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Firefighters: apprenticeship hours and pay
O*NET-SOC 33-2011.00
Approved apprenticeship titles
9 apprenticeship titles on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Firefighters, trained competency-based, hybrid, time-based. The shortest approved term is 2,000 hours, for FIRE ENGINEER (competency-based).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| FIRE APPARATUS ENGINEER | 0535 | Competency-Based: 6,000 hours Hybrid: 6,000 to 7,500 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours |
| FIRE ENGINEER | 0541 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 2,500 hours Time-Based: 2,000 hours |
| FIRE FIGHTER | 0195 | Competency-Based: 6,000 hours Hybrid: 6,000 to 7,500 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours |
| FIRE FIGHTER DIVER | 1092 | Time-Based: 7,000 hours |
| FIRE FIGHTER PARAMEDIC | 1091 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| FIRE FIGHTER SPECIALIST WILDLAND | 0544 | Competency-Based: 3,000 hours Hybrid: 3,000 to 4,000 hours Hybrid (V2): 3,000 to 4,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours |
| FIRE FIGHTER, CRASH, FIRE | 0192 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 2,500 hours Time-Based: 2,000 hours |
| FIRE MEDIC | 0754 | Competency-Based: 6,000 hours Hybrid: 6,000 to 7,500 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours |
| FIRE SUPPRESSION TECHNICIAN | 1088 | Competency-Based: 4,000 hours Hybrid: 4,000 to 5,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What firefighters earn, by state
New York has the highest state median for firefighters ($100,960) and Louisiana the lowest ($33,120), across the 51 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $100,960 | $48.54 | 12,950 |
| Washington | $94,520 | $45.44 | 7,560 |
| California | $85,120 | $40.92 | 31,470 |
| New Jersey | $84,130 | $40.45 | 7,500 |
| Illinois | $78,380 | $37.68 | 18,400 |
| Connecticut | $77,630 | $37.32 | 2,970 |
| District of Columbia | $75,870 | $36.48 | 1,480 |
| Colorado | $74,170 | $35.66 | 6,510 |
| Maryland | $73,810 | $35.49 | 5,340 |
| Pennsylvania | $73,460 | $35.32 | 5,020 |
| Massachusetts | $72,800 | $35.00 | 11,940 |
| Oregon | $70,900 | $34.09 | 3,790 |
| Rhode Island | $67,380 | $32.39 | 1,620 |
| Nevada | $66,570 | $32.01 | 2,640 |
| Indiana | $62,780 | $30.18 | 8,530 |
| Nebraska | $61,040 | $29.35 | 1,070 |
| Texas | $60,180 | $28.94 | 28,170 |
| Ohio | $59,370 | $28.54 | 18,100 |
| Montana | $59,310 | $28.52 | 1,010 |
| Arizona | $59,280 | $28.50 | 7,500 |
| Alaska | $58,830 | $28.28 | 1,040 |
| Virginia | $58,670 | $28.21 | 11,160 |
| Florida | $58,550 | $28.15 | 24,570 |
| Wyoming | $58,090 | $27.93 | 680 |
| New Hampshire | $56,620 | $27.22 | 2,700 |
| Iowa | $55,810 | $26.83 | 2,170 |
| North Dakota | $55,080 | $26.48 | 820 |
| Michigan | $54,640 | $26.27 | 6,610 |
| Oklahoma | $49,710 | $23.90 | 4,150 |
| Tennessee | $49,300 | $23.70 | 7,020 |
| Missouri | $49,080 | $23.60 | 6,580 |
| Utah | $48,310 | $23.23 | 2,870 |
| Maine | $48,290 | $23.22 | 2,480 |
| South Dakota | $48,160 | $23.15 | 610 |
| Alabama | $47,600 | $22.89 | 7,260 |
| Idaho | $47,320 | $22.75 | 2,240 |
| Wisconsin | $46,850 | $22.53 | 8,120 |
| Delaware | $46,710 | $22.46 | 560 |
| Georgia | $46,550 | $22.38 | 12,700 |
| Vermont | $46,430 | $22.32 | Not published |
| Kansas | $45,900 | $22.07 | 3,360 |
| South Carolina | $42,570 | $20.47 | 7,780 |
| New Mexico | $41,590 | $19.99 | 2,420 |
| Arkansas | $39,690 | $19.08 | 2,480 |
| Minnesota | $38,110 | $18.32 | 5,810 |
| North Carolina | $37,940 | $18.24 | 19,410 |
| West Virginia | $37,350 | $17.96 | 900 |
| Kentucky | $37,150 | $17.86 | 5,150 |
| Puerto Rico | $37,120 | $17.85 | 1,780 |
| Mississippi | $35,880 | $17.25 | 2,920 |
| Louisiana | $33,120 | $15.92 | 5,230 |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).