Career Details
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Career Details

33-2021.00 - Fire Inspectors and Investigators


Inspect buildings to detect fire hazards and enforce local ordinances and state laws, or investigate and gather facts to determine cause of fires and explosions.


Key Facts
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Bright Outlook
Career Details
Green Job
Career Details
Current Employment
12,400
Estimate
Forecasted Employment
13,100
Estimate
Change in Employment
700.0
Estimate
Change in Employment %
+5.5%
Estimate
Tasks
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Tasks
The tasks listed below can be performed to prepare you for a career in this field.
Core
  • Prepare and maintain reports of investigation results, and records of convicted arsonists and arson suspects.
  • Testify in court cases involving fires, suspected arson, and false alarms.
  • Package collected pieces of evidence in securely closed containers, such as bags, crates, or boxes, to protect them.
  • Conduct inspections and acceptance testing of newly installed fire protection systems.
  • Analyze evidence and other information to determine probable cause of fire or explosion.
  • Photograph damage and evidence related to causes of fires or explosions to document investigation findings.
  • Examine fire sites and collect evidence such as glass, metal fragments, charred wood, and accelerant residue for use in determining the cause of a fire.
  • Inspect buildings to locate hazardous conditions and fire code violations, such as accumulations of combustible material, electrical wiring problems, and inadequate or non-functional fire exits.
  • Instruct children about the dangers of fire.
  • Conduct fire code compliance follow-ups to ensure that corrective actions have been taken in cases where violations were found.
  • Inspect properties that store, handle, and use hazardous materials to ensure compliance with laws, codes, and regulations, and issue hazardous materials permits to facilities found in compliance.
  • Write detailed reports of fire inspections performed, fire code violations observed, and corrective recommendations offered.
  • Identify corrective actions necessary to bring properties into compliance with applicable fire codes, laws, regulations, and standards, and explain these measures to property owners or their representatives.
  • Develop or review fire exit plans.
  • Inspect and test fire protection or fire detection systems to verify that such systems are installed in accordance with appropriate laws, codes, ordinances, regulations, and standards.
  • Coordinate efforts with other organizations, such as law enforcement agencies.
  • Attend training classes to maintain current knowledge of fire prevention, safety, and firefighting procedures.
  • Review blueprints and plans for new or remodeled buildings to ensure the structures meet fire safety codes.
  • Teach fire investigation techniques to other firefighter personnel.
  • Conduct fire exit drills to monitor and evaluate evacuation procedures.
  • Teach public education programs on fire safety and prevention.
  • Recommend changes to fire prevention, inspection, and fire code endorsement procedures.
Supplemental
  • Subpoena and interview witnesses, property owners, and building occupants to obtain information and sworn testimony.
  • Conduct internal investigation to determine negligence and violation of laws and regulations by fire department employees.
  • Test sites and materials to establish facts, such as burn patterns and flash points of materials, using test equipment.
  • Dust evidence or portions of fire scenes for latent fingerprints.
  • Arrange for the replacement of defective fire fighting equipment and for repair of fire alarm and sprinkler systems, making minor repairs such as servicing fire extinguishers when feasible.
  • Issue permits for public assemblies.
  • Supervise staff, training them, planning their work, and evaluating their performance.
  • Develop and coordinate fire prevention programs, such as false alarm billing, fire inspection reporting, and hazardous materials management.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Knowledge
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Knowledge

