Fire Department Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Clerically amended on 1/21/2026 to update Certification Rule

Established in 1866, the San Francisco Fire Department is rich in tradition and history. From the Great Earthquake and Fire of 1906 to the Loma Prieta Earthquake of 1989, the Department has grown to meet the many challenges along the way. Today, the San Francisco Fire Department serves an estimated 1.5 million people, providing fire suppression, fire prevention and emergency medical services to the residents, visitors and workers within San Francisco's 49 square miles.

Application Opening: July 2, 2025 to Continuous

Deadline to apply for this hiring cyle is Friday, January 9, 2026 

Compensation Range: $163,644-198,900 Annually 

Recruitment ID: C00357
Exam Analyst: Deana Kwan [email protected]

Under general direction, performs challenging and responsible professional engineering review and inspection work in the specialized field of fire prevention and safety, and advises fire inspection personnel engaged in fire prevention work.

5215 Fire Protection Engineer is distinguished from classes 6331 Building Inspector, 6333 Senior Building Inspector, 6334 Chief Building Inspector, 6281 Fire Safety Inspector II, and class H4 Inspector, Fire Department in that the former is a licensed professional engineer specializing in fire protection and safety standards and procedures and possesses the expertise to inspect and test fire protection and suppression systems.

EXAMPLES OF IMPORTANT AND ESSENTIAL DUTIES

According to Civil Service Commission Rule 109, the duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to this job code/class and are not intended to be an inclusive list.

1. Reviews fire protection plans and systems, equivalency proposals, permit applications, subdivision and parcel maps, etc., to ensure compliance with applicable codes, ordinances, and standards; reviews site permits, architectural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing plans and specifications for code compliance; ensures that fire code provisions are included where hazardous processes and/or dangerous chemicals or radioactive materials are involved; and submits recommendations to the Fire Marshal for approval or disapproval of plans or specifications.

2. Advises and provides training to Fire Department personnel regarding applicable codes, technical engineering aspects of fire prevention work, plan review, and technical research; prepares technical documents as appropriate; and assists the Chief, Division of Fire Prevention and Investigation (Fire Marshal) in the training of Fire Department Personnel.

3. Inspects and witnesses acceptance tests for fire protection systems; and participates in inspections of buildings and other structures periodically during the course of construction to ensure compliance with approved fire protection plans and testing procedures.

4. Interacts with members of the public (contractors, architects, engineers, building mangers, and owners, etc.) and other government agencies regarding fire code, standard, and ordinance issues; gives lectures and arranges life-safety demonstrations; and represents the Fire Department on fire code and technical issues as necessary.

5. Reviews codes, ordinances, and fire protection standards from other jurisdictions for possible local applications; assists in the development of new codes and ordinances; assists in the revision of codes, ordinances, standards, and Fire Department Administrative Bulletins; and reviews new products, listings, materials, fire protection systems and equipment for use in local fire prevention applications.

6. Provides professional, technical guidance and assistance to the department in the design, testing, and potential of proposed new fire-fighting apparatus and equipment as well as fire-retardant materials.

7. Investigates sites of fires and makes determinations regarding possible structural, mechanical, alarm, fire extinguishing, or other safety system failures; prepares reports as required.

8. Evaluates performance-based analysis to determine whether proposed fire protection systems are acceptable with regard to the intent of codes, standards, and ordinances; evaluates conditions as necessary to ensure that a proposed performance-based design is acceptable; communicates acceptability of performance-based designs to Fire Department officials; and performs and analyzes results of hydraulic water flow tests.

9. May act for the Senior Mechanical Engineer in his/her absence.

These minimum qualifications establish the education, training, experience, special skills and/or license(s) which are required for employment in the classification. Please note, additional qualifications (i.e., special conditions) may apply to a particular position and will be stated on the exam/job announcement.

Education:

Possession of a baccalaureate degree in fire protection, mechanical, electrical, chemical, or civil engineering, or a related engineering field, from an accredited college or university.

