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Congratulations on wanting to become a New York City Fire Marshal.

Overview of the Bureau of Fire Investigation

  1. Responsible for determining the origin and cause of all complex, fatal, and suspicious fires.
  2. Performs criminal investigations into all arsons and fire related crimes.
  3. Enforces all City and State administrative laws.
  4. Identifies fire patterns and trends.
  5. Acts as a liaison with other law enforcement agencies.
  6. Provides and augments security and force protection to Fire Department critical infrastructure, property and personnel.

Salary Range

Title Salary
Fire Marshal $103,122 Fringe + OT
Promotional opportunities from Fire Marshals to Supervising Fire Marshals
Supervising Fire Marshal Level I $113,793- $129,104 Fringe + OT
Supervising Fire Marshal Level II $170,294 Fringe

What the Job Involves

Pursuant to the Criminal Procedure Law and the New York City Administrative Code, Fire Marshals serve as sworn Police Officers in the City of New York and carry firearm(s). They specialize in the forensic investigation of fires/arson and are experienced in conducting criminal investigations. Fire Marshals search for and examine evidence at fire scenes; analyze and interpret laboratory results; interview witnesses and suspects; effect arrests of suspects; prepare and serve subpoenas on witnesses; obtain sworn testimony from witnesses; testify as expert witnesses at hearings and trials, prepare detailed investigative reports resulting from their investigation and interviews.

The Bureau of Fire Investigation Commands

Citywide South Command (CWS) Location: 5600 1st Avenue, Brooklyn
Responsible for investigations primarily in Brooklyn, Staten Island and Manhattan (south of 110th Street).

Citywide North Command (CWN) Location: 402A Murray Avenue, Bayside (Fort Totten)
Responsible for investigations primarily in Queens, Bronx and Manhattan (north of 110th Street).

Special Operations Command (SOC) Location: 16 Hooper Street, Brooklyn (Engine 211/Ladder 119)
This command manages the following specialized units:

  • Fire Scene Unit (FSU): Document, photograph, and collect evidence.
  • Youth Fire Setter Intervention Program (YFIP): Identifies children at risk for participating in unsupervised fire setting incidents.
  • Training Unit: Responsible for training newly promoted Fire Marshals and for in-service training.
  • Auto Fraud Squad (AFS): Identifies and prioritizes suspected incidents of fraud.
  • K-9 Unit: Presently, the unit has five canines which are specially trained to identify accelerants and locate survivors of disasters and structural collapse incidents.
  • Burn Notification Unit: This unit investigates certain burn injuries reported by the NYS Office of Fire Prevention and Control.
  • Fireworks Enforcement Task Force: This seasonal multi-agency task force works to intercept and reduce the sale of illegal fireworks.
  • Special Investigations Unit (SIU) Location: 251 Lafayette Street, Manhattan
  • Responsible for all high-profile and/or protracted investigations.

Office of the Chief Fire Marshal Location: 9 MetroTech Center, Brooklyn
Manage overall security for all Fire Department facilities. These members also conduct/assist in other bureau Investigations. This unit also includes the agency’s Dignitary Protection Unit, which provides protection for the Fire Commissioner.

Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) Location: 26 Federal Plaza, Manhattan
Work with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other law enforcement agencies of the task force on major investigations.

Eligibility to be Promoted

The rank of Fire Marshal is obtained by completing the competitive civil service promotional examination. Eligibility for promotion is limited to uniformed members of the FDNY in the rank of Firefighter, with a minimum of five (5) years of field experience.