Firefighter Resume Examples
Get inspired with good firefighter resume examples! LiveCareer has samples you can personalize with your information and send to potential employers.
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Firefighter resume
summary examplesThe resume’s professional summary is the first information a potential employer sees about you. It’s two or three sentences that live right beneath your contact info. They’re ideal for job seekers with more than three years of work experience.
Its goal is to make a brief and convincing case that you would be a top candidate for the job to which you’re applying. Think of it as a quick sales pitch that highlights your best skills or top achievements in past roles that you’ve held, a “greatest hits record” of your work history. If you’re a less experienced job seeker with fewer than three years of work history, consider using an objective statement.
Let’s look at some firefighter professional summary examples — both good and bad — to give you some advice on how to write yours:
Good example:
“Dedicated firefighter brings 7+ years experience specializing in backcountry and wilderness battles. Mechanical hose aptitude, utilizing appropriate firefighting techniques and water efficiency have been the key to my success in controlling three 200+ acre blazes in drought-stricken areas.”
Why this example works:
- Uses numbers and statistics to grab attention and provide detail about the results you deliver. This demonstrates you’re a person who delivers big results.
- References employer-desired skills: hose aptitude and water efficiency.
- Features active and descriptive language.
- Focuses on achievements, not day-to-day tasks.
Bad example:
“Experienced firefighter with knowledge of water systems, local ordinances and emergency rescue brings a good work ethic to every firehouse. My heroism and sense of duty are the guideposts to my continued success.”
Why this example lacks firepower:
- Fails to include any numbers that quantify the job seeker’s performance.
- Uses vague descriptions and skills.
- Doesn’t use active language and verbs.
The fastest way to write your
professional summaryA lot of thought goes into writing an attention-grabbing professional summary. So, if you want expert help getting it done, consider using LiveCareer’s Resume Builder. It’s a tool that can help you complete a resume in 15 minutes!
- 1
The builder comes preloaded with auto-suggested phrasing written by resume experts. Enter the details about the firefighter job title you held.
- 2
Then, just pick from these suggested phrases that best frame your experience and customize them to your liking!
- 3
It’s like having a professional do it for you. All you have to do is choose the summary phrases that best frame your experience!
The reviews are in!
See what they’re saying about us on Trustpilot.
Firefighter resume work
experience examplesThe most important part of the resume is the work experience section. Potential employers want to know that you can handle the workload they expect, and this is where you list the details of what you’ve done to prove yourself able. You must nail the work history section to write a good resume from scratch. Take a look at these examples, one lacking and one strong:
Good example:
City of Mobile Fire Department I Mobile, AL I 11/2018-current
- Execute 5+ calls a day emergency response, CPR and First-aid
- Present fire safety lectures to community leaders, schools, hospitals, and retirement centers
- Lead 10+ student-training classes for volunteer firefighters
- Won 2020 Toulminville Firehouse Full Time Employee of the Year award
Why this example works:
- Numbers and statistics paint a clearer and more engaging picture
- References specific skill sets like emergency response, CPR and public speaking
- Focuses on significant distinctions and honors, not minor tasks
Bad example:
City of Libertyville Fire Department I Libertyville, IL I 7/2020-present
- Respond quickly to emergencies
- Administer medical care to people in need
- Operate ambulance, ladders, hoses and other machinery
- Perform daily maintenance and cleaning tasks in firehouse
Why this example lacks firepower:
- Doesn’t include numbers or statistics
- Describes general tasks, not achievements or career highlights
- Uses active verbs, but isn’t specific enough about results
Firefighter resume
skills examplesHere are 18 sample skills for firefighters:
- Calm under pressure
- Rapid intervention
- Stress management
- First aid
- Creative thinking
- Structural and high-rise fires
- Empathy
- Leadership
- Coordinated rescue
- Teamwork
- CPR
- Problem-solving
- Physical fitness
- Spatial awareness
- Fire prevention
- Communication
- Equipment maintenance
- Wildfire management
If you find this list of skills helpful, we’ve got even more! Our builder database has 82 additional skills that you can choose to add to your resume.
Make them easier to read using bullet points. Here’s how to write skills:
- Stress management
- First aid
- Creative thinking
- Structural and high-rise fires
- Coordinated rescue
You should only use commas to list skills if you’re trying to save space on your resume.
Like this, for instance:“Stress management, first aid, creative thinking, structural and high-rise fires, empathy and coordinated rescue”
Examples of additional
resume sectionsEvery resume should include these same five sections: Your contact information, professional summary or objective statement, skills, work experience and education.
Here are some examples of additional or optional firefighter resume sections you could add to your resume:
- Languages
- Certifications and licenses
- Deployments
- Advanced training
- Coursework
- Hobbies and interests
You should include extra sections only if you feel like it’s beneficial to the role. If it’s not valuable or useful to the job, leave it out. Otherwise, it may take away emphasis from your work experience and skills.
Examples of resume formats
The way you organize your resume is called a resume format. Here are examples of the three main types of resume formats: chronological, functional and combination.
The main difference among these formats is whether or not they give more visual emphasis to your work history or to your skills section. The format you should choose for your resume depends on your experience level.
How to choose a resume format
0-3
Years of experienceFunctional
- Focus on skills.
- Best for first-time firefighters who lack work experience.
- Good for people re-entering workforce.
- May omit dates in the work history section.
Organization:
- Skills listed above work experience.
3-10
Years of experienceCombination
- Balances skills and work history.
- Ideal for mid-career firefighters.
- Suitable for career changers and people seeking promotion.
Organization:
- Skills next to or above work experience.
10+
Years of experienceChronological
- Puts the most focus on work history.
- Best for firefighters with a long, steady career.
- Most popular format.
- Preferred by recruiters.
Organization:
- Work experience listed above skills.
Once you know the best format for you, it’s easy to pick a resume template.
A resume template is a preformatted design created by design professionals to ensure your document looks stellar!
Using a template will save you time in formatting and designing your resume.
Better yet, all of our templates have been designed to be read easily and to pass an applicant tracking system (ATS). ATS is the software many companies use to scan resumes and discard unqualified candidates.
Resumes that are not properly formatted may not pass an ATS scan! That’s why it’s a wise idea to use a template.
Don’t forget your firefighter
cover letterA cover letter works hand-in-hand with your resume to make a stronger case for why you deserve the job.
Get inspiration on what to include in your own resume with our firefighter cover letter examples. So, it never hurts to look at examples, brainstorm or get a design jump-start by using cover letter templates.
To create a document from scratch, check out LiveCareer’s complete guide on How to Write a Cover Letter. However, if you want to create a cover letter in just a few quick minutes, consider our builder!
The builder automates the whole process so that it’s faster. Plus, it can help make your resume, too. Best of all, it even generates suggested phrasing targeted to your firefighter job application. That can save you a lot of writing time.
Similar resume examples
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