Florida·Protective Service Occupations·SOC 33-1021

Best First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting programs in Florida, ranked by enrollment

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in firefighting and fire prevention and.

33 schools in Florida run programs that feed this job, graduating 2,488 people a year. The job pays a median of $98,560 in Florida across about 9,540 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledFire ChiefEngine BossFire CaptainFire Battalion ChiefChiefCaptainCrew BossCrew Chief
Graduates / yr
2,488
in Florida
Median pay · Florida
$98,560
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
9,540
people employed
Schools
33
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
54%
across those schools
Median net price
$35,483
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Florida that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

2 programs in Florida that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Florida (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Florida page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 43.0203In Florida
2,349
94.4%
32$48,952$12,750
2
CIP 43.0201In Florida
139
5.6%
11$48,952$12,750

Top 25 schools in Florida

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 13 of the 33 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Miami Dade College
Miami, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
250Fire Science/Fire-fighting46%
2Seminole State College of Florida
Sanford, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
218Fire Science/Fire-fighting41%
3Valencia College
Orlando, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
205Fire Science/Fire-fighting$45,65748%
4Florida State College at Jacksonville
Jacksonville, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
146Fire Science/Fire-fighting$49,81037%
5First Coast Technical College
Saint Augustine, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
124Fire Science/Fire-fighting77%
6William T McFatter Technical College
Davie, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
114Fire Science/Fire-fighting66%
7Suncoast Technical College
Sarasota, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
100Fire Science/Fire-fighting50%
8Palm Beach State College
Lake Worth, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
91Fire Science/Fire-fighting$46,69841%
9Florida SouthWestern State College
Fort Myers, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
89Fire Science/Fire-fighting39%
10St Petersburg College
St. Petersburg, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
89Fire Science/Fire-fighting$55,82938%
11Hillsborough College
Tampa, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
88Fire Science/Fire-fighting$50,33134%
12Indian River State College
Fort Pierce, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
84Fire Science/Fire-fighting$47,20645%
13Eastern Florida State College
Melbourne, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
80Fire Science/Fire-fighting52%
14Daytona State College
Daytona Beach, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
79Fire Science/Fire-fighting$42,69643%
15Florida Gateway College
Lake City, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
78Fire Science/Fire-fighting54%
16Marion Technical College
Ocala, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
76Fire Science/Fire-fighting$37,67880%
17Lake Technical College
Eustis, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
72Fire Science/Fire-fighting$33,94247%
18University of Florida
Gainesville, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
70Fire Science/Fire-fighting$86,74091%24%
19Aparicio - Levy Technical College
Tampa, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
50Fire Science/Fire-fighting81%
20Fort Myers Technical College
Fort Myers, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
48Fire Science/Fire-fighting81%
21University of Florida - Online
Gainesville, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
46Fire Science/Fire-fighting$86,74085%61%
22Gulf Coast State College
Panama City, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
41Fire Science/Fire-fighting43%
23Tallahassee State College
Tallahassee, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
37Fire Science/Fire-fighting38%
24Manatee Technical College
Bradenton, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
36Fire Science/Fire-fighting64%
25Pasco - Hernando State College
New Port Richey, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
31Fire Science/Fire-fighting41%

All 33 schools in Florida

Every school in Florida with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Florida that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Miami Dade CollegeMiamiPublic2502
Seminole State College of FloridaSanfordPublic2182
Valencia CollegeOrlandoPublic2052
Florida State College at JacksonvilleJacksonvillePublic1462
First Coast Technical CollegeSaint AugustinePublic1241
William T McFatter Technical CollegeDaviePublic1141
Suncoast Technical CollegeSarasotaPublic1001
Palm Beach State CollegeLake WorthPublic911
Florida SouthWestern State CollegeFort MyersPublic892
St Petersburg CollegeSt. PetersburgPublic892
Hillsborough CollegeTampaPublic882
Indian River State CollegeFort PiercePublic842
Eastern Florida State CollegeMelbournePublic802
Daytona State CollegeDaytona BeachPublic791
Florida Gateway CollegeLake CityPublic781

What first-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers earn in Florida

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Florida
$98,560
Mean annual
$100,920
Jobs in state
9,540
What the range looks like
10th pct$62,520Median$98,56090th pct$133,450
Versus the national median
+5.4%

U.S. median $93,530. Florida pays above the national figure.

Job concentration
1.51×

Concentrated here: Florida employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.

Metro areas in Florida

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
$120,390median
3,740 jobs
Port St. Lucie, FL
$120,360median
220 jobs
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL
$90,570median
230 jobs
Naples-Marco Island, FL
$98,200median
270 jobs
Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL
$93,930median
70 jobs
Jacksonville, FL
$100,810median
940 jobs
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
$95,670median
1,010 jobs
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL
$90,970median
110 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+3.4%
About as fast as average
Openings per year
6,500
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
3,400
97,200 → 100,500
Typical entry education
Postsecondary nondegree award
Plus moderate-term on-the-job training

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers page.

How to become a First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting

Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0
Typical entry education
Postsecondary nondegree award
Work experience needed
Less than 5 years
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Top skills

Active ListeningCritical ThinkingMonitoringSpeakingReading ComprehensionWriting

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Florida

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 6 majors mapped to First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers6 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 03.0208Environmental/Natural Resources Law Enforcement and Protective Services
  • 43.0201Fire Prevention and Safety Technology/Technician
  • 43.0202Fire Services Administration
  • 43.0203Fire Science/Fire-fighting
  • 43.0205Fire/Arson Investigation and Prevention
  • 43.0299Fire Protection, Other

Common questions

Answers for people weighing first-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers programs in Florida.

What degree do you need to become a First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting?+

Postsecondary nondegree award is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Fire Science/Fire-fighting, which awarded 2,349 degrees in Florida in 2024-25, 94.4% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 2 programs to this occupation. The largest are Fire Protection. Together they graduate about 2,488 people a year in Florida.

How much do first-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers earn in Florida?+

The median is $98,560 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 5.4% above the U.S. median of $93,530. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for first-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers growing?+

BLS projects a +3.4% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 6,500 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Florida?+

33 institutions in Florida reported graduates from at least one of the 2 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do first-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Fire Chief, Engine Boss, Fire Captain, Fire Battalion Chief among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 33-1021.

First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers in other statesCaliforniaAlabamaTexasOhioIllinoisColoradoKentuckyNorth Carolina
Programs in FloridaFire Science/Fire-fighting

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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