I’ve been wanting to be a fire alarm tech since i was about 10,but at the moment i have no idea where to start out torwards that career,i am currently a sophmore in high school,oh and i know quite a bit about fire alarm related stuff,i could go on all day about fire alarms.
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Depending on where you live, you may have the option for a half day career exploration. Ask your guidance counselor about it. It wouldn’t be for fire alarms, but it would help you get there faster.
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First thing I would do is check all of your local colleges to see if they offer any programs in “fire protection engineering” or even electronics. Personally, I would shy away for any sort of high school based vo-technical training because I feel that pigeonholes you into one specific task. Obtaining even an associate’s degree in fire protection engineering keeps your options open in the future. If you start out as a technician, you might want to branch out into design for example. In any case, talk to your guidance counselor about your interest in the field, that’s what they are there for! When I was in high school, they had a program for anyone who was in 11th & 12th grade and had a B or above average, they could take a class at no cost at the local community college. I took advantage of that and took some electronic technology classes.
Second thing you can do is check with local fire protection companies in the area. See if you can get some summer employment being a “helper” in their inspection department (of course that depends on the labor laws in your state and the minimum age they can hire someone). Generally, the helper position is unskilled work and what you will be doing is sitting at a panel pressing buttons all day or filling out paperwork, but will give you some on the job experience. Summer months tend to be busy and companies sometimes are looking for some temporary help. The smaller mom and pop companies are usually willing to hire someone with little or no experience but the pay will be low and the job opportunities are few. The medium sized companies may be a little more difficult to get in to with little experience but they will have more openings. Larger, national companies are hit or miss. They tend to want people with experience.
Third thing I would do at some point is pick up a copy of NFPA 72. Try to find a version that’s a couple of years old and someone is looking to offload (so you’re not paying $100 for the current edition). But get the actual physical book – not a pdf or e-reader version. You don’t need to memorize the code, just know how to use it. I know guys who have been in the field for 20 years and look at an NFPA book like they are looking at a foreign language. And everything today is dependent on the individual being NICET certified. Being NICET certified means an open book test on the code. Some guys have to take the test two or three times before they pass, only because they’ve never picked up the book until test day. So being familiar with the code is a huge advantage.
In any case, be aware you are going to be starting out in the field. And at first, you’re going to be the low man on the totem pole. You’ll be the one pulling wire through the 200 degree attic in the middle of summer, the gopher running out to the truck to grab tools and parts, and you’ll be working hard. Get a couple of years under your belt and you’ll be the one running the job and making the young guy pull the wire. I can’t tell you how many times someone starts out in this field and day one they want to trim out a panel or take a break every 15 minutes to update their twitter. In other words, be prepared to work! And good luck!
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In comparison with the education part, a lot of community colleges offer electrician type classes where you can learn about ohms law, semiconductors, basic circuit theory, NEC code, which will help you with the NFPA 72 as mentioned. if your looking for higher education and some job security that would be a great place to start. you can always find work with an electrical contractor and they do it all even fire alarm systems.
best of luck to you, I am new to this myself and I find the design process very rewarding, albeit sometimes frustrating.
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