Fire watchman vs security officer

The differences between fire watchmen and security officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a fire watchman has an average salary of $46,843, which is higher than the $31,101 average annual salary of a security officer.

The top three skills for a fire watchman include safety standards, construction sites and fire hazards. The most important skills for a security officer are customer service, ladders, and patrol.

Fire watchman vs security officer overview

	Fire Watchman	Security Officer
Yearly salary	$46,843	$31,101
Hourly rate	$22.52	$14.95
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	3,482	125,879
Job satisfaction	5	4.5
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 51%	High School Diploma, 36%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	-	-

Fire watchman vs security officer salary

Fire watchmen and security officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Fire Watchman	Security Officer
Average salary	$46,843	$31,101
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $67,000	Between $24,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	-	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Battelle
Best paying industry	-	Utilities

Differences between fire watchman and security officer education

There are a few differences between a fire watchman and a security officer in terms of educational background:

	Fire Watchman	Security Officer
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 51%	High School Diploma, 36%
Most common major	Business	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Fire watchman vs security officer demographics

Here are the differences between fire watchmen' and security officers' demographics:

	Fire Watchman	Security Officer
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 77.8% Female, 22.2%	Male, 71.6% Female, 28.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 17.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.4% Asian, 6.1% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	Black or African American, 12.7% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 6.3% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between fire watchman and security officer duties and responsibilities

Fire watchman example responsibilities.

Direct maintenance and repair of firefighting equipment, or requisition new equipment.
Fire watch personnel maintain surveillance of areas where hot work--welding or cutting with torches--has occur.
Update critical standardization documents that establish the unit's procedures for conducting team certifications and operations in combat environments.
Coordinate and synchronize intelligence gathering assets with artillery, mortar, and aviation systems in support of complex tactical operations.

Security officer example responsibilities.

General foot patrol of interior and exterior strip corridor casino property areas.
Distribute id photo badges to employees and contractors.
Escort performers or highly known stars to their suites.
Employ as an unarm Virginia DCJS license security officer.
Inspect all vehicles that are requesting access into AOA.
Make DAR reports with clear reading and writing in English.

Fire watchman vs security officer skills

Common fire watchman skills

Safety Standards, 83%
Construction Sites, 9%
Fire Hazards, 7%

Common security officer skills

Customer Service, 25%
Ladders, 17%
Patrol, 14%
Security Services, 6%
Patients, 5%
Emergency Situations, 4%

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Fire Watchman
Fire Watchman vs Security Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

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