Damage prevention specialist vs fire observer

The differences between damage prevention specialists and fire observers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a damage prevention specialist and a fire observer. Additionally, a fire observer has an average salary of $52,035, which is higher than the $39,060 average annual salary of a damage prevention specialist.

The top three skills for a damage prevention specialist include underground utilities, locates and party contractors. The most important skills for a fire observer are SME, fire training, and air support.

Damage prevention specialist vs fire observer overview

	Damage Prevention Specialist	Fire Observer
Yearly salary	$39,060	$52,035
Hourly rate	$18.78	$25.02
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	3,000	3,736
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	4	4

Damage prevention specialist vs fire observer salary

Damage prevention specialists and fire observers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Damage Prevention Specialist	Fire Observer
Average salary	$39,060	$52,035
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $58,000	Between $34,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between damage prevention specialist and fire observer education

There are a few differences between a damage prevention specialist and a fire observer in terms of educational background:

	Damage Prevention Specialist	Fire Observer
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh

Damage prevention specialist vs fire observer demographics

Here are the differences between damage prevention specialists' and fire observers' demographics:

	Damage Prevention Specialist	Fire Observer
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 79.2% Female, 20.8%	Male, 98.3% Female, 1.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.9% Unknown, 7.3% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 1.2% White, 71.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8%	Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 7.4% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 1.2% White, 71.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1%
LGBT Percentage	18%	18%

Differences between damage prevention specialist and fire observer duties and responsibilities

Damage prevention specialist example responsibilities.

Implement medically accurate, evidence base curriculum with the purpose of reducing teen pregnancy rates and behavioral risks underlying teen pregnancy.
Draft referrals to appropriate departments for SAR filing and further review/investigation.

Fire observer example responsibilities.

Assist in taking patient medical history and managing clinical patients and participate in medical team discussions regarding patient treatment plans.
Assist in taking patient medical history and managing clinical patients and participate in medical team discussions regarding patient treatment plans.
Familiarize myself with immunization schedule, coding for pediatrics.

Damage prevention specialist vs fire observer skills

Common damage prevention specialist skills

Underground Utilities, 16%
Locates, 15%
Party Contractors, 10%
Damage Prevention, 8%
DPS, 6%
Safety Devices, 6%

Common fire observer skills

SME, 54%
Fire Training, 34%
Air Support, 7%
Computer System, 6%

Damage Prevention Specialist vs. similar jobs

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Damage Prevention Specialist
Damage Prevention Specialist vs Fire Observer

Updated January 8, 2025

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