Also called: Fire Testing Technician, Burn Lab Technician
Sets things on fire on purpose in big test labs, from couches to walls to batteries, to prove products meet fire-safety standards.
Technicians build test walls inside furnaces that heat to over 1,800 degrees, wire up sensors, light sofas or e-bike batteries under giant smoke hoods, and record heat and smoke data. They film every test and keep strict records, because building codes depend on the results. Safety gear and fire extinguishers are always ready.
Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Associate's degree (2-year), about 2 years after high school. Associate degree in engineering technology or fire science; trained on the job.
Ways in: 2-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Fire Protection Technology, Engineering Technology, Mechanical Engineering Technology.
Growing about average. Battery and building-material testing is growing (approx.).
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Sensors and software crunch data; building and running physical burn tests stays hands-on.
Classes: Chemistry, Physics, Shop class.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-3029.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.