Will AI replace firefighters?

Very little of the work today. AI could take on about 9% of the working time in a typical firefighter job today. The other 91% still needs a person.

91% of the work still needs a person.

Needs a person: 91%A person checking AI: 4%AI alone: 5%

The bracket under the bar is the evidence range for the share AI could take on: 8 to 9%. One end comes from how well AI did each responsibility in real use, or a second rating where that isn't measured. The other is our figure, which also follows research across the industry.

30 responsibilities in a typical firefighter job. Median pay $59,280 a year in the U.S. (BLS, May 2025).

Still needs a person

  • Respond to emergency calls
  • Drive fire trucks and equipment
  • Stay in radio contact with dispatch
  • Put on protective gear
  • Give first aid and CPR
  • Work as part of a fire crew

AI can do or help with

  • Write incident reports AI helps
  • Teach the public fire prevention AI helps

The biggest responsibilities of each kind. "AI helps" means AI takes on part of the work, or most of it with a person checking what it produces. See all 30, with the reason for each and the cost of handing them to AI.

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Questions people ask

Will AI replace firefighters?

Very little of the work today. AI could take on about 9% of the working time in a typical firefighter job today. The other 91% still needs a person. That is a split of the work, not a forecast of jobs lost.

Which parts of the job can AI do?

The biggest ones AI can do or help with: write incident reports, teach the public fire prevention.

Which parts still need a person?

The biggest ones: respond to emergency calls, drive fire trucks and equipment, stay in radio contact with dispatch, put on protective gear, give first aid and CPR, work as part of a fire crew.

How is this measured?

The U.S. Department of Labor lists 30 responsibilities for this job (O*NET 31.0). Each is scored on 4 questions: can AI do it, does it get it right, must a person sign for it, and do people need to deal with a real person. The split is weighted by how much of the job each responsibility takes up. The evidence range for the share AI could take on is 8 to 9%. One end comes from how well AI did each responsibility in real use, or a second rating where that isn't measured. The other is our figure, which also follows research across the industry. Scores version 0.7.3, updated October 12, 2026.

Responsibilities from O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor). Pay from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025. Scores are calibrated to published research and updated every month. How it works.

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