# First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers

US SOC code 33-1021. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/33-1021

Also called: Fire captain, Fire lieutenant, Fire supervisor, Battalion chief, Engine company captain.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **99,140** US first-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers, with median pay of **$93,530** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2021, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.redzone.co/2016/04/05/first-professional-fire-department-united-states/) of **3,000** from 1890, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era in this work: Computer-aided dispatch and records management systems, 1990 to 2015.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 3.7% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=33-1021&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **40.6%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend.

## First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1853
- Latest US employment: 99,140 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $93,530 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [7]
- Outlook: +3.7% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [23]

### All 28 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1890 | 3,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., RedZone [1] |
| 1960 | 25,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., NFPA [2] |
| 1964 | n/a | $7,800 | BLS historical bulletin [5] |
| 1980 | 55,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., NFPA [2] |
| 2000 | 72,000 (estimate) | $51,990 | Est., O\*NET 33-1021.00 (employment) [3]; BLS OEWS 2000 (pay) [6] |
| 2003 | 59,000 | $57,000 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [4] |
| 2004 | 54,170 | $58,920 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [4] |
| 2005 | 53,490 | $60,840 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [4] |
| 2006 | 50,810 | $62,900 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [4] |
| 2007 | 52,160 | $65,040 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [4] |
| 2008 | 53,300 | $67,440 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [4] |
| 2009 | 57,750 | $68,250 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [4] |
| 2010 | 58,800 | $68,240 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [4] |
| 2011 | 58,210 | $69,510 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [4] |
| 2012 | 60,600 | $68,210 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [4] |
| 2013 | 59,700 | $70,040 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [4] |
| 2014 | 59,870 | $70,670 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [4] |
| 2015 | 58,110 | $72,230 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [4] |
| 2016 | 57,170 | $74,540 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [4] |
| 2017 | 58,690 | $76,170 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [4] |
| 2018 | 65,920 | $76,330 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [4] |
| 2019 | 69,590 | $77,800 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [4] |
| 2020 | 69,000 | $78,870 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [4] |
| 2021 | 80,890 | $78,230 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [4] |
| 2022 | 84,040 | $80,150 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [4] |
| 2023 | 84,120 | $86,220 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [4] |
| 2024 | 93,680 | $92,430 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [4] |
| 2025 | 99,140 | $93,530 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [4] |

## Sources (87)

### Employment series

1. [The First Professional Fire Department in the United States — RedZone (Cincinnati 1853 and professional department spread)](https://www.redzone.co/2016/04/05/first-professional-fire-department-united-states/), RedZone
2. [NFPA — Number of Firefighters in the U.S. (historical career firefighter counts)](https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-research/research/nfpa-research/fire-statistical-reports/number-of-firefighters-in-the-us), National Fire Protection Association
3. [O\*NET 33-1021.00 — First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers (occupational profile)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/33-1021.00), O\*NET / BLS
4. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

5. [FRASER / BLS Bulletin 1445 — "Salary Trends: Firemen and Policemen 1924-64" (fire officer wage history)](https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/files/docs/publications/bls/bls_1445_1965.pdf), Bureau of Labor Statistics / FRASER
6. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
7. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Tool eras

8. [Firefighting in the United States — Wikipedia (fire alarm telegraph system and Cincinnati 1853 professional department)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefighting_in_the_United_States), Wikipedia
9. [Cincinnati Fire Museum — Firefighting History (steam engine and early professional department)](https://www.cincyfiremuseum.com/exhibits/firefighting-history/), Cincinnati Fire Museum
10. [IAFF History — 1918-1928: Two-Platoon System advocacy (founding IAFF priority)](https://www.iaff.org/timeline/1918-1928/), International Association of Fire Fighters
11. [History of firefighting — Wikipedia (motorization and radio era)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_firefighting), Wikipedia
12. [Atlas Fire — History of SCBA (Scott Air-Pak 1945 development and fire service adoption)](https://atlasfire.com/scba-history/), Atlas Fire
13. [Fire Fighting in Canada — "50 years of SCBA: Innovations to breathing apparatus most significant development in fire service"](https://www.firefightingincanada.com/50-years-of-scba-ffic-1235/), Fire Fighting in Canada
14. [NFPA 1001 — Wikipedia (development history: Joint Council 1972, NFPA adoption November 1974)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFPA_1001), Wikipedia
15. [NFPA 1021 Standard Development — NFPA (Fire Officer Professional Qualifications standard history)](https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/nfpa-1021-standard-development/1021), National Fire Protection Association
16. [FIRESCOPE — ICS History and Progression (FIRESCOPE development and NIIMS 1982 adoption)](https://firescope.caloes.ca.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/ICS%20History%20and%20Progression.pdf), FIRESCOPE / CalOES
17. [Incident Command System — Wikipedia (ICS history: Southern California 1970, NIIMS 1982, NIMS 2004)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incident_Command_System), Wikipedia
18. [Caliber Public Safety — "Computer-Aided Dispatch: A Long Time Coming" (CAD history and fire service adoption)](https://caliberpublicsafety.com/computer-aided-dispatch-a-long-time-coming-part-3-of-4/), Caliber Public Safety
19. [UNLV Library — Computer aided dispatch technology: evolution and expectations in the US Fire Service (thesis)](https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations/573/), University of Nevada Las Vegas
20. [First Due — AI and Automation in Fire Department Scheduling (March 2025)](https://www.firstdue.com/news/ai-fire-department-scheduling), First Due
21. [Vector Solutions — AI-Powered Enhancements for Fire Departments (April 2026)](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vector-solutions-introduces-ai-powered-enhancements-to-streamline-fire-department-training-scheduling-and-inspections-302732377.html), Vector Solutions / PR Newswire
22. [First Due — From NFIRS to NERIS: AI powering the next generation of fire incident reporting (2025)](https://www.firstdue.com/news/from-nfirs-to-neris-how-ai-and-advanced-data-insights-are-powering-the-next-generation-of-fire-incident-reporting), First Due

