jobfacts

Fire service officers (watch manager and below)

SOC 2020 3313

Fire service officers (watch manager and below) co-ordinate and participate in firefighting activities, provide emergency services in the event of accidents or bomb alerts, and advise on fire prevention.

Also calledFirefighterFire officerCrew managerFire engineerWatch officerLeading firefighterand 23 more titles
Typical full-time pay£44,0002025 Provisional
People in the job45,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month353↑ 3.5%on last year · 297th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time fire service officers (watch manager and below) earn between £38,100 and £51,000 a year.

What full-time fire service officers (watch manager and below) earn, 2025
£44,000 typical£30,500lowest 10%£38,10025%£53,800top 20%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£38,100–£51,000)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£30,500
Lowest 20% earn less than£36,700
25%£38,100
Median£44,000
75%£51,000
Top 20% earn more than£53,800
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £44,000
North West!£51,400
London£50,000
North East!£46,700
West Midlands!£41,200
Wales!£40,200
South East£40,200
East Midlands!£39,600
East of England£39,300
Yorkshire and The Humber!£37,000
South WestNot published by ONS–
ScotlandNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £44,000
North West£51,400 (small sample)
London£50,000
North East£46,700 (small sample)
West Midlands£41,200 (small sample)
Wales£40,200 (small sample)
South East£40,200
East Midlands£39,600 (small sample)
East of England£39,300
Yorkshire and The Humber£37,000 (small sample)
South WestNot published by ONS
ScotlandNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £38,900
  • 2024 £42,100
  • 2025 Provisional£44,000
↑ 13% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 353 jobs for fire service officers (watch manager and below) are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as not high.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (1 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026405
Jul 2026345
Jun 2026297
May 2026383
Apr 2026389
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026278
Jan 2026384
Dec 2025209
Nov 2025391
Oct 2025445
Sept 2025354
Aug 2025382
Jul 2025367
Jun 2025369
May 2025421
Apr 2025344
Mar 2025321
Feb 2025339
Jan 2025412
Dec 2024213
Nov 2024342
Oct 2024285
Sept 2024274
Aug 2024403
Jul 2024329
Jun 2024314
May 2024389
Apr 2024301
Mar 2024333
Feb 2024286
Jan 2024373
Dec 2023310
Nov 2023305
Oct 2023328
Sept 2023288
Aug 2023342
Jul 2023375
Jun 2023480
May 2023474
Apr 2023409
Mar 2023705
Feb 2023427
Jan 2023522
Dec 2022504
Nov 2022578
Oct 2022493
Sept 2022428
Aug 2022495
Jul 2022534
Jun 2022402
May 2022498
Apr 2022399
Mar 2022532
Feb 2022410
Jan 2022467
Dec 2021348
Nov 2021379
Oct 2021356
Sept 2021360
Aug 2021316
Jul 2021431
Jun 2021348
May 2021322
Apr 2021264
Mar 2021403
Feb 2021318
Jan 2021216
Dec 2020224
Nov 2020258
Oct 2020312
Sept 2020277
Aug 2020268
Jul 2020257
Jun 2020213
May 2020165
Apr 2020278
Mar 2020331
Feb 2020367
Jan 2020350
Dec 2019274
Nov 2019327
Oct 2019330
Sept 2019284
Aug 2019292
Jul 2019324
Jun 2019305
May 2019363
Apr 2019216
Mar 2019254
Feb 2019245
Jan 2019290
Dec 2018177
Nov 2018225
Oct 2018242
Sept 2018180
Aug 2018207
Jul 2018195
Jun 2018232
May 2018169
Apr 2018142
Mar 2018190
Feb 2018220
Jan 2018236
Dec 2017155
Nov 2017228
Oct 2017180
Sept 2017196
Aug 2017168
Jul 2017223
Jun 2017268
May 2017245
Apr 2017218
Mar 2017237
Feb 2017180
Jan 2017235
Is there a shortage of fire service officers (watch manager and below)?
Not high

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment.

