Fire Alarm Service Technician

Position: Fire Alarm Service Technician. This is an experienced, fully licensed seat; it is not a trainee position.

Company: Columbia Fire, LLC

Location: Seattle, WA. Field-based. Most work is within roughly 100 miles of Seattle. Not a remote or hybrid position.

Reports To: Service Manager

Employment Type: Full-time, hourly, non-exempt

Bargaining Unit Status: Non-union. Fire alarm positions at Columbia Fire are not covered by the Local 699 collective bargaining agreement.

Incentive Eligibility: Not eligible for bonus or commission. Take-home company vehicle, iPad, laptop, and tools provided.

Travel: Periodic. Roughly 5–10% of your time on work outside the 100-mile radius, which can include Oregon and Idaho. Manufacturer training is usually out of state — most Edwards classes are held in Florida — and occasional work or cross-training happens at our sister offices in Oregon or Idaho.

Scope: Service only. This seat inspects, tests, troubleshoots, repairs, and programs existing fire alarm systems. New-construction installation is not part of this role.

About Columbia Fire

Columbia Fire designs, installs, inspects, and services fire and life safety systems out of Seattle. We were founded in 2005. We are part of Columbia Safety Services, a multi-state regional company that also includes Valley Fire Control in Albany and Newport, Oregon and Spokane, Washington, with an office in St Maries, Idaho, and FFF Protection in Greater Boise, with an office in Nampa, Idaho.

Our core values guide how we operate: Customer First, Grit, Effective Communication, Own the Outcome, Take Pride in the Work, and Do the Right Thing.

Edwards is our primary fire alarm platform and every one of our offices is an Edwards Strategic Partner. We also service non-proprietary Potter, Fire-Lite, and Silent Knight systems, and whatever else is already on the wall in a customer's building. Fire alarm and service work is where the company is investing, and we will tell you that plainly rather than let you find out after you start.

Why This Role Exists

Our fire alarm inspection and service work is growing faster than our licensed technicians can absorb it. Today the technicians who carry that work also carry installation projects, so when a project gets busy, inspections slip, repairs wait, and the customer relationships that make service valuable get thinner. We are separating the two. This seat is service only: the technician in it keeps existing systems inspected, compliant, and working, and is never pulled onto a construction site to make a project deadline.

We know the pool of fully licensed and certified fire alarm technicians in the Puget Sound region is small and mostly already employed somewhere. That is why this seat requires the credentials at hire and pays for them: a Washington 06 Limited Energy certification, a Seattle FA1, NICET II in Fire Alarm Systems, and five or more years of real service experience. We are not training someone into this role. We are hiring someone who can run a truck on day one, and the pay range is wide enough that a senior or master-level technician is paid for what they bring rather than squeezed into a single rate.

About the Role

This is service work in occupied commercial buildings — offices, schools, hospitals, high-rises, warehouses, restaurants, and industrial facilities. You will inspect, test, troubleshoot, repair, and program existing fire alarm systems. Some weeks are inspection-heavy. Some are a service truck and a list of calls. Some are a panel replacement, a monitoring takeover, or a high-rise test that runs past midnight. The mix moves with the workload and with what you are licensed to do on your own, so nobody here gets stuck doing one repetitive task for a year.

What you will not do is new-construction installation. No raceway, no wire pulls on a jobsite, no commissioning a system someone else built. That work belongs to our installation technicians, and if that is what you want, look at our Fire Alarm Technician posting instead. Small service-generated work — replacing a failed panel, adding or relocating a handful of devices on an existing system, swapping a communicator — is part of this job, because a service technician who cannot finish the repair is only half useful to the customer.

The inspection report is the product. A complete, accurate, same-day report with deficiencies photographed, described plainly, and handed to service sales to quote is what the customer and the fire marshal are paying for. A technician who tests well but documents poorly has done half the job.

Most of your work will be within about 100 miles of Seattle. The remaining 5–10% is work outside that radius, training with third parties, or cross-training at one of our sister offices.

