How to become a Fire Inspectors and Investigator 2024

Fire Inspectors and Investigator 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.

Fire Inspectors and Investigator is Also Know as

In different settings, Fire Inspectors and Investigator is titled as

Arson Investigator
Fire Code Inspector
Fire Inspector
Fire Investigator
Fire Official
Fire Prevention Inspector
Fire Prevention Specialist
Fire Protection Specialist
Fire Safety Inspector
Fire Safety Specialist

Education and Training of Fire Inspectors and Investigator

Fire Inspectors and Investigator is categorized in Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Experience Required for Fire Inspectors and Investigator

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Education Required for Fire Inspectors and Investigator

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Degrees Related to Fire Inspectors and Investigator

Training Required for Fire Inspectors and Investigator

Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Related Ocuupations

Some Ocuupations related to Fire Inspectors and Investigator in different industries are

What Do Fire Inspectors and Investigator do?

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.
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.

Qualities of Good Fire Inspectors and Investigator

Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
Trunk Strength: The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
Memorization: The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
Time Sharing: The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
Depth Perception: The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
Multilimb Coordination: The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
Spatial Orientation: The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
Peripheral Vision: The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
Glare Sensitivity: The ability to see objects in the presence of a glare or bright lighting.
Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
Dynamic Strength: The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
Wrist-Finger Speed: The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
Explosive Strength: The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.
Night Vision: The ability to see under low-light conditions.
Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
Sound Localization: The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.
Response Orientation: The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
Rate Control: The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
Gross Body Coordination: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
Speed of Limb Movement: The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
Dynamic Flexibility: The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

Tools Used by Fire Inspectors and Investigator

35 millimeter cameras
Adjustable hand wrenches
Adjustable pipe wrenches
Ball peen hammers
Ballistic vests
Bar levels
Battery analyzers
Battery powered smoke detectors
Bit drivers
Bolt cutters
Box end wrenches
Camera flash attachments
Camera lenses
Camera positioning tripods
Carpet cutters
Catalytic combustion detectors CCD
Circuit continuity testers
Claw hammers
Cordless drills
Crosscut saws
Crowbars
Decibel meters
Digital anemometers
Digital audio recorders
Digital barometers
Digital electrical frequency meters
Digital levels
Digital light meters
Digital multimeters
Digital still cameras
Digital video cameras
Distance measuring wheels
Dry bulb thermometers
Dust masks
Emergency first aid kits
Emergency lights
Evidence collection forceps
Evidence tweezers
Eye droppers
Filter mask respirators
Fingerprint kits
Fire axes
Fire detection systems
Fire helmets
Fire rakes
Fire suppression sprinkler systems
Firefighters' coats
Firefighters' pants
Firefighting hoods
Flat cold chisels
Flathead shovels
Flood lighting
Foam-water sprinkler systems
Fuse pulling tools
Gas chromatographs
Gasoline powered generators
Ground fault testers
Hacksaws
Handheld calculators
Handheld computers
Hard-wired smoke detectors
High powered flashlights
High pressure fire hoses
Hoes
Hydrant wrenches
Hydrocarbon detectors
Keyhole saws
Laptop computers
Laser facsimile machines
Laser plumb bobs
Laser rangefinders
Law enforcement handguns
Linesman's pliers
Magnehelic differential pressure gauges
Magnetic compasses
Magnifiers
Masonry trowels
Measuring tapes
Metal handcuffs
Mobile radios
Multigas detectors
Multipurpose fire extinguishers
Multipurpose knives
Passenger vehicles
Pen knives
Pencil magnets
Personal computers
Phillips screwdrivers
Photographic meters
Photographic rulers
Photoionization detectors
Pinch bars
Pitot tubes
Pocket knives
Portable computers
Portable fire extinguishers
Portable spectroscopes
Portable sump pumps
Precision rulers
Protective ear muffs
Protective eyewear
Putty knives
Self-contained breathing apparatus
Side-cutting pliers
Single gas detectors
Sledgehammers
Slip-lock pliers
Smart phones
Steel tape measures
Steel-tine garden rakes
Stepladders
Straight blade screwdrivers
Tablet computers
Tin snips
Torpedo levels
Ultraviolet UV lights
Universal pipe cutters
Vise grip pliers
Voltage indicators
Voltage testers
Water mist systems
Water reservoirs
Wet bulb thermometers
Wire cutting tools
Wire gauges
Wire strippers
Wood chisels
X ray inspection equipment

Technology Skills required for Fire Inspectors and Investigator

Code database software
Consolidated Model of Fire and Smoke Transport CFAST
Email software
Fire Dynamics Software FDS
Microsoft Access
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Word
National Fire Incident Reporting System NFIRS
Web browser software
Xerox Government systems FIREHOUSE Software

US Universities

How to become Fire Inspectors and Investigator in 2024