Career
Fire inspectors and investigators
Prevent fires, and find out how they started.
$75,920
Median pay
+4.2%
Job growth, 2025–35
1,600
Openings a year
Postsecondary nondegree award
Typical education
Under 2 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job 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.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Prepare and maintain reports of investigation results, and records of convicted arsonists and arson suspects.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Active Listening, Writing, Speaking, Critical Thinking.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
Under 2 years of education after high school (postsecondary nondegree award), for a median of $75,920 a year and 1,600 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Fire Prevention and Safety Technology/TechnicianCIP 43.0201
- Fire Science/Fire-fightingCIP 43.0203
- Fire/Arson Investigation and PreventionCIP 43.0205
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Fire-Prevention and Protection Engineers
- Firefighters$59,280 · +3.7%
- Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists$56,870 · +13.1%
- First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers$93,530 · +3.7%
- Construction and Building Inspectors$74,690 · +0.0%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.