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The differences between fire alarm technicians and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a fire alarm technician and a certified medical technician. Additionally, a fire alarm technician has an average salary of $42,765, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.
The top three skills for a fire alarm technician include customer service, fire protection and NFPA. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Fire Alarm Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $42,765 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $20.56 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 44,529 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A fire alarm technician is an individual who installs, operates, and maintains the fire alarm systems of a building. Fire alarm technicians must inspect and repair heat detectors and sprinkler heads as well as test the building's fire alarm systems using appropriate diagnostic programs and equipment. They are required to review electrical layout blueprints to determine whether the fire alarm systems comply with the electrical and fire safety codes. Fire alarm technicians must also communicate with clients to ensure that all fire alarm systems are installed and working properly.
Certified Medical Technicians are specialists in medical diagnoses by performing laboratory testing and analysis for hospitals and physicians. Their duties include lab sanitization to prepare for testing and collection, recording medical samples for testing, specimen preparation, blood drawing for donation and testing, and assisting physicians with sample collection as well as equipment handling in surgical rooms. They must also understand how to use complex and sensitive testing equipment such as cell counters, analyzers, microscopes, and centrifuges.
Fire alarm technicians and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Fire Alarm Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $42,765 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $57,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fort Wayne, IN | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | Indiana | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Siemens | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a fire alarm technician and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Fire Alarm Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between fire alarm technicians' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Fire Alarm Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 96.8% Female, 3.2% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.8% Asian, 4.3% White, 59.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 15.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 10.0% White, 53.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 8% |