Will fire supervisors be replaced by AI?
Updated
Fire supervisors score 29 of 100 for AI exposure. The largest share of their task time, 63%, is work AI speeds up while they stay in charge. AI can take over 3% outright, and 34% stays with people.
- 3% AI can do it
- 63% AI helps
- 34% Needs a person
Low exposure
Lower than 64% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 30 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 1 of them today, speeds up 19 and leaves 10 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Perform administrative duties, such as compiling and maintaining records, completing forms, preparing reports, or composing correspondence. Reports, forms and correspondence are core writing AI handles well. | 75% AI can do it |
| Maintain required maps and records. Record keeping is mostly digital and well suited to AI. | 60% AI helps |
| Study and interpret fire safety codes to establish procedures for issuing permits to handle hazardous or flammable substances. AI can interpret fire code text and draft permit procedures. | 60% AI helps |
| Monitor fire suppression expenditures to ensure that they are necessary and reasonable. AI can flag unusual expenses, staff verify necessity and reasonableness. | 55% AI helps |
| Participate in creating fire safety guidelines and evacuation schemes for nonresidential buildings. AI drafts guidelines and evacuation plans, experts check site specifics. | 55% AI helps |
| Schedule employee work assignments and set work priorities. AI can build rosters, but labor rules need human judgment. | 50% AI helps |
| Maintain knowledge of fire laws and fire prevention techniques and tactics. AI speeds research on fire codes and prevention methods. | 50% AI helps |
| Analyze burn conditions and results, and prepare postburn reports. AI drafts burn reports from data, experts verify findings. | 45% AI helps |
| Evaluate the performance of assigned firefighting personnel. AI can draft evaluations, but supervisors judge and sign performance. | 40% AI helps |
| Direct the training of firefighters, assigning of instructors to training classes, and providing of supervisors with reports on training progress and status. AI can draft progress reports and schedules, leaders decide. | 40% AI helps |
Show the other 20 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Recruit or hire firefighting personnel. AI can screen applications and schedule, interviews stay human. | 40% AI helps |
| Evaluate fire station procedures to ensure efficiency and enforcement of departmental regulations. AI can analyze procedures and flag inefficiencies, leaders decide changes. | 40% AI helps |
| Recommend equipment modifications or new equipment purchases. AI can compare equipment specs and draft purchase proposals. | 40% AI helps |
| Recommend personnel actions related to disciplinary procedures, performance, leaves of absence, and grievances. AI helps research policy and draft notes, people decide discipline. | 35% AI helps |
| Communicate fire details to superiors, subordinates, or interagency dispatch centers, using two-way radios. Live radio stays human, AI aids logging and summaries. | 30% AI helps |
| Instruct and drill fire department personnel in assigned duties, including firefighting, medical care, hazardous materials response, fire prevention, and related subjects. AI drafts lesson plans and materials, instructors still lead drills. | 30% AI helps |
| Direct investigation of cases of suspected arson, hazards, and false alarms and submit reports outlining findings. Field investigation stays human, AI can help draft findings reports. | 30% AI helps |
| Supervise and participate in the inspection of properties to ensure that they are in compliance with applicable fire codes, ordinances, laws, regulations, and standards. Site walks are physical, AI aids code lookup and reporting. | 25% AI helps |
| Perform maintenance and minor repairs on firefighting equipment, including vehicles, and write and submit proposals to modify, replace, and repair equipment. Repairs need hands, AI can help draft repair proposals. | 20% AI helps |
| Plan, direct, and supervise prescribed burn projects. AI helps draft burn plans, field supervision stays human. | 20% AI helps |
| Inspect stations, uniforms, equipment, or recreation areas to ensure compliance with safety standards, taking corrective action as necessary. Physical walkthroughs dominate, AI only helps write up findings. | 15% Needs a person |
| Assign firefighters to jobs at strategic locations to facilitate rescue of persons and maximize application of extinguishing agents. Live tactical placement of crews depends on physical scene conditions. | 10% Needs a person |
| Assess nature and extent of fire, condition of building, danger to adjacent buildings, and water supply status to determine crew or company requirements. Judging fire and building danger needs direct physical observation. | 10% Needs a person |
| Inspect and test new and existing fire protection systems, fire detection systems, and fire safety equipment to ensure that they are operating properly. Hands on system testing needs physical access and equipment. | 10% Needs a person |
| Evaluate size, location, and condition of fires. Judging fire size and condition needs on scene eyes. | 8% Needs a person |
| Serve as a working leader of an engine, hand, helicopter, or prescribed fire crew of three or more firefighters. Leading a crew in the field is physical and live. | 5% Needs a person |
| Maintain fire suppression equipment in good condition, checking equipment periodically to ensure that it is ready for use. Physical equipment checks; AI only helps with logs. | 5% Needs a person |
| Direct firefighters in station maintenance duties, and participate in these duties. Directing and doing station upkeep is hands on work. | 5% Needs a person |
| Provide emergency medical services as required, and perform light to heavy rescue functions at emergencies. Hands on medical care and physical rescue work. | 3% Needs a person |
| Drive crew carriers to transport firefighters to fire sites. Driving a crew carrier is physical work requiring a human operator. | 2% Needs a person |
How fire supervisors compare
All occupations (923)
Protective service (26)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $93,530 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 99,140 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +3.7% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Compile incident reports and forms in Microsoft Word
- Maintain fire unit maps and records in GIS software
- Track suppression expenditures in Microsoft Excel
- Lead engine and hand crews on live fire assignments
- Judge fire size and condition on scene
- Build crew rosters that meet labor rules
Safer roles nearby
3 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about fire supervisors and AI
Will AI replace fire supervisors?
Partly. About 3 in 10 working hours of a fire supervisor's job go to tasks AI can already do, mostly writing reports and forms and keeping maps and records. Field leadership, equipment checks and on-scene judgment stay with people.
Which fire supervisor tasks is AI taking over?
Administrative duties such as compiling records, completing forms and preparing reports score 75 on exposure, the highest in this job, because reports and correspondence are core writing AI handles well. Maintaining maps and records scores 60 since record keeping is mostly digital. Drafting fire safety guidelines and evacuation schemes for nonresidential buildings scores 55, as AI produces the first draft and experts check site specifics.
Which fire supervisor tasks stay human?
Driving crew carriers scores 2 and emergency medical care with rescue work scores 3, since both are physical tasks done with hands at the site. Evaluating the size, location and condition of fires scores 8 because judging a fire needs eyes on the scene. Serving as working leader of a crew of three or more scores 5 because leading a crew in the field is live and physical.
How can fire supervisors stay valuable?
Start by using AI drafts for reports in Microsoft Word and Outlook, then spend the saved hours on field work. Keep the on-scene skills that score lowest on exposure, such as leading engine and hand crews and checking equipment before each shift. Learn GIS software well enough to check AI-updated fire unit maps against the ground. Review AI-built crew rosters against labor rules before posting them in Microsoft Excel.
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