### Forecasts and exposure studies

23. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 33-1021 First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers (2025: 101.6 thousand; 2035: 105.4 thousand; +3.7%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=33-1021&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
24. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 33-1021.00, human-rated β 0.406)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

25. [April 1, 1853 — Cincinnati Becomes the First U.S. City to Put Firefighters on Salary (Legal Legacy blog)](https://legallegacy.wordpress.com/2015/04/01/april-1-1853-cincinnati-becomes-the-first-u-s-city-to-put-firefighters-on-salary/), Legal Legacy
26. [History of firefighting — Wikipedia (Great Chicago Fire and fire-prevention inspection origins)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_firefighting), Wikipedia
27. [IAFF Timeline — 1918-1928 (IAFF founding February 28, 1918; two-platoon system advocacy)](https://www.iaff.org/timeline/1918-1928/), International Association of Fire Fighters
28. [Atlas Fire — History of SCBA (Scott Air-Pak 6000 B4A, 1945, Boston and NYC field testing)](https://atlasfire.com/scba-history/), Atlas Fire
29. [FIRESCOPE — ICS History and Progression (1970 Southern California fires and FIRESCOPE development)](https://firescope.caloes.ca.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/ICS%20History%20and%20Progression.pdf), FIRESCOPE / CalOES
30. [NFPA 1001 — Wikipedia (Joint Council 1972, NFPA adoption November 1974)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFPA_1001), Wikipedia
31. [FEMA — 20 Years of the National Incident Management System (NIMS 2004 mandate and ICS implementation)](https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_npd-20-years-of-nims.pdf), FEMA
32. [ESO — Prepare for NERIS with ESO (2025, NERIS V1 Compatible Badge, transition timeline)](https://www.eso.com/neris/), ESO

### Predecessors & successors

33. [Mystic Stamp Discovery Center — First Volunteer Firemen in America (Thomas Atkins, Boston 1678; Benjamin Franklin, Philadelphia 1736)](https://info.mysticstamp.com/this-day-in-history-october-4-1648/), Mystic Stamp Discovery Center
34. [BLS OOH — Firefighters (career progression: firefighter to officer via civil service examination)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/protective-service/firefighters.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers (33-1021.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/33-1021.00), accessed 2026-06-05
- [BLS OES May 2024 — 33-1021: 97,200 employed; median annual wage $92,430; projected +3-4% growth 2024-2034](https://www.bls.gov/oes/2024/may/oes331021.htm), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs: Labor Market Impact Potential of LLMs (Science / arXiv)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-06-05
- [First Due — AI Use Cases in Fire and EMS (2025)](https://www.firstdue.com/news/ai-use-cases), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Vector Solutions — AI-Powered Enhancements for Fire Departments (April 2026)](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vector-solutions-introduces-ai-powered-enhancements-to-streamline-fire-department-training-scheduling-and-inspections-302732377.html), accessed 2026-06-05
- [First Due — From NFIRS to NERIS: AI powering the next generation of fire incident reporting (2025)](https://www.firstdue.com/news/from-nfirs-to-neris-how-ai-and-advanced-data-insights-are-powering-the-next-generation-of-fire-incident-reporting), accessed 2026-06-05
- [ESO — Prepare for NERIS with ESO (2025)](https://www.eso.com/neris/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [First Due — AI and Automation in Fire Department Scheduling (March 2025)](https://www.firstdue.com/news/ai-fire-department-scheduling), accessed 2026-06-05
- [First Due — AI Future for Fire Departments: inspection image analysis (2025)](https://www.firstdue.com/news/future-ai), accessed 2026-06-05

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.