Fire Inspectors and Investigator Career

Job Description: 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.


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Fire Inspectors and Investigator Career

What skills are required for Fire Inspectors and Investigators?

Importance Skills
  Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
  Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
  Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
  Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
  Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
  Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  Systems Evaluation - Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
  Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
  Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
  Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
  Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
  Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
  Management of Personnel Resources - Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
  Operations Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
  Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.

What knowledge is needed to be a Fire Inspectors and Investigator?

Importance Knowledge
  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.
  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.
  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.
  Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
  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.
  English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  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.
  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.
  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.
  Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  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.
  Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
  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.
  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.
  Telecommunications - Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
  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.
  Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
  Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
  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.

Work Styles

Importance Styles
  Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
  Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
  Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
  Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
  Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
  Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
  Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
  Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
  Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
  Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
  Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
  Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
  Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
  Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
  Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
  Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.