A career in fire and life safety is a unique opportunity. It focuses on protecting people and property from devastating fires. It may seem somewhat of a niche profession, however, the possibilities of careers in fire and life safety include a wide range of roles and responsibilities throughout multiple industries. Not familiar with fire and life safety? No worries. From the field to the office, there are opportunities for everyone.
- Fire and life safety contracting companies have a variety of roles including installation, inspection, and service of fire and life safety systems.
- The fire industry ensures buildings are designed and built safely, and also provides firefighting operations.
- The government offers fire and life safety careers to ensure proper protection and placement of functioning systems within their facilities such as military bases and laboratories. It also employs code officials for local and state agencies.
- Consulting engineers provide professional services related to fire and life safety to architects, developers, construction firms, government, and private industries.
- Research and testing labs develop fire safety standards and test products to guarantee compliance with the regulations.
- Insurance companies employ fire and safety professionals to guarantee that insured properties have sound fire prevention and protection plans in place.
Careers in Fire and Life Safety
Some of these careers include:
- Fire sprinkler fitters
- Fire alarm technicians
- Inspectors
- Designers
- Engineers
- Project managers
- Superintendents
- Estimators
Additionally, a wide array of support roles are vital to the organizations in the industry such as:
- Finance
- I.T.
- Risk management
- Administration
- Business development
- Marketing
- Sales
- Safety
- Human resources
For newer facilities, fire and life safety companies provide personnel for budgeting, estimating, design, project management, and installation of fire and life safety systems. Existing facilities require many services as well such as inspections, engineering analyses, general maintenance, retrofit installations, and emergency repairs.
Safety requirements are continuously being enforced by insurance and government entities. What does this mean for you? It means the fire and life safety industry will continue to grow, resulting in more job opportunities. To search for careers in fire and life safety, check out some examples here.
Written by Ross Erzar – Operations VP at American Fire Protection Group, Inc.