What You'll Do

Essential Functions

Inspection and testing

• Perform annual, semiannual, quarterly, and monthly fire alarm inspections and tests in accordance with NFPA 72 and the adopted local code
• Identify deficiencies, explain them in plain language to the building owner or property manager, and write them up clearly enough that someone can quote the repair
• Produce complete, accurate inspection reports on the day of the work — the report is the deliverable, not an afterthought
• Coordinate with the authority having jurisdiction on inspection scheduling, impairment notifications, and re-tests after repairs

Service and troubleshooting

• Diagnose and repair ground faults, opens, shorts, trouble conditions, and nuisance alarms
• Replace and reprogram panels, devices, power supplies, and notification appliances on existing systems
• Add, relocate, or remove devices on existing systems as service-generated work, including the programming and documentation that goes with it
• Complete monitoring takeovers, including dialers, cellular and IP communicators, and signal verification with the central station
• Respond to emergency calls, and take after-hours and on-call work in rotation

Programming and system changes

• Program, download, and test fire alarm panels after repairs, replacements, and upgrades — primarily Edwards, along with Potter, Fire-Lite, and Silent Knight as the building requires
• Verify sequence of operations after any change, including HVAC shutdown, elevator recall, door holders, and releasing functions where applicable
• Complete point-to-point verification and record-of-completion documentation for panel replacements and system upgrades

Everything else that keeps the work moving

• Document labor, materials, and findings in our work order software on an iPad the same day
• Keep the scheduler, the Service Manager, and the customer informed — especially when a job is going sideways
• Work safely and stop work when it is not safe. Zero injuries is the company's stated target, not a poster in the break room.

Other Duties

• Identify upgrade, replacement, and monitoring opportunities during service visits and pass them to service sales with enough detail to act on
• Train and back up less experienced technicians, including trainees assigned to ride with you
• Help build the task-level inspection checklists, report templates, and service procedures as the department grows
• Assist installation technicians with final testing on occasion when the service schedule allows
• Other duties as assigned by the Service Manager

Who You Are

• You can work without someone standing over you, and you know the difference between working independently and going silent.
• You want to understand how the system works, not just follow the steps in the manual.
• You can diagnose. Parts-swapping until the trouble light goes out is not troubleshooting.
• You finish the report before you leave the parking lot.
• You are willing to be coached and willing to coach. Both matter here.
• You can talk to a building engineer, a fire marshal, and a restaurant owner in the same day and be understood by all three.
• You show up. Inspections are scheduled around the customer's building, not around us.

Who Struggles Here

We would rather you screen yourself out now than in month three.

• If you need a finished, documented process handed to you before you can start, this will be frustrating. Our systems are in place — Acumatica, ServiceTrade, HubSpot — but the task-level procedures around them are still being built, and you will be asked to help build them. People who have spent an entire career inside a very large company with a training department and a playbook for everything generally do not enjoy this.
• If your instinct when a job goes wrong is to go quiet rather than pick up the phone, you will fail here. We can fix almost any field problem we hear about early.
• If you see paperwork as the thing that gets in the way of the real work, this will not go well. In service, the report is the real work.
• If crawling through an attic in August, standing in a walk-in freezer in January, and working over a fryer line at 10 p.m. are dealbreakers, tell us now. That is real fire alarm and suppression service in commercial buildings.
• If you would rather build new systems than keep existing ones working — if the satisfying part of the trade for you is the install — look at our Fire Alarm Technician posting instead. That seat installs. This one does not.
• If you are not yet licensed, this is not the posting for you — but our Fire Alarm Technician posting has a Trainee track that will get you there, and we would rather see you apply to that than stretch on this one.
• If you would rather run sprinkler pipe than pull low-voltage cable, look at our Fire Sprinkler Fitter posting instead. That is a Local 699 bargaining unit position and a different trade.

Compensation

Pay range for this position: $55.00 to $75.00 per hour.

