Fire Protection Engineer

The City of Seattle Fire Department is seeking a regular, full-time Fire Protection Engineer to join the Fire Prevention Division. The Seattle Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Division is dedicated to preventing fires and assuring fire and life safety for people who live, work, and visit in Seattle. The division is recognized nationally for its successful prevention programs that have led to fire rates in Seattle that are significantly lower than US and regional averages. The Fire Prevention Division provides plan review and inspection services for all new construction and major remodels as part of the City’s permitting process. The Fire Prevention Division also regulates the use of hazardous materials and enforces life safety conditions at large events such as concerts, outdoor fairs and festivals, and nightclubs. The division is staffed by firefighters and professional staff and is a dynamic and fast-paced professional environment serving a meaningful mission. We are also known as the Fire Marshal’s Office.

As a Fire Protection Engineer, you will be part of a team of four engineers, three senior engineers and permit technician who report to a Supervising Fire Protection Engineer. Your team is responsible for ensuring that commercial building construction in the city limits meets the minimum requirements of the Seattle Fire Code (SFC), as well as some provisions of the Seattle Building Code (SBC) and adopted National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards. You will also contribute fire protection engineering and code expertise to other City departments and may play a role in the process of developing local amendments to NPFA standards, the International Fire Code (IFC), and the International Building Code (IBC).

To succeed in this position, you will have strong technical skills including knowledge of fire codes, national standards, engineering principles, and fire protection systems. You must also have the ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing and use software tools to review electronic plan submittals.

The Seattle Fire Department provides a professional, friendly work environment in a world-class urban city with year-round outdoor recreation opportunities at your doorstep. The successful candidate will have an opportunity to work with team members from many units in the Fire Prevention Division and the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections. The City of Seattle offers competitive salaries, a pension, and comprehensive benefits. Flexible work schedules may be available including a hybrid schedule with up to two days each week from a remote location.

• Review architectural plans for compliance with Seattle Fire Code and related Building Code requirements.
• Perform technical reviews of plans for fire protection systems. Perform calculations as required to verify the adequacy of designs.
• Use the City’s Accela permitting system and BlueBeam software to locate electronic plan submittals and annotate them with corrections and assign fees.
• Use the Fire Department’s proprietary plan review database to record project information.
• Identify required fire code operational permits in proposed projects being reviewed.
• Advise fire inspectors with complex or unusual field inspections.
• Provide technical and code assistance to members of the Seattle Fire Department, the public, and design and construction professionals.
• Evaluate requests for code alternates and make recommendations to the Supervising Fire Protection Engineer.
• Represent the Fire Marshal at meetings with architects, contractors, industry groups, and other City departments.
• Handle a high volume of work accurately, consistently, and timely.
• Provide high quality customer service that is professional, consistent, and timely.
• Understand and consistently follow SFD policies and procedures, particularly those related to plan review, construction inspections, permitting, and compliance enforcement in existing buildings, and records retention.
• Reliably identify and elevate significant issues to management, reliably meet deadlines, and keep management appraised of your deliverables, accomplishments, and challenges.
• Communicate effectively internally and externally, orally and in writing.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Requires a bachelor’s degree in fire protection, mechanical, chemical, civil engineering or a closely related field that includes significant fire protection engineering coursework and a minimum of three years of experience in building construction and fire protection. A combination of education and/or training and/or experience which provides an equivalent background required to perform the work may be considered.

Additional attributes and skills a successful candidate will possess:

• Proven technical expertise related to engineering principles and fire protection systems.
• Ability to work independently and be an effective team member.
• Ability to work effectively in a diverse environment.
• Ability to perform work onsite. SFD is providing hybrid schedules for employees who are interested in remote work. Hybrid schedules may include three days in the office and up to two days from a remote location each week.
• Ability toperform assigned tasks with frequent interruptions.
• Desire to support SFD’s customer service commitment and the City’s goals of a quick, consistent, and well documented permitting process.
• Desire to be part of the Seattle Fire Department, supporting the mission of the Fire Prevention Division.

• Experience as a user of business systems to facilitate plan reviews and approvals processes, such as Accela.
• State of Washington Professional Engineer License is desirable. If licensed in another state, the successful candidate will be asked to work toward obtaining reciprocity in Washington State.
• Obtaining certification as an ICC Fire Plans Examiner, Certified Fire Protection Specialist (CFPS), or Certified Fire Plans Examiner (CFPE), or equivalent within the first year of employment, with recertification every three years, is desirable.

Initial selection steps for this position will include: 1. an oral interview (80%), 2. evaluation of application, resume and cover letter (20%).

The full salary range for this position is $67.37 - $78.67 per hour.

The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday, and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents. More information about employee benefits is available on the City's website at:

The Seattle Fire Department is looking to create a diverse team of hardworking, committed individuals with a passion for public service and who are deeply aligned with our City's values of Race and Social Justice. The City of Seattle is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants are considered for positions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, gender identity, political ideology, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state, and local laws.