In the United States Air Force’s Fire Emergency Ser-vices, personnel are required to wear either collar insignia (cloth, no metal allowed) or cloth shoulder marks on all uniform shirts. The rank and duty position is indicated by both the number of trumpets and the color in which they are rendered. Only Chief Officers are authorized to wear gold-colored insignia, with all other personnel wearing silver.
A single silver trumpet is typically the rank and duty insignia for Firefighters/Driver Operators. It had been codified in Air Force Instruction 32-2006, but that instruction is now obsolete and Installation Fire Chiefs have the authority to use insignia they consider appropriate for rank and duty positions.
These positions are usually assigned to those in grade of Senior Airman (E-4) and Staff Sergeant (E-5). Firefighter duties include (but are obviously not limited to) operating firefighting and support vehicles, pump operations, establishing initial command at the scene of an emergency and direct firefighting activities until a Senior Fire Officer arrives, serving at fire alarm communication centers, maintenance and repair of fire extinguishers, and performing public fire education duties. Driver Operators must be certified as Driver Operator Pumpers, in Aircraft Rescue Firefighting, Mobile Water Supply, and Hazardous Materials Operations.