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Fire-Prevention and Protection Engineers

Research causes of fires, determine fire protection methods, and design or recommend materials or equipment such as structural components or fire-detection equipment to assist organizations in safeguarding life and property against fire, explosion, and related hazards.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Conduct research on fire retardants and the fire safety of materials and devices.
    • Advise architects, builders, and other construction personnel on fire prevention equipment and techniques and on fire code and standard interpretation and compliance.
    • Design fire detection equipment, alarm systems, and fire extinguishing devices and systems.
    • Review building plans to verify compliance with fire code.
    • Consult with authorities to discuss safety regulations and to recommend changes as necessary.
    • Evaluate fire department performance and the laws and regulations affecting fire prevention or fire safety.
    • Direct the purchase, modification, installation, testing, maintenance, and operation of fire prevention and protection systems.
    • Attend workshops, seminars, or conferences to present or obtain information regarding fire prevention and protection.
    • Determine causes of fires and ways in which they could have been prevented.
    • Develop plans for the prevention of destruction by fire, wind, and water.
    • Review building plans to verify compliance with fire code.
    • Inspect buildings or building designs to determine fire protection system requirements and potential problems in areas such as water supplies, exit locations, and construction materials.
    • Direct the purchase, modification, installation, testing, maintenance, and operation of fire prevention and protection systems.
    • Review building plans to verify compliance with fire code.
    • Conduct research on fire retardants and the fire safety of materials and devices.
    • Study the relationships between ignition sources and materials to determine how fires start.
    • Prepare and write reports detailing specific fire prevention and protection issues, such as work performed, revised codes or standards, and proposed review schedules.
    • Direct the purchase, modification, installation, testing, maintenance, and operation of fire prevention and protection systems.
    • Develop training materials and conduct training sessions on fire protection.
    • Study the relationships between ignition sources and materials to determine how fires start.

    Skills

    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    Abilities

    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    Knowledge

    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    Education

    Education
    Bachelor's degree
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    No on-the-job training

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    121730/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    58.52/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    490
    Yearly Projected Openings
    40

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Integrity
    • Analytical Thinking
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Cooperation
    • Initiative

    Tools

    • Air samplers or collectors
    • Calorimeters
    • Desktop computers
    • Digital cameras
    • Dissolved oxygen meters
    • Fiber sensors
    • Flow transmitters
    • Fume hoods or cupboards
    • Gas burners
    • Heat sinks
    • Laboratory box furnaces
    • Laboratory heaters
    • Lasers
    • Loadcells
    • Notebook computers
    • Orifice plate
    • Oxygen gas analyzers
    • Photo tubes
    • Photosensitive diodes
    • Temperature transmitters
    • Thermocouples
    • Tube furnaces
    • Visual filters

    Technology

    • Administration software
    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Computer aided design CAD software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Presentation software
    • Process mapping and design software
    • Project management software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software