💡 Why it matters: Fires, road crashes and building collapses can happen anywhere, and trained fire crews save lives and property when every minute counts.
🌍 Around the world
- United States: Jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, as fast as average (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦1.2M – ₦2.4M
- Mid-career
- ₦2.4M – ₦4.5M
- Senior
- ₦4.5M – ₦9M
≈ ₦200k – ₦375k a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇺🇸 United States
Median pay; low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
🇨🇦 Canada
Hourly wage low/median/high x 2,080 hours. Job Bank (Government of Canada), 2023-2024
Yearly pay before tax. UK, US and Canada figures come from the official sources named on each card. Nigeria has no official salary survey, so those are our indicative estimates. Real pay depends on the employer, the place, your skills and experience.
🛠️ What you actually do
- Put out fires and rescue people in danger
- Respond to road accidents and collapsed buildings
- Check and maintain fire trucks and equipment
- Inspect buildings for fire safety
- Teach communities how to prevent fires
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Physical fitness
- Courage under pressure
- Teamwork
- Quick decisions
- First aid
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Join the Federal or a State Fire Service through recruitment and training at a fire service training school
- Safety certificates such as NEBOSH or first-aid training to move into industrial fire safety
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Apply to a whole-time fire and rescue service
- Join as an on-call firefighter, then move to full time
🇺🇸 United States
- Volunteer or paid-on-call firefighting
- Associate degree in fire science (optional)
- Apprenticeship programs run by some fire departments
🇨🇦 Canada
- Volunteer or paid-on-call firefighting
- Apply to a city fire department (requirements vary by province and city)
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Stay fit and finish secondary school with good results in English and Maths
- 2Apply when your local or national fire service opens recruitment
- 3Pass fitness and medical tests
- 4Complete recruit training at a fire service college
- 5Rise through the ranks or specialise in rescue or fire safety
⏰ A day in the life
You check the fire truck and your breathing gear at the start of your shift. If an alarm rings, your crew rushes out; on quiet days you train, test hoses and visit a school to teach children what to do if there is a fire.