Fire inspector to firefighter instructor
A fire inspector already meets 36% of what the firefighter instructor role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
65.2/ 100
1 How much of what a firefighter instructor is expected to do is already part of a fire inspector’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 firefighter instructor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A firefighter instructor role treats 7 of its required skills as things a fire inspector already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- fire prevention procedures
- fire safety regulations
- fire-fighting systems
- hydraulics
- implement fire safety management plans
- provide advice on breaches of regulation
What stands in the way is 12 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 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A firefighter instructor role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a fire inspector background worth leading with.
- already held implement fire safety management plans management skills
- already held maintain safety systems assisting and caring
- already held pyrotechnic articles legislation business, administration and law
- already held provide advice on breaches of regulation communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held educate public on fire safety communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held fire prevention procedures services
All 14 carried skills, including the 7 the firefighter instructor role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 26 missing skills fall into 7 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 teach fire fighting principles required
- still to learn apply intercultural teaching strategies required
- still to learn educate on emergency management required
- still to learn ensure student welfare required
- still to learn work as a team in a hazardous environment required
- optional, not held relay messages through radio and telephone systems optional
- optional, not held safely instruct about fitness optional
- optional, not held assist students in their learning optional
- optional, not held coordinate with other emergency services optional
- optional, not held provide lesson materials optional
- still to learn evacuate people from buildings required
- still to learn extinguish fires required
- still to learn guarantee students' safety required
- still to learn manage major incidents required
- still to learn provide first aid required
- optional, not held ensure public safety and security optional
- optional, not held perform search and rescue missions optional
- optional, not held use different types of fire extinguishers optional
- still to learn assess students required
- still to learn perform classroom management required
- optional, not held manage resources for educational purposes optional
- optional, not held manage emergency care situations optional
- optional, not held perform preventive maintenance on fire fighting vehicles optional
- optional, not held adult education optional
- optional, not held climb trees optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a firefighter instructor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 teach fire fighting principles practise this
- 02 apply intercultural teaching strategies practise this
- 03 assess students 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 14 skills that carry over
- already held fire prevention procedures knowledge
- already held fire safety regulations knowledge
- already held fire-fighting systems knowledge
- already held hydraulics knowledge
- already held implement fire safety management plans skill
- already held provide advice on breaches of regulation skill
- already held test safety strategies skill
- already held educate public on fire safety skill
- already held environmental policy knowledge
- already held maintain safety systems skill
- already held perform risk analysis skill
- already held plan health and safety procedures skill
- already held pollution legislation knowledge
- already held pyrotechnic articles legislation knowledge
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held use geographic information systems optional
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held ensure public safety and security optional
- optional, not held manage resources for educational purposes optional
- optional, not held perform preventive maintenance on fire fighting vehicles optional
- optional, not held perform search and rescue missions optional
- optional, not held relay messages through radio and telephone systems optional
- optional, not held safely instruct about fitness optional
- optional, not held use geographic information systems optional
- optional, not held adult education optional
- optional, not held assist students in their learning optional
- optional, not held climb trees optional
- optional, not held coordinate with other emergency services optional
- optional, not held manage emergency care situations optional
- optional, not held provide lesson materials optional
- optional, not held use different types of fire extinguishers optional
15 held skills the firefighter instructor role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on safety improvements skill
- 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 conduct public presentations skill
- not needed by the target role estimate damage skill
- not needed by the target role first response knowledge
- not needed by the target role give instructions to staff skill
- not needed by the target role handling of dangerous goods knowledge
- not needed by the target role health, safety and hygiene legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain logbooks skill
- not needed by the target role manage emergency evacuation plans skill
- not needed by the target role manage health and safety standards skill
- not needed by the target role manage security equipment skill
- not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
- not needed by the target role write work-related reports skill
1 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held adult education optional
Common questions about this move
Can a fire inspector become a firefighter instructor?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A fire inspector already covers 36% of what a firefighter instructor is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 7 of which the firefighter instructor role treats as required.
What skills does a fire inspector need to become a firefighter instructor?
12 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is teach fire fighting principles.
How hard is the move from fire inspector to firefighter instructor?
Its learning distance is 65.2 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.