Glossary
Fire Inspector Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential fire inspector terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key fire inspector vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in fire inspector training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- Accelerant
- A substance used to spread fire.
- Burn pattern
- Marks that show how fire moved.
- Cause
- Why a fire started.
- Fire alarm system
- A system that detects fire and warns occupants.
- Fire code
- Rules for preventing fires and protecting occupants.
- Fire-rated assembly
- Walls, floors or doors designed to resist fire.
- Hood suppression system
- Fire protection for commercial cooking equipment.
- Means of egress
- The path to exit a building.
- NFPA 921
- The guide for fire and explosion investigations.
- Notice of violation
- A written order to correct a code violation.
- Occupancy classification
- How a building is used, which determines code requirements.
- Occupant load
- The maximum number of people allowed in a space.
- Origin
- Where a fire started.
- Plan review
- Checking construction plans for code compliance.
- Sprinkler system
- A water-based system that controls or extinguishes fires.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Fire Inspector practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Fire Inspector training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.