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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Fire Inspectors and Investigators?
Task-level automation exposure for Fire Inspectors and Investigators: 30 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
37%
weighted task index
30 of 30 tasks scored
Median Salary
$75,920 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Low
13,800 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+4.2%
employment change
1,600 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 43 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$37,320 – $122,900
Highest medians
Washington $122,900
Oregon $115,080
California $99,230
Maryland $98,730
Nevada $93,450
Lowest medians
Oklahoma $37,320
West Virginia $52,490
Mississippi $55,260
Kentucky $55,970
Arkansas $57,990
State figures come from the 33-2021 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.
What the score is made of
Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.
Automation potential 37%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 2%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 35%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 21%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 0%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Consequence of error 15/100
Low
O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.
Constituent Task Mix
30 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.
High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 19%
5 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 26%
9 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 55%
16 tasks
How would you survive?
Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.
Simulate Upskilling →Constituent Tasks
#22991 · Core · 67% automatable
Prepare and maintain reports of investigation results, and records of convicted arsonists and arson suspects.
text generation — Incident reports drafted from facts; human reviews
Record information about suspects or criminals. Prepare investigation or incident reports.
#22992 · Core · 15% automatable
Testify in court cases involving fires, suspected arson, and false alarms.
interpersonal — Testimony carries legal accountability and live presence
Testify at legal or legislative proceedings.
#22993 · Core · 30% automatable
Package collected pieces of evidence in securely closed containers, such as bags, crates, or boxes, to protect them.
physical manipulation — Forensic evidence handling requires chain-of-custody hands
Process forensic or legal evidence in accordance with procedures.
#22994 · Core · 20% automatable
Conduct inspections and acceptance testing of newly installed fire protection systems.
visual inspection — Hands-on safety inspection of physical equipment
Inspect equipment to ensure safety or proper functioning.
#22995 · Core · 30% automatable
Analyze evidence and other information to determine probable cause of fire or explosion.
physical manipulation — Crime scene evidence requires physical collection
Analyze crime scene evidence.
#22996 · Core · 20% automatable
Photograph damage and evidence related to causes of fires or explosions to document investigation findings.
physical manipulation — Scene evidence capture requires human presence
Record crime or accident scene evidence with video or still cameras.
#22998 · Core · 22% automatable
Inspect buildings to locate hazardous conditions and fire code violations, such as accumulations of combustible material, electrical wiring problems, and inadequate or non-functional fire exits.
visual inspection — Physical fire-code walkthrough requires presence and judgment
Inspect facilities to ensure compliance with fire regulations.
#22997 · Core · 15% automatable
Examine fire sites and collect evidence such as glass, metal fragments, charred wood, and accelerant residue for use in determining the cause of a fire.
physical manipulation — Physical debris examination is hands-on
Examine debris to obtain information about causes of fires.
#22999 · Core · 50% automatable
Instruct children about the dangers of fire.
text generation — Public education materials draftable; live outreach human
Educate the public about fire safety or prevention.
#23000 · Core · 22% automatable
Conduct fire code compliance follow-ups to ensure that corrective actions have been taken in cases where violations were found.
visual inspection — Physical fire-code walkthrough requires presence and judgment
Inspect facilities to ensure compliance with fire regulations.
#23001 · Core · 28% automatable
Inspect properties that store, handle, and use hazardous materials to ensure compliance with laws, codes, and regulations, and issue hazardous materials permits to facilities found in compliance.
decision support — Legal issuance requires authority and accountability
Inspect facilities to ensure compliance with security or safety regulations. Issue permits or other legal documents.
#23002 · Core · 78% automatable
Write detailed reports of fire inspections performed, fire code violations observed, and corrective recommendations offered.
text generation — Draft operational reports; human tailors and signs off
Write operational reports.
#23003 · Core · 62% automatable
Identify corrective actions necessary to bring properties into compliance with applicable fire codes, laws, regulations, and standards, and explain these measures to property owners or their representatives.
decision support — AI maps regulations to gaps; human verifies site
Identify actions needed to bring properties or facilities into compliance with regulations. Inform others about laws or regulations.
