Marines · 7242
As an Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighter, you responded to the most dangerous emergencies in aviation—fire, rescue, and lifesaving under extreme pressure. That maps directly to civilian firefighting, airport rescue, EMS, and emergency-management careers.
There's no one-to-one civilian crosswalk for 7242—the Department of Labor doesn't map a single job title to it. These are the specific civilian roles Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighter experience genuinely maps to: what each pays, what it involves, and why it fits.
$57,120/yr mediantypical $32k–$94k~315K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: Associate degree, apprenticeship, or vocational training
Control and extinguish fires or respond to emergency situations where life, property, or the environment is at risk.
Why it fits: Your Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighter experience maps directly onto the protective & law enforcement side of this role.
$53,180/yr mediantypical $39k–$79k~99K U.S. jobs
★ Bright Outlook — Rapid growth
Typical entry: Associate degree, apprenticeship, or vocational training
Administer basic or advanced emergency medical care and assess injuries and illnesses.
Why it fits: Your Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighter experience maps directly onto the healthcare (clinical) side of this role.
$74,160/yr mediantypical $46k–$137k~14K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: Associate degree, apprenticeship, or vocational training
Inspect buildings to detect fire hazards and enforce local ordinances and state laws, or investigate and gather facts to determine cause of fires and explosions.
Why it fits: Your Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighter experience maps directly onto the protective & law enforcement side of this role.
$38,930/yr mediantypical $30k–$59k~167K U.S. jobs
★ Bright Outlook — Rapid growth
Typical entry: Associate degree, apprenticeship, or vocational training
Assess injuries and illnesses and administer basic emergency medical care.
Why it fits: Your Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighter experience maps directly onto the healthcare (clinical) side of this role.
$81,140/yr mediantypical $50k–$128k~122K U.S. jobs
★ Bright Outlook — Rapid growth
Typical entry: Bachelor’s degree typically expected
Review, evaluate, and analyze work environments and design programs and procedures to control, eliminate, and prevent disease or injury caused by chemical, physical, and biological agents or…
Why it fits: Your Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighter experience maps directly onto the science & analysis side of this role.
$86,220/yr mediantypical $50k–$135k~84K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: Associate degree, apprenticeship, or vocational training
Directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in firefighting and fire prevention and control.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighter occupations on the protective & law enforcement side—a natural next step.
$54,080/yr mediantypical $35k–$92k~2K U.S. jobs
★ Bright Outlook — Rapid growth
Typical entry: Associate degree, apprenticeship, or vocational training
Enforce fire regulations, inspect forest for fire hazards, and recommend forest fire prevention or control measures.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighter occupations on the protective & law enforcement side—a natural next step.
$103,690/yr mediantypical $62k–$161k~23K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: Bachelor’s degree typically expected
Research causes of fires, determine fire protection methods, and design or recommend materials or equipment such as structural components or fire-detection equipment to assist organizations in…
Why it fits: Closely related to your Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighter occupations on the engineering & technical design side—a natural next step.
$30,380/yr mediantypical $23k–$39k~124K U.S. jobs
★ Bright Outlook — Rapid growth
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Monitor recreational areas, such as pools, beaches, or ski slopes, to provide assistance and protection to participants.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighter occupations on the protective & law enforcement side—a natural next step.
$86,070/yr mediantypical $64k–$133k~3.2M U.S. jobs
★ Bright Outlook — Rapid growth; many openings
Typical entry: Bachelor’s degree typically expected
Assess patient health problems and needs, develop and implement nursing care plans, and maintain medical records.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighter occupations on the healthcare (clinical) side—a natural next step.
$86,070/yr mediantypical $64k–$133k~3.2M U.S. jobs
★ Bright Outlook — Rapid growth; many openings
Typical entry: Bachelor’s degree typically expected
Provide specialized nursing care for patients in critical or coronary care units.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighter occupations on the healthcare (clinical) side—a natural next step.
Roles selected from the O*NET occupations that fit Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighter experience; the Department of Labor doesn't publish a one-to-one crosswalk for this code. Pay is BLS OEWS (May 2023). See the O*NET crosswalk.
Adjacent and stretch fields where your experience gives you a credible starting point.
$57,120/yr medianFirefighters (representative)
Why it fits: Aircraft rescue firefighting transfers to structural and ARFF firefighting.
What it takes: Fire academy and EMT; agency standards apply.
Explore this route →$75,020/yr medianAircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians (representative)
Why it fits: ARFF experience maps directly to civilian airport fire/rescue.
What it takes: FAA/airport ARFF certification.
Explore this route →$57,120/yr medianFirefighters (representative)
Why it fits: Prevention and safety experience fit fire-safety and inspection roles.
What it takes: Fire-inspector certification.
Explore this route →$53,180/yr medianParamedics (representative)
Why it fits: Rescue and medical response fit EMS roles.
What it takes: State EMT/Paramedic certification.
Explore this route →$83,960/yr medianEmergency Management Directors (representative)
Why it fits: Incident-response experience maps to EOC and disaster roles.
What it takes: FEMA coursework.
Explore this route →$81,140/yr medianOccupational Health and Safety Specialists (representative)
Why it fits: Hazard control and response support EHS roles.
What it takes: OSHA credentials.
Explore this route →Use the level that reflects what you actually did—not rank alone. Two people with the same code and very different experience should not submit the same résumé.
Lead with hands-on tasks, tools, equipment, qualifications, safety discipline, and the conditions in which you performed. Do not inflate supervisory scope.
Add team leadership, training, inspections, work allocation, quality control, readiness, and the people or assets you directly supervised.
Emphasize multi-team operations, schedules, resource forecasting, safety systems, policy enforcement, advising leaders, and organization-level results.
A translated title isn't enough. These four moves turn Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighter experience into evidence a civilian hiring manager can act on.
List the systems, vehicles, equipment, and tools you personally operated as Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighter—plus qualifications, certifications, and the recurring high-stakes tasks you owned.
Marines led, dollar value of equipment you were accountable for, workload, readiness rates, and safety or quality outcomes. Scope beats adjectives.
For any target role, name the license, degree, or software it requires and start now—your GI Bill and credentialing assistance can cover most of it.
Recruiters rarely search “7242.” Search job boards by the equipment, skills, and outcomes above as much as by “Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighter.”
You don't have to make this jump alone. These programs exist specifically to move service members into civilian careers—most are free, and several pay you while you train.
Train or intern with a civilian employer during your last ~180 days on active duty—at full military pay.
Earn a paycheck while you train for a trade or technical role; USMAP can credit the military training you already have.
Corporate fellowships and hiring events that place transitioning service members and military spouses.
Free career training and nationally recognized certifications for service members, veterans, and spouses.
VA-funded high-tech training (IT, cyber, data, software) that does not touch your GI Bill entitlement.
Free local career centers plus certification and state-by-state license finders for any field.
Registered apprenticeships in the skilled trades—your discipline is the prerequisite.
Maintenance, logistics, and operations pathways that actively recruit veterans.
How to use this: Treat these as targets, not limits. Your exact duties depend on your assignments, so lead with what you actually did—and remember that regulated careers require their own license, certification, or degree.