Will AI replace firefighters?

Not on current evidence. Less than 30 minutes of a typical shift goes to tasks that AI or robots are doing today. The other 7h 53m (99%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 3.7% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

None of this job's tasks show regular AI use yet. That can mean the work is hands-on or in person, or simply that it rarely comes up in AI usage data.

For some tasks, yes. Robots have done 1 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 7m of a typical shift. 7 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 18 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

• Select and attach hose nozzles, depending on fire type, and direct streams of water or chemicals onto fires. (7m a shift; e.g. Firefighting Robot System 'Scrum Force' (Water Cannon Robot / Hose-Laying Robot), in use)

7h 53m of a typical shift, or 99%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Administer first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation to injured persons or provide emergency medical care such as basic or advanced life support. (1h 15m a shift)
• Clean and maintain fire stations and fire fighting equipment and apparatus. (1h 9m a shift)
• Participate in physical training activities to maintain a high level of physical fitness. (48m a shift)
• Respond to fire alarms and other calls for assistance, such as automobile and industrial accidents. (34m a shift)
• Participate in fire drills and demonstrations of fire fighting techniques. (34m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 97% work at arm's length or closer to other people
• 92% carry high or very high responsibility for other workers' safety
• 85% say dealing with the public is very or extremely important

We track 1 sourced company move that affects this job. Most recent:

• May 8, 2026: Pano AI wildfire detection cameras spread across the Mountain West (Rolling out)

On Indeed, job postings in the Security & Public Safety sector are at 119% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 4.4% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 27,000 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $59,280 a year ($28.50 an hour), 16% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $34,910 and $101,040 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects growth of 3.7% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 368,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 27,000 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 346,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.22% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 117th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 368,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a high school diploma: about 36% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 3 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: vocational school or associate's degree. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Service Orientation, Coordination, Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 7h 53m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint

These use similar skills. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers (1h 35m touched, $94k median pay)
• Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists (1h 22m touched, $57k median pay)
• Fire Inspectors and Investigators (0m touched, $76k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 1 with robots in real deployments, 29 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.