#23004 · Core · 55% automatable
Develop or review fire exit plans.
text generation — Fire plans drafted; code compliance and site review human
Develop fire safety or prevention programs or plans.
#23005 · Core · 20% automatable
Inspect and test fire protection or fire detection systems to verify that such systems are installed in accordance with appropriate laws, codes, ordinances, regulations, and standards.
visual inspection — Hands-on safety inspection of physical equipment
Inspect equipment to ensure safety or proper functioning.
#23006 · Core · 30% automatable
Coordinate efforts with other organizations, such as law enforcement agencies.
interpersonal — Live incident response with agencies is human-led
Collaborate with law enforcement or security agencies to respond to incidents.
#23007 · Core · 20% automatable
Attend training classes to maintain current knowledge of fire prevention, safety, and firefighting procedures.
interpersonal — Attending training is a physical, human presence act
Attend training to learn new skills or update knowledge.
#23008 · Core · 80% automatable
Review blueprints and plans for new or remodeled buildings to ensure the structures meet fire safety codes.
text generation — Policy compliance document review, human owns final call
Review documents or materials for compliance with policies or regulations.
#23009 · Core · 45% automatable
Teach fire investigation techniques to other firefighter personnel.
interpersonal — Job-skill training content AI-assisted; coaching human
Train personnel to enhance job skills. Train personnel in technical or scientific procedures.
#23010 · Core · 50% automatable
Conduct fire exit drills to monitor and evaluate evacuation procedures.
interpersonal — Training content AI-assisted; live instruction and demonstration human
Provide safety training.
#23011 · Core · 50% automatable
Teach public education programs on fire safety and prevention.
text generation — Public education materials draftable; live outreach human
Educate the public about fire safety or prevention.
#23012 · Core · 60% automatable
Recommend changes to fire prevention, inspection, and fire code endorsement procedures.
decision support — Safety recommendations drafted; site verification human
Recommend improvements to increase safety or reduce risks.
#23013 · Supplemental · 20% automatable
Subpoena and interview witnesses, property owners, and building occupants to obtain information and sworn testimony.
interpersonal — Criminal interviews need human judgment and presence
Interview people to gather information about criminal activities.
#23014 · Supplemental · 35% automatable
Conduct internal investigation to determine negligence and violation of laws and regulations by fire department employees.
decision support — AI aids analysis, investigation is human-led
Investigate crimes committed within organizations.
#23015 · Supplemental · 15% automatable
Test sites and materials to establish facts, such as burn patterns and flash points of materials, using test equipment.
physical manipulation — Physical debris examination is hands-on
Examine debris to obtain information about causes of fires.
#23016 · Supplemental · 8% automatable
Dust evidence or portions of fire scenes for latent fingerprints.
physical manipulation — Crime scene examination is physical, situated work
Examine crime scenes to obtain evidence.
#23017 · Supplemental · 10% automatable
Arrange for the replacement of defective fire fighting equipment and for repair of fire alarm and sprinkler systems, making minor repairs such as servicing fire extinguishers when feasible.
physical manipulation — Hands-on firefighting equipment maintenance
Maintain fire fighting tools or equipment.
#23018 · Supplemental · 35% automatable
Issue permits for public assemblies.
decision support — Legal issuance requires authority and accountability
Issue permits or other legal documents.
#23019 · Supplemental · 37% automatable
Supervise staff, training them, planning their work, and evaluating their performance.
decision support — Performance review aided; accountability and context human
Evaluate employee performance. Train employees in proper work procedures. Direct fire fighting or prevention activities.
#23020 · Supplemental · 35% automatable
Develop and coordinate fire prevention programs, such as false alarm billing, fire inspection reporting, and hazardous materials management.
text generation — Fire plans drafted; code compliance and site review human
Develop fire safety or prevention programs or plans. Direct fire fighting or prevention activities.
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How this was scored
- 1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
- 2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
- 3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
- 4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.
Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.
Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast
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