List of comparative firefighting ranks

Fire departments are structured differently around the world. Many firefighters are sworn members with command structures similar to the military and police. They do not have general police powers but have specific powers of enforcement and control in fire and emergency situations.

Australia

New South Wales

New South Wales Rural Fire Service

Operational rank	Membership type	Insignia
Commissioner	NSW government senior executive service officer
Deputy commissioner	NSW government senior executive service officer
Assistant commissioner	NSW government senior executive service officer
Chief superintendent	NSW government public service officer
Superintendent	NSW government public service officer
Inspector	NSW government public service officer
Group captain	Volunteer
Deputy group captain	Volunteer
Assistant group captain	Volunteer
Captain	Volunteer
Senior deputy captain	Volunteer
Deputy captain	Volunteer
Support fire fighter (no qualifications)	Volunteer

Victoria

Victoria Country Fire Authority

Administrative ranks for volunteer firefighters	Helmet insignia	Epaulette	Hardboard
Group officer			N/A
Deputy group officer			N/A
Operational ranks for volunteer firefighters	Helmet insignia	Epaulette	Hardboard
Captain
1st lieutenant
2nd to 5th lieutenant			N/A
Firefighter		N/A	N/A

Austria

Salzburg

Volunteer fire departments

	Higher ranks				Administrative ranks
Title	Landesbranddirektor (LBD)	Landesbranddirektor-Stv. (LBD-Stv.)	Oberbrandrat (OBR)	Brandrat (BR)	Hauptverwalter (HV)	Oberverwalter (OV)	Verwalter (V)
Rank insignia

	Leading ranks
Title	Abteilungsbrandinspektor (ABI)	Hauptbrandinspektor (HBI)	Oberbrandinspektor (OBI)	Brandinspektor (BI)	Hauptbrandmeister (HBM)	Oberbrandmeister (OBM)	Brandmeister (BM)
Rank insignia

	Sub-officers/crew commanders			Firefighters and leading firefighters
Title	Hauptlöschmeister (HLM)	Oberlöschmeister (OLM)	Löschmeister (LM)	Löschmeister (LM) 18 years as firefighter	Hauptfeuerwehrmann (HFM)	Oberfeuerwehrmann (OFM)	Feuerwehrmann (FM)	Probefeuerwehrmann (PFM)
Rank insignia

Belgium

New rank structure as of 2015:^[1]

	Officers (higher cadre)				NCOs (middle cadre)		Enlisted (basic cadre)
Insignia
French	Colonel	Major	Capitaine	Lieutenant	Adjudant	Sergent	Caporal	Sapeur-pompier
Dutch	Kolonel	Majoor	Kapitein	Luitenant	Adjudant	Sergeant	Korporaal	Brandweerman

Obsolete ranks:

	Officers (higher cadre)			NCOs (middle cadre)
Insignia
French	Lieutenant-colonel	Capitaine-commandant	Sous-lieutenant	Adjudant-chef	Sergent-major	Premier Sergent
Dutch	Luitenant-Kolonel	Kapitein-Commandant	Onder-luitenant	Opperadjudant	Sergeant-majoor	Eerste sergeant

Brazil

Officers

Rank group	General / flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers
Military Firefighters Corps v t e
Military Firefighters Corps v t e							Comandante Geral		Comandante segundo		Coronel		Tenente-coronel		Major		Capitão		Primeiro tenente			Segundo tenente

NCO and enlisted grades

Rank group	Senior NCOs																						Junior NCOs						Enlisted
Military Firefighters Corps v t e
Military Firefighters Corps v t e	Subtenente										Primeiro-sargento						Segundo-sargento			Terceiro-sargento			Cabo						Bombeiro primeira classe						Bombeiro segunda classe

Canada

A chief and platoon chief coordinate activities on site of a house fire in Vaughan, Ontario

Ranks amongst Canadian firefighters vary across the country and ranking appears mostly with larger departments:

Toronto


Rank	Fire chief	Deputy fire chief	Division commander	Platoon chief	District chief	Captain	First class firefighter	Second class firefighter	Probationary firefighter
Insignia							None	None	None

Montreal

Rank	Insignia
Firefighter/firefighter instructor	no insignia
Interim lieutenant	1 silver stripe
Lieutenant/lieutenant instructor	2 silver stripes
Captain	3 silver stripes
Operations chief	1 thick yellow stripe
Division chief	1 thick and 1 thin yellow stripe
Assistant chief	1 thick and 2 thin yellow stripes
Deputy chief	1 thick and 3 thin yellow stripes
Fire chief	1 thick and 4 thin yellow stripes plus star

Vancouver

	Fire chief	Deputy fire chief	Assistant chief	Battalion chief	Training officer	Captain	Lieutenant	Firefighter	Probationary firefighter
Rank epaulettes								No insignia	No insignia
Rank pins								No insignia	No insignia

Chile

Ranks are divided between company officers and fire department officers, which can be subdivided between active officers (field officers) and administrative officers. The active officers are the captain, and three or four lieutenants, these four active officers are distinguished by red lines on their helmets.

