Fire Inspectors and Investigators
Skills & Knowledge
Most Important Skills for Fire Inspectors and Investigators
- 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.
- Reading—Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Thinking Critically—Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Making Decisions—Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Speaking—Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Controlling Quality—Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Learning New Things—Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Writing—Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Monitoring Equipment—Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Solving Complex Problems—Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Most Important Knowledge Areas for Fire Inspectors and Investigators
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- English Language—Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Computers and Electronics—Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
- Law and Government—Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
- Clerical—Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
- Mechanical—Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
- 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.
Interests
Different careers may be a good fit for your personality or interests. This career is:
- Conventional—Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
- Realistic—Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Learn more about your interests. Take the MnCareers Interest Assessment.
Describe Your Skills
People who have worked in this career typically perform the following tasks.
These statements can help a prospective employer understand what you can do, on a resume or during an interview.
- Evaluating information to determine compliance with standards.
- Documenting or recording information.
- Working directly with the public.
- Keeping up-to-date with new knowledge.
- Communicating with people outside your organization.
- Communicating with supervisors, co-workers, or people that work under you.
- Collecting information from different sources.
- Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to find or fix problems.
Careers that Use Similar Skills
The following careers use skills, knowledge, and abilities that are similar to those used for Fire Inspectors and Investigators.
View more careers in the Law, Public Safety, and Security cluster
View more careers in the Emergency and Fire Management Services pathway
This page includes information from the O*NET 24.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Source: You can learn about our data sources in the About Us section.
