How to hire a fire technician

How to hire a fire technician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step fire technician hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a fire technician job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new fire technician
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a fire technician do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The fire technician hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A fire technician's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, fire technicians from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of fire technicians.

   Type of Fire Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Fire Technician	Fire inspectors examine buildings to detect fire hazards and ensure that federal, state, and local fire codes are met. Fire investigators determine the origin and cause of fires and explosions... Show more	$17-29
   Valve Technician	Valve technicians install regulating devices such as valves. They are responsible for monitoring, testing, and troubleshooting valves... Show more	$13-28
   Technician	Technicians are skilled professionals who primarily work with technology in different industries. They are knowledgeable about the technical aspects of the various items they work with... Show more	$11-27

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Fire Protection
   • Customer Service
   • NFPA
   • Hand Tools
   • Life Safety
   • Ladders
   • Fire Suppression Systems
   • Troubleshoot
   • Work Ethic
   • Fire Sprinkler Systems
   • Sprinklers
   • Scaffolding
   • State Fire
   • Emergency Lights

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead infantry teams in combat operations, providing tactical and technical guidance to subordinates and professional support to superiors.
   • Perform installation by climbing to heights using scaffolding, ladders, and lifts.
   • Used ladders, scaffolding, monkey wrenches, and channel locks to connect and hang the pipe to the ceiling.
   • Cut, measure and piece PVC pipe.
   • Establish reputation as a subject matter expert and technical resource to troubleshoot issues.
   • Provide technical support to help customers troubleshoot their device identifying hardware and software issues.

   More fire technician duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the fire technician job description is a good way to get more applicants. A fire technician salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a fire technician in Nevada may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level fire technician. Additionally, a fire technician with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average fire technician salary

   $47,578yearly

   $22.87 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level fire technician salary

   $36,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 26, 2025

   Average fire technician salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Utah	$60,010	$29
   2	Ohio	$59,388	$29
   3	Nebraska	$59,321	$29
   4	Missouri	$58,306	$28
   5	South Carolina	$56,024	$27
   6	Pennsylvania	$54,486	$26
   7	Colorado	$52,328	$25
   8	California	$52,047	$25
   9	Michigan	$51,319	$25
   10	Virginia	$50,526	$24
   11	North Carolina	$50,337	$24
   12	Oregon	$50,002	$24
   13	Indiana	$48,550	$23
   14	Tennessee	$47,657	$23
   15	Arizona	$47,136	$23
   16	Florida	$43,216	$21
   17	Texas	$41,098	$20
   18	Oklahoma	$40,509	$19
   19	Illinois	$39,406	$19
   20	Iowa	$38,356	$18

   Average fire technician salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Jefferson Lab	$70,154	$33.73
   2	Siemens	$60,926	$29.29	41
   3	Jacobs Engineering Group	$60,600	$29.13
   4	Stantec	$56,905	$27.36	73
   5	Johnson Controls	$56,259	$27.05	174
   6	University of California-Berkeley	$55,138	$26.51
   7	MDU Resources	$54,458	$26.18
   8	EMCOR Group	$53,782	$25.86	63
   9	Georgetown University	$53,742	$25.84	2
   10	First Transit	$52,606	$25.29
   11	Cintas	$52,387	$25.19	26
   12	Ahern	$52,326	$25.16	10
   13	CyberCoders	$49,616	$23.85
   14	Acuity Insurance	$49,495	$23.80	2
   15	1-800 WATER DAMAGE	$48,839	$23.48	4
   16	Idaho National Lab	$48,679	$23.40
   17	University of Delaware	$48,602	$23.37
   18	Paul Davis USA	$47,971	$23.06	277
   19	The Hiller Companies	$46,820	$22.51	39
   20	Banner Health	$46,739	$22.47	4

4. Writing a fire technician job description

   A fire technician job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a fire technician job description:

   Fire technician job description example

   Restoration 1 of Central Denver in Denver, CO is actively seeking a full-time Water, Mold, and Fire Damage Technician to provide water, mold, and fire damage restoration through demolition, driving company vehicles, communicating with customers, cleaning flooded properties, filling out job sheets, and more. Are you ready to work? Do you want to work with a great team of people in a fast-paced and engaging environment ? Would you like to work with a reputable company that truly values its employees ? If so, please read on!

   Our techs typically work full-time . This water, mold, and fire damage tech position comes with a competitive wage of $21-$23 per hour plus a $500 sign on bonus after 60 days . We are also offering a sign-on bonus ! We provide excellent benefits and perks , including 40 hours of paid time off per year, a 401(k) plan with 3% company match after 1 year, healthcare options, after hours call out bonus of $75, job & equipment bonuses on every job, and team outings . Additionally, we have paid training and will pay for IICRC certifications if you don't have them. If this sounds like the right water, mold, or fire damage tech opportunity for you, apply today!

   
   

   ABOUT RESTORATION 1 OF CENTRAL DENVER

   We are a family and locally owned women-led company offering exceptional 24-hour property restoration services in Denver, CO, and the surrounding areas. Operating on the values of: Integrity, Empathy, Professionalism, and Consistency, we have quickly grown into the most trusted business to handle any type of restoration need. Our team of highly trained and certified restoration experts are ready day and night to provide peace of mind by restoring property, life, and routine. We also donate a portion of every job to the Rocky Mountain Cancer Assistance to show our appreciation for the community.

   We genuinely appreciate the efforts of our team and reward them for maintaining our reputation and delivering on the promises we have made to our community. With room for growth and our collaborative culture, our management loves watching each person excel in their positions and grow personally. We are unlike any restoration company, from promotions from within to awesome benefits, no one does it quite like us.

   OUR IDEAL WATER, MOLD, AND FIRE DAMAGE TECHNICIAN

   • Career-minded - Looking for more than just a job
   • Dependable - Reliable, shows up on time and prepared
   • Takes pride in your work - Pays close attention to detail and goes above and beyond
   • Team player - Works well with others
   • Respectful - Treats others with kindness and dignity

   If this sounds like you, keep reading!

   QUALIFICATIONS FOR A WATER, MOLD, AND FIRE DAMAGE TECHNICIAN

   • 1 year experience of any sort in damage restoration
   • Experience in demolition or construction
   • Valid drivers license
   • Ability to use power tools
   • Ability to work on call rotating schedule nights and weekends

   Can you be a concise communicator to our customers and to our technicians and supervisor? Do you work well with others? Are you punctual and reliable? Can you manage your time well? Do you have a positive, can-do attitude? If so, you might just be perfect for this Water, Mold, and Fire Damage Technician position! Apply now using our initial 3-minute, mobile-friendly application.

   Location: 80227

   
   
   Job Posted by ApplicantPro
   

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right fire technician for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your fire technician job on Zippia to find and recruit fire technician candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting fire technicians requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new fire technician

   Once you've decided on a perfect fire technician candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new fire technician. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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