China

	Commissioner	Deputy commissioner	Assistant commissioner	Commanders				Battalion chiefs

	Director general	Deputy director general	Assistant director general	Senior commander	Commander I	Commander II	Commander III	Battalion chief I	Battalion chief II	Battalion chief III	Battalion chief IV

	Senior firefighters			Intermediate firefighters		Junior firefighters

	Captain I	Captain II	Captain III	Firefighter I	Firefighter II	Firefighter III	Firefighter IV	Probationary firefighter

Czech Republic

	Insignia
	Title	Generál- poručík	Generál- major	Brigádní generál	Plukovník	Podplukovník	Major	Kapitán	Nadporučík	Poručík	Podporučík	Nadpraporčík	Praporčík	Podpraporčík	Nadstrážmistr	Strážmistr	Rotný

Denmark

Rank epaulettes^[2]
Title	Direktør	Vicedirektør	Afdelingschef	Områdeleder	Beredskabsinspektør	Viceberedskabsinspektør	Beredskabsmester	Viceberedskabsmester	Deltidsholder m. instruktør	Deltidsholder	Beredskabsassistent
Direct translation of Danish ranks	Emergency director/ Emergency chief	Deputy emergency director/ Deputy emergency chief	Department chief/ Area chief	Area manager	Fire inspector	Deputy fire inspector/ Station master	Emergency master/ Fire master	Deputy emergency master/ Deputy fire master	Part-time team leader with instructor skills	Part-time team leader	Fire assistant/ Emergency assistant
Equivalent in London Fire Brigade	Commissioner	Deputy commissioner	Assistant commissioner	Deputy assistant commissioner	Group manager	Station manager	Station officer	Sub-officer	No equivalent	No equivalent	Firefighter

France

Rank insignia of a lieutenant of the Paris Fire Brigade

The Paris Fire Brigade belongs to the army and uses army ranks with the corps of engineers badge. The commanding officer has the rank of divisional general. The Marseille Naval Fire Battalion belongs to the navy and uses naval ranks. The commanding officer has the rank of rear admiral. Civilian fire services uses the following ranks. The chief fire officer of a departemental fire brigade can be a comptroller general, a colonel senior class or a colonel, depending on the size of the brigade.

	Ministry of Interior			Civilian professional firefighters class A+		Civilian professional firefighters class A			Civilian professional firefighters class B

	Directeur Général de la sécurité civile et de la gestion des crises	Directeur des sapeurs-pompiers (directeur adjoint du DGSCGC)	Contrôleur général (officiers investis de responsabilités particulières envers l'État)	Contrôleur général	Colonel hors-classe Colonel	Lieutenant-Colonel	Commandant	Capitaine	Lieutenant hors classe Lieutenant de 1re classe Lieutenant de 2e classe

	Civilian professional firefighters class C

	Adjudant-Chef	Adjudant	Sergent-Chef	Sergent	Caporal-Chef	Caporal	Sapeur de 1re classe	Sapeur de 2e classe

Germany

In Germany every federal state has its own civil protection laws thus they have different rank systems. Additionally, in the volunteer fire departments, there is a difference between a rank and an official position. This is founded on the military traditions of the fire departments. Every firefighter can hold a high rank without having an official position. A firefighter can be promoted by years of service, training skills and qualifications. Official positions are partly elected or given by capabilities. These conditions allow that older ordinary firefighters have higher ranks than their leaders. But through this ranks are no authorities given (Brevet).

Professional fire fighters (middle technical grades) of Rheinland-Pfalz

Completed vocational training in a technical occupation suitable for the fire service. Basic firefighter training.


Brandmeister/-in während der Laufbahnausbildung	*Brandmeister*	*Oberbrandmeister*	*Hauptbrandmeister*

Professional fire fighters (upper technical grades) of Rheinland-Pfalz

Bachelor of engineering and two years departmental training


*Brandinspektorenanwärter*	*Brandinspektor*	*Brandoberinspektor*	*Brandamtmann*	*Brandamtsrat*	*Brandoberamtsrat*

Professional fire fighters (higher technical grades) of Rheinland-Pfalz

Master of engineering and two years of departmental training


*Brandreferendar*	*Brandrat*	*Oberbrandrat*	*Branddirektor*	Leitender Branddirektor Ministerialrat	*Leitender Ministerialrat*	*Landesfeuerwehrinspekteur*

Helmet insignia of Rheinland-Pfalz


Company leaders	Upper technical grades, battalion chiefs	Higher technical grades, fire chiefs

Germany 1935-1945

The Feuerschutzpolizei was formed in 1938 as a branch of the Ordnungspolizei, formed in 1938 when the German municipal professional fire brigades were transferred to the national police. The previously red fire vehicles, blue uniforms and fire service ranks were replaced by green fire vehicles, green uniforms and police ranks.

