Fire Extinguisher & Suppression Technician

GOEBEL FIXTURE COMPANY; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 30,307 - 55,104; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company vehicle

Paid training & certifications

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

HSA with company contribution

Job summary

Columbia Fire, LLC is seeking a Fire Extinguisher & Suppression Technician in Seattle to service portable extinguishers and kitchen suppression systems, inspect, test, repair, install, and grow the local market.

You will be in front of customers, build relationships with managers, quote work, and convert service calls into yearly inspections. Base wage and uncapped revenue share reflect your market development success.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED.
• Willingness to prospect and sell in person.
• Willingness to travel to Albany, Oregon for hands-on training, including an initial trip of up to one month. We pay for travel and accommodations.
• Mechanical aptitude and the ability to work independently once trained.
• Valid driver’s license with no major driving violations in the last 3 years and no DUIs in the last 7 years.
• Ability to climb ladders, walk and climb stairs, and work in commercial kitchens, mechanical rooms, and occupied buildings.
• Ability to lift and carry up to 50 lbs regularly, and to maneuver larger cylinders and wheeled units with assistance.
• Comfort using tablets and cloud-based software.
• Fluent in spoken and written English.
• Ability to pass a background check and pre-employment drug screen.
• 4+ years of hands-on experience testing, inspecting, maintaining, and installing portable fire extinguishers and pre-engineered kitchen suppression systems.
• Active NAFED or ICC certification in portable fire extinguishers and pre-engineered kitchen fire suppression systems.
• Seattle FEX-1 or FEX-2 license within 45 days of hire if not already held.
• Seattle E-4KH license for pre-engineered kitchen suppression systems and spray booths within 45 days of hire.

Responsibilities

• Inspect, test, maintain, repair, and install portable fire extinguishers.
• Inspect, test, maintain, repair, and install pre‑engineered kitchen wet chemical suppression systems.
• Perform recharge and hydrostatic testing of cylinders.
• Service and install Amerex, CaptiveAire, and related equipment lines.
• Develop new business and build relationships with customers.
• Quote and sell inspection, service, and equipment work.
• Convert one-time service calls into annual inspection agreements.
• Keep accurate records of prospects and customer activity.

Skills

Prospecting in person

Customer relationship building

Sales & upselling

Mechanical aptitude

Safety compliance

Education

High school diploma

Tools

iPad

Cloud software

Job description

• Location 9520 10th Avenue South,Suite 150,Seattle, WA, 98108,United States
• Base Pay $22.00 - $30.00 / Hour
• Employee Type NonExempt - Full Time
• Required Degree High school
• Manage Others No

Position: Fire Extinguisher & Suppression Technician

Company: Columbia Fire, LLC

Location: Seattle, WA — Greater Seattle market, from Bellingham to Centralia

Reports To: Service Division Manager

Employment Type: Full-time, hourly, non-exempt (overtime eligible)

Bargaining Unit Status: Non-union

Incentive Eligibility: Uncapped revenue share — see Compensation

Travel: Daily local travel across the Greater Seattle market; rare travel to Oregon or Idaho; plus travel to our Albany, Oregon office for training, including an initial trip of up to one month (paid)

About Columbia Fire

Columbia Fire has been protecting lives and property in the Seattle market since 2005. We design, install, inspect, and service fire sprinkler systems, fire alarm systems, suppression systems, and portable fire extinguishers across Western Washington.

Columbia Fire is a wholly owned subsidiary of Columbia Safety Services, LLC, which also operates Valley Fire Control, LLC in Oregon and Eastern Washington and FFF Protection in Idaho. We are building a formidable fire protection platform rooted in trust, execution, and long-term relationships.

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.

Why This Role Exists

We have roughly 15 hours per week of existing extinguisher and kitchen suppression work in the Seattle market. That is a real book of business, and it needs a technician who can service it properly.

It is also not a full week. The rest of this seat is yours to build.

For practical purposes, Seattle is a new market for this line of work. We are not handing you a full route and asking you to run it. We are handing you a foundation and asking you to grow a business on top of it — and paying you a share of what you build.

