The expected salary for a fire protection engineer varies as you become more experienced.

• Newly trained graduate fire protection engineers can earn $60,000 - $67,000
• Junior fire protection engineers can earn $65,000 - $80,000
• Intermediate fire protection engineers with some experience can earn $85,000 - $110,000
• Senior fire protection engineers can earn $120,000 - $150,000.*
• Associate fire protection engineers can earn $145,000 - $170,000.*
• Principal fire protection engineers can earn $170,000 - $195,000.*
• Associate Directors can earn $180,000 - $220,000.*
• Directors can earn $240,000 - $300,000.*

*Salary may depend on discipline, location, qualifications, accreditations and network/ability to generate business.

Additional skills which may benefit anyone considering a job as a fire protection engineer include:

• Knowledge of wet and/or dry fire protection services, such as sprinklers, hydrants, hose reels, foam systems, fire detection systems and alarms
• Understanding of the design and construction lifecycle
• Knowledge of the Building Codes of Australia and Australian Standards
• Skills in softwares such as AutoCAD and Revit MEP are always preferred but not essential
• Excellent report writing skills
• Ability to coordinate with other disciplines, and take on other people's viewpoints
• Ability to use initiative, and think outside of the box

As a fire protection engineer there is potential to gain experience and move into either technical, project or team leadership within a consultancy environment, step sideways into a contractor or take the leap into client-side project management, advisory or even development. Obtaining further accreditations, such as Chartership, which you can apply for at the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), NER, Class 2 Building Certification or FPAS would improve your job prospects and help you progress in your career.