Fire Department Ranks is a newsroom and research collective focused on pay transparency, promotion pathways, and department accountability. We pair verified numbers with the lived experience of chiefs, union leaders, and training officers so every firefighter can see what's next.
Covering rank progression, department readiness, and compensation across all 50 states.
Fire Department Ranks started as a volunteer spreadsheet maintained by company officers comparing promotion lists. Today it is a dedicated editorial desk, data pipeline, and community platform that documents how departments operate, where they're hiring, and how they compensate crews.
We publish for three audiences: firefighters planning their next certification, chiefs and HR teams benchmarking compensation, and residents evaluating their local department's readiness. Our work is independent—we do not accept sponsored placement in rank comparisons or departmental write-ups.
Every salary figure and rank description is linked to a verifiable public document—collective bargaining agreements, state HR databases, or official press releases. We annotate methodology changes and version updates on each dataset.
We pair raw pay information with step raises, pension considerations, certifications, and promotion timelines so firefighters and officers can plan the next move with clarity.
From metro commands to rural volunteer districts, we summarize staffing structure, specialty teams, and response coverage to support mutual aid planning and resident awareness.
All editorial summaries cite primary data. When departments provide updates or corrections, our review board verifies changes and publishes them within two business days.
We treat every dataset like a fireground briefing. Sources are identified, assumptions are called out, and updates roll out in clearly marked phases so readers can follow the full chain of custody.
We download every quarterly FEMA National Fire Department Registry update, scrape public salary tables, and request contracts through FOIA portals. When a department lacks digital records, we verify details via public information officers.
Rank names vary by jurisdiction. We align them to national NFPA and IAFC frameworks, clearly noting local variations. Compensation values include base pay, overtime, and stipend assumptions so comparisons stay fair.
Before publication, each guide is reviewed by a panel of chiefs, instructors, and union liaisons to confirm terminology, progression paths, and the realities of frontline work.
We maintain a Git-backed revision log. Salary adjustments, new academies, or station openings trigger alerts that surface on the related pages along with the date of change.
Our core team blends command experience, data engineering, and storytelling. Each editor maintains relationships with regional advisors so local nuances are represented accurately.
Editor-in-Chief
Former battalion chief overseeing editorial standards and public liaison reviews.
Data Lead
Builds the salary normalization pipeline and manages FOIA data sourcing.
Senior Researcher
Leads interviews with academy directors and state fire marshals.
Product & UX
Translates complex datasets into interactive guides for recruits and officers.
Departments, training academies, and news outlets regularly collaborate with our team to explain new policies or highlight best practices. We publish coverage guidelines and keep a strict separation between editorial analysis and sponsorships.
Need background on firefighter staffing trends or a quote for your newsroom? Email [email protected] with your deadline and interview topic.
Spot something that needs an update? Send supporting documents to [email protected] and we'll begin the verification workflow.
Firefighters and residents power our reporting. Join the quarterly briefing newsletter and share what your department is learning on the fireground, in training, or at union tables.
Subscribe to updatesWhether you are preparing for a captain's assessment, selling a bond measure, or teaching recruits, our team is here to help you tell the whole story. Reach out with a project, a dataset, or a challenge—we'll collaborate on the insight firefighters and communities need.