Professional fire departments in Prussia 1935–1938	Feuerschutzpolizei 1938–1941	Feuerschutzpolizei 1941–1945	Insignia
–	–	Generalleutnant
Oberbranddirektor^[a]	Generalmajor	Generalmajor
Oberbranddirektor Branddirektor	Oberst	Oberst
Oberbaurat	Oberstleutnant	Oberstleutnant
Baurat	Major	Major
Brandingenieur Brandoberingenieur Baurat^[b]	Hauptmann	Hauptmann
–	–	Bezirkshauptmann
–	Inspektor	Bezirksoberleutnant
Oberbrandmeister	Obermeister	Leutnant
–	–	Bezirksleutnant
Brandmeister	Meister	Meister
Löschmeister	Hauptwachtmeister	Hauptwachtmeister
Oberfeuerwehrmann	Bezirksoberwachtmeister	Bezirksoberwachtmeister
–	Oberwachtmeister	Oberwachtmeister
Feuerwehrmann	Wachtmeister	Wachtmeister
–	–	Rottwachtmeister
–	–	Unterwachtmeister^[c]
–	–	Anwärter^[c]^[d]	No insignia
–	–	Anwärter^[c]	No insignia

^ The fire chief of Berlin.
^ With less than three years in the rank
^ ^a ^b ^c Only in the field units
^ With more than six months in the rank.

Greece

Title	Lieutenant general	Major general	Brigadier	Colonel	Lieutenant colonel	Fire major	Fire captain	Fire lieutenant	Fire second lieutenant
Greek title	Αντιστράτηγος Antistrátigos	Υποστράτηγος Ypostrátigos	Αρχιπύραρχος Archipýrarchos	Πύραρχος Pýrarchos	Αντιπύραρχος Antipýrarchos	Επιπυραγός Epipyragós	Πυραγός Pyragós	Υποπυραγός Ypopyragós	Ανθυποπυραγός Anthypopyragós
Insignia

Title	Warrant officer (NCO)	Master sergeant	Sergeant	Senior firefighter	Firefighter
Greek title	Πυρονόμος Pyronómos	Αρχιπυροσβέστης Παραγωγικής Σχολής Archipyrosvéstis Paragogikís Scholís	Αρχιπυροσβέστης Μη Παραγωγικής Σχολής Archipyrosvéstis Mi Paragogikís Scholís	Υπαρχιπυροσβέστης Yparchipyrosvéstis	Πυροσβέστης Pyrosvéstis
Insignia

Hungary

Officers

Rank group	General / flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers
National Directorate General for Disaster Management
National Directorate General for Disaster Management											Tűzoltó ezredes		Tűzoltó alezredes		Tűzoltó őrnagy		Tűzoltó százados		Tűzoltó főhadnagy			Tűzoltó hadnagy

NCO and enlisted grades

Rank group	Senior NCOs																						Junior NCOs						Enlisted
National Directorate General for Disaster Management
National Directorate General for Disaster Management	Tűzoltó főtörzszászlós						Tűzoltó törzszászlós	Tűzoltó zászlós	Tűzoltó főtörzsőrmester		Tűzoltó törzsőrmester						Tűzoltó őrmester

India

In the Indian fire services, the ranks and hierarchy may vary slightly across different states and organizations. The specific rank names and their corresponding responsibilities may vary across different states and organizations in India. The following ranks are commonly found in indian fire departments. ^[3]

Director general, fire and rescue services (head of the department) (IPS cadre officer in the rank of DGP)
Director/additional director
Regional fire officer/ divisional officer/joint director
District fire officer
Station officer, (in-charge of fire stations)
Assistant station officer
Senior fire and rescue officer/senior fireman/leading fireman
Fire and rescue officer/fireman/ fireman (driver), (this is the entry-level position in the fire service.)

Indonesia

Firefighters in Indonesia form part of the civil service of local governments and wear variant forms of uniforms worn by civil servants and employees.

Rank category	Rank category number	Rank in Indonesian	Equivalent rank (with US general schedule and UK civil service paygrade)	Rank in English (Provincial/city/municipal/regency/district fire service personnel only)
Directors and commissioners	IV/e	Pembina Utama	Director general senior executive service level V, pay band 3 A7	Director
	IV/d	Pembina Utama Madya	Director senior executive service level V pay band 2 A7	Chief commissioner
	IV/c	Pembina Utama Muda	Deputy director GS-15, pay band 2 A6	Commander
Subaltern and field ranked officers	IV/b	Pembina Tingkat I	Assistant director GS-14, grade 6 A5	Senior commissioner
	IV/a	Pembina	Senior executive officer 1st class GS-14, grade 7 A4	Commissioner
	III/d	Penata Tingkat I	Senior executive officer 2nd class GS-13, grade 7 A3	Battalion chief
	III/c	Penata	Higher executive officer 1st class GS-12, grade 7 A2	Captain
Lieutenants	III/b	Penata Muda Tingkat I	Higher executive officer GS-11, A2	First lieutenant
Lieutenants	III/a	Penata Muda	Executive officer 1st class GS-10, A2/B6	Second lieutenant
Senior NCOs	II/d	Pengatur Tingkat I	Executive officer 2nd class GS-9, A1/B6	Station sub-officer
Senior NCOs	II/c	Pengatur	Executive officer GS-8, A1/B5	Brigadier major
Junior NCOs	II/b	Pengatur Muda Tingkat I	Administrative officer class 1 GS-7, B4	Brigadier 1st class
Junior NCOs	II/a	Pengatur Muda	Administrative officer class 2 GS-6, B4	Senior brigader
Basic level	I/d	Juru Tingkat I	Higher clerical officer 1st class GS-5, B3	Brigadier
	I/c	Juru	Higher clerical officer GS-4/GS-3, B3	Junior brigadier
	I/b	Juru Muda Tingkat I	Clerical officer GS-2, B2	Senior firefighter
	I/a	Juru Muda	Administrative assistant GS-1, B1	Firefighter

