Description
Respond to emergencies to locate, extricate, and aid people in distress on land or water while protecting property and the environment. Duties include technical rescue, emergency medical care, hazard assessment, disaster response, and public safety education.
- • Rescue survivors from burning buildings, accident sites, and water hazards.
- • Don personal protective equipment such as helmets, flotation devices, harnesses, and breathing apparatus.
- • Assess emergencies and report conditions to incident command using two-way radios.
- • Move toward victims or hazard zones using knowledge of building layouts, terrain, and hazard types.
- • Respond to emergency calls including vehicle collisions, medical emergencies, structural collapses, and water rescues.
- • Create access or egress points using axes, saws, hydraulic tools, and pry bars.
- • Drive and operate rescue vehicles, boats, and specialized equipment.
- • Conduct scene sweeps after operations to ensure no remaining hazards or missing persons.
- • Position and climb ladders, and use rope systems to reach, lower, or raise individuals.
- • Deploy hydraulic cutters, spreaders, cribbing, and stabilization equipment to extricate patients.
- • Maintain contact with dispatch and command to request resources and report progress.
- • Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams including firefighters, EMS, and law enforcement.
- • Conduct perimeter and grid searches to locate missing or trapped persons.
- • Coordinate with police and other agencies during accidents, disasters, and missing-person operations.
- • Participate in rescue drills and public demonstrations of safety techniques.
- • Maintain knowledge of rescue, survival, and incident management practices through training and conferences.
- • Prepare written reports documenting rescue actions, patient care, and scene conditions.
- • Participate in physical training to maintain strength, endurance, and agility.
- • Protect property by securing structures, covering openings, and shutting off utilities.
- • Educate the public on emergency preparedness, water safety, and injury prevention.
- • Salvage and mitigate hazards by removing debris, pumping out water, and ventilating spaces.
- • Navigate using maps, GPS, and compass in urban and wilderness environments; stage air-dropped supplies when needed.
- • Clean and maintain rescue stations, vehicles, and equipment.
- • Conduct pre-plans and site assessments to identify access routes, hazards, and rescue considerations.
- • Secure and contain hazardous materials within awareness-level protocols and establish safety perimeters.
- • Perform swiftwater, ice, trench, and confined-space rescues as trained.
- • Administer first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation or provide basic to advanced life support as certified.
- • Operate winches, hoists, air bags, and mechanical advantage systems safely.
- • Search, triage, and evacuate victims from collapsed structures and disaster zones.
- • Train new team members in rescue techniques, safety procedures, and equipment operation.
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
