What Does it Take to Be a Locomotive Firer?
Occupation Description Monitor locomotive instruments and watch for dragging equipment, obstacles on rights-of-way, and train signals during run. Watch for and relay traffic signals from yard workers to yard engineer in railroad yard.
What Do Locomotive Firers Do On a Daily Basis?
- Monitor trains as they go around curves to detect dragging equipment and smoking journal boxes.
- Monitor oil, temperature, and pressure gauges on dashboards to determine if engines are operating safely and efficiently.
- Signal other workers to set brakes and to throw track switches when switching cars from trains to way stations.
- Inspect locomotives to detect damaged or worn parts.
- Check to see that trains are equipped with supplies such as fuel, water, and sand.
- Observe tracks from left sides of locomotives to detect obstructions on tracks.
Locomotive Firer Required Skills
These are the skills Locomotive Firers say are the most useful in their careers:
Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Types of Locomotive Firer
- Firer
- Locomotive Engineer
- Diesel Locomotive Firer
- Railroad Firer
- Diesel Locomotive Firer/Fireman
Is There Job Demand for Locomotive Firers?
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 1,200 jobs in the United States for Locomotive Firer. There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Locomotive Firer.
The states with the most job growth for Locomotive Firer are Idaho and Indiana. Watch out if you plan on working in Indiana or Idaho. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
What is the Average Salary of a Locomotive Firer
The salary for Locomotive Firers ranges between about $53,180 and $99,630 a year.
Locomotive Firers who work in Alabama, make the highest salaries.
How much do Locomotive Firers make in different U.S. states?
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $66,810 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Locomotive Firers
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Locomotive Firers:
- Data entry software
- Route mapping software
- Time tracking software
How do I Become a Locomotive Firer?
Education needed to be a Locomotive Firer:
How many years of work experience do I need?
Where Locomotive Firers Work
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
Similar Careers
Those thinking about becoming a Locomotive Firer might also be interested in the following careers:
References:
Image Credit: Hic85 via Public Domain
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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