Iran

Iranian insignia

In Iran, every city has its own fire department, but ranks are the same in the whole country, and are as follows:

Rank	Persian	Collar/epaulette markings	Collar/epaulette markings (in Persian)
Volunteer firefighter III	آتش نشان داوطلب سوم	One golden bar	یک خط طلایی
Volunteer firefighter II	آتش نشان داوطلب دوم	Two golden bars	دو خط طلایی
Volunteer firefighter	آتش نشان داوطلب	Three golden bars	سه خط طلایی
Firefighter III	آتش نشان سوم	One silver bar	یک خط نقره ای
Firefighter II	آتش نشان دوم	Two silver bars	دو خط نقره ای
Firefighter	آتش نشان	Three silver bars	سه خط نقره ای
Head firefighter III	سرآتش نشان سوم	One flame with a thin silver bar below it and one golden bar	یک شعله با زیر پایه ی نقره ای نازک و یک خط طلایی
Head firefighter II	سرآتش نشان دوم	One flame with a thin silver bar below it and two golden bars	یک شعله با زیر پایه ی نقره ای نازک و دو خط طلایی
Head firefighter	سرآتش نشان	One flame with a thin silver bar below it and three golden bars	یک شعله با زیر پایه ی نقره ای نازک و سه خط طلایی
Master firefighter III	آتش یار سوم	One flame with golden border and silver bar below flame	یک شعله با حاشیه ی طلایی و زیر پایه ی نقره ای حجیم زیر شعله
Master firefighter II	آتش یار دوم	Two flames with golden border and silver bar below each flame	دو شعله با حاشیه ی طلایی و زیر پایه ی نقره ای حجیم زیر هر شعله
Master firefighter	آتش یار	Three flames with golden border and silver bar below each flame	سه شعله با حاشیه ی طلایی و زیر پایه ی نقره ای حجیم زیر هر شعله
Head master firefighter	سر آتش یار	Four flames with golden border and silver bar below each flame	چهار شعله با حاشیه ی طلایی و زیر پایه ی نقره ای حجیم زیر هر شعله
Chief firefighter III	آتش پاد سوم	One empty golden wreath	یک حلقه گل طلایی خالی
Chief firefighter II	آتش پاد دوم	One golden wreath with a flame inside it	یک حلقه گل طلایی با یک شعله درونش
Chief firefighter	آتش پاد	One golden wreath with a flame inside it and a silver bar below them	یک حلقه گل طلایی با یک شعله درونش و یک خط نقره ای زیر آنها
Chief master firefighter III	فرآتش پاد سوم	One golden wreath with a flame inside it and two silver bars below them	یک حلقه گل طلایی با یک شعله درونش و دو خط نقره ای زیر آنها
Chief master firefighter II	فرآتش پاد دوم	One golden wreath with a flame inside it and three silver bars below them	یک حلقه گل طلایی با یک شعله درونش و سه خط نقره ای زیر آنها
Chief master firefighter	فرآتش پاد	One golden wreath with a flame inside it and four silver bars below them	یک حلقه گل طلایی با یک شعله درونش و چهار خط نقره ای زیر آنها

Ireland

In Ireland, the traditional British and Commonwealth brigade rank structure is used, across the 26 counties.

Fire and rescue services are provided by 26 County Councils to the 26 counties of Ireland, and by three city councils with unitary authority status (those of Dublin, Cork, and Galway) within their respective cities. By agreement, the Dublin Fire Brigade provides cover to both the city and the county. Similarly, Galway City Council and Galway County Council have an agreement for the provision of a single fire and rescue service. Only Cork has separate services - Cork City Fire Brigade in the City of Cork, and Cork County Fire Service in the wider County of Cork. In each of the other 23 counties of Ireland a single fire and rescue service covers the whole county, including all large towns and cities, as those 23 county councils are unitary authorities for the entire county jurisdiction.

