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48% Chance of Automation

“Firer” will probably not be replaced by robots.

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Job Description

Place and detonate explosives to demolish structures or to loosen, remove, or displace earth, rock, or other materials. May perform specialized handling, storage, and accounting procedures. Includes seismograph shooters.

Job Details

The SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code is 47-5031.00
The Mean Annual Wage in the U.S. is $ 54,580.00
The Mean Hourly Wage is $ 26.00
Currently, there are 6,310 people on this job

☝️ Information based on the reference occupation “Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters”.

Also Known As…

Tasks for “Firer”

Move and store inventories of explosives, loaded perforating guns, and other materials, according to established safety procedures.
Connect gun chambers to electric detonating devices, and operate controls at panelboards, in order to detonate charges in guns or to ignite chemical charges.
Clean, gauge, and lubricate gun ports.
Lower perforating guns into wells, using hoists; then use measuring devices and instrument panels to position guns in correct positions for taking samples.
Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.
Insert waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place.
Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures.
Insert, pack, and pour explosives, such as dynamite, ammonium nitrate, black powder, or slurries into blast holes; then shovel drill cuttings, admit water into boreholes, and tamp material to compact charges.
Set up and operate short-wave radio or field telephone equipment to transmit and receive blast information.
Set up and operate equipment such as hoists, jackhammers, or drills, in order to bore charge holes.
Cut specified lengths of primacord and attach primers to cord ends.
Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions.
Insert powder charges into chambers of sidewall sample-taking cylinders, and assemble cylinders, using special wrenches.
Obtain samples of earth from sidewalls of well boreholes, using electrically exploding devices.
Lay primacord between rows of charged blast holes, and tie cord into main lines to form blast patterns.
Connect electrical wire to primers, and cover charges or fill blast holes with clay, drill chips, sand, or other material.
Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.
Drive trucks to transport explosives and blasting equipment to blasting sites.
Verify detonation of charges by observing control panels, or by listening for the sounds of blasts.
Repair and service blasting, shooting, and automotive equipment, and electrical wiring and instruments, using hand tools.
Place explosive charges in holes or other spots; then detonate explosives to demolish structures or to loosen, remove, or displace earth, rock, or other materials.
Observe odometers, weight indicators, and instrument panels in trucks in order to position guns at predetermined points in wells.
Place safety cones around blast areas to alert other workers of danger zones, and signal workers as necessary to ensure that they clear blast sites prior to explosions.
Repair electrical instruments, using electricians' hand tools.
Light fuses, drop detonating devices into wells or boreholes, or activate firing devices with plungers, dials, or buttons, in order to set off single or multiple blasts.
Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
Assemble and position equipment, explosives, and blasting caps in holes at specified depths, or load perforating guns or torpedoes with explosives.
Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws.
Signal hoist operators to lower torpedoes or sample-taking guns into wells and to raise equipment for sampling from blast holes after detonation.

Related Technology & Tools

Tamping rods
Detonating cords
Spring scales
Laser rangefinders
Galvanometers
Tie-down equipment
Temperature data loggers
Tongue and groove pliers
Instantaneous electrical detonators
Personal computers
Folding knives
Fixed blade knives
End cutting pliers
Stake flags
Phase rotation meters
Balance scales
Surveyors leveling rods
Fuse testers
Rubber mallets
Surface connector blocks
Equipment dollies
Forklifts
Digital ohmmeters
Protective ear plugs
Extension ladders
Perforating capsule guns
Portable air compressors
Hole savers
Wood wedges
Insulated pliers
Blast hole tubing
Conduit bending tools
Wheeled wire dispensers
Digital multimeters
Phillips head screwdrivers
Ammonium nitrate fuel oil ANFO loaders
Loading poles
Hacksaws
Depth measurement gauges
Ring gauges
Pallet jacks
Hand shears
Hard hats
Wire loop pullers
Crescent wrenches
Remote firing devices
Non-contact voltage testers
Hydraulic pressure gauges
Seismic activity recorders
Digital wattmeters
Right angle prisms
Safety cones
Flashing warning lights
Remote blasting systems
Laptop computers
Vernier calipers
Torpedo levels
Blasting machines
Padded gloves
Protective safety glasses
Explosives funnels
Lowering hooks
Explosives time delay fuses
Resistance testers
Wire strippers
Portable signal generators
Harpoon retrievers
Explosives handling robots
Hoisting equipment
Fuse cutters
Pneumatic drilling equipment
Bore hole thermometers
Plastic plugs
Test lamps
Short-wave radios
Dewatering pumps
Digital micrometers
Plumb bobs
Portable cranes
Clinometers
Explosive blasting caps
Blasting cap crimpers
Protective respirators
Electronic shock tube initiators
Electrical circuit testers
Tractor-trailer trucks
Precision tweezers
Avalaunchers
Mobile radios
Jackhammers
Weighted tape measures
Transport trucks
Meggers
Safety harnesses
Digital voltmeters
Grappling hooks
Shock tube detonators
Safety goggles
Digital ammeters
Overhead cranes
Long period delay detonators
Short period delay detonators
Discharge hoses
Longnose pliers
Wire cutting tools
Wire cleaning brushes
Blasthole drills
Perforating casing guns
Warning sirens
Coated gloves
Non-electric delay detonators
Digital calculators
Day boxes
Safety fuses
Stakebed trucks
Hand chisels
Electricians' knives
Millivoltmeters

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