Will “Firer” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔

48% Chance of Automation

“Firer” will probably not be replaced by robots.

This job is ranked #292 out of #702. A higher ranking (i.e., a lower number) means the job is less likely to be replaced.

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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”

Insert waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place.
Connect electrical wire to primers, and cover charges or fill blast holes with clay, drill chips, sand, or other material.
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.
Repair and service blasting, shooting, and automotive equipment, and electrical wiring and instruments, using hand tools.
Signal hoist operators to lower torpedoes or sample-taking guns into wells and to raise equipment for sampling from blast holes after detonation.
Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
Set up and operate short-wave radio or field telephone equipment to transmit and receive blast information.
Cut specified lengths of primacord and attach primers to cord ends.
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.
Clean, gauge, and lubricate gun ports.
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.
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.
Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws.
Move and store inventories of explosives, loaded perforating guns, and other materials, according to established safety procedures.
Observe odometers, weight indicators, and instrument panels in trucks in order to position guns at predetermined points in wells.
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.
Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.
Lower perforating guns into wells, using hoists; then use measuring devices and instrument panels to position guns in correct positions for taking samples.
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.
Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures.
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.
Assemble and position equipment, explosives, and blasting caps in holes at specified depths, or load perforating guns or torpedoes with explosives.
Repair electrical instruments, using electricians' hand tools.
Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.
Set up and operate equipment such as hoists, jackhammers, or drills, in order to bore charge holes.
Connect gun chambers to electric detonating devices, and operate controls at panelboards, in order to detonate charges in guns or to ignite chemical charges.

Related Technology & Tools

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

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