As of November 2026,
Firefighters has an AI-exposure score of 47/100
(Moderate exposure) on the AI-Safe Careers index. This is an estimate of task
exposure, not a prediction of job loss.
Score inputs for this role:
This role starts from O*NET 31.0 occupational descriptors and is empirically grounded by Penn/OpenAI GPTs are GPTs study, Felten, Raj and Seamans AIOE index. BLS labor-market figures are separate context, not score inputs.
Firefighters
More exposed than 22% of the roles we track. Median pay ~US$59,280. About 27,100 projected openings a year (BLS 2024–34 - growth plus replacement).
Pay & demand figures are US medians (BLS, in USD) - your local figures will differ. Your exposure score applies broadly.
Will AI replace Firefighters?
No exposure score can predict whether AI will replace this role. The 47/100 score means our current model estimates moderate task exposure from the sources listed on this page. It does not predict an employer decision, headcount, or an individual outcome. The task map below shows the work assessed and where human judgment remains important.
Early-career context (study ages 22-25)
This role is in our Moderate exposure band, not our highest-exposure bands. The study's 16% finding should not be applied directly to this role.
The November 2025 revision reports a 16% relative employment decline for workers ages 22-25 in the most AI-exposed U.S. occupations, after firm-level controls, relative to workers in less-exposed fields and more experienced workers in the same occupations.
Use the task map to identify durable work and the skills worth building early.
Stanford Digital Economy Lab, Canaries in the Coal Mine - November 2025 revision
This is group-level U.S. payroll evidence, not a personal forecast. The authors do not claim that AI alone caused the change, and this context does not alter the exposure score.
How this role compares to similar Protective Service roles
What this role usually involves
Control and extinguish fires or respond to emergency situations where life, property, or the environment is at risk. Duties may include fire prevention, emergency medical service, hazardous material response, search and rescue, and disaster assistance.
Broad guidance for this preparation level; exact requirements vary by role and employer.
Source: O*NET 31.0 exact occupation - Firefighters, SOC 33-2011.00. Context describes the role; the AI-exposure score remains a separate task-exposure estimate.
Firefighters tasks, by AI exposure
- Maintain contact with fire dispatchers at all times to notify them of the need for additional firefighters and supplies, or to detail any difficulties encountered.
- Assess fires and situations and report conditions to superiors to receive instructions, using two-way radios.
- Administer first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation to injured persons or provide emergency medical care such as basic or advanced life support.
- Select and attach hose nozzles, depending on fire type, and direct streams of water or chemicals onto fires.
- Dress with equipment such as fire-resistant clothing and breathing apparatus.
No durable tasks identified for this role - its individually-assessed tasks split 70% augmentable / 30% automatable.
We analyzed all 20 Firefighters tasks - 6 automatable and 14 augmentable. The full task map - every task with exactly what to do about each - is in your Career Report.
Your report unlocks three concrete artifacts
Every task scored with what to automate, augment, or protect.
Related roles with exposure deltas, salary, demand, and reachability. Lower-exposure options appear only when the data supports them.
A keepable roadmap plus resume and LinkedIn repositioning.
Grounded in O*NET-linked or curated role data, with Penn, Anthropic Economic Index, and AIOE signals where matched. BLS labor-market context is separate - not generic advice.
Adjacent career paths
This role is already among lower-exposure work. The adjacent paths below are shown for opportunity and skill transfer, not as lower-exposure alternatives.
Maintain contact with fire dispatchers at all times to notify them of the need for additional firefighters and supplies, or to detail any difficulties encountered.
Your AI-Safe Career Report
Every task scored with what to do about it; adjacent paths with honest exposure deltas, salary, demand, and reachability; a skill-gap map; a 30/60/90-day roadmap; Agent Reality Check; plus a résumé and LinkedIn rewrite and professional PDF.
Grounded in O*NET-linked or curated role data, with Penn, Anthropic Economic Index, and AIOE signals where matched. BLS labor-market context is separate.
AI now appears in 7.3% of U.S. job postings on Indeed, up from 1.7% in January 2019 - the skills employers ask for are shifting, and adapting early pays. - Indeed Hiring Lab AI Tracker, 2026
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Firefighters - median pay by US state (BLS OEWS, USD)
Median annual wage, in USD. US national: US$59,280. More states are being added.