About the Role

This is a field-based, hands‑on seller‑doer seat. You will service portable fire extinguishers and pre‑engineered kitchen wet chemical suppression systems — inspecting, testing, maintaining, repairing, and installing — and you will spend a meaningful part of each week developing new business.

You will be in front of customers constantly, often as the only person from our company they see all year. You own that relationship and the revenue that comes from it.

If you have run your own route and wished you were paid for the business you brought in, this is that job.

What You’ll Do — Technical

• Inspect, test, maintain, repair, and install portable fire extinguishers in accordance with NFPA 10 and applicable local codes
• Inspect, test, maintain, repair, and install pre‑engineered kitchen wet chemical suppression systems in accordance with NFPA 17A and NFPA 96
• Perform recharge and hydrostatic testing of cylinders as required
• Service and install Amerex, CaptiveAire, and related authorized equipment lines
• Support clean agent and special hazards suppression work as your certifications develop
• Identify deficiencies and clearly communicate required repairs and corrections
• Document all work accurately using company software (iPad‑based)
• Maintain truck stock and order supplies so you are ready for the next job
• Follow safety protocols and PPE requirements on every job
• Represent Columbia Fire professionally in every customer interaction

What You’ll Do — Business Development

• Prospect for new customers in person — restaurants, commercial kitchens, schools, healthcare, retail, industrial, and multi‑family properties
• Build relationships with property managers, facility managers, building owners, and restaurant operators
• Quote and sell inspection, service, and equipment work
• Convert one‑time service calls into recurring annual inspection agreements
• Upsell additional scope onsite where it genuinely benefits the customer
• Pass opportunities outside your scope — sprinkler, alarm, special hazards — to our sales team with enough detail for them to follow up well
• Keep accurate records of prospects, quotes, and customer activity

Who You Are

• Entrepreneurial — you want to be paid for what you build, not for hours on a clock
• Comfortable prospecting in person — a cold walk‑in does not rattle you
• Positive and personable — customers like working with you, and it shows in repeat business
• Self‑sufficient — you plan your own week and do not need someone looking over your shoulder
• Technically sound — you can do the work you sold, correctly, the first time
• Persistent — new markets are built on the fifteenth conversation, not the first
• Coachable — you want to add certifications and scope over time
• Aligned with our values: Customer First, Grit, Effective Communication, Own the Outcome, Take Pride in the Work, and Do the Right Thing

Who Struggles Here

An honest filter, because this seat is not for everyone:

• If you want a full route handed to you on day one, this is the wrong job
• If selling makes you uncomfortable, roughly half of this seat will make you miserable
• If you need a guaranteed number rather than a share of what you produce, look elsewhere
• If you would rather not talk to customers, this is the wrong trade entirely
• If a slow first quarter would rattle you, understand that building a market takes time

Minimum Qualifications

Required of every candidate, including entry level:

• High school diploma or GED
• Willingness to prospect and sell in person — this is roughly half the job
• Willingness to travel to our Albany, Oregon operation for hands‑on training, including an initial trip of up to one month. We pay for travel and accommodations.
• Mechanical aptitude and the ability to work independently once trained
• Valid driver’s license with no major driving violations in the last 3 years and no DUIs in the last 7 years
• Ability to climb ladders, walk and climb stairs, and work in commercial kitchens, mechanical rooms, and occupied buildings
• Ability to lift and carry up to 50 lbs regularly, and to maneuver larger cylinders and wheeled units with assistance
• Comfort using tablets and cloud‑based software
• Fluent in spoken and written English
• Ability to pass a background check and pre‑employment drug screen

To be placed above the entry rate:

• 4+ years of hands‑on experience testing, inspecting, maintaining, and installing portable fire extinguishers and pre‑engineered kitchen wet chemical suppression systems
• Active NAFED or ICC certification in portable fire extinguishers and pre‑engineered kitchen fire suppression systems

Required within 45 days of hire if not already held:

• Seattle FEX‑1 or FEX‑2 fire extinguisher license
• Seattle E‑4KH license for pre‑engineered kitchen suppression systems and spray booths

