Fire-Prevention and Protection Engineer resume example

A resume for a Fire-Prevention and Protection Engineer needs to show the work itself: research causes of fires, determine fire protection methods, and design or recommend materials or equipment such as structural components or fire-detection equipment to assist organizations in safeguarding life and property against fire, explosion, and related hazards. Day to day that means work like this: advise architects, builders, and other construction personnel on fire prevention equipment and techniques and on fire code and standard interpretation and compliance; inspect buildings or building designs to determine fire protection system requirements and potential problems in areas such as water supplies, exit locations, and construction materials. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

  • Consulting Engineer
  • Engineer
  • Fire Protection Consultant
  • Fire Protection Engineer
  • FP Engineer
  • Licensed Fire Protection Engineer
  • Fire Prevention Research Engineer
  • Fire Protection Commissioning Engineer
  • Fire Protection Design Engineer
  • Fire Protection Designer

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

  • Advise architects, builders, and other construction personnel on fire prevention equipment and techniques and on fire code and standard interpretation and compliance.
  • Inspect buildings or building designs to determine fire protection system requirements and potential problems in areas such as water supplies, exit locations, and construction materials.
  • Design fire detection equipment, alarm systems, and fire extinguishing devices and systems.
  • Prepare and write reports detailing specific fire prevention and protection issues, such as work performed, revised codes or standards, and proposed review schedules.
  • Consult with authorities to discuss safety regulations and to recommend changes as necessary.
  • Direct the purchase, modification, installation, testing, maintenance, and operation of fire prevention and protection systems.
  • Determine causes of fires and ways in which they could have been prevented.
  • Develop plans for the prevention of destruction by fire, wind, and water.
  • Develop training materials and conduct training sessions on fire protection.
  • Attend workshops, seminars, or conferences to present or obtain information regarding fire prevention and protection.
  • Evaluate fire department performance and the laws and regulations affecting fire prevention or fire safety.
  • Study the relationships between ignition sources and materials to determine how fires start.

13 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

  • Advise architects, builders, and other construction personnel on fire prevention equipment and techniques and on fire code and standard interpretation and compliance, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Inspect buildings or building designs to determine fire protection system requirements and potential problems in areas such as water supplies, exit locations, and construction materials, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Design fire detection equipment, alarm systems, and fire extinguishing devices and systems, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Prepare and write reports detailing specific fire prevention and protection issues, such as work performed, revised codes or standards, and proposed review schedules, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

  • A Large Outdoor Fire plume Trajectory model Flat Terrain ALOFT-FT
  • Analysis of Smoke Control Systems ASCOS
  • ANSYS simulation software
  • Atria smoke management engineering tools ASMET
  • Autodesk AutoCAD
  • Autodesk Revit
  • Available Safe Egress Time ASET
  • Bentley MicroStation
  • Berkeley Algorithm for Breaking Window Glass in a Compartment Fire BREAK1
  • Building Research Establishment BRE Jasmine
  • CESARE Risk
  • Computational Dynamics STAR-CD
  • Computational fluid dynamics CFD software
  • Computer aided design CAD software

49 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

  • Collection hoods
  • Cone calorimeters
  • Counter-flow slot burners CSB
  • Desktop computers
  • Digital cameras
  • Flame spread testers
  • Flammability testers
  • Floor-ceiling furnaces
  • Flow tunnels
  • Furniture calorimeters
  • Heat flux transducers
  • Heat sinks

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

  • AutoCAD
  • Revit
  • Bentley MicroStation

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

  1. 01Critical Thinking
  2. 02Reading Comprehension
  3. 03Active Listening
  4. 04Judgment and Decision Making
  5. 05Speaking
  6. 06Writing
  7. 07Complex Problem Solving
  8. 08Systems Analysis
  9. 09Systems Evaluation
  10. 10Active Learning

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

  • Engineering and Technology
  • Design
  • Building and Construction
  • Mathematics
  • English Language
  • Physics
  • Public Safety and Security
  • Customer and Personal Service

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

  • 85%Bachelor's Degree
  • 5%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school
  • 5%Post-Baccalaureate Certificate, awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Considerable Preparation Needed”. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Common questions

What does a Fire-Prevention and Protection Engineer do?
Research causes of fires, determine fire protection methods, and design or recommend materials or equipment such as structural components or fire-detection equipment to assist organizations in safeguarding life and property against fire, explosion, and related hazards. Day to day that includes work like advise architects, builders, and other construction personnel on fire prevention equipment and techniques and on fire code and standard interpretation and compliance and Inspect buildings or building designs to determine fire protection system requirements and potential problems in areas such as water supplies, exit locations, and construction materials.
What skills should a Fire-Prevention and Protection Engineer put on a resume?
O*NET rates Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Judgment and Decision Making, and Speaking among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Fire-Prevention and Protection Engineer list?
Software recorded for this occupation includes A Large Outdoor Fire plume Trajectory model Flat Terrain ALOFT-FT, Analysis of Smoke Control Systems ASCOS, ANSYS simulation software, Atria smoke management engineering tools ASMET, and Autodesk AutoCAD. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Fire-Prevention and Protection Engineer work?
O*NET records 10 titles for this occupation, including Consulting Engineer, Engineer, Fire Protection Consultant, and Fire Protection Engineer. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Fire-Prevention and Protection Engineer need?
In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 85% reported their level of education as "Bachelor's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Fire-Prevention and Protection Engineer role?
No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

  • No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
  • This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
  • Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.