred) and clean criminal-history check
- 3Pass the state fire service's physical aptitude test, including beep test, ladder climb and equipment carry
- 4Pass written aptitude, psychological and structured-interview stages with the relevant state service (FRNSW, FRV, QFES, DFES, SAMFS, TFS, NTFRS, ACT Fire and Rescue)
- 5Complete the paid recruit course at the state fire academy (around 12-22 weeks of full-time training)
- 6Work the probationary period at a metropolitan station and complete in-station qualifications before confirmation
Where you can work
- Metropolitan and regional fire stations under state fire services
- Country Fire Authority and Rural Fire Service brigades
- Airport rescue and firefighting units (Airservices Australia)
- Defence base fire services
- Industrial and mining-site emergency response teams
- Hazardous-materials and urban search-and-rescue units
- Community safety, fire investigation and training schools
Career progression
Typical stages and roles. Years of experience are a rough guide; pay at each stage depends on the employer, award or agreement.
- Recruit and qualified firefighter0-4 yearsTypical roles: Recruit firefighter, Qualified firefighter
- Senior firefighter4-10 yearsTypical roles: Senior firefighter, Leading firefighter, Acting station officer
- Station officer10-18 yearsTypical roles: Station officer, Hazmat technician, Aviation rescue firefighter
- Inspector and above18+ yearsTypical roles: Inspector, Superintendent, Commander
Is this for you?
You might love this if
- You can act decisively while others freeze
- You enjoy training, drills and being part of a tight crew
- You handle rotating day and night shifts without burning out
- You're physically fit and willing to keep training to stay that way
- You're calm under pressure when people around you are hurt or scared
- You're patient with hours of preparation between short, intense incidents
This might not suit you if
- You want a 9 to 5 desk job with no weekend or night work
- You're claustrophobic or panicked by smoke, height or confined space
- You can't carry heavy equipment over long distances
- You want a job where every hour is high-stakes action
Ways in
Uni and TAFE routes for firefighter. We only list pathways that actually lead to this occupation.
University
Bachelor degrees that lead to this career.
No direct undergraduate pathway. Consider postgraduate study after a related bachelor degree.
TAFE / VET
Nationally accredited Certificate and Diploma qualifications.
Sources
ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Your Career (yourcareer.gov.au) directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.