Fire Inspectors and Investigators

People in this career often have these 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.

People in this career often know a lot about:

• 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.

People in this career often have talent in:

• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Information Ordering - 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).
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
• Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
• Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

People in this career often do these activities:

• Record information about suspects or criminals.
• Prepare investigation or incident reports.
• Testify at legal or legislative proceedings.
• Process forensic or legal evidence in accordance with procedures.
• Inspect equipment to ensure safety or proper functioning.

• Analyze crime scene evidence.
• Interview people to gather information about criminal activities.
• Record crime or accident scene evidence with video or still cameras.
• Inspect facilities to ensure compliance with fire regulations.
• Examine debris to obtain information about causes of fires.
• Educate the public about fire safety or prevention.
• Inspect facilities to ensure compliance with security or safety regulations.
• Issue permits or other legal documents.
• Write operational reports.
• Investigate crimes committed within organizations.
• Identify actions needed to bring properties or facilities into compliance with regulations.
• Inform others about laws or regulations.
• Develop fire safety or prevention programs or plans.
• Collaborate with law enforcement or security agencies to respond to incidents.
• Attend training to learn new skills or update knowledge.
• Review documents or materials for compliance with policies or regulations.
• Examine crime scenes to obtain evidence.
• Train personnel to enhance job skills.
• Train personnel in technical or scientific procedures.
• Maintain fire fighting tools or equipment.
• Provide safety training.
• Evaluate employee performance.
• Train employees in proper work procedures.
• Direct fire fighting or prevention activities.
• Recommend improvements to increase safety or reduce risks.

• Construction and Building Inspectors

• Detectives and Criminal Investigators

• Occupational Health and Safety Technicians

• Agricultural Inspectors

• Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers

• Airfield Operations Specialists

• First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers

• Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists

• Police Identification and Records Officers

• Energy Auditors