Table 1Transition record

fire commissionertochief 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.

From fire commissioner

35%

Overlap1

To chief fire officer

12 Skills carried over

10 Required, not held

63.4 Difficulty2

adjacent 0–30

moderate 30–55

substantial 55–75

career change 75–100

this move, 63.4

This move: 63.4 of 100 · substantial

1 Share of the chief fire officer role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the fire commissioner profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Table 2

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.

Skill the target role also needs Area

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

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 24 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 assisting and caring 3 required, 4 supplementary

required, not held ensure public safety and security required
required, not held extinguish fires required
required, not held 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

02 management skills 3 required, 4 supplementary

required, not held lead a team required
required, not held manage emergency care situations required
required, not held 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

03 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held 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

04 business, administration and law 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held pyrotechnic articles legislation required

optional, not held pollution legislation optional

05 health and welfare 1 required

required, not held first response required

06 working with computers 1 required

required, not held use geographic information systems required

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

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.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 12 skills that carry over

Skill Type

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

Skill to acquire Tier

07 information skills 2 supplementary

optional, not held manage security equipment optional
optional, not held test safety strategies optional

08 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 supplementary

optional, not held hydraulics optional

14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

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

Skill Type

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.

Skill to acquire Tier

required, not held first response required
required, not held pyrotechnic articles legislation required
optional, not held pollution legislation optional
optional, not held hydraulics optional

Index

Other moves recorded from fire commissioner

Full index of moves from fire commissioner

Note

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.