Firefighter to emergency response worker
A firefighter already meets 20% of what the emergency response worker role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
74.8/ 100
1 How much of what an emergency response worker is expected to do is already part of a firefighter’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 emergency response worker role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An emergency response worker role treats 2 of its required skills as things a firefighter already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- evacuate people from buildings
- first aid
What stands in the way is 11 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 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An emergency response worker role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a firefighter background worth leading with.
- already held evacuate people from buildings assisting and caring
- already held avoid contamination assisting and caring
- already held perform search and rescue missions assisting and caring
- already held pollution legislation business, administration and law
- already held first aid health and welfare
- already held dispose of hazardous waste handling and moving
All 8 carried skills, including the 2 the emergency response worker role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 25 missing skills fall into 10 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 environmental remediation required
- still to learn ensure compliance with environmental legislation required
- still to learn evacuate people from flooded areas required
- optional, not held rescue animals optional
- optional, not held provide humanitarian aid optional
- optional, not held use personal protection equipment optional
- still to learn clean up spilled oil required
- still to learn remove debris required
- optional, not held remove contaminants optional
- optional, not held sort waste optional
- still to learn coordinate with other emergency services required
- still to learn treat flood damage required
- optional, not held manage emergency evacuation plans optional
- still to learn estimate damage required
- optional, not held report pollution incidents optional
- optional, not held identify risk of flooding optional
- still to learn provide emergency supplies required
- optional, not held dispatch emergency personnel optional
- optional, not held manage emergency procedures optional
- still to learn flood remediation equipment required
- optional, not held waste and scrap products optional
4 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an emergency response worker role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 provide emergency supplies practise this
- 02 clean up spilled oil practise this
- 03 estimate damage 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 8 skills that carry over
- already held evacuate people from buildings skill
- already held first aid knowledge
- already held avoid contamination skill
- already held dispose of hazardous waste skill
- already held perform risk analysis skill
- already held perform search and rescue missions skill
- already held pollution legislation knowledge
- already held provide first aid skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn operational tactics for emergency responses required
- optional, not held perform demarcation optional
- optional, not held pollution prevention optional
- optional, not held operate an emergency communication system optional
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held dispatch emergency personnel optional
- optional, not held report pollution incidents optional
- optional, not held rescue animals optional
- optional, not held waste and scrap products optional
- optional, not held identify risk of flooding optional
- optional, not held manage emergency evacuation plans optional
- optional, not held manage emergency procedures optional
- optional, not held operate an emergency communication system optional
- optional, not held perform demarcation optional
- optional, not held pollution prevention optional
- optional, not held provide humanitarian aid optional
- optional, not held remove contaminants optional
- optional, not held sort waste optional
- optional, not held use personal protection equipment optional
60 held skills the emergency response worker role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply first response skill
- not needed by the target role assess contamination skill
- not needed by the target role assess impact of industrial activities skill
- not needed by the target role assess risk factors skill
- not needed by the target role assist community skill
- not needed by the target role assist people in contaminated areas skill
- not needed by the target role climb trees skill
- not needed by the target role contain fires skill
- not needed by the target role dock operations knowledge
- not needed by the target role drive firetruck under emergency conditions skill
- not needed by the target role educate public on fire safety skill
- not needed by the target role ensure public safety and security skill
- not needed by the target role ensure vessel security skill
- not needed by the target role environmental policy knowledge
- not needed by the target role evacuate people from heights skill
- not needed by the target role extinguish fires skill
- not needed by the target role fire prevention procedures knowledge
- not needed by the target role fire safety regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role fire-fighting systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role handle flammable substances skill
- not needed by the target role health and safety regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role hydraulics knowledge
- not needed by the target role implement fire safety management plans skill
- not needed by the target role industrial engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role industrial tools knowledge
- not needed by the target role inspect industrial equipment skill
- not needed by the target role install vessel's safety equipment skill
- not needed by the target role investigate maritime accidents skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with industrial professionals skill
- not needed by the target role maintain logbooks skill
- not needed by the target role maintain safety systems skill
- not needed by the target role manage emergency care situations skill
- not needed by the target role manage factory operations skill
- not needed by the target role manage major incidents skill
- not needed by the target role manage personal professional development skill
- not needed by the target role mechanics of vessels knowledge
- not needed by the target role monitor chemical process condition skill
- not needed by the target role monitor disposal of radioactive substances skill
- not needed by the target role navy operations knowledge
- not needed by the target role operate emergency equipment skill
20 further entries not listed here
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 flood remediation equipment required
- still to learn operational tactics for emergency responses required
- optional, not held waste and scrap products optional
- optional, not held pollution prevention optional
Other moves recorded from firefighter
- fire service vehicle operator 81% covered · adjacent
- pump operator 68% covered · moderate
- chief fire officer 67% covered · moderate
- firefighter instructor 56% covered · moderate
- fire protection technician 55% covered · moderate
- fire inspector 49% covered · moderate
- fire commissioner 37% covered · substantial
- fire safety tester 33% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a firefighter become an emergency response worker?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A firefighter already covers 20% of what an emergency response worker is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 2 of which the emergency response worker role treats as required.
What skills does a firefighter need to become an emergency response worker?
11 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is provide emergency supplies.
How hard is the move from firefighter to emergency response worker?
Its learning distance is 74.8 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.