Fire Inspectors and Investigators

What 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.

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience

5 years or more

On-the-job training

Moderate-term on-the-job training

Self-employed

Not available

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

• Public Safety and Securityimportance 4.7/5
• Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.3/5
• Building and Constructionimportance 4.2/5
• Law and Governmentimportance 4.1/5
• Education and Trainingimportance 4.0/5
• English Languageimportance 3.7/5
• Administration and Managementimportance 3.0/5
• Chemistryimportance 2.9/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams5.0/5
• Telephone Conversations4.9/5
• Contact With Others4.9/5
• E-Mail4.9/5
• Deal With External Customers or the Public in General4.7/5
• In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment4.7/5

Related Careers

• Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors
• Firefighters
• Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists
• First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers
• Construction and Building Inspectors
• Occupational Health and Safety Specialists
• Compliance Officers
• Transportation Inspectors

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

• Community Health Workers98% skill match
• Animal Trainers98% skill match
• Dietetic Technicians98% skill match
• Optometrists98% skill match
• Occupational Health and Safety Technicians98% skill match
• Chiropractors98% skill match
• Compliance Officers98% skill match
• Farm and Home Management Educators98% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

• Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.4/5
• Persuasionimportance 3.3/5
• Instructingimportance 3.3/5
• Service Orientationimportance 3.3/5
• Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.1/5
• Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.1/5
• Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
• Systems Evaluationimportance 3.0/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

• Integrity
• Attention to Detail
• Dependability
• Cautiousness
• Self-Control
• Stress Tolerance
• Perseverance

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

• RealisticHigh
• ConventionalHigh
• InvestigativeMedium
• EnterprisingMedium
• SocialLow
• ArtisticLow

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where fire inspectors and investigators make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1. 1Santa Fe, NM9.07× national avg
2. 2Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ5.19× national avg
3. 3Wilmington, NC4.82× national avg
4. 4Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA4.76× national avg
5. 5Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT4.62× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

• Occupational Health and Safety TechniciansCareer Change
• Transportation, Storage, and Distribution ManagersCareer Change
• Compliance OfficersCareer Change
• Dietetic TechniciansCareer Change

See the full career path from Fire Inspectors and Investigators →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.