Structure	County brigades		Dublin Fire Brigade^[4]
Rank	Insignia	Helmet	Insignia	Helmet
Firefighter		Yellow		Yellow
Leading firefighter or driver mechanic		Yellow, one 12 mm horizontal black stripe	This rank is not used in Dublin
Sub officer		Yellow, two 12 mm horizontal black stripes		Yellow, two 12 mm horizontal black stripes
Station officer		White, one 19 mm horizontal black stripe		White, one 12 mm horizontal black stripe
District officer (operations) or district FPO	These ranks are not used in counties			White, one 19 mm horizontal black stripe
Third officer (operations) or executive FPO	These ranks are not used in counties			White, two horizontal black stripes (one 19 mm, one 12 mm)
Senior assistant chief fire officer		White, one 38 mm horizontal broad black stripe	This rank is not used in Dublin
Chief fire officer		White, two 38 mm horizontal broad black stripes		White, one 38 mm horizontal broad black stripe
Key: FPO = fire prevention officer

Israel

Officers


	Rav tafsar (רב טפסר)	Tafsar (טפסר)	Tat tafsar (תת טפסר)	Tafsar mishne (טפסר משנה)	Segan tafsar (סגן טפסר)	Ráv Reshef (רב רשף)	Reshef (רשף)	Lahav (להב)	Lahav mishne (להב משנה)
English	Lieutenant general firefighter	Major general firefighter	Brigadier general firefighter	Colonel firefighter	Lieutenant colonel firefighter	Major firefighter	Captain firefighter	First lieutenant firefighter	Second lieutenant firefighter

Other Ranks


	Rav semel bakhir kabai (רב-סמל בכיר-כבאי)	Rav semel rishon kabai (רב-סמל ראשון-כבאי)	Rav semel kabai (רב-סמל-כבאי)	Semel kabai (סמל כבאי)	Rav kabai (רב כבאי)	Lokhem esh rishon (לוחם אש ראשון)	Lokhem esh (לוחם אש)
English	Sergeant major firefighter	Master sergeant firefighter	Sergeant 1st class firefighter	Sergeant firefighter	Corporal firefighter	Senior firefighter	Firefighter

Italy

Chief fire officers

	Dirigente generale Capo di corpo	Dirigente generale	Dirigente superiore di livello C	Dirigente superiore di livello D	Dirigente superiore di livello E	Dirigente superiore di livello F

Fire officers

	Direttore vice dirigente con funzioni dei vicario dei dirigente di livello E	Direttore vice dirigente	Direttore	Vice direttore

Station commanders

	Sostituto direttore antincendi capo esperto	Sostituto direttore antincendi capo	Sostituto direttore antincendi	Ispettore antincendi coordinatore	Ispettore antincendi esperto	Ispettore antincendi

Crew commanders

	Caporeparto	Caposquadra esperto	Caposquadra

Firefighters

	Vigile del fuoco coordinatore	Vigile del fuoco esperto	Vigile del fuoco

Volunteer firefighters

	Funzionario tecnico antincendi volontario	Caporeparto volontario	Caposquadra volontario	Vigile del fuoco volontario

Japan

Firefighters at a community event in Tokyo, 2017

The Japanese fire department's rank insignias are place on a small badge and pinned above the right pocket. Rank is told by stripes and hexagram stars. The design of the insignias came from older Japanese style military insignias. Officers and team leaders could wear an arm band on the arm of fire jacket to show status as command leader. Sometimes rank can be shown as different a color fire jacket for command staff. The color whites and gray are reserved for EMS. Orange is reserved for rescuers.

Professional fire departments

Fire fighter	Assistant fire sergeant	Fire sergeant

Fire lieutenant	Fire captain	Battalion chief

Assistant chief	First assistant chief	Deputy chief

Fire chief

Volunteer fire departments

Volunteer fire fighter	Volunteer crew chief

Volunteer company chief	Volunteer assistant battalion chief	Volunteer battalion chief

Volunteer assistant chief	Volunteer fire chief

Luxembourg

Higher cadre of professional and volunteer fire fighters^[5] Cadre supérieur des pompiers volontaires et professionnels
Insignia
French	Directeur général	Colonel	Lieutenant-colonel	Major	Capitaine	Lieutenant 1ère classe	Lieutenant	Lieutenant-aspirant
English	Director general	Colonel	Lieutenant colonel	Major	Captain	Lieutenant 1st class	Lieutenant	Aspirant lieutenant

Middle cadre of professional and volunteer fire fighters^[5] Cadre moyen des pompiers volontaires et professionnels
Insignia
French	Adjudant-major	Adjudant-chef	Adjudant	Adjudant-aspirant
English	Chief warrant officer	Master warrant officer	Warrant officer	Aspirant warrant officer

Basic cadre of professional and volunteer fire fighters^[5] Cadre de base des pompiers volontaires et professionnels
Insignia
French	Sergent-major	Sergent-chef	Sergent	Caporal-chef 1ère classe	Caporal-chef	Caporal	Brigadier	Brigadier-aspirant
English	Sergeant major	Master sergeant	Sergeant	Master corporal 1st class	Master corporal	Corporal	Brigadier	Aspirant brigadier

