Firefighter to fire commissioner
A firefighter already meets 37% of what the fire commissioner role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
60.3/ 100
1 How much of what a fire commissioner 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 fire commissioner role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A fire commissioner role treats 7 of its required skills as things a firefighter already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- educate public on fire safety
- fire prevention procedures
- fire safety regulations
- 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 9 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 firefighter 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 9 carried skills, including the 7 the fire commissioner role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 19 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 communicate health and safety measures required
- still to learn conduct public presentations required
- optional, not held advise on government policy compliance optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- still to learn ensure equipment availability required
- still to learn manage budgets required
- optional, not held coordinate fire fighting optional
- 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 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 9 skills that carry over
- 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 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
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn government policy required
- optional, not held fire protection engineering optional
9 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
- optional, not held train employees optional
59 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 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 avoid contamination 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 dispose of hazardous waste 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 ensure public safety and security skill
- not needed by the target role ensure vessel security skill
- not needed by the target role evacuate people from buildings skill
- 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 first aid 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 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 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
- not needed by the target role operate emergency vehicle skill
- not needed by the target role operate marine communication systems skill
- not needed by the target role operate marine machinery systems skill
19 further entries not listed here
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
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 safety tester 33% covered · substantial
- emergency response worker 21% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a firefighter become a fire commissioner?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A firefighter already covers 37% of what a fire commissioner is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 7 of which the fire commissioner role treats as required.
What skills does a firefighter need to become a fire commissioner?
10 required skills are missing, plus 9 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is communicate health and safety measures.
How hard is the move from firefighter to fire commissioner?
Its learning distance is 60.3 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.