What Does a Fire Safety Manager Do?
For residents, students, staff, and the local fire department, fire safety managers ensure the readiness of a site's alarms, sprinklers, exits and evacuation plans. The ability to track every alarm panel, sprinkler valve and extinguisher is essential to ensure that each building passes its inspection. Most work for universities, hospital systems, large employers or property managers.
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as Engine Boss, Fire Battalion Chief, Fire Captain, Fire Chief, Fire Lieutenant, Fire Marshal, Fire Prevention Chief, Fire Suppression Captain.
Fire Safety Manager Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a fire safety manager include:
- Schedule and oversee testing of fire alarms, sprinklers, fire pumps and kitchen hood systems.
- Inspect residence halls, labs and assembly spaces for blocked exits, overloaded outlets and banned appliances.
- Run fire drills in every building and write up evacuation times and problems.
- Review renovation plans for fire code issues before they go to the local fire marshal.
- Issue hot work permits for welding and cutting, and check that a fire watch is posted.
- Investigate small fires and false alarms, and fix the causes behind repeat calls.
- Prepare the annual fire safety report that federal law requires for campus housing.
- Supervise fire safety inspectors and technicians and assign their daily routes.
- Train staff and students to use extinguishers and to help people with disabilities evacuate.
- Meet the local fire department on pre-incident plans, hydrant access and alarm response.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a fire safety manager, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Fire inspector certification through the ICC or the state fire marshal
- NFPA codes and the local fire code
- Fire alarm and sprinkler system basics
- Plan review for building renovations
- Supervising inspectors and contractors
- Teaching fire safety to people outside the field
- Record-keeping for inspections and deficiencies
- Calm leadership during evacuations
Education and Training
Most fire safety managers come from firefighting or fire inspection, but some start out by working as fire alarm or sprinkler technicians. BLS lists a postsecondary nondegree award, such as a fire academy or fire inspector certificate, as the typical entry education for this supervisor group. A degree in fire science often helps.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $72,140 - $119,500 per year, with a median of $93,530.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers.
According to BLS, employment of first-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers is projected to grow about 4 percent from 2025 to 2035. The group sees about 6,600 openings a year, most of them in municipal fire departments. Campus and hospital posts are fewer, and candidates who hold inspector certification, know the local code and have run drills in occupied buildings tend to get the interviews.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers.
Fire Safety Manager Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $53,430 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $72,140 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $93,530 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $119,500 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $140,010 |
Highest-Paying States for Fire Safety Managers
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are New Jersey ($133,210), New York ($132,520), Washington ($129,350), California ($127,630), District of Columbia ($126,560). Pay is lowest in New Mexico ($58,430), West Virginia ($55,380), Mississippi ($48,250).
Median pay in all 50 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $73,320 |
| Alaska | $92,760 |
| Arizona | $96,470 |
| Arkansas | $61,890 |
| California | $127,630 |
| Colorado | $102,580 |
| Connecticut | $98,500 |
| Delaware | $74,670 |
| District of Columbia | $126,560 |
| Florida | $98,560 |
| Georgia | $67,200 |
| Idaho | $92,630 |
| Illinois | $123,500 |
| Indiana | $88,310 |
| Iowa | $76,010 |
| Kansas | $78,880 |
| Kentucky | $60,850 |
| Louisiana | $59,750 |
| Maine | $74,790 |
| Maryland | $120,530 |
| Massachusetts | $96,600 |
| Michigan | $77,550 |
| Minnesota | $78,800 |
| Mississippi | $48,250 |
| Missouri | $75,970 |
| Montana | $82,820 |
| Nebraska | $80,810 |
| Nevada | $93,920 |
| New Hampshire | $93,720 |
| New Jersey | $133,210 |
| New Mexico | $58,430 |
| New York | $132,520 |
| North Carolina | $59,560 |
| North Dakota | $82,880 |
| Ohio | $84,490 |
| Oklahoma | $85,310 |
| Oregon | $100,260 |
| Pennsylvania | $101,050 |
| Rhode Island | $85,170 |
| South Carolina | $65,160 |
| South Dakota | $72,420 |
| Tennessee | $77,920 |
| Texas | $81,710 |
| Utah | $100,380 |
| Vermont | $83,250 |
| Virginia | $97,780 |
| Washington | $129,350 |
| West Virginia | $55,380 |
| Wisconsin | $83,310 |
| Wyoming | $80,260 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as first-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 96% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
- 89% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
- 73% are on the phone every day
- 73% use email every day
- 70% usually work more than 40 hours a week
- 64% work outdoors in all kinds of weather every day
- 54% have a lot of freedom to make decisions
Education Workers Say the Job Needs
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| High school diploma or GED | 29% |
| Associate's degree | 24% |
| Post-secondary certificate | 19% |
| Some college | 12% |
Tools and Software Fire Safety Managers Use
Tools and equipment
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy leading, persuading and making business decisions as well as hands-on work with tools, machines or the outdoors.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Monitoring.
Knowledge areas used most: Public Safety and Security, Customer and Personal Service, Education and Training, Building and Construction, Administration and Management.
Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 3 of 5, which means medium preparation.
Related Careers
These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 33-1021.00 (First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers). View on O*NET OnLine.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.1 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. The Job Explorer has modified some of the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these changes.