Fire Inspectors and Investigators

What Does a Fire Inspectors and Investigators Do?

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.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

• 1Prepare and maintain reports of investigation results, and records of convicted arsonists and arson suspects.
• 2Testify in court cases involving fires, suspected arson, and false alarms.
• 3Package collected pieces of evidence in securely closed containers, such as bags, crates, or boxes, to protect them.
• 4Conduct inspections and acceptance testing of newly installed fire protection systems.
• 5Analyze evidence and other information to determine probable cause of fire or explosion.
• 6Photograph damage and evidence related to causes of fires or explosions to document investigation findings.
• 7Inspect 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.
• 8Examine fire sites and collect evidence such as glass, metal fragments, charred wood, and accelerant residue for use in determining the cause of a fire.

Required Skills

• Active Listening
• Writing
• Speaking
• Critical Thinking
• 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

Fire Inspectors and Investigators Salary