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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Firefighters?
Task-level automation exposure for Firefighters: 30 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
23%
weighted task index
30 of 30 tasks scored
Median Salary
$59,280 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Very High
345,990 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+3.7%
employment change
26,800 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 51 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$33,120 – $100,960
Highest medians
New York $100,960
Washington $94,520
California $85,120
New Jersey $84,130
Illinois $78,380
Lowest medians
Louisiana $33,120
Mississippi $35,880
Puerto Rico $37,120
Kentucky $37,150
West Virginia $37,350
State figures come from the 33-2011 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.
What the score is made of
Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.
Automation potential 23%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 36%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 34%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 3%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 0%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Consequence of error 49/100
Moderate
O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.
Constituent Task Mix
30 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.
High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 3%
1 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 24%
7 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 72%
22 tasks
How would you survive?
Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.
Simulate Upskilling →Constituent Tasks
#22961 · Core · 3% automatable
Rescue survivors from burning buildings, accident sites, and water hazards.
situated mobility — Rescue requires physical presence in hazardous environments
Rescue people from hazardous situations.
#22987 · Core · 12% automatable
Administer first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation to injured persons or provide emergency medical care such as basic or advanced life support.
physical manipulation — Hands-on emergency resuscitation and physical intervention
Provide first aid or rescue assistance in emergencies. Treat medical emergencies. Implement advanced life support techniques.
#22962 · Core · 55% automatable
Dress with equipment such as fire-resistant clothing and breathing apparatus.
decision support — Tool selection needs context; human decides and procures
Select tools, equipment, or technologies for use in operations or projects.
#22964 · Core · 20% automatable
Move toward the source of a fire, using knowledge of types of fires, construction design, building materials, and physical layout of properties.
visual inspection — Locating fires requires physical presence and vision
Locate fires or fire danger areas.
#22967 · Core · 8% automatable
Drive and operate fire fighting vehicles and equipment.
physical manipulation — Firefighting equipment operated in hazardous physical space
Operate firefighting equipment.
#22965 · Core · 10% automatable
Respond to fire alarms and other calls for assistance, such as automobile and industrial accidents.
situated mobility — Emergency response needs physical action in the world
Respond to emergencies to provide assistance.
#22989 · Core · 3% automatable
Search to locate fire survivors.
situated mobility — Rescue requires physical presence in hazardous environments
Rescue people from hazardous situations.
#22988 · Core · 8% automatable
Operate pumps connected to high-pressure hoses.
physical manipulation — Firefighting equipment operated in hazardous physical space
Operate firefighting equipment.
#22971 · Core · 55% automatable
Maintain contact with fire dispatchers at all times to notify them of the need for additional firefighters and supplies, or to detail any difficulties encountered.
interpersonal — Emergency request requires live accountable action
Request emergency personnel.
#22986 · Core · 8% automatable
Extinguish flames and embers to suppress fires, using shovels or engine- or hand-driven water or chemical pumps.
physical manipulation — Firefighting equipment operated in hazardous physical space
Operate firefighting equipment.
#22976 · Core · 45% automatable
Maintain knowledge of current firefighting practices by participating in drills and by attending seminars, conventions, and conferences.
information retrieval — AI supports study; certification requires human
Attend training to learn new skills or update knowledge. Maintain professional knowledge or certifications.
#22970 · Core · 4% automatable
Select and attach hose nozzles, depending on fire type, and direct streams of water or chemicals onto fires.
physical manipulation — Hands-on hose preparation
Prepare hoses or water supplies to fight fires.
#22972 · Core · 55% automatable
Collaborate with other firefighters as a member of a firefighting crew.
interpersonal — Coordination needs live negotiation and context
Communicate with other workers to coordinate activities.
#22990 · Core · 40% automatable
Train new employees to control and suppress fires.
interpersonal — Operational procedure training needs live demonstration
Train personnel on proper operational procedures.
#22969 · Core · 6% automatable
Position and climb ladders to gain access to upper levels of buildings, or to rescue individuals from burning structures.
physical manipulation — Firefighting equipment operated in hazardous physical space
Operate firefighting equipment. Rescue people from hazardous situations.
#22966 · Core · 8% automatable
Create openings in buildings for ventilation or entrance, using axes, chisels, crowbars, electric saws, or core cutters.
physical manipulation — Firefighting equipment operated in hazardous physical space
Operate firefighting equipment.
#22975 · Core · 30% automatable
Participate in fire drills and demonstrations of fire fighting techniques.
physical manipulation — Demonstrating techniques is physical, hands-on work
Demonstrate activity techniques or equipment use.
#22963 · Core · 35% automatable
Assess fires and situations and report conditions to superiors to receive instructions, using two-way radios.
interpersonal — Live radio relay of incidents is real-time human
Assess characteristics of fires. Relay information about incidents or emergencies to personnel using phones or two-way radios.
#22968 · Core · 15% automatable
Inspect fire sites after flames have been extinguished to ensure that there is no further danger.
physical manipulation — Physical debris examination is hands-on
Examine debris to obtain information about causes of fires.
#22973 · Core · 18% automatable
Patrol burned areas after fires to locate and eliminate hot spots that may restart fires.
visual inspection — Locating fires requires physical presence and vision
Locate fires or fire danger areas. Patrol natural areas to ensure safety or enforce regulations.
#22985 · Core · 8% automatable
Take action to contain any hazardous chemicals that could catch fire, leak, or spill.
physical manipulation — Property protection requires physical action in danger
Protect property from fire or water damage.
#22977 · Core · 72% automatable
Prepare written reports that detail specifics of fire incidents.
text generation — Incident reports drafted from facts; human reviews
Prepare investigation or incident reports.
#22979 · Core · 8% automatable
Protect property from water and smoke, using waterproof salvage covers, smoke ejectors, and deodorants.
physical manipulation — Property protection requires physical action in danger
Protect property from fire or water damage.
#22984 · Core · 21% automatable
Inspect buildings for fire hazards and compliance with fire prevention ordinances, testing and checking smoke alarms and fire suppression equipment as necessary.
visual inspection — Physical fire-code walkthrough requires presence and judgment
Inspect facilities to ensure compliance with fire regulations. Inspect equipment to ensure safety or proper functioning.
#22974 · Core · 30% automatable
Collaborate with police to respond to accidents, disasters, and arson investigation calls.
interpersonal — Live incident response with agencies is human-led
Collaborate with law enforcement or security agencies to respond to incidents.
#22981 · Core · 8% automatable
Salvage property by removing broken glass, pumping out water, and ventilating buildings to remove smoke.
physical manipulation — Property protection requires physical action in danger
Protect property from fire or water damage.
#22983 · Core · 10% automatable
Clean and maintain fire stations and fire fighting equipment and apparatus.
physical manipulation — Hands-on firefighting equipment maintenance
Maintain fire fighting tools or equipment.
#22980 · Core · 50% automatable
Inform and educate the public on fire prevention.
text generation — Public education materials draftable; live outreach human
Educate the public about fire safety or prevention.
#22978 · Core · 2% automatable
Participate in physical training activities to maintain a high level of physical fitness.
situated mobility — Physical training requires a human body
Participate in physical training to maintain fitness.
#22982 · Supplemental · 20% automatable
Orient self in relation to fire, using compass and map, and collect supplies and equipment dropped by parachute.
visual inspection — Locating fires requires physical presence and vision
Locate fires or fire danger areas.
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How this was scored
- 1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
- 2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
- 3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
- 4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.
Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.
Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast
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