It was the Blazers. (Source)

Some say human civilization began when humans learned how to create fire. Here at Shmoop, we say it began at the fire-creation after party, when one partier danced right into the flames and another smacked him until the fire was out—and thus becoming humanity's first firefighter. Since that inauspicious start, firefighting has progressed to the point where we don't just battle blazes, we try to figure out how a blaze began blazing.

These days, professional fire investigators spot the causes of flames and investigate any nefariousness involved. Sounds interesting, sure, but is this the right job for you? 

Do the ashes left from a town bonfire interest you more than the leaping flames? Do your crime-fighting instincts perk up at the slightest mention of the word arson? Have you watched Backdraft more times this week than you've taken showers? Then perhaps a career investigating fires really is for you. (We can also help you if you'd rather fight them. We can help you set them, too—legally, of course).

Unlike a lot of firefighters, the fire (or arson, depending who you work for) investigator actually gets paid well for their particular expertise. By mid-career, you'll be looking a $60,000 per year salary in the face, and by the time you're a grizzled veteran, you may have crossed the $100,000 threshold (source). 

 

Fighting fire with community outreach. (Source)

Many of the best jobs are also the local jobs, which is good because almost three-quarters of the workforce can be found in community fire stations (source). Yes, that does mean you might end up standing on the side of the road collecting donations in a big boot. But if you're not into helping the community, this probably isn't the job for you anyway.

Fire investigators aren't just found in firehouses, though. Police departments, insurance companies, state agencies, universities, the Federal government, and law offices will all want to employ or contract fire detectives. 

Specialist positions are available as well, should you decide you want to focus on, for example, vehicle fires or explosives (source). That's right, you can specialize in investigating explosions. There are job openings available for any kind of thrill-seeker, provided you don't take the work home with you (tampering with evidence is kind of frowned upon anyway).

To get this job, you can't just show up at a fire station with a fedora and a magnifying glass and say, "Which way to the fire, gents?" To become a fire inspector, first you have to be a firefighter. Even if you take all the fire science courses (required) and classroom certifications (optional), they're still not going to let you into the crime scene until you have a few years of hands on (figuratively speaking) firefighting experience (source). 

We wish we could tell you that becoming a fire investigator is as easy as sitting down and watching that Kurt Russell firefighting movie, but it's a little more time intensive than that. So read on to figure out if this job lights a fire under you, or if this job would make your dreams go up in a puff of smoke.

P.S. Get used to the fire-related humor. There's going to be a lot of it.

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