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Date: 08/21/2025

Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers

Install, program, maintain, and repair security and fire alarm wiring and equipment. Ensure that work is in accordance with relevant codes.

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    Work Activities

    Work Activities

    • Feed cables through access holes, roof spaces, or cavity walls to reach fixture outlets, positioning and terminating cables, wires, or strapping.
    • Mount and fasten control panels, door and window contacts, sensors, or video cameras, and attach electrical and telephone wiring to connect components.
    • Install, maintain, or repair security systems, alarm devices, or related equipment, following blueprints of electrical layouts and building plans.
    • Drill holes for wiring in wall studs, joists, ceilings, or floors.
    • Mount raceways and conduits and fasten wires to wood framing, using staplers.
    • Order replacement parts.
    • Inspect installation sites and study work orders, building plans, and installation manuals to determine materials requirements and installation procedures.
    • Consult with clients to assess risks and to determine security requirements.
    • Test and repair circuits and sensors, following wiring and system specifications.
    • Demonstrate systems for customers and explain details, such as the causes and consequences of false alarms.
    • Test backup batteries, keypad programming, sirens, or other security features to ensure proper functioning or to diagnose malfunctions.
    • Install, maintain, or repair security systems, alarm devices, or related equipment, following blueprints of electrical layouts and building plans.
    • Provide customers with cost estimates for equipment installation.
    • Inspect installation sites and study work orders, building plans, and installation manuals to determine materials requirements and installation procedures.
    • Examine systems to locate problems, such as loose connections or broken insulation.
    • Mount and fasten control panels, door and window contacts, sensors, or video cameras, and attach electrical and telephone wiring to connect components.
    • Keep informed of new products and developments.
    • Prepare documents, such as invoices or warranties.
    • Adjust sensitivity of units, based on room structures and manufacturers' recommendations, using programming keypads.
    • Test and repair circuits and sensors, following wiring and system specifications.

    Skills

    • Operations Monitoring

      Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Troubleshooting

      Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Monitoring

      Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Complex Problem Solving

      Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Learning Strategies

      Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Equipment Selection

      Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Systems Analysis

      Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Operations Analysis

      Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Active Listening

      Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Systems Evaluation

      Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    • Judgment and Decision Making

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Critical Thinking

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    • Coordination

      Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    4
    Workplace Documents
    4
    Graphic Literacy
    5

    Abilities

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Auditory Attention

      Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Extent Flexibility

      Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Gross Body Coordination

      Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Reaction Time

      Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    • Depth Perception

      Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

      Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Perceptual Speed

      Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

      Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Rate Control

      Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

    • Control Precision

      Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Response Orientation

      Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    • Visualization

      Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Multilimb Coordination

      Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Glare Sensitivity

      Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Inductive Reasoning

      Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    Knowledge

    • Psychology

      Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    • Communications and Media

      Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    • Transportation

      Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    • Therapy and Counseling

      Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    • Economics and Accounting

      Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    • Customer and Personal Service

      Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

    • Mathematics

      Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    • Fine Arts

      Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

    • Geography

      Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    • Foreign Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    • Public Safety and Security

      Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    • Engineering and Technology

      Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    • Design

      Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    • Administration and Management

      Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    • Law and Government

      Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    • Building and Construction

      Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    • Sales and Marketing

      Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    • Telecommunications

      Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    • Medicine and Dentistry

      Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

      Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    • Computers and Electronics

      Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    • Food Production

      Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

    • Physics

      Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    • Administrative

      Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    • Mechanical

      Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    • Production and Processing

      Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    • Philosophy and Theology

      Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    • History and Archeology

      Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    • Education and Training

      Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    • English Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

    • Personnel and Human Resources

      Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    • Chemistry

      Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    • Biology

      Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

    Career Video

    Additional videos and more information available on CareerOneStop

    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 61030/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 29.34/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 2,370
    • Yearly Projected Openings 250

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Dependability
    • Integrity
    • Attention to Detail
    • Independence
    • Self Control
    • Stress Tolerance

    Tools

    • Adjustable widemouth pliers
    • Battery testers
    • Claw hammer
    • Electrical frequency meters
    • Electronic measuring probes
    • Field strength measuring equipment
    • Fish tape
    • Ladders
    • Levels
    • Locking pliers
    • Lug crimping tool dies
    • Manlift or personnel lift
    • Multimeters
    • Needlenose pliers
    • Notebook computers
    • Offset socket wrenches
    • Ohmmeters
    • Oscilloscopes
    • Personal digital assistant PDAs or organizers
    • Phasemeters
    • Power drills
    • Power meters
    • Razor knives
    • Reflectometers
    • Scaffolding
    • Screwdrivers
    • Signal generators
    • Soldering iron
    • Sound measuring apparatus or decibel meter
    • Staple guns
    • Stripping tools
    • Telephony equipment service observing units
    • Vectorscope
    • Video monitors
    • Voltage or current meters
    • Wire cutters
    • Wire lug crimping tool

    Technology

    • Computer aided design CAD software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Network monitoring software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Platform interconnectivity software
    • Presentation software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Video creation and editing software
    • Word processing software

    Tags

    • Apprenticeships are available for this occupation. These programs can help you get hands-on experience and build your skills.
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