Career profile · 49-2098
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.
What the work can involve
- Install, maintain, or repair security systems, alarm devices, or related equipment, following blueprints of electrical layouts and building plans.
- Mount and fasten control panels, door and window contacts, sensors, or video cameras, and attach electrical and telephone wiring to connect components.
- Demonstrate systems for customers and explain details, such as the causes and consequences of false alarms.
- Test and repair circuits and sensors, following wiring and system specifications.
- Feed cables through access holes, roof spaces, or cavity walls to reach fixture outlets, positioning and terminating cables, wires, or strapping.
- Examine systems to locate problems, such as loose connections or broken insulation.
Selected core tasks from O*NET 31.0. Responsibilities vary by employer, specialization and experience.
Preparation and entry routes
This broad O*NET group commonly involves vocational training, related experience or an associate-level route. It does not mean every course in a related subject meets the requirements.
Check the route for the specific occupation where you plan to work. Education, employer experience requirements, occupational licensing and industry certification can be separate steps.
Understand the different credentials →Skills used in this occupation
- Critical Thinking
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Monitoring
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Knowledge to build
- Public Safety and Security
- Computers and Electronics
- Customer and Personal Service
- Telecommunications
- Building and Construction
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Common work activities
- Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Training subjects to investigate
The federal education-to-occupation crosswalk connects this role to the subjects below. These links do not endorse a school or guarantee that any particular award qualifies a graduate for the job.
Working conditions to consider
These are the most common published responses to selected O*NET work-setting questions. They describe occupation-level survey findings, not every employer or a particular job.
| Work-setting question | Most common response | Share giving that response |
|---|---|---|
| Contact With Others | Constant contact with others | 72.2%07/2015 · sample 23 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | Once a month or more but not every week | 26.1%07/2015 · sample 23 |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | Never | 51.4%07/2015 · sample 23 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | Once a year or more but not every month | 43.0%07/2015 · sample 23 |
| Spend Time Sitting | Less than half the time | 52.2%07/2015 · sample 23 |
| Spend Time Standing | More than half the time | 45.6%07/2015 · sample 23 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | More than half the time | 35.5%07/2015 · sample 23 |
| Time Pressure | Once a week or more but not every day | 45.7%07/2015 · sample 23 |
| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets | Every day | 81.7%07/2015 · sample 23 |
| Work Schedules | Regular (established routine, set schedule) | 76.3%07/2015 · sample 23 |
O*NET 31.0 Work Context, selected topics. Only unsuppressed source responses with sample size at least 10 are shown. A most-common response need not be a majority. Sampling uncertainty applies; source dates vary. Ask employers about actual schedules, accessibility, protective equipment and working conditions.
Software used in the workplace
Use these O*NET examples to ask how a course builds practical digital skills. They are workplace examples, not a required shopping list or confirmation of a school’s curriculum.
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook
- Network monitoring software: Traceroute
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
- Operating system software: Microsoft Windows
- Platform interconnectivity software: Microsoft Hyperterminal
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel
- Video creation and editing software: Exacq Technologies software
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word
Selected categories and examples from O*NET 31.0 Software Skills. Products and employer requirements change. These examples are not endorsements; check the complete official occupation profile.
Pay & employment outlook
Salary estimates for security and fire alarm systems installers
The median divides workers into two equally sized groups by pay. It is not a starting salary, a school’s graduate outcome or a promise of employment. Lower percentiles are not automatically new graduates.
National outlook: 2025–2035
- Typical education for entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Related work experience
- None
- Typical on-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
BLS national employment projections, 2025–2035. Openings include people leaving occupations or the labor force; these are not advertised vacancies. Education categories describe typical entry, not legal eligibility or a guarantee that any specific program is sufficient.
