Fire investigator vs fire investigation lieutenant

The differences between fire investigators and fire investigation lieutenants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a fire investigator and a fire investigation lieutenant. Additionally, a fire investigator has an average salary of $64,364, which is higher than the $52,951 average annual salary of a fire investigation lieutenant.

The top three skills for a fire investigator include NFPA, scientific methods and legal proceedings. The most important skills for a fire investigation lieutenant are patrol, law enforcement agencies, and disciplinary actions.

Fire investigator vs fire investigation lieutenant overview

	Fire Investigator	Fire Investigation Lieutenant
Yearly salary	$64,364	$52,951
Hourly rate	$30.94	$25.46
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	20,597	3,703
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	6	6

Fire investigator vs fire investigation lieutenant salary

Fire investigators and fire investigation lieutenants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Fire Investigator	Fire Investigation Lieutenant
Average salary	$64,364	$52,951
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $95,000	Between $44,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between fire investigator and fire investigation lieutenant education

There are a few differences between a fire investigator and a fire investigation lieutenant in terms of educational background:

	Fire Investigator	Fire Investigation Lieutenant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Fire Science And Protection	Criminal Justice
Most common college	John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Fire investigator vs fire investigation lieutenant demographics

Here are the differences between fire investigators' and fire investigation lieutenants' demographics:

	Fire Investigator	Fire Investigation Lieutenant
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 87.5% Female, 12.5%	Male, 88.6% Female, 11.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.9% Unknown, 7.3% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 1.2% White, 71.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8%	Black or African American, 5.9% Unknown, 7.3% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 1.2% White, 71.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8%
LGBT Percentage	18%	18%

Differences between fire investigator and fire investigation lieutenant duties and responsibilities

Fire investigator example responsibilities.

Manage repair processes in a timely fashion to mitigate claims cost and reduce litigation exposure.
Supervise the patrol officers in assisting and leading them in their performance of their duties.
Provide recommendations to assist in the determination of claim settlement or litigation.
Work closely with patrol, investigation, and at-large representatives to avoid costly collective bargaining problems.
Assist attorneys in misdemeanor civil/criminal cases by delivering subpoenas, interviewing witnesses, collecting and documenting evidence relate to open cases.
Utilize insurance investigative databases (ISO, NCIB) to review history and complete thorough investigations.

Fire investigation lieutenant example responsibilities.

Manage respiratory and cardiac emergencies to include performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Perform joint operations with undercover officers in collaboration with private sector businesses to combat sales of counterfeit goods.
Conduct inspection of midnight shift to ensure alertness and uniform conformity.

Fire investigator vs fire investigation lieutenant skills

Common fire investigator skills

NFPA, 42%
Scientific Methods, 13%
Legal Proceedings, 10%
Litigation, 8%
Fire Scenes, 5%
Evidence Collection, 4%

Common fire investigation lieutenant skills

Patrol, 33%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 15%
Disciplinary Actions, 10%
Local Law Enforcement, 9%
Emergency Situations, 7%
Field Training, 6%

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Fire Investigator
Fire Investigator vs Fire Investigation Lieutenant

Updated January 8, 2025

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