The career outlook is strong. The current demand for fire protection engineers exceeds the number currently available. Based on SFPE’s 2021 research, the annual base salary for full-time fire protection engineers is $118,800, with a starting salary of $70,300 and a median salary for a fire protection engineer with five years of experience at $87,000.
Careers in the profession include: Fire Protection Engineer (Junior, Senior, etc.), Chief Mechanical Engineer, Director of Engineering and Technology, Director of Fire & Emergency Services, Lead Fire Life Safety Designer, plus opportunities throughout the fire detection, prevention, suppression, and research supply chain.
The Society of Fire Protection Engineers provides live and on-demand educational programming for fire protection engineers at every level – from students to recent graduates to experts.
Engineering a fire-safe world since 1950. Headquartered near Washington, DC, and in Brussels, Belgium, the Society of Fire Protection Engineers is the world’s leading professional society for fire protection and fire safety engineering. SFPE works to define, develop, and advance the use of engineering best practices; expand the scientific and technical knowledge base; and educate the global fire safety community, to reduce fire risk and save lives.
Most fire protection engineers hold engineering or engineering technology degrees; advanced degrees are welcomed, too. Not all fire protection jobs require degrees.