Malaysia

No.	Rank	Abbreviation	Rank (English)	Grade	Epaulet
No.	Rank	Abbreviation	Rank (English)	Grade	Shoulder board	Collar badge
Penguasa Bomba (fire superintendent)
1	Ketua Pesuruhjaya Bomba	KPjB	Chief fire commissioner	JUSA A
2	Pesuruhjaya Bomba	PjB	Fire commissioner	JUSA B
3	Timbalan Pesuruhjaya Bomba	TPjB	Deputy fire commissioner	JUSA C
4	Penolong Kanan Pesuruhjaya Bomba	PKPjB	Senior assistant fire commissioner	KB 54
5	Penolong Pesuruhjaya Bomba	PPjB	Assistant fire commissioner	KB 52
6	Penguasa Kanan Bomba I	PgKB I	Senior fire superintendent I	KB 48
7	Penguasa Kanan Bomba II	PgKB II	Senior fire superintendent II	KB 44
8	Penguasa Bomba	PgB	Fire superintendent	KB 41
Penolong Penguasa Bomba (assistant fire superintendent)
9	Timbalan Penguasa Bomba	TPgB	Deputy fire superintendent	KB 38
10	Penolong Kanan Penguasa Bomba	PKPgB	Senior assistant fire superintendent	KB 32
11	Penolong Penguasa Bomba	PPgB	Assistant fire superintendent	KB 29
Pegawai Bomba (fire officer)
12	Pegawai Bomba Tinggi	PBT	Leading fire officer	KB 26
13	Pegawai Bomba Kanan I	PBK I	Senior fire officer I	KB 24
14	Pegawai Bomba Kanan II	PBK II	Senior fire officer II	KB 22
15	Pegawai Bomba	PB	Fire officer	KB 17 / 19	No insignia

Netherlands

	Hoofdcommandeur	Fire chief
	Adjunct-Hoofdcommandeur	Deputy fire chief
	Commandeur	Division chief
	Hoofdbrandmeester	Battalion chief
	Brandmeester	Captain
	Hoofdbrandwacht	Engineer
	Brandwacht	Fire fighter
	Algemene / Aspirantfuncties	Trainee

New Zealand

In New Zealand, rank is shown on epaulettes on firefighters' station uniform, and through colors and stripes on firefighter helmets. As the nation only has a single fire department, the New Zealand Fire Service, ranks are consistent through the country.

Rank	Epaulette^[6]	Helmet^[6]
Recruit firefighter (RFF)	Recruit	Fluro-green
Firefighter (FF)	One hollow bar	Yellow, one white stripe
Qualified firefighter (QFF)	One solid bar	Yellow, one red stripe
Senior firefighter (SFF)	Two solid bars	Yellow, two red stripes
Station officer (SO)	One impeller	Red, one blue stripe
Senior station officer (SSO)	Two impellers	Red, two blue stripes
Deputy chief fire officer (DCFO)	Impeller between two ferns below one impeller	White, one blue stripe
Chief fire officer (CFO)	Impeller between two ferns below two impellers	White, two blue stripes
Assistant area commander (AAC)	Three impellers	Silver
Area commander (AC)	One impeller below a crown	Silver, one blue stripe
Assistant national commander (ANC)	Three impellers trefoil below a crown	Silver, two blue stripes
Deputy national commander (DNC)	Silver crossed sword and baton below an impeller	Black
National commander (NC)	Silver crossed sword and baton below a crown	Black

Philippines

Commissioned officers

Fire director (major general)
Fire chief superintendent (brigadier general)
Fire senior superintendent (colonel)
Fire superintendent (lieutenant colonel)
Fire chief inspector (major)
Fire senior inspector (captain)
Fire inspector (lieutenant)

Non-commissioned officers

Senior fire officer 4 (executive master sergeant)
Senior fire officer 3 (chief master sergeant)
Senior fire officer 2 (senior master sergeant)
Senior fire officer 1 (master sergeant)
Fire officer 3 (staff sergeant)
Fire officer 2 (corporal)
Fire officer 1 (firefighter)

Poland


Strażak Firefighter Private	Starszy strażak Senior firefighter Private	Sekcyjny Section leader Private 1st class	Starszy sekcyjny Senior section leader Specialist

Młodszy ogniomistrz Junior firemaster Corporal	Ogniomistrz Firemaster Sergeant	Starszy ogniomistrz Senior firemaster Staff sergeant

Młodszy aspirant Junior aspirant Sergeant 1st class	Aspirant Aspirant Master sergeant	Starszy aspirant Senior aspirant Sergeant major	Aspirant sztabowy Staff aspirant Command sergeant major

Młodszy kapitan Junior captain Second lieutenant	Kapitan Captain First lieutenant	Starszy kapitan Senior captain Captain	Młodszy brygadier Junior brigadier Major

Brygadier Brigadier Lieutenant colonel	Starszy brygadier Senior brigadier Colonel	Nadbrygadier Chief brigadier Brigadier general	Generał brygadier General brigadier Major general

Romania

Officer ranks

Corpului Pompierilor

Mareșal

General

General-locotenent

General-maior

General de brigadă

Colonel

Locotenent-colonel

Maior

Căpitan

Locotenent

Sublocotenent

Other ranks

Corpului Pompierilor

Plutonier adjutant șef

Plutonier adjutant

Plutonier-major

Plutonier

Sergent-major

Sergent

Russian Federation

A Russian firefighter with a head of duty shift fire station helmet.

