Fire commissioner to chief fire officer
A fire commissioner already meets 35% of what the chief fire officer role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
63.4/ 100
1 How much of what a chief fire officer is expected to do is already part of a fire commissioner’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 chief fire officer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A chief fire officer role treats 6 of its required skills as things a fire commissioner already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- fire prevention procedures
- fire safety regulations
- fire-fighting systems
- implement fire safety management plans
- manage major incidents
- organise fire drills
What stands in the way is 10 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 chief fire officer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a fire commissioner 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 6 the chief fire officer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 24 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 ensure public safety and security required
- still to learn extinguish fires required
- still to learn use different types of fire extinguishers required
- optional, not held apply first response optional
- optional, not held operate fire extinguishers optional
- optional, not held select hazard control optional
- optional, not held supervise worker safety optional
- still to learn lead a team required
- still to learn manage emergency care situations required
- still to learn manage staff required
- optional, not held assess employees' capability levels optional
- optional, not held coordinate rescue missions optional
- optional, not held plan health and safety procedures optional
- optional, not held recruit employees optional
- still to learn work as a team in a hazardous environment required
- optional, not held coordinate with other emergency services optional
- optional, not held maintain operational communications optional
- still to learn pyrotechnic articles legislation required
- optional, not held pollution legislation optional
- still to learn first response required
- still to learn use geographic information systems required
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a chief fire officer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 ensure public safety and security practise this
- 02 first response study this
- 03 use geographic information systems practise 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 fire prevention procedures knowledge
- already held fire safety regulations knowledge
- already held fire-fighting systems knowledge
- already held implement fire safety management plans skill
- already held manage major incidents skill
- already held organise fire drills skill
- already held conduct public presentations skill
- already held educate public on fire safety skill
- already held environmental policy knowledge
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held perform risk analysis skill
- already held train employees skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held manage security equipment optional
- optional, not held test safety strategies optional
- optional, not held hydraulics optional
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held pollution legislation optional
- optional, not held apply first response optional
- optional, not held assess employees' capability levels optional
- optional, not held coordinate rescue missions optional
- optional, not held coordinate with other emergency services optional
- optional, not held hydraulics optional
- optional, not held maintain operational communications optional
- optional, not held manage security equipment optional
- optional, not held operate fire extinguishers optional
- optional, not held plan health and safety procedures optional
- optional, not held recruit employees optional
- optional, not held select hazard control optional
- optional, not held supervise worker safety optional
- optional, not held test safety strategies optional
16 held skills the chief fire officer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on government policy compliance skill
- not needed by the target role building codes knowledge
- not needed by the target role building materials industry knowledge
- not needed by the target role business knowledge knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate health and safety measures skill
- not needed by the target role conduct fire safety inspections skill
- not needed by the target role construction methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role coordinate fire fighting skill
- not needed by the target role ensure equipment availability skill
- not needed by the target role fire protection engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role government policy knowledge
- not needed by the target role inspect fire equipment skill
- not needed by the target role legal research knowledge
- not needed by the target role mechanical systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform maintenance on fire alarm systems skill
- not needed by the target role personnel management knowledge
4 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 first response required
- still to learn pyrotechnic articles legislation required
- optional, not held pollution legislation optional
- optional, not held hydraulics optional
Common questions about this move
Can a fire commissioner become a chief fire officer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A fire commissioner already covers 35% of what a chief fire officer is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 6 of which the chief fire officer role treats as required.
What skills does a fire commissioner need to become a chief fire officer?
10 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is ensure public safety and security.
How hard is the move from fire commissioner to chief fire officer?
Its learning distance is 63.4 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.