The items listed below are organized into sections that contain knowledge useful for pursuing a career in this field. Each section also contains a "Percentage of Importance" statistic that shows how relevant an item is to the occupation.
 Public Safety and Security
  • 93%
    Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
 Building and Construction
  • 86%
    Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
 Customer and Personal Service
  • 86%
    Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
 Law and Government
  • 84%
    Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
 Education and Training
  • 81%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
 English Language
  • 76%
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
 Administration and Management
  • 65%
    Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
 Mechanical
  • 64%
    Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
 Personnel and Human Resources
  • 61%
    Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
 Computers and Electronics
  • 60%
    Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
 Chemistry
  • 60%
    Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
 Psychology
  • 60%
    Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
 Mathematics
  • 60%
    Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
 Physics
  • 59%
    Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.
 Communications and Media
  • 59%
    Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
 Clerical
  • 58%
    Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
 Transportation
  • 56%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
 Design
  • 53%
    Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
 Engineering and Technology
  • 52%
    Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
 Telecommunications
  • 52%
    Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
 Geography
  • 51%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Tools
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Tools
The tools listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Cameras
  • 35 millimeter cameras
  • Digital still cameras
  • Digital video cameras
 Wrenches and drivers
  • Adjustable hand wrenches
  • Adjustable pipe wrenches
  • Bit drivers
  • Box end wrenches
  • Hydrant wrenches
  • Phillips screwdrivers
  • Straight blade screwdrivers
 Forming tools
  • Ball peen hammers
  • Claw hammers
  • Fire axes
  • Sledgehammers
 Safety apparel
  • Ballistic vests
  • Firefighters' coats
  • Firefighters' pants
  • Firefighting hoods
 Measuring and layout tools
  • Bar levels
  • Digital levels
  • Laser plumb bobs
  • Measuring tapes
  • Steel tape measures
  • Torpedo levels
 Fire prevention
  • Battery powered smoke detectors
  • Fire detection systems
  • Hard-wired smoke detectors
 Cutting and crimping and punching tools
  • Bolt cutters
  • Carpet cutters
  • Hacksaws
  • Keyhole saws
  • Multipurpose knives
  • Pen knives
  • Pocket knives
  • Tin snips
  • Wire cutting tools
 Camera accessories
  • Camera flash attachments
  • Camera lenses
  • Camera positioning tripods
 Gas analyzers and monitors
  • Catalytic combustion detectors CCD
  • Hydrocarbon detectors
  • Single gas detectors
 Electrical measuring and testing equipment and accessories
  • Circuit continuity testers
  • Digital multimeters
  • Ground fault testers
  • Voltage indicators
  • Voltage testers
 Power tools
  • Cordless drills
 Prying and bending tools
  • Crowbars
  • Pinch bars
 Meteorological instruments
  • Digital anemometers
  • Digital barometers
 Audio and visual equipment
  • Digital audio recorders
 Light and wave generating and measuring equipment
  • Digital electrical frequency meters
  • Digital light meters
  • Photographic meters
 Length and thickness and distance measuring instruments
  • Distance measuring wheels
  • Laser rangefinders
  • Photographic rulers
  • Precision rulers
  • Wire gauges
 Respiratory protection
  • Dust masks
  • Filter mask respirators
  • Self-contained breathing apparatus
 Laboratory implements
  • Evidence collection forceps
 Holding and clamping tools
  • Evidence tweezers
  • Linesman's pliers
  • Pencil magnets
  • Side-cutting pliers
  • Slip-lock pliers
  • Vise grip pliers
  • Wire strippers
 Dosing devices
  • Eye droppers
 Fire fighting equipment
  • Fire rakes
  • Fire suppression sprinkler systems
  • Foam-water sprinkler systems
  • High pressure fire hoses
  • Multipurpose fire extinguishers
  • Portable fire extinguishers
  • Water mist systems
 Rough and finishing tools
  • Flat cold chisels
  • Wood chisels
 Agriculture, forestry and garden handtools
  • Flathead shovels
  • Hoes
  • Steel-tine garden rakes
 Exterior lighting fixtures and accessories
  • Flood lighting
  • High powered flashlights
 Pulling tools
  • Fuse pulling tools
 Power generators
  • Gasoline powered generators
 Computers
  • Handheld computers
  • Laptop computers
  • Personal computers
  • Portable computers
  • Tablet computers
 Duplicating machines
  • Laser facsimile machines
 Firearms
  • Law enforcement handguns
 Liquid and gas flow measuring and observing instruments
  • Magnehelic differential pressure gauges
  • Pitot tubes
 Personal communication devices
  • Mobile radios
  • Smart phones
 Surveillance and detection equipment
  • Multigas detectors
  • Photoionization detectors
 Passenger motor vehicles
  • Passenger vehicles
 Spectroscopic equipment
  • Portable spectroscopes
 Pumps
  • Portable sump pumps
 Hearing protectors
  • Protective ear muffs
 Sealing tools
  • Putty knives
 Lamps and lightbulbs
  • Ultraviolet UV lights
 Metal cutting tools
  • Universal pipe cutters
 Non destructive examination equipment
  • X ray inspection equipment
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Technology
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Technology
The technologies listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Data management and query software
  • Code database software
  • Microsoft AccessHOT
  • National Fire Incident Reporting System NFIRS
 Industry specific software
  • Consolidated Model of Fire and Smoke Transport CFAST
  • Fire Dynamics Software FDS
 Information exchange software
  • Email software
  • Microsoft OutlookHOT
 Content authoring and editing software
  • Microsoft ExcelHOT
  • Microsoft PowerPointHOT
  • Microsoft WordHOT
 Business function specific software
  • Microsoft OfficeHOT
  • Xerox Government systems FIREHOUSE Software
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Certifications
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Certifications
FastForward at Virginia's Community Colleges is a short-term training program for high-demand industries, like healthcare, information technology, and skilled trades and infrastructure, helping Virginians get the jobs and salaries they need. Our goal is to get you trained, help you earn your certification, and get you into a career that can support you and your family. Explore the latest training program offerings by visiting FastForward
The certifications listed below are useful to pursue if you are interested in a career in this field.
 Specialty
 Advanced
 Core
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Licensing
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Licensing
The licensing information below is organized into sections and is useful for pursuing if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific licensing information is listed for this occupation in the area you have selected.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Related Programs
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Programs related to this career, offered by participating institution(s), are listed below.

Clicking on the Degree programs in the list below will take you away from the Careers page.
INSTITUTION
PROGRAMS
J Sargeant Reynolds Community College
Tidewater Community College
Virginia Peninsula Community College