In the Russian Federation, the decals are applied symmetrically on both sides of the helmet (front and rear). The location of the decals on the special clothing and SCBA is established for each fire department of the same type within the administrative entity. The following ranks are used by State Fire Service civilian personnel worn on all forms of dress, while military personnel use ranks similar to those of the Police of Russia, due to their pre-2001 history as the fire service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation before all firefighting services were transferred to the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

Federal Fire Service of EMERCOM helmet insignia

Rank	Helmet colour/markings
Firefighter	The all color helmet with the applied number, indicating the fire station
Head of fire brigade	The all color helmet with the applied number, indicating the fire station, underlined by line 50 mm wide and 5 mm thick
Head of duty shift fire station	The all color helmet with the applied a circle, inside which the applied number is indicating the fire station
Deputy head of the fire station	The all color helmet with the applied a triangle, inside which the applied number is indicating the fire station
Head of the fire station	The all color helmet with the applied a square, inside which the applied number is indicating the fire station
Commanding staff of the fire department	The all color helmet with the applied a circle, inside which the applied a rhombus

Singapore

Officers

Rank group	General / flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers
Singapore Civil Defence Force^[7]
Singapore Civil Defence Force^[7]					Commissioner		Deputy commissioner		Senior assistant commissioner	Assistant commissioner	Colonel		Lieutenant colonel		Major		Captain		Lieutenant			Second lieutenant			Officer cadet

Warrant officers

Equivalent NATO rank	WO-5		WO-4		WO-3		WO-2		WO-1
Singapore Civil Defence Force^[7]
Singapore Civil Defence Force^[7]					Warrant officer 2		Warrant officer 1

Other ranks

Rank group	Senior NCOs																						Junior NCOs						Enlisted
Singapore Civil Defence Force^[7]
Singapore Civil Defence Force^[7]																	Sergeant 3		Sergeant 2		Sergeant 1				Corporal		Lance corporal								Private	Recruit

Soviet Union


1936								1937-1939
Category		City Fire Department BBV		Paramilitary Fire Service PMB				Category	City Fire Department	Paramilitary Fire Service
Category		1936		From 16.06.1936		From 13.09.1936			From 17.11.1937	From 15.04.1938	From 26.02.1939
BBV	PMB	Collar	Forearms	Collar patches	Forearms	Collar patches	Upper arm		Collar patch	Collar patch	Collar patch
Private		n/a						Private			no changes
К-1	К-1	n/a						К-1, К-2			no changes
К-2	К-2	n/a						К-1, К-2			no changes
К-3	n/a	n/a
К-4	К-3							К-3			no changes
К-5	К-4							К-4			no changes
К-6	К-5							К-5			no changes
К-7	К-6							К-6			no changes
К-8	К-7							К-7			no changes
К-9	К-8							К-8			no changes
К-10	К-9							К-9			no changes
К-11	К-10							К-10
К-12	К-11							К-11
К-13	К-12							К-12
n/a	К-13	n/a	n/a					К-13	n/a	n/a

Switzerland

Officer grades

Rank epaulettes
Rank name	German	Oberst	Oberstleutnant	Major	Hauptmann	Oberleutnant	Leutnant
	French	Colonel	Lieutenant colonel	Major	Capitaine	Premier lieutenant	Lieutenant
	Italian	Colonnello	Tenente colonnello	Maggiore	Capitano	Primo tenente	Tenente
	Romansh	Colonel	Litinent colonel	Maior	Chapitani	Primlitenant	Litenet

Other grades

Rank epaulettes
Rank name	German	Adjutant Unteroffizier	Feldweibel	Fourier	Wachtmeister	Korporal	Gefreiter	Soldat	Rekrut / Aspirant
	French	Adjudant sous-officier	Sergent-major	Fourrier	Sergent	Caporal	Appointé	Soldat	Recrue / Aspirant
	Italian	Aiutante sottufficiale	Sergente maggiore	Furiere	Sergente	Caporale	Appuntato	Soldato	Recluta / Aspirante
	Romansh	Adjutant sutuffizier	Primsergent	Furier	Sergent	Caporal	Appuntà	Schuldà	Recruit

Taiwan

Level	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11

	Director general	Deputy director general * Fire chief of metropolitan city	Level 3 positions	Level 4 positions	Level 5 positions	Level 6 positions	Level 7 positions	Level 8 positions	Team leader	Team member	Basic level

Tunisia

Tunisian firefighter's ranks are the same as the army, police and national guard.

