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The differences between fire alarm technicians and electricians 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 an electrician. Additionally, an electrician has an average salary of $48,850, which is higher than the $42,765 average annual salary of a fire alarm technician.
The top three skills for a fire alarm technician include customer service, fire protection and NFPA. The most important skills for an electrician are hand tools, electrical equipment, and run conduit.
| Fire Alarm Technician | Electrician | |
| Yearly salary | $42,765 | $48,850 |
| Hourly rate | $20.56 | $23.49 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 44,529 | 17,245 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.86 |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 34% | High School Diploma, 32% |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| 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.
An electrician is a skilled tradesman in charge of wirings and systems which provide electric power to a facility. They are trained to design, install, maintain, and troubleshoot electrical wiring systems. There are four basic types of an electrician - residential wiremen, inside wiremen, telecommunications electrician, and outside linemen. Some work on a standard 40-hour week shift while others are on-call duty. In some cases, traveling is also a vital key to their role where they would work for a few days before moving to another location.
Fire alarm technicians and electricians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Fire Alarm Technician | Electrician | |
| Average salary | $42,765 | $48,850 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $57,000 | Between $32,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fort Wayne, IN | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Indiana | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Siemens | PBF Energy |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a fire alarm technician and an electrician in terms of educational background:
| Fire Alarm Technician | Electrician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 34% | High School Diploma, 32% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between fire alarm technicians' and electricians' demographics:
| Fire Alarm Technician | Electrician | |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 96.8% Female, 3.2% | Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4% |
| 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, 8.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 2.2% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 3% |