Aviation Supply Specialist

“Protect Marine Corps aircraft, personnel, and facilities from fire emergencies. Aircraft rescue and firefighting specialists are trained to respond to aircraft crashes, fuel fires, and structural emergencies using the most advanced firefighting equipment in the military aviation inventory.”

You will spend a significant portion of your career on standby. This is not a criticism — the standby is the mission. Aircraft rescue firefighting exists so that when something goes wrong on a flight line or during launch and recovery operations, there are trained professionals with specialized equipment who can respond in seconds and have the skills to extract aircrew from a burning aircraft under conditions that civilian municipal firefighters do not routinely encounter. The P-23 ARFF vehicle is a 43,000-pound purpose-built aircraft rescue truck that can flow 1,200 gallons per minute and you will know it intimately. Hot brake responses, fuel spill mitigation, post-crash fire suppression, and crash-and-rescue scenarios are your training events. FAA Aircraft Rescue Firefighting certification is a real credential. The civilian airport firefighting career — ARFF positions at major airports — is a stable, well-compensated profession that actively recruits military ARFF Marines. The standby hours are offset by the knowledge that when you're needed, you are irreplaceable.