Where you land in that range is not a negotiation about how you feel about your own experience — it is set by what we can verify: your documented years of service experience, the licenses you hold, the manufacturer certifications that transfer with you, and what you can demonstrate in the field and on a panel. We will tell you the rate we are offering and why before you accept.

Everyone in this seat holds the Washington 06 Limited Energy certification, the Seattle FA1, NICET II in Fire Alarm Systems, and five or more years of fire alarm service experience, and runs inspections, service calls, and programming independently from a take-home company vehicle. Within the range, the following move you toward the top:

• Current, transferable Edwards manufacturer certifications — EST4 programming above all, and EST3, iO, and air sampling platforms. Because Edwards is our primary platform, a technician who arrives with full Edwards training starts at the upper end of what their experience supports. If you do not have it, we pay for it — the classes, the travel, and the time.
• NICET III or IV in Fire Alarm Systems
• Oregon Limited Energy Technician (LEA), Idaho Limited Energy Electrical, or Nevada Limited Energy Electrical license
• Proven lead on high-rise fire alarm inspections, including stairwell pressurization and smoke control testing
• Special hazards releasing systems competency — testing and programming without accidental discharge
• Demonstrated lead on large service projects — panel replacements, system upgrades, multi-building inspection programs — that met customer and margin expectations

Pay increases within the range are based on demonstrated capability and credentials, not time served. This position is not eligible for bonus or commission. All hours worked, including on-call response and after-hours service, are paid at your hourly rate with overtime as required by Washington law.

Full wage details are provided during the hiring process.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision through Regence BlueShield, Delta Dental of Washington, and VSP, available to employees scheduled 30 or more hours per week, effective the first of the month following or coinciding with hire
• Columbia Fire pays approximately 90% of the employee premium on the HSA-qualified plan, plus 75% of dependent premiums on the HDHP and 60% on the PPO
• Health savings account with a $600 annual company contribution through HealthEquity
• 401(k) through Vestwell with employer match up to 3.5%
• Paid time off starting at 10 days and increasing with length of service
• Eight paid holidays
• Company-paid basic life and AD&D coverage of $20,000
• Employee assistance program through SupportLinc, telehealth through Doctor on Demand, and optional pet insurance
• Take-home company vehicle with fuel, maintenance, and insurance
• iPad, laptop, and tools provided
• Paid training, certifications, license fees, continuing education, and travel

Schedule, Work Environment & Physical Requirements

• Full-time, Monday through Friday, day shift
• Overtime is available and does happen, particularly around inspection deadlines and panel replacements
• After-hours and weekend work as customer buildings require — some testing simply cannot happen during business hours
• On-call rotation shared with the other service technicians
• In-person only. This work cannot be done remotely.
• Daily driving to customer sites within the service territory in a company vehicle; this is part of the job and is not counted as travel
• Work is performed in occupied commercial buildings, in conditions that range from climate-controlled offices to freezers, kitchens, attics, and rooftops

The following are essential functions of the job. See the reasonable accommodation statement at the end of this posting.

• Climb and work from ladders, scissor lifts, and boom lifts
• Lift and carry up to 50 pounds, and handle panels, batteries, ladders, test equipment, and extinguishers repeatedly through a shift
• Work in attics, crawlspaces, mechanical rooms, above ceilings, in confined spaces, and in high-rise stairwells
• Work in commercial kitchens, walk-in coolers and freezers, unconditioned warehouses, and outdoors in Pacific Northwest weather
• Stand, walk, kneel, crouch, and reach overhead for most of a shift
• Distinguish wire colors and read small print on device labels and panel displays
• Hear and distinguish audible alarm signals and verbal communication in noisy environments

What Success Looks Like

Why this role works:

• The pay range is posted and what moves you up in it is written down. You can see exactly what it takes to earn more.
• We pay for the licenses and certifications that make you more valuable, including the ones that follow you if you ever leave.
• The work varies. Inspections, service calls, panel replacements, monitoring takeovers, high-rise tests — you are not going to spend three years doing nothing but annual inspections.
• You will have real ownership of your accounts and real access to the people making decisions. This is not a company where a technician's name is unknown at the top.
• We are building a formidable multi-state fire and life safety platform, and the alarm and service side is where that is happening.