  • Visas grantedUsual
  • Online job advertsUsual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
24%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for associate professional occupations, which includes fire service officers (watch manager and below). DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London234
Manchester67
Birmingham47
Bristol, City of27
Glasgow City24
Leeds16
Reading13
City of Edinburgh13
Newcastle upon Tyne12
Nottingham11
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where fire service officers (watch manager and below) are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
WomenToo few in the survey to give a reliable figure
Age of fire service officers (watch manager and below)
n/p
35%!
32%!
24%!
n/p
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–3435% (small sample)
35–4432% (small sample)
45–5424% (small sample)
55–64Not published
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent28%
Higher education below degree!9.7%
A levels or equivalent43%
GCSEs or equivalent!18%
Other qualifications!2.8%
No qualifications–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent28%
Higher education below degree9.7% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent43%
GCSEs or equivalent18% (small sample)
Other qualifications2.8% (small sample)
No qualificationsNot published

Main employers: fire service activities (86%), hospital activities (4.8%), service activities incidental to air transportation (4.8%), general public administration activities (4.1%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
28%
as their highest qualification
Most common qualification
A levels or equivalent
held by 43%
Apprenticeships
4
from level 2
Apprenticeships take
1 to 2 years
typically

Routes in

You can get into this job through:

College

You could take a college course before applying to join the fire service as a trainee, though this is not essential.

Courses include:

  • public services
  • fire and rescue services in the community
Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You could apply for an Operational Firefighter Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship with a fire and rescue service.

The apprenticeship takes about 2 years and combines on-the-job training with off-site study.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • GCSEs grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, in English and maths

Other ways in

Volunteering

Volunteering or working in a support role, for example emergency call handling or fire safety home visits, will give you an idea of what the job is like, as well as access to internal vacancies. You'll usually need to be 18 or over.

Most fire and rescue services also run a Fire Cadets scheme. They're typically aimed at young people aged between 13 and 17 and offer a few hours' training each week in:

  • basic firefighting drills
  • using equipment
  • first aid
  • fire safety

Contact your local fire service to find out more about volunteering opportunities and fire cadets.

Apply directly

You can apply directly to join the fire service. Each service sets its own entry requirements.

Many ask for GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) in English and maths, or equivalent qualifications.

The selection process can take some time and involves:

  • online aptitude tests
  • attendance at an assessment centre
  • fitness and medical checks
  • interviews

Fire services hold regular outreach events where you can speak to firefighters about the job and register your interest for upcoming vacancies.

Other routes

You may be able to join the fire service as an on-call firefighter.

You'll be trained to deal with a broad range of incidents in return for a commitment to provide shift cover during days, nights and weekends. This is a paid position and could lead to a full-time role when opportunities arise.

You can also train to be a firefighter in the Royal Air Force (RAF).

What you’ll need

  • pass a fitness test
  • pass a medical check
  • pass enhanced background checks
  • have a full driving licence
  • be over 18 years of age

Some fire services may only accept applications from people living in the local and surrounding areas.

Generally, there is no upper age limit to join.

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

Fire services take on new recruits at different times of the year, so check with your local fire service to find out when they are recruiting next.

Further information

You can contact your local fire and rescue service for a firefighter careers information and recruitment pack.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for firefighter. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Apprenticeships

4 for this job

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • inspects premises to identify potential fire hazards and to check that firefighting equipment is available and in working order and that statutory fire safety regulations are met
  • arranges fire drills and tests alarm systems and equipment
  • travels to fire or other emergency by vehicle and locates water mains if necessary
  • operates hose pipes, ladders, chemical, foam, gas or powder fire extinguishing appliances
  • rescues people or animals trapped by fire or other emergency situations such as flooding and administers first aid
  • removes goods from fire damaged premises, clears excess water, makes safe any structural hazards and takes any other necessary steps to reduce damage to property
  • attends and deals with bomb alerts and accidents involving spillage of hazardous substances
  • advises on fire safety measures in new buildings
  • supervises a watch

Skills

  • ensure public safety and security
  • evacuate people from buildings
  • extinguish fires
  • manage emergency care situations
  • manage major incidents
  • perform search and rescue missions
  • provide first aid
  • select hazard control
  • use different types of fire extinguishers
  • work as a team in a hazardous environment
  • assess contamination
  • assess impact of industrial activities
  • assess risk factors
  • assist community

Knowledge

  • fire-fighting systems
  • fire prevention procedures
  • fire safety regulations
  • first aid
  • health and safety regulations
  • hydraulics
  • dock operations
  • environmental policy

Suits people who like

  • Practical, hands-on work
  • Organising and following procedures

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for protective service occupations, a group of 5 jobs that includes fire service officers (watch manager and below).
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 36%about 144,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 2035313,000including people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.