Job Profile:      Alarm Inspector


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.

33-2021
Job Information
   
   
44,550 92,750 171,870

Select Tasks
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.





Select Abilities
The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
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). 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. The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events). 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).
The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways. The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem. The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures. The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns. The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
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. The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you. The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted. The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources). The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects. The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects. The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
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. 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. 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.
The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears. The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists. The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects. The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object. The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
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. The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath. The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs. The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion. The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). The ability to see details at a distance. The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
The ability to see under low light conditions. The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead. 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.
The ability to see objects in the presence of glare or bright lighting. The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness. The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated. The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person. The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.




Tools Used
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

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