Experience:

Two (2) years of professional experience in fire protection analysis including building design, specification writing, construction inspection, and plan review (including reading and interpreting architectural plans, computer fire modeling, and review of fire protection and life safety systems such as sprinkler and fire pump systems, smoke removal systems, fire resistive construction, means of egress, etc.)

License and Certification:

1. A valid California Driver License.

2. Possession of a valid Fire Protection Engineer license issued by the California Board of Registration for Professional Engineers.

Substitution:

A degree in fire protection engineering from an accredited college or university may be substituted for one (1) year of the required experience.

A valid registration as a Fire Protection Engineer from another state (which is transferable to the State of California) may substitute for the required Fire Protection Engineer license.

The FPE license may be obtained post-hire but must be obtained during the 12-month probationary period. In accordance with Civil Service Rule 117.4, an appointing officer, with the approval of the Human Resources Director, may extend the probationary period of a probationary appointee for up to a maximum of twelve (12) calendar months in order to allow the employee time in which to obtain the license. 

IMPORTANT:  Applicants may be contacted by email about this announcement and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date. Also, applicants must ensure that email from CCSF is not blocked on their computer by a spam filter. To prevent blocking, applicants should set up their email to accept CCSF mail from the following address: @sfgov.org.

Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

All work experience, education, training and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum qualifications must be included on your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications.

Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility or disqualification.

Upon successful submittal of the application online, you will receive an email acknowledging the receipt of the application. If you are having difficulty submitting your application online or if you have any questions regarding this recruitment, please contact the exam analyst, Deana Kwan by email at [email protected].

VERIFICATION:

Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at https://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/experience-education/

Note: Falsifying one's education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

Application materials [CCSF application and resume] will be screened to determine that applicants meet the minimum qualifications to advance in the selection process. The application or resume' must include your role and the tasks that you performed in the qualifying work, as well as project details such as type and size of building; type of construction; occupancy type; whether you performed design and/or plan review tasks; the dates during which the work was performed; and the code and/or additions under which the work was approved. Qualified candidates will be invited to a performance exam.

Performance Exam (Weight 100%):

The performance exam will be designed to measure essential knowledge areas and abilities. Details on these knowledge areas and abilities can be found from among, but not limited to the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities listed here: https://careers.sf.gov/classifications/

ELIGIBLE LIST:

The eligible list resulting from this examination is subject to change after adoption (e.g., as a result of appeals), as directed by the Human Resources Director or the Civil Service Commission.  The duration of candidates' eligibility on the list will be 24 months and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

CERTIFICATION RULE:

The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this selection process will be the "Rule of the List".

Department Selection Process:

Candidates whose names appear on the adopted eligible list will be invited by the Fire Department to participate in additional selection process steps including interviews. The decision of the Appointing Officer as to an applicant's qualifications for further screening and appointment will be final.

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights:

Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations. [Note: The correction of clerical errors in an announcement may be posted on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.smartrecruiters.com/CityAndCountyOfSanFrancisco1/. The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service 211.6. Such appeals must be submitted in writing to the Department of Human Resources, 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-5413 by the Department of Human Resources/Examination Division of the Police Department within five (5) calendar days from the issuance date. Information concerning other Civil Service Commission Rules involving announcements, applications and exam policies, including applicant appeal rights, can be found on the Civil Service Commission website at http://sfgov.org/civilservice/rules.

• Information About the Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview  
• Equal Employment Opportunity 
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

HOW TO APPLY:
Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit https://careers.smartrecruiters.com/CityAndCountyOfSanFrancisco1/ and begin the application process.

• Select the "I'm Interested" button and follow instructions on the screen

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up to date. Also, applicants must ensure that email from CCSF is not blocked on their computer by a spam filter. To prevent blocking, applicants should set up their email to accept CCSF mail from the following addresses: @sfgov.org and @smartrecruiters.com.
Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file.

Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

Exam Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the exam analyst, Deana Kwan, at [email protected].

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.