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior business development, route sales, or outside sales experience
• Recharge and hydrostatic testing experience
• Clean agent or special hazards suppression experience
• Dry chemical, industrial, or vehicle suppression system experience
• NICET certification in Special Hazards Suppression Systems
• Manufacturer training on Amerex, CaptiveAire, or clean agent platforms
• Backflow assembly tester certification
• Existing relationships in the local restaurant, property management, or facilities community
• Bilingual (Spanish or other languages)

Training & Getting You Up to Speed

If you come in without extinguisher and kitchen suppression experience, we will teach you the trade properly. Our Albany, Oregon operation has been doing this work for decades, and that is where you will learn it.

Expect regular travel to Albany for hands‑on training, especially in your first year. Your initial trip could run up to a full month. We pay for all travel and accommodations.

This is not a watch‑a‑video‑and‑go trade. Getting genuinely competent takes real time in the field alongside people who have done it for years, and we would rather invest that time than send you out half‑trained.

Compensation

This seat uses a scaled plan built for market development: an hourly base set by your experience, plus an uncapped share of the labor revenue you produce.

Base wage

• Entry level, no prior fire protection experience: $22.00 per hour
• Experienced technician with 4+ years in the trade: $30.00 per hour
• Target base: $40.00 per hour

Your base grows toward $40.00 per hour as you build capability and develop the market. That progression is performance‑based rather than automatic, but a technician meeting expectations should expect to get there.

• 30% of new customers you bring in, uncapped
• Calculated on labor revenue only. Parts, materials, and equipment are excluded.
• You earn your hourly rate for every hour you work, including time spent prospecting and developing customers. There is no separate or reduced rate for sales time.
• Overtime is paid for hours worked over 40 in a workweek

How the revenue share works

A $200 inspection produces a $60 share. An invoice totaling $275 made up of $200 in inspection labor and a $75 extinguisher also produces a $60 share, because the extinguisher is material rather than labor.

Our existing extinguisher and kitchen suppression accounts are not commissionable. The revenue share applies to new customers you develop.

After roughly two years

• You transition to the Columbia Safety Services Standard Sales Incentive Plan at the $40.00 base
• You continue to earn incentive under that plan on return and recurring work from the customers you developed in prior years — the book you build stays yours

Earnings under the revenue share and the incentive plan are performance-driven and are not guaranteed. Full plan documents are provided during the hiring process.

Summary

Why This Role Works

• Uncapped revenue share — you are paid for the business you build, not just the hours you work
• The book you build stays yours, even after the plan transitions
• A published base path from $22.00 to a $40.00 target, plus paid training in Albany
• Take‑home company vehicle, tools, and paid certifications
• You own the market and the customer relationships in it
• High‑trust, high‑ownership environment with no micromanagement
• Backed by a multi‑state regional fire protection group focused on the long term
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance 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 your hire date
• The company pays approximately 90% of the employee premium on the HSA‑qualified medical plan, plus a substantial share of dependent premiums
• Health Savings Account with a $600 annual company contribution
• 401(k) with Safe Harbor employer match up to 3.5%
• Paid time off starting at 10 days annually and increasing with length of service
• Company‑paid basic life and AD&D insurance
• Employee Assistance Program, telehealth access, and optional pet insurance
• Company vehicle for business use, with fuel, maintenance, and insurance covered
• Paid training, certifications, and continuing education
• iPad and tools provided
• Paid training and certifications, including clean agent and special hazards credentials
• Full-time, Monday through Friday
• Daily local travel across the Greater Seattle market; rare travel to Oregon or Idaho
• Occasional after‑hours or on‑call work as needed
• Work performed in commercial kitchens, restaurants, occupied buildings, mechanical rooms, and active construction sites
• Regular ladder and stair use, lifting and carrying equipment and cylinders, and work in hot, cramped, or dirty conditions
• Required PPE provided and expected on every job

Columbia Fire, LLC is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Reasonable accommodations will be made for qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with applicable law.

Employment with Columbia Fire, LLC is at‑will and may be terminated by either party at any time, with or without cause or notice, consistent with applicable law.