Firefighter Apprenticeship in Virginia
Firefighters respond to fires, medical emergencies, vehicle accidents, and hazardous material calls. Most work 24- or 48-hour shifts out of a station, alternating between active calls, equipment maintenance, training drills, and public education.
Firefighter Apprenticeship in Virginia: Quick Facts
What apprenticeship means here
A registered firefighter apprenticeship in Virginia combines paid on-the-job training with classroom instruction. Programs typically run 2.0 years and follow a hybrid structure. You earn wages from day one — apprentices are employees, not students.
Virginia pay vs. national
Median firefighter wages in Virginia are $58,300/year, -2% below the national median of $59,530. Wages scale with experience — journey-level workers earn substantially more than apprentices.
Where to find programs
Virginia has 4 registered apprenticeship sponsors for firefighter listed in the U.S. Department of Labor's apprenticeship.gov directory. The sponsor list further down includes joint labor-management programs (JATCs), individual employers, and contractor associations.
Job-market outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 3.4% job growth for firefighters nationally between 2024 and 2034, with approximately 27,100 annual openings each year (replacement plus growth combined). Apprenticeship demand tends to track local construction and infrastructure spending — Virginia-specific outlook can vary from national figures.
Virginia Wage Spread
Annual wages for Firefighters in Virginia across all experience levels.
Current Firefighter Apprenticeship Openings in Virginia
No firefighter apprenticeship openings are currently listed on apprenticeship.gov for Virginia. The sponsors listed below accept applications on a rolling basis — contact them directly. Consider setting up an alert on apprenticeship.gov to be notified when new listings are posted.
Listings aggregated from apprenticeship.gov (US Dept. of Labor). Data refreshed daily.
Firefighter Apprenticeship Sponsors in Virginia
4 firefighter-related registered sponsors identified in the DOL ApprenticeshipUSA directory for Virginia. Directory lists sponsor names only — contact each organization directly to confirm current firefighter apprenticeship openings.
| Organization | City |
|---|---|
| OLD DOMINION FIRE COMPANY | Chesapeake |
| Danville Life Saving Crew | Danville |
| Charlotte County Rescue Squad, Inc | Keysville |
| EAGLE FIRE, INC. | Richmond |
Filter by occupation code 33-2011 and state VA for the most relevant results.
Firefighter Apprenticeship in Virginia
The 4 Firefighter-related registered sponsors in Virginia mean apprenticeship programs exist but aren't abundant. Building relationships with local contractors and trade unions is often more effective than waiting for formal application windows.
Frequently Asked Questions
Prefer Trade School Instead?
Apprenticeships pay from day one, but the classroom-first path may fit better for some. Firefighters also train through trade school programs — shorter timeline, more upfront cost.