Fire commissioner to fire safety tester
A fire commissioner already meets 29% of what the fire safety tester role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
64.7/ 100
1 How much of what a fire safety tester is expected to do is already part of a fire commissioner’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the fire safety tester role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A fire safety tester role treats 4 of its required skills as things a fire commissioner already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- fire prevention procedures
- fire safety regulations
- fire-fighting systems
- organise fire drills
What stands in the way is 10 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A fire safety tester role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a fire commissioner background worth leading with.
- already held fire protection engineering services
- already held inspect fire equipment constructing
- already held organise fire drills management skills
- already held conduct fire safety inspections assisting and caring
- already held educate public on fire safety communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held fire prevention procedures services
All 9 carried skills, including the 4 the fire safety tester role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 21 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn conduct fire tests required
- still to learn develop material testing procedures required
- still to learn record test data required
- still to learn report test findings required
- optional, not held determine fire risks optional
- optional, not held test safety strategies optional
- still to learn operate fire extinguishers required
- still to learn wear appropriate protective gear required
- optional, not held maintain safety systems optional
- optional, not held act as contact person during equipment incident optional
- optional, not held manage health and safety standards optional
- still to learn perform laboratory tests required
- still to learn use testing equipment required
- still to learn maintain test equipment required
- still to learn health and safety regulations required
- optional, not held advise architects optional
- optional, not held advise on safety improvements optional
- optional, not held write inspection reports optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a fire safety tester role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 conduct fire tests practise this
- 02 develop material testing procedures practise this
- 03 health and safety regulations study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 9 skills that carry over
- already held fire prevention procedures knowledge
- already held fire safety regulations knowledge
- already held fire-fighting systems knowledge
- already held organise fire drills skill
- already held conduct fire safety inspections skill
- already held educate public on fire safety skill
- already held fire protection engineering knowledge
- already held inspect fire equipment skill
- already held perform risk analysis skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held pyrotechnic articles legislation optional
- optional, not held quality assurance procedures optional
- optional, not held electricity optional
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held maintain safety systems optional
- optional, not held act as contact person during equipment incident optional
- optional, not held advise architects optional
- optional, not held advise on safety improvements optional
- optional, not held determine fire risks optional
- optional, not held electricity optional
- optional, not held manage health and safety standards optional
- optional, not held pyrotechnic articles legislation optional
- optional, not held quality assurance procedures optional
- optional, not held test safety strategies optional
- optional, not held write inspection reports optional
19 held skills the fire safety tester role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on government policy compliance skill
- not needed by the target role building codes knowledge
- not needed by the target role building materials industry knowledge
- not needed by the target role business knowledge knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate health and safety measures skill
- not needed by the target role conduct public presentations skill
- not needed by the target role construction methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role coordinate fire fighting skill
- not needed by the target role ensure equipment availability skill
- not needed by the target role environmental policy knowledge
- not needed by the target role government policy knowledge
- not needed by the target role implement fire safety management plans skill
- not needed by the target role legal research knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role manage major incidents skill
- not needed by the target role mechanical systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform maintenance on fire alarm systems skill
- not needed by the target role personnel management knowledge
- not needed by the target role train employees skill
4 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn health and safety regulations required
- optional, not held electricity optional
- optional, not held pyrotechnic articles legislation optional
- optional, not held quality assurance procedures optional
Common questions about this move
Can a fire commissioner become a fire safety tester?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A fire commissioner already covers 29% of what a fire safety tester is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 4 of which the fire safety tester role treats as required.
What skills does a fire commissioner need to become a fire safety tester?
10 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is conduct fire tests.
How hard is the move from fire commissioner to fire safety tester?
Its learning distance is 64.7 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.