Fire service officers (watch manager and below): average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time fire service officers (watch manager and below) in the UK earned a median £44,033 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): £4,994 above the all-jobs median of £39,039.
What the figures show
That ranks 103rd of 382 occupations on this measure.
The middle half of full-time jobs paid between £38,111 and £50,976.
Median full-time pay: women £41,682 a year, men £44,551 a year.
Paid hours are long: a full-time median of 42 a week including overtime, against 37.5 across all jobs.
ASHE counts roughly 59,000 employee jobs, 83% full-time.
Since 2021 it has risen 20.5%, from £36,556, slower than the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 45,100 people in this line of work across the UK.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £30,517 | £609.10 | £15.22 | £10,124* | £256.70* | £15.33 |
| 20th percentile | £36,739 | £722.00 | £17.20 | – | £570.90 | £17.20 |
| 25th percentile | £38,111 | £725.30 | £17.49 | £30,655* | £614.40 | £17.51 |
| 30th percentile | £39,336 | £738.80 | £17.61 | £35,565 | £697.90 | £17.68 |
| 40th percentile | £40,854 | £765.50 | £18.23 | £39,105 | £735.70 | £18.63 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £44,033 | £827.40 | £19.58 | £40,775 | £765.40 | £19.77 |
| 60th percentile | £47,387 | £883.60 | £20.81 | £44,584 | £844.60 | £21.09 |
| 70th percentile | £49,530 | £925.90 | £21.49 | £48,367 | £900.30 | £21.74 |
| 75th percentile | £50,976 | £944.50 | £21.71 | £49,455 | £925.00 | £22.84 |
| 80th percentile | £53,756 | £973.10 | £22.15 | £51,113 | £949.50 | £23.99 |
| Mean | £44,795 | £863.40 | £20.26 | £39,188 | £761.90 | £20.44 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £36,556 | £704.60 | £16.21 | £34,768 | £671.80 | 58 |
| 2022 revised | £37,255 | £715.30 | £16.31 | £35,990 | £694.10 | 65 |
| 2023 revised | £38,917 | £753.60 | £17.41 | £36,859 | £714.80 | 60 |
| 2024 revised | £42,142 | £815.30 | £18.67 | £40,433 | £767.10 | 65 |
| 2025 provisional | £44,033 | £827.40 | £19.58 | £40,775 | £765.40 | 59 |
Fire service officers (watch manager and below) by region
UK: 45,100 (± 8,200), April 2025 to March 2026.
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What fire service officers (watch manager and below) do
Fire service officers (watch manager and below) co-ordinate and participate in firefighting activities, provide emergency services in the event of accidents or bomb alerts, and advise on fire prevention. (ONS SOC 2020, 3313)
Also covers: fire engineer, fire safety officer, firefighter, watch manager (fire service), crew commander, crew manager, fire fighter, fire guard, fire officer, fireman's assistant, industrial fireman, leading firefighter, private fireman, section leader, security fireman, sub officer, watch commander and watch manager (27 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Inspects premises to identify potential fire hazards and to check that firefighting equipment is available and in working order and that statutory fire safety regulations are met
- Arranges fire drills and tests alarm systems and equipment
- Travels to fire or other emergency by vehicle and locates water mains if necessary
- Operates hose pipes, ladders, chemical, foam, gas or powder fire extinguishing appliances
- Rescues people or animals trapped by fire or other emergency situations such as flooding and administers first aid
- Removes goods from fire damaged premises, clears excess water, makes safe any structural hazards and takes any other necessary steps to reduce damage to property
There are no formal academic requirements, although applicants to fire control roles must demonstrate basic literacy and numeracy, keyboard and communication skills. Applicants to fire-fighter roles must pass psychological, physical and medical tests. Some Fire and Rescue Services operate direct entry recruitment processes to managerial operational roles. There is a minimum age limit of 18 years for entry to fire-fighter and control operator roles and DBS checks can be required.
Related
Protective service occupations · Police officers (sergeant and below) · Prison service officers (below principal officer) · salary percentile · Average weekly hours worked in the UK · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026