Fire marshals enforce fire codes and educate the public on fire prevention. Most fire marshals are employed at the local government level. They usually work in fire departments or city code enforcement departments. They make the jobs of firefighters easier by enforcing the building codes that work to prevent and contain fires.

At the state level, educating the public is the everyday job, and managing the responses to wildfires occurs occasionally.

Other duties of the state fire marshal vary by state.

The Selection Process:

In most cities, the fire marshal or fire marshal’s office is housed in the fire department or the code enforcement department. Sometimes the fire marshal is under the police department or is autonomous from other departments.

The fire marshal is usually promoted from within the fire department or code enforcement department. The selection process may be open to external applicants, but the only external applicants with a real chance at landing the position are ones that have similar experience to internal candidates. For example, a fire marshal or tenured firefighter from another city would have a good chance.

The Education You'll Need:

The educational requirements for a fire marshal are the same as a firefighter. A high school degree is necessary, and at times an associate’s or bachelor’s degree may be required in some rare circumstances. A huge factor in landing a fire marshal job is having the right experience.

The Experience You Need:

Fire marshals are usually selected through a promotion process within a fire department. Candidates should have direct experience in firefighting or code enforcement.

A fire marshal job can be a good option for a firefighter who wants a career advancement but does not want to pursue promotion up the firefighting ranks. Not everyone is cut out to be a manager, so a fire marshal job can help fire departments retain good staff who would make bad managers.

The job can also be a good option for firefighters who become physically disabled to the extent that they can no longer perform the duties of a firefighter but not to the extent that they cannot perform work outside. Say a firefighter breaks his legs in the line of duty and must walk with a cane for the rest of his life, a fire marshal job would allow him to continue working in his chosen field.

What You'll Do:

Fire marshals inspect new construction and permitted remodeling projects to ensure compliance with the local fire code. Such codes ensure that the property owners and visitors have a minimum level of protection from fire. Fire marshals conduct similar inspections annually for public and commercial buildings.

In the course of inspections, the need may arise to issue citations for violations of the fire code. Fire marshals usually warn business owners before fine-carrying citations are issued. They give business owners an opportunity to correct problems before punitive measures are taken.

Fire marshals also investigate the origins of specific fires. When arson is suspected, fire marshals work with detectives and crime scene investigators to determine exactly what happened. Because of this investigatory function, some fire marshals are certified peace officers and are given power to make criminal arrests.

Fire marshals provide training to the public in fire prevention and safety. They may visit schools or businesses to train people in preventing, detecting and escaping fires.

What You'll Earn:

The closest job title that the US Bureau of Labor statistics has to fire marshal is fire inspector or investigator. The job duties that BLS lists are roughly the same as those of fire marshals, so the salary data can be applied to fire marshals. According to 2010 BLS data, fire marshals earn on average $52,230 per year. The bottom 10% of fire marshals earn less than $34,210. The top 10% earn more than $85,260.