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Fire and emergency services

Fire and Emergency Workers attend emergencies to minimise risk to community safety and security and protect life and property.

Public safety & defenceLicensed workANZSCO 4412
$2,473/wkMedian full-time pay
20kPeople employed
+11% ▲Growth to 2035
96%Work full time
45Median age
Source: ABS · JSA, 2025-26ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Labour Force via Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), February 2026; ABS Employee Earnings and Hours May 2025; JSA Employment Projections, May 2025 base. ANZSCO 4412.More about our sources: How we check our facts

What they do

The main tasks of this occupation, from the national occupation standard.

attending the scene of fires and other emergencies reported to authoritiesrescuing and evacuating people stranded or trapped in dangerous situationsoperating pumps, spraying water, foam and chemicals from hoses, portable extinguishers and other appliances to extinguish fires and to disperse or neutralise dangerous substancescutting openings in buildings and crashed vehicles to free occupantsmaintaining site security systemsadministering first aid
Source: JSA occupation profileTask list from the Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profile for ANZSCO 4412 (ANZSCO task statements).More about our sources: How we check our facts

The outlook

Room for 2,000 more people in fire and emergency services by 2035 ▲

The field grew 3.3% in the year to February 2026, adding about 600 workers. Most of the jobs are in NSW and VIC, with QLD third.

Source: JSA · ABS, 2025-26ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Labour Force via Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), February 2026; ABS Employee Earnings and Hours May 2025; JSA Employment Projections, May 2025 base. ANZSCO 4412.More about our sources: How we check our facts
17.1k2025
18.2k2030 PROJ.
19.1k2035 PROJ.

Getting in

Most fire and emergency services came through a certificate or diploma. 59% did.

A university degree is rare here: 21% hold one. The trade qualification is the standard way in. These are the nationally recognised courses mapped to this occupation, with the number of registered training providers that offer each one.

Source: JSA · training.gov.auEducation split: JSA (Jobs and Skills Australia) occupation profile, using ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Census data, ANZSCO 4412. Qualification mapping and provider counts: training.gov.au, the national register of vocational education, October 2026. Listed providers are current registered training providers (private providers and TAFE institutes).More about our sources: How we check our facts

Nationally recognised training · most offered first

HLT21020Certificate II

Certificate II in Medical Service First Response

Health.

See 29 providers
PUA30622Certificate III

Certificate III in Public Safety (Firefighting and Emergency Operations)

Public Safety.

See 21 providers
PUA20622Certificate II

Certificate II in Public Safety (Firefighting and Emergency Operations)

Public Safety.

See 17 providers

Licensed work: several of these courses lead to work that also needs a state or territory licence. Training is the first step; licensing rules are set by each state.

See all 27 mapped courses
HLT21020Certificate II in Medical Service First Response · 29 providers
PUA30622Certificate III in Public Safety (Firefighting and Emergency Operations) · 21 providers
PUA20622Certificate II in Public Safety (Firefighting and Emergency Operations) · 17 providers
RII41326Certificate IV in Emergency Response Coordination · 8 providers
PUA20719Certificate II in Public Safety (Firefighting Operations) · 6 providers
PUA30719Certificate III in Public Safety (Firefighting Operations) · 6 providers
PUA60120Advanced Diploma of Public Safety (Emergency Management) · 4 providers
PUA40319Certificate IV in Public Safety (Firefighting Supervision) · 4 providers
PUA50120Diploma of Public Safety (Emergency Management) · 4 providers
AVI30525Certificate III in Airborne Operations · 3 providers
PUA41019Certificate IV in Public Safety (Leadership) · 3 providers
PUA20219Certificate II in Public Safety (SES) · 2 providers
PUA31422Certificate III in Public Safety (Community Safety) · 2 providers
PUA80119Graduate Diploma of Crisis Leadership · 2 providers
PUA60922Advanced Diploma of Public Safety (Fire Investigation) · 1 provider
PUA30420Certificate III in Public Safety (SES Rescue) · 1 provider
11441NATCertificate III in Underground Coal Mine Inertisation Team Operations · 1 provider
11345NATCertificate III in Underground Coal Mines Emergency Response and Rescue · 1 provider
11208NATCertificate IV in Pre-Hospital Emergency Medical Response · 1 provider
PUA41120Certificate IV in Public Safety (Community Safety) · 1 provider
PUA60219Advanced Diploma of Public Safety (Search and Rescue Management) · 0 providers
PUA30922Certificate III in Public Safety (Biosecurity Emergency Response Operations) · 0 providers
PUA30519Certificate III in Public Safety (SES Operations) · 0 providers
PUA40422Certificate IV in Public Safety (Biosecurity Emergency Response Leadership) · 0 providers
PUA40219Certificate IV in Public Safety (SES Leadership) · 0 providers
PUA50622Diploma of Public Safety (Biosecurity Emergency Response Management) · 0 providers
PUA50419Diploma of Public Safety (SES Operations Management) · 0 providers

Providers are shown in A-Z order on each course page. A listing is not a recommendation.

Jobs open right now

20k Australians do this work. See who is hiring this month.

Search job ads by state

Each link opens seek.com.au in a new tab, showing ads posted in the last month. SEEK is a job site; we link there because that is where most Australian jobs are advertised. We have no commercial relationship with SEEK.

Source: ABS · JSA, 2025-26State chart shows people employed, not current job ads. ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Labour Force via Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), February 2026; ABS Employee Earnings and Hours May 2025; JSA Employment Projections, May 2025 base. ANZSCO 4412.More about our sources: How we check our facts

People employed by state, 2025-26

NSW4.8k
VIC4.6k
QLD3.7k
WA2.3k
SA1k
TAS0.6k
NT0.4k
ACT0.3k

Occupations near this one

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