Editing Firefighter (section)

===Ranks===
{{Main|Fire department ranks by country}}
Many firefighters are sworn members with command structures similar to the [[military]] or [[police]]. They do not usually have general [[Police|police powers]] (although some firefighters in the [[United States]] have limited police powers, like [[fire police]] departments), though certain fire safety officials (such as [[fire marshal]]s or [[fire safety inspector]]s) do possess extensive police powers in connection with their work of enforcement and control in regulatory and emergency situations. In some countries fire fighters carry, or have access to, firearms, including some US fire marshals, and the [[Corps des Sapeurs-Pompiers]] of Monaco which is a military unit providing civilian fire cover.

The nomenclature of firefighting varies from country to country. The basic unit of firefighters is known as a "company" in many countries, including the United States, with its members typically working on the same engine. A "crew" or "platoon" is a subdivision of a company who work on the same shift. In British and Commonwealth fire services the firefighters of each station are more typically organised around a "watch" pattern, with several watches (usually four) working on a shift basis, as a separate "crew" for each engine or specialist appliance at that station.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.humbersidefire.gov.uk/careers/becoming-a-firefighter/shift-patterns|title=Humberside Fire and Rescue Service: Shift patterns}}</ref>