United Kingdom, Crown dependencies, British Overseas Territories

Other fire service title	Chief fire officer	Deputy chief fire officer	Assistant chief fire officer		Area manager	Group manager	Station manager	Watch manager	Crew manager		Firefighter
London title	Commissioner	Deputy commissioner	Assistant commissioner		Deputy assistant commissioner	Group commander (borough commander)	Station commander	Station officer	Sub-officer	Leading firefighter	Firefighter
Scottish title	Chief fire officer	Deputy chief fire officer	Assistant chief fire officer	Deputy assistant chief fire officer	Area commander	Group commander	Station manager	Watch commander	Crew commander		Firefighter
Isle of Man title	Chief fire officer	Deputy chief fire officer				Divisional officer	Assistant divisional officer	Station officer	Sub officer	Leading firefighter	Firefighter
Gibraltar title	Chief fire officer	Deputy chief fire officer				Divisional officer		Station officer	Sub officer	Leading firefighter	Firefighter
Insignia

United States

An American firefighter with a lieutenant's helmet

Typical rank insignia for an American fire department

In the United States, helmet colors often denote a fire fighter's rank or position. In general, white helmets denote chief officers, such as battalion chiefs, division chiefs, etc. while red helmets may denote company officers, such as captains, lieutenants, etc. but the specific meaning of a helmet's color or style varies from region to region and department to department. The rank of an officer in an American fire department is most commonly denoted by a number of speaking trumpets, a reference to a megaphone-like device used in the early days of the fire service, although typically called "bugle" in today's parlance. Ranks proceed from one (lieutenant) to five (fire chief) bugles. Traditional ranks in American fire departments that exist but may not always be utilized in all cities or towns include:

Rank	Insignia
Firefighter	No bugles
Engineer/technician/apparatus operator	3 chevrons
Lieutenant
Captain	or less usually:
Battalion chief/district chief	or less usually side by side
Division chief or assistant chief/deputy assistant chief/deputy assistant commissioner/assistant deputy commissioner
Deputy firechief/Deputy fire commissioner
Fire chief/Fire commissioner

In many fire departments in the U.S., the captain is commonly the commander of a company and a lieutenant is the supervisor of the company's firefighters on shift. There is no state or federal rank structure for firefighters and each municipality or volunteer fire department creates and uses their own unique structure.

Some other American fire departments such as the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) use military rank insignia in addition to or instead of the traditional bugles. Additionally, officers on truck companies have been known to use rank insignias shaped like axes for lieutenants (one) and captains (two).

Vatican City

	Chief officers	Officers	SNCOs		NCOs	Firefighters	Students
Corps of Firefighters of the Vatican City State
Corps of Firefighters of the Vatican City State	Primo Dirigente coordinatore	Capo squadra esperto	Capo Squadra di prima classe	Capo Squadra di seconda classe	Vigile del fuoco prima classe	Vigile del fuoco seconda classe	Allievo vigile del fuoco

References

^ "Manuel belge de régulation pompier" [Belgian manual for fire regulation] (PDF). Directorate-General Civil Security (in French) (2.1 ed.). May 2020. p. 113. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
^ "Distinktionsoversigt" [Distinction summary]. Danske Beredskaber (in Danish). Retrieved 6 November 2019.
^ "About Us – Tamil Nadu Fire & Rescue Services".
^ "Dublin Fire Brigade: Who We Are" (PDF). Dublin Fire Brigade. 2015. p. 5. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Règlement grand-ducal du 18 septembre 2018 déterminant les grades fonctionnels, les tenues, insignes et attributs des personnels du Corps grand-ducal d'incendie et de secours" [Grand-Ducal Regulation of September 18, 2018 determining the functional ranks, uniforms, badges and attributes of the personnel of the Grand-Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps]. legilux.public.lu/ (in French). 21 September 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Uniform rank markings". New Zealand Fire Service. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Ranks and drill commands". Central Manpower Base (CMPB). Retrieved 2021-11-27.

[3] The fire chief of Berlin.

[4] With less than three years in the rank

[fn1-5] Only in the field units

[6] With more than six months in the rank.

[1] "Manuel belge de régulation pompier" [Belgian manual for fire regulation] (PDF). Directorate-General Civil Security (in French) (2.1 ed.). May 2020. p. 113. Retrieved 4 May 2023.

[2] "Distinktionsoversigt" [Distinction summary]. Danske Beredskaber (in Danish). Retrieved 6 November 2019.

[7] "About Us – Tamil Nadu Fire & Rescue Services".

[8] "Dublin Fire Brigade: Who We Are" (PDF). Dublin Fire Brigade. 2015. p. 5. Retrieved 11 October 2020.

[Règlement-9] "Règlement grand-ducal du 18 septembre 2018 déterminant les grades fonctionnels, les tenues, insignes et attributs des personnels du Corps grand-ducal d'incendie et de secours" [Grand-Ducal Regulation of September 18, 2018 determining the functional ranks, uniforms, badges and attributes of the personnel of the Grand-Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps]. legilux.public.lu/ (in French). 21 September 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.

[NZFS-markings-10] "Uniform rank markings". New Zealand Fire Service. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2015.

[SCDF_Ranks-11] "Ranks and drill commands". Central Manpower Base (CMPB). Retrieved 2021-11-27.

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