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The differences between fire alarm technicians and service 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 service technician. Additionally, a fire alarm technician has an average salary of $42,765, which is higher than the $40,379 average annual salary of a service technician.
The top three skills for a fire alarm technician include customer service, fire protection and NFPA. The most important skills for a service technician are plumbing, customer service, and preventative maintenance.
| Fire Alarm Technician | Service Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $42,765 | $40,379 |
| Hourly rate | $20.56 | $19.41 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 44,529 | 254,533 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 34% | Associate Degree, 29% |
| 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.
Service technicians are assigned in the field to address the concerns of their clients. Service technicians are responsible for the installation, maintenance, or repair of different units or items related to their company's products or services. They should be familiar with their company's products so that they can properly install, maintain, or repair them. They conduct diagnostics and analysis to assess the condition of the unit they are servicing and properly address problems. They also do routine maintenance check-ups. Service technicians are expected to be trustworthy, have good analytical skills, and have good decision-making skills.
Fire alarm technicians and service technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Fire Alarm Technician | Service Technician | |
| Average salary | $42,765 | $40,379 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $57,000 | Between $28,000 And $57,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fort Wayne, IN | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | Indiana | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Siemens | IBM |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a fire alarm technician and a service technician in terms of educational background:
| Fire Alarm Technician | Service Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 34% | Associate Degree, 29% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between fire alarm technicians' and service technicians' demographics:
| Fire Alarm Technician | Service Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 96.8% Female, 3.2% | Male, 89.2% Female, 10.8% |
| 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, 5.1% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 1.7% White, 72.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 1% |