9 Firefighter Resume Examples + Writing Guide
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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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Firefighter resume
summary examples
The resume’s professional summary is the first information a potential employer sees about you. It consists of two or three sentences beneath your contact info.
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. The professional summary is ideal for job seekers with more than three years of work experience.
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, appropriate firefighting techniques and water efficiency have been key to successfully controlling three 200+ acre blazes in drought-stricken areas.”
Why this example works:
- Uses quantifiable achievements to grab attention and provide detail about your results.
- References employer-desired skills like 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 summary
Writing an attention-grabbing professional summary requires a lot of thought. If you want expert help completing it, consider using LiveCareer’s Resume Builder. It’s a tool that can help you complete a resume in 15 minutes!
- 1
Tell us your years of experience, and we’ll suggest the resume templates that would best suit you.
- 2
Enter your contact information and details about your past roles, and the builder will suggest tailored phrases for your summary, work history, skills and more.
- 3
Edit your resume’s layout with our user-friendly tools, download it in your preferred file format, and get ready to ace your job search!
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Firefighter resume work
experience examples
The most important part of your firefighter resume is the work experience section. Potential employers want to know you can handle the workload they expect, and this is where you list the details of what you’ve done to prove yourself able. If you want to write a good resume, nailing the work history section is crucial. Take a look at these samples, one lacking and one strong:
Good example:
City of Mobile Fire Department I Mobile, AL I 11/2018-current
- Responded to over five emergency calls daily, providing critical CPR and first-aid services.
- Delivered fire safety lectures to community leaders, schools, hospitals and retirement. Centers. Led more than 10 training sessions for volunteer firefighters.
- Awarded 2020 Toulminville Firehouse Full-Time Employee of the Year.
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
- Utilizes strong action verbs at the beginning of each phrase
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 examples
Here are 18 sample soft skills and hard 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 Resume Builder database has 82 additional skills that you can choose to add to your resume.
Make your skills section easier to read using bullet points. Here’s how to write skills on your firefighter resume:
- 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
firefighter resume sections
Every firefighter resume example should include the following five sections: contact information, a professional summary or objective statement, skills, work experience and education.
Here are some examples of additional or optional firefighter resume sample 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 they benefit the role. If they are not valuable or beneficial to the job, leave them out of your firefighter resume samples. Otherwise, they may diminish the emphasis on your work experience and skills.
Examples of resume formats
The way you organize your resume is called a resume format. Here are three firefighter resume samples showcasing the three resume formats: chronological, functional and combination.
The resume format you choose will greatly depend on your experience level. The main difference between them is which section they emphasize more: the work experience or the skills.
How to choose a resume format
0-3
Years of experience
Functional
- Focuses on skills.
- Best for first-time firefighters who lack work experience.
- May omit details in the work history section.
Organization:
- Skills listed above work experience.
3-10
Years of experience
Combination
- Balances skills and work history.
- Ideal for mid-career firefighters.
- Suitable for career changers and people seeking promotions.
Organization:
- Skills next to or above work experience.
10+
Years of experience
Chronological
- Puts the most focus on work history.
- Best for firefighters with a long, steady career.
- Most popular format.
- Preferred by recruiters.
Organization:
- Skills listed under work experience.
Once you know the best format for you, it’s easy to pick a suitable resume template.
Our resume templates are preformatted resume layouts created by design professionals to ensure your document looks stellar! Using any of our preformatted firefighter resume samples will save you time formatting and designing your firefighter resume.
Better yet, all of our firefighter resume examples and templates have been designed to be read easily and pass applicant tracking systems (ATS), tools companies use to scan resumes and discard unqualified candidates.
Resumes that are not properly formatted may not pass an ATS scan! If you already have a resume and want to know if it will pass a company’s applicant tracking system, you can run it through our ATS Resume Checker.
Don’t forget your firefighter
cover letter
The following firefighter cover letter examples complement your resume to strengthen your case for why you deserve the job.
If you want to create your firefighter cover letter from scratch, check out LiveCareer’s cover letter templates and complete guide on How to Write a Cover Letter.
However, if you want to create a cover letter in minutes, consider our Cover Letter Builder.
Our Builder automates the whole cover letter writing process so that it’s faster and generates suggested phrasing targeted to your firefighter job application. That can save you a lot of writing time!
Related resume examples
Looking for something a little different? Check out our most popular resume examples related to firefighter roles.
More firefighter resume examples
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