What we will be looking at in your first year:

• Inspection reports completed in ServiceTrade on the day of the work, with deficiencies photographed and described so service sales can quote them without a second site visit
• Scheduled inspections completed on time, with the Service Manager told the same day whenever one cannot be
• Service calls resolved on the first visit when the parts are on the truck, and a clear parts list and return plan documented when they are not
• Callbacks on your repairs that are rare, and that you own when they happen
• Zero recordable injuries, zero vehicle incidents, and hazards reported rather than worked around
• Visible progress on the certifications that move you up in the range

Minimum Qualifications

• Five (5) or more years of paid experience inspecting, testing, troubleshooting, and repairing commercial fire alarm systems in existing, occupied buildings.
• Ability to run inspections and service calls independently on addressable fire alarm systems, including troubleshooting ground faults, opens, shorts, and communication faults to the device, and programming panels after repairs and replacements.
• Working knowledge of NFPA 72 inspection, testing, and maintenance requirements and the ability to apply them in the field.
• Able to read and work from wiring diagrams, riser diagrams, and manufacturer installation and service instructions.
• High school diploma or GED.
• Able to read, write, and speak English well enough to work from code references and manufacturer documentation, write inspection reports a fire marshal will accept, and hold a direct conversation with a customer on site.
• Comfortable working from an iPad and cloud-based work order software, and able to write a clear email.

Licenses & Certifications

Required at hire:

• Washington State 06 Limited Energy electrical certification (EL06), current and in good standing with L&I.
• City of Seattle FA1 Fire Alarm Certificate of Competency, current.
• NICET Level II or higher in Fire Alarm Systems.

Obtained after hire, company-paid, where not already held:

• EST4 programming certification within the first year.
• Oregon Limited Energy Technician (LEA) license.

Preferred Qualifications

None of these are required to apply. Each one moves you up in the pay range.

• Full Edwards manufacturer training and current certifications, including EST3, EST4, iO, and air sampling platforms. Certifications that transfer with you are worth real money here — see Compensation.
• Washington 01 General journey-level electrical certification
• NICET III or IV in Fire Alarm Systems
• Oregon Limited Energy Technician (LEA), Idaho Limited Energy Electrical, or Nevada Limited Energy Electrical license
• Seattle FEX-1 or FEX-2 (portable extinguishers) and Seattle E-4KH (kitchen suppression and spray booths)
• Experience with Starlink, Telguard, and AES communicators
• High-rise fire alarm inspection and testing experience, including stairwell pressurization and smoke control
• Air sampling and stairwell pressurization manufacturer training
• Special hazards and releasing systems: clean agent, pre-action, deluge, industrial suppression
• Fixed wet and dry chemical suppression, emergency lighting, and exit sign work
• Commercial intrusion alarm, access control, CCTV, or nurse call experience
• Experience with ServiceTrade or a similar field service management platform
• Prior direct dealings with authorities having jurisdiction, impairment reporting, or inspection scheduling
• Completion of an electrical, low-voltage, or fire protection apprenticeship; trade school or a technical degree, or equivalent experience
• Professional fluency in Spanish or another second language

Other Requirements

• Valid driver's license and a driving record that is insurable under our commercial auto policy. A company vehicle is assigned to this position.
• Able to work the schedule described in Section 3, including an on-call rotation and periodic after-hours or weekend testing.
• Able to meet the physical requirements described in Section 3, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Legally authorized to work in the United States.

An offer of employment is contingent on completing a pre-employment background check and a pre-employment drug screen. Our drug screen does not test for cannabis. A background check result does not automatically disqualify anyone — we review what comes back individually, in relation to the duties of this position, and we will talk with you about it before making a decision.