Essential
Public Service
Benefits

Public Safety Career Pathways

Protect and serve Colorado communities through law enforcement, firefighting, and emergency services. Essential careers with strong benefits.

Fire and EMS institutions
3
Colorado Mountain College, FRCC, and POST academies anchor hands-on training statewide.
Career entry routes
4+ pathways
EMT, fire academy, police academy, and youth-services dispatcher tracks offer distinct credential ladders.
POST academy to patrol timeline
12-24 months
Colorado's certification system allows students to earn while training and move into patrol work efficiently.
Annual openings
11,840
Statewide across pathway roles

Interactive walkthrough

Explore My Colorado Journey Career Pathways

Learn how to browse Public Safety careers, compare pathway levels, and use Colorado labor-market information to plan your next step.

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Explore Colorado Public Safety

What to know about Public Safety

A quick look, straight from Colorado’s industry data.

What do they do?

Public Safety personnel protect people and property, ensure safety and security in times of crises, save lives, and interact with both a team and members of their community.

Protective Services Hub

Fremont County is a hub for correctional facilities, having 4 federal and 6 state facilities. There are also two Federal correctional facilities in Englewood.

The next phase of service

Having served in the military is highly valued by most Public Safety organizations.

Student Support Services

Essential resources for your educational journey

Free Resources

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College Scorecard

Compare college costs, graduation rates & outcomes

U.S. Dept of Ed

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Apprenticeship Directory

Find registered earn-while-you-learn programs

Earn & Learn

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Apprenticeship Intermediaries

Get help connecting to Colorado registered apprenticeships

Navigation Help

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ICAP Resources

Individual Career & Academic Planning tools

Career Planning

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Interest Assessments

Discover careers that match your interests

O*NET

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About this pathway

Safe Communities: Public Safety consists of the people that protect our neighborhoods (fire, police, and corrections) and those that work in the legal system.

What do they do? Public Safety personnel protect people and property, ensure safety and security in times of crises, save lives, and interact with both a team and members of their community.

Protective Services Hub: Fremont County is a hub for correctional facilities, having 4 federal and 6 state facilities. There are also two Federal correctional facilities in Englewood.

The next phase of service: Having served in the military is highly valued by most Public Safety organizations.

Roles in this pathway

Salary ranges are career-ladder estimates. Occupation pages show unique job postings where available.

Role	Track	Level	Typical education	Salary range
Correctional Officer/ Jailer	Technical	1	Bachelor's degree	$53k–$71k
Court, municipal and license clerk	Technical	1	High school / GED	$45k–$60k
Dispatcher	Technical	1	High school / GED	$55k–$75k
Emergency Medical Technician	Technical	1	Less than one year of post-secondary tra…	$37k–$49k
Flagger and Crossing Guard	Technical	1	High school / GED	$34k–$46k
Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Recreational Protective Service Workers	Technical	1	No formal requirement	$31k–$42k
Parking Enforcement Workers	Technical	1	High school / GED	$47k–$64k
Safety, Security, Logistics, and Health Military Occupations	Technical	1	High school / GED	$0k–$0k
School Bus Monitor	Technical	1	High school / GED	$32k–$43k
Security Guard	Technical	1	See role page	$36k–$49k
Transportation Security Officer	Technical	1	High school / GED	$50k–$68k
Firefighter	Technical	2	High school / GED	$66k–$89k
Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant	Technical	2	High school / GED	$48k–$65k
Paralegal and Legal Assistant	Technical	2	Bachelor's degree	$60k–$81k
Paramedic	Technical	2	One to two years post-secondary training.	$55k–$74k
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers	Technical	2	High school / GED	$79k–$107k
Private Detectives and Investigators	Technical	2	Bachelor's degree	$51k–$68k
Detectives and Criminal Investigators	Technical	3	See role page	$87k–$118k
Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary	Technical	5	Master's degree	$61k–$82k
Judicial Law Clerk	Technical	5	See role page	$54k–$74k
Lawyer	Technical	5	Bachelor's degree	$146k–$197k
Judge/ Magistrate	Technical	6	Bachelor's degree	$161k–$217k
Law Teacher, Postsecondary	Technical	6	Master's degree	$61k–$82k
First-Line Supervisor of Correctional Officers	Management	4	No additional formal education beyond wh…	$64k–$86k
First-Line Supervisor of Firefighting and Prevention Workers	Management	4	No additional formal education beyond wh…	$91k–$123k
First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives	Management	4	No additional formal education beyond wh…	$110k–$148k
Fire Chief	Management	6	Bachelor's degree	$0k–$0k
Sheriff/Police Chief	Management	6	Bachelor's degree	$0k–$0k
Warden	Management	6	Bachelor's degree	$0k–$0k
Probation Officer/ Correctional Treatment Specialist	Specialist	1	High school / GED	$58k–$79k

Role

Track

Level

Typical education

Salary range

Correctional Officer/ Jailer

Technical

Bachelor's degree

$53k–$71k

Court, municipal and license clerk

Technical

High school / GED

$45k–$60k

Dispatcher

Technical

High school / GED

$55k–$75k

Emergency Medical Technician

Technical

Less than one year of post-secondary tra…

$37k–$49k

Flagger and Crossing Guard

Technical

High school / GED

$34k–$46k

Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Recreational Protective Service Workers

Technical

No formal requirement

$31k–$42k

Parking Enforcement Workers

Technical

High school / GED

$47k–$64k

Safety, Security, Logistics, and Health Military Occupations

Technical

High school / GED

$0k–$0k

School Bus Monitor

Technical

High school / GED

$32k–$43k

Security Guard

Technical

See role page

$36k–$49k

Transportation Security Officer

Technical

High school / GED

$50k–$68k

Firefighter

Technical

High school / GED

$66k–$89k

Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant

Technical

High school / GED

$48k–$65k

Paralegal and Legal Assistant

Technical

Bachelor's degree

$60k–$81k

Paramedic

Technical

One to two years post-secondary training.

$55k–$74k

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers

Technical

High school / GED

$79k–$107k

Private Detectives and Investigators

Technical

Bachelor's degree

$51k–$68k

Detectives and Criminal Investigators

Technical

See role page

$87k–$118k

Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary

Technical

Master's degree

$61k–$82k

Judicial Law Clerk

Technical

See role page

$54k–$74k

Lawyer

Technical

Bachelor's degree

$146k–$197k

Judge/ Magistrate

Technical

Bachelor's degree

$161k–$217k

Law Teacher, Postsecondary

Technical

Master's degree

$61k–$82k

First-Line Supervisor of Correctional Officers

Management

No additional formal education beyond wh…

$64k–$86k

First-Line Supervisor of Firefighting and Prevention Workers

Management

No additional formal education beyond wh…

$91k–$123k

First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives

Management

No additional formal education beyond wh…

$110k–$148k

Fire Chief

Management

Bachelor's degree

$0k–$0k

Sheriff/Police Chief

Management

Bachelor's degree

$0k–$0k

Warden

Management

Bachelor's degree

$0k–$0k

Probation Officer/ Correctional Treatment Specialist

Specialist

High school / GED

$58k–$79k

Public Safety Career Pathways

Explore My Colorado Journey Career Pathways

What to know about Public Safety

What do they do?

Protective Services Hub

The next phase of service

Student Support Services

College Scorecard

Apprenticeship Directory

Apprenticeship Intermediaries

ICAP Resources

Interest Assessments

Public Safety Career Pathways

About this pathway

Roles in this pathway (30)

Roles in this pathway