Fire protection specialist job description

This post includes 3 parts: duties list, job qualification and job description writing tips for Fire protection specialist in details. A complete job description concludes Fire protection specialist key duties/responsibilities, Fire protection specialist job qualifications (knowledge, education, skills, abilities, experience…KSA model) and other ones such as daily tasks, key activities, key/core competencies, job functions/purpose…

I. List of Fire protection specialist duties:

1. As the Authority Having Jurisdiction for JPL, administer decisions concerning fire and life safety compliance issues by working with CoF staff.
2. As the Authority Having Jurisdiction for the DSN Goldstone site, administer decisions concerning fire and life safety code compliance issues by working with DSN and ITT staff.
3. Perform facility system safety surveys of JPL mission critical structures as mandated in the current NASA prime contract.
4. Identify fire and life safety hazards to mission critical structures and flight hardware through inspections and develop standards and corrective recommendations to eliminate or mitigate the exposure to mission critical flight hardware and JPL structures.
5. Develop and maintain working relationship with DSN and ITT management and engineering staff with reference to fire and life safety issues.
6. Maintain an active membership with the National Fire Protection Association and the Society of Fire Protection Engineers.
7. Serve as the 5X representative in ISO.
8. Review and amend as necessary the CoF Facility Design Standard.
9. Conduct hydrant flow tests at both JPL and Goldstone in order to furnish sprinkler contractors with up-to-date relative water flow information for incorporation into their design drawings.
10. Serve in an advisory capacity to the Explosives Safety Officer in the Occupational Safety Program Office.
11. Maintain all JPL Rules documents relative to fire and life safety concerns at JPL.
12. Perform off-site inspections of facilities proposed for occupancy by property management and submit recommendations as necessary to property management.
13. Represent JPL and present fire protection status at JPL to NASA Fire Safety Coordinators at annual meetings.
14. Support System Safety Engineers and flight project management and engineers in aspects of fire protection and life safety issues.
15. Hold a valid Professional Engineering License in Fire Protection Engineering or equal engineering discipline.
16. Review construction drawings for fire protection and life safety code compliance covering all projects
17. Perform fire loss investigations in concert with Security/Fire Department officials.
18. Perform site inspections of new construction projects to determine compliance with applicable codes and approved drawings.

II. List of Fire protection specialist qualifications

1. Requires a Bachelors degree in Engineering or related discipline with a minimum of 9 years of related experience; Masters degree in similar disciplines with a minimum of 7 years of related experience; or PhD in similar disciplines with a minimum of 5 years related experience. A minimum of 5 years working experience in the field of fire protection engineering.
2. An active, licensed professional fire protection engineer.
3. Wide-ranging experience and advanced knowledge in one or more of the following areas: Fire protection engineering, hydraulics, loss control, risk analysis, chemistry, codes both prescriptive and performance design.
4. Extensive understanding and wide application of advanced principles and theories in fire protection.
5. Capable of utilizing fire protection software programs in the course of evaluating special hazards.
6. Complete knowledge of industry and/or academic practices and standards across a range of applications related to Fire Protection.
7. Working knowledge of State of California Building, Mechanical and Fire Codes and Hydraulics Verification Programs.
8. Capable of performing a risk-based analysis of various occupancies and associated hazards; and, developing a performance-based solution to adequately protect structures from identified hazards.
9. Recognized expert in Fire Protection and Life Safety community with extensive experience in assessing, developing, and implementing effective fire and life safety programs.
10. Has experience in conducting fire loss investigation and site inspections.
11. Excellent verbal, written, and presentation communications skills.
12. Excellent interpersonal skills and works well in team environment as lead or team member.
13. Competent in Microsoft Office Suite including Microsoft Project

III. Tips to write job description

1. Too-long job description:

Looking at a too-long job description can frighten the candidates off and drive the away. A job description, no matter how important the job is, should not be included in more than 3 pages. If one focuses on too many things at a time, he shall definitely lose focus on the main items and get overwhelmed by the remaining; So, keep it concisely.

2. Too-short job description:

While too-long can be a problem, too-short is more a problem. It will ruin the meaning of the job description. A too-short one means it lacks necessary details and therefore, the candidate will not be able to understand while reading it.

3. Listing unnecessary functions or job duties:

Just classifying these into the “others” category will save you a lot of effort and space. On the other hand, the job description will become more dilute and easy to be neglected.

4. Key functions

Not listing key functions as required for the job can be a fatal mistake to a job description.

5. Grammar and spelling

Poor grammar and having spelling errors can ruin the job description, too. Never think that as you are the employer, you may have the right to make grammar or spelling errors while requires other not to. A job description with such errors is easily to be mistaken as a fake or ghost ads; as a result, the candidate will turn away from it.

6. Not specific enough:

Be specific and concise; if you don’t address the specific, then what the job description is for. It is for the candidate to understand just exactly what he needs to do or needs to have. Lacking details can confuse the candidates very well.

7. Not having the job description reviewed by others:

This is also a common mistake. One may be subject to bias, but more than one, especially with the help of those external advisor, the job description can be more perfect.

8. Using buzzwords or abbreviations:

In fact, it is not necessary at all to use such in a job description.

9. Using slang or legal words:

Just use common wording to communicate with others and don’t do anything extraordinarily.

10. Not updating the job description:

The same job may require different duties and responsibilities in different times, so, you cannot use the same job description for 2 different times.