Chief fire officer to fire commissioner
A chief fire officer already meets 48% of what the fire commissioner role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
51/ 100
1 How much of what a fire commissioner is expected to do is already part of a chief fire officer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the fire commissioner role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A fire commissioner role treats 9 of its required skills as things a chief fire officer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- conduct public presentations
- educate public on fire safety
- fire prevention procedures
- fire safety regulations
- implement fire safety management plans
- manage budgets
What stands in the way is 8 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 12 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A fire commissioner role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a chief fire officer background worth leading with.
- already held implement fire safety management plans management skills
- already held organise fire drills management skills
- already held educate public on fire safety communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held fire prevention procedures services
- already held fire-fighting systems services
- already held manage major incidents assisting and caring
All 12 carried skills, including the 9 the fire commissioner role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 16 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn perform maintenance on fire alarm systems required
- still to learn inspect fire equipment required
- still to learn building codes required
- optional, not held building materials industry optional
- optional, not held construction methods optional
- optional, not held mechanical systems optional
- still to learn personnel management required
- optional, not held business knowledge optional
- optional, not held legal research optional
- still to learn communicate health and safety measures required
- optional, not held advise on government policy compliance optional
- still to learn ensure equipment availability required
- optional, not held coordinate fire fighting optional
- still to learn conduct fire safety inspections required
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a fire commissioner role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 communicate health and safety measures practise this
- 02 perform maintenance on fire alarm systems practise this
- 03 building codes study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 12 skills that carry over
- already held conduct public presentations skill
- already held educate public on fire safety skill
- already held fire prevention procedures knowledge
- already held fire safety regulations knowledge
- already held implement fire safety management plans skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held manage major incidents skill
- already held organise fire drills skill
- already held perform risk analysis skill
- already held environmental policy knowledge
- already held fire-fighting systems knowledge
- already held train employees skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn government policy required
- optional, not held fire protection engineering optional
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held business knowledge optional
- optional, not held advise on government policy compliance optional
- optional, not held building materials industry optional
- optional, not held construction methods optional
- optional, not held coordinate fire fighting optional
- optional, not held fire protection engineering optional
- optional, not held legal research optional
- optional, not held mechanical systems optional
24 held skills the fire commissioner role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply first response skill
- not needed by the target role assess employees' capability levels skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate rescue missions skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate with other emergency services skill
- not needed by the target role ensure public safety and security skill
- not needed by the target role extinguish fires skill
- not needed by the target role first response knowledge
- not needed by the target role hydraulics knowledge
- not needed by the target role lead a team skill
- not needed by the target role maintain operational communications skill
- not needed by the target role manage emergency care situations skill
- not needed by the target role manage security equipment skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role operate fire extinguishers skill
- not needed by the target role plan health and safety procedures skill
- not needed by the target role pollution legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role pyrotechnic articles legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role recruit employees skill
- not needed by the target role select hazard control skill
- not needed by the target role supervise worker safety skill
- not needed by the target role test safety strategies skill
- not needed by the target role use different types of fire extinguishers skill
- not needed by the target role use geographic information systems skill
- not needed by the target role work as a team in a hazardous environment skill
9 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn building codes required
- still to learn government policy required
- still to learn personnel management required
- optional, not held business knowledge optional
- optional, not held building materials industry optional
- optional, not held construction methods optional
- optional, not held fire protection engineering optional
- optional, not held legal research optional
- optional, not held mechanical systems optional
Common questions about this move
Can a chief fire officer become a fire commissioner?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A chief fire officer already covers 48% of what a fire commissioner is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 9 of which the fire commissioner role treats as required.
What skills does a chief fire officer need to become a fire commissioner?
8 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by constructing. The single most important is communicate health and safety measures.
How hard is the move from chief fire officer to fire commissioner?
Its learning distance is 51 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.