Firefighter to pump operator
A firefighter already meets 68% of what the pump operator role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
35.9/ 100
1 How much of what a pump operator 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 pump operator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A pump operator role treats 12 of its required skills as things a firefighter already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- ensure public safety and security
- extinguish fires
- fire prevention procedures
- fire safety regulations
- fire-fighting systems
- first aid
What stands in the way is 7 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 22 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A pump operator 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 operate emergency vehicle working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held perform preventive maintenance on fire fighting vehicles constructing
- already held operate emergency equipment handling and moving
- already held manage emergency care situations management skills
- already held maintain safety systems assisting and caring
- already held relay messages through radio and telephone systems communication, collaboration and creativity
All 22 carried skills, including the 12 the pump operator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 8 missing skills fall into 5 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 operate pumps for fire extinguishing required
- still to learn operate hydraulic machinery controls required
- still to learn operate hydraulic pumps required
- still to learn maintain hydraulic systems required
- still to learn operate fire extinguishers required
- still to learn hydraulic fluid required
- still to learn coordinate fire fighting required
- optional, not held environmental legislation optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a pump operator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 operate pumps for fire extinguishing practise this
- 02 operate hydraulic machinery controls practise this
- 03 operate hydraulic pumps 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 22 skills that carry over
- already held ensure public safety and security skill
- already held extinguish fires skill
- already held fire prevention procedures knowledge
- already held fire safety regulations knowledge
- already held fire-fighting systems knowledge
- already held first aid knowledge
- already held hydraulics knowledge
- already held manage emergency care situations skill
- already held manage major incidents skill
- already held perform preventive maintenance on fire fighting vehicles skill
- already held use different types of fire extinguishers skill
- already held work as a team in a hazardous environment skill
- already held educate public on fire safety skill
- already held environmental policy knowledge
- already held maintain safety systems skill
- already held operate emergency equipment skill
- already held operate emergency vehicle skill
- already held perform minor repairs to equipment skill
- already held perform risk analysis skill
- already held pollution legislation knowledge
- already held relay messages through radio and telephone systems skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
1 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held environmental legislation optional
46 held skills the pump operator 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 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 handle flammable substances skill
- not needed by the target role health and safety regulations 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 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 marine communication systems skill
- not needed by the target role operate marine machinery systems skill
- not needed by the target role organise fire drills skill
- not needed by the target role perform search and rescue missions skill
- not needed by the target role prevent marine pollution skill
- not needed by the target role provide first aid skill
- not needed by the target role pyrotechnic articles legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role regulations on substances knowledge
- not needed by the target role rescue in road accidents skill
6 further entries not listed here
2 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 hydraulic fluid required
- optional, not held environmental legislation optional
Other moves recorded from firefighter
- fire service vehicle operator 81% covered · adjacent
- 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
- emergency response worker 21% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a firefighter become a pump operator?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A firefighter already covers 68% of what a pump operator is expected to do: 22 skills carry over, 12 of which the pump operator role treats as required.
What skills does a firefighter need to become a pump operator?
7 required skills are missing, plus 1 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is operate pumps for fire extinguishing.
How hard is the move from firefighter to pump operator?
Its learning distance is 35.9 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.