Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers

Moderate Risk
Low High

Explore safer careers (5)

Lower estimated automation risk

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Why it fits

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14% automation risk | Minimal Risk
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Why it fits

Plausible for fire-alarm installers who add fire-code inspection credentials and compliance experience.

Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment
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Why it fits

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Electricians
27% automation risk | Low Risk
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Why it fits

Plausible licensed trade path using wiring, circuits, codes, conduit, testing, plans, and jobsite safety.

Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians
34% automation risk | Low Risk
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Why it fits

Fits installers adding technical training in circuits, schematics, testing, prototypes, and engineering support.

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Occupation snapshot

What does this snowflake show?
The Snowflake is a visual summary of the five badges: Automation Risk (calculated), Risk (polled), Growth, Wages and Volume. It gives you an instant snapshot of an occupations profile. The colour of the Snowflake relates to its size. The better the occupation scores in relation to others, the larger and greener the Snowflake becomes.
JOB SCORE
6.6/10
What's this?
Job Score (higher is better):

We rate jobs using four factors. These are:

- Chance of being automated
- Job growth
- Wages
- Volume of available positions

These are some key things to think about when job hunting.

Risk & user votes

Calculated automation risk

48% (Moderate Risk)

Moderate Risk (41-60%): This occupation may be meaningfully affected by automation. Some parts of the role may be suitable for AI, software, or robotics, while others still rely on human skill, judgement, trust, or real-world context. People in this range may benefit from building skills that complement automation and reduce replacement risk.

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.

Human strengths important in this job

These are human abilities and work contexts that are important in this occupation. They may help explain why parts of the role are harder to replace end-to-end, but they are not the only inputs into the automation score.

Decision-making and problem solving

Quite important
Why this matters
Analyze information, weigh tradeoffs, and choose the best solution—especially when situations are ambiguous, high-stakes, or have real-world consequences.
Jobs that also use this strength

Communicating with people outside the organization

Quite important
Why this matters
Represents the organization to customers, the public, or government—handling questions, concerns, and relationship-building through conversations, writing, calls, or email.
Jobs that also use this strength

Education and training expertise

Quite important
Why this matters
Designing and delivering instruction—adapting lessons to different learners and measuring whether training actually works.
Jobs that also use this strength

What users think

Based on 51 votes

30% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted there's a low chance this occupation will be automated. This assessment is further supported by the calculated automation risk level, which estimates 48% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?

Sentiment

Based on user votes over time

View sentiment trend

How opinions have changed over time

Pay & outlook

Wages

Moderately paid relative to other professions

In 2024, the median annual wage for Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers was $59,300 ($29 per hour).

The median annual wage for Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers was 19.8% higher than the national median annual wage, which stood at $49,500.

View wage trend

Wages over time

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Growth

Very fast growth relative to other professions

The number of 'Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers' job openings is expected to rise 10.4% by 2034

View employment trend

Total employment, and estimated job openings

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period between 2023 and 2033
Updated projections are due 09-2025.

Volume

Moderate range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2024 there were 81,510 people employed as 'Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers' within the United States.

This represents around 0.05% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 1 thousand people are employed as 'Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers'.

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What people are saying (5)

Leave a comment
Matt (Low)
15 Apr 2023 14:30
Life safety infrastructure installation, inspecting and service require a very real-world presence to perform. With the combination of to-code knowledge and physical system interaction unless the AI has a highly dexterous and physically complex chassis to move it around I can not see AI effectively installing, servicing or inspecting life safety systems.
JR (Low)
04 Aug 2022 14:38
What type of robot is capable of pulling cable, installing cams, terminating cat 6, and configuring a system?
Mason (No chance)
06 Feb 2021 23:17
are people expecting Boston dynamics robots to come out?
Lance (No chance)
03 Mar 2020 04:55
There is almost no way to practically (and economically) automate the action of installing physical devices (alarms, smoke detectors), programming fire alarm control panels, running wires, and testing the system.
Jamie (No chance)
16 Aug 2019 20:11
Smoke detectors require manual testing and smoke to be put through. Even if catridges were used they would require replacing Cabling requires fitting, breaks in cable require repairing. Devices need fitting, replacing, over desks etc How does a robot remove a ceiling tile, go above the ceiling, navigate around plant equipment, test the devices, return the ceiling tile, reminder its pitch black above ceilings and 90% of sites have devices fitted but not where they say they are.
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Job description

Install, program, maintain, and repair security and fire alarm wiring and equipment. Ensure that work is in accordance with relevant codes.

O*NET-SOC code: 49-2098.00