In addition, firefighters often work extra hours at fires and other emergencies and are regularly assigned to work on holidays. Fire lieutenants and fire captains often work the same hours as the firefighters they supervise. Duty hours include time when firefighters study, train, and perform fire prevention duties. Paid career firefighters held about 314,000 jobs in 1998. More than 9 of every 10 worked in municipal or county fire departments.
Some large cities have thousands of career firefighters, while many small towns have only a few.
Most of the remainder worked in fire departments on Federal and State installations, including airports. Private fire fighting companies employ a small number of firefighters and usually operate on a subscription basis. In response to the expanding role of firefighters, some municipalities have combined fire prevention, public fire education, safety, and emergency medical services into a single organization commonly referred to as a public safety organization. Some local and regional fire departments are being consolidated into county-wide establishments in order to reduce administrative staffs and cut costs, and to establish consistent training standards and work procedures. Workers may be monitored on a random basis for drug use after accepting employment.