Compare wages across 51 state/DC estimates
| State | Annual median | Hourly median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $60,710 | $29.19 | 1,350 |
| Alaska | $79,870 | $38.40 | 110 |
| Arizona | $59,680 | $28.69 | 2,040 |
| Arkansas | $48,950 | $23.53 | 620 |
| California | $71,570 | $34.41 | 8,180 |
| Colorado | $62,250 | $29.93 | 1,950 |
| Connecticut | $75,410 | $36.26 | 540 |
| Delaware | $59,680 | $28.69 | 160 |
| District of Columbia | $58,460 | $28.11 | 210 |
| Florida | $60,070 | $28.88 | 8,320 |
| Georgia | $53,100 | $25.53 | 2,220 |
| Hawaii | $63,140 | $30.36 | 380 |
| Idaho | $49,180 | $23.65 | 340 |
| Illinois | $59,800 | $28.75 | 2,180 |
| Indiana | $58,070 | $27.92 | 1,930 |
| Iowa | $63,750 | $30.65 | 480 |
| Kansas | $61,480 | $29.56 | 740 |
| Kentucky | $60,700 | $29.18 | 1,080 |
| Louisiana | $54,730 | $26.31 | 1,170 |
| Maine | $64,080 | $30.81 | 240 |
| Maryland | $65,330 | $31.41 | 2,230 |
| Massachusetts | $78,530 | $37.76 | 1,690 |
| Michigan | $55,830 | $26.84 | 2,060 |
| Minnesota | $62,440 | $30.02 | 770 |
| Mississippi | $47,160 | $22.67 | 440 |
| Missouri | $54,620 | $26.26 | 1,790 |
| Montana | $58,800 | $28.27 | 190 |
| Nebraska | $48,000 | $23.08 | 490 |
| Nevada | $60,980 | $29.32 | 1,170 |
| New Hampshire | $61,530 | $29.58 | 500 |
| New Jersey | $63,140 | $30.36 | 2,740 |
| New Mexico | $58,350 | $28.05 | 630 |
| New York | $58,550 | $28.15 | 6,620 |
| North Carolina | $54,120 | $26.02 | 2,880 |
| North Dakota | $57,620 | $27.70 | 150 |
| Ohio | $61,860 | $29.74 | 2,440 |
| Oklahoma | $48,240 | $23.19 | 1,340 |
| Oregon | $75,710 | $36.40 | 950 |
| Pennsylvania | $59,500 | $28.61 | 2,650 |
| Rhode Island | $76,320 | $36.69 | 240 |
| South Carolina | $59,710 | $28.71 | 1,050 |
| South Dakota | $55,690 | $26.77 | 220 |
| Tennessee | $51,460 | $24.74 | 2,520 |
| Texas | $52,270 | $25.13 | 10,260 |
| Utah | $61,150 | $29.40 | 980 |
| Vermont | $60,080 | $28.89 | 110 |
| Virginia | $60,790 | $29.23 | 2,130 |
| Washington | $72,950 | $35.07 | 1,670 |
| West Virginia | $51,100 | $24.57 | 260 |
| Wisconsin | $61,130 | $29.39 | 770 |
| Wyoming | $59,800 | $28.75 | 150 |
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages
Search the 237 published local-area estimates for this occupation. Metropolitan areas can cross state lines; a city’s postal name is not necessarily the statistical area’s name.
Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS public downloads and 2025–2035 employment projections, retrieved September 9, 2026. Unpublished estimates stay unavailable. “+” means BLS’s upper reporting threshold ($239,200 annually or $115 hourly). Wages exclude self-employment and nonwage benefits. How to interpret these figures.
Compare the route and prepare for work
Questions to test the fit
- What does an entry-level working day look like, and how does it differ from the experienced role described here?
- Which tasks, work environments and schedules would I enjoy or find difficult?
- What education, supervised practice and credentials do local employers actually request?
- Can I speak with someone in the occupation or arrange a suitable workplace visit?
- How does the complete training cost compare with my realistic budget and available routes?
Related occupations to compare
- Electricians→
- First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers→
- Signal and Track Switch Repairers→
- Solar Energy Installation Managers→
Related through shared training-subject mappings. Entry requirements can differ substantially.
Sources and attribution
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Trade School Guides selects and organizes the material and adds explanatory guidance. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Occupation code: 49-2098.00.
Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.