Fire Watch Salary in USA

$23/hr

Compare the actual assignment and offer. The wage bands below provide construction-crew context, not a dedicated fire-watch pay survey.

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What Fire Watches Earn in the United States

BLS does not isolate construction fire-watch wages in this benchmark. Current construction laborer employee wages span $16.87–$37.54/hr, or $35,090–$78,090/year, with a $22.66/hr median. These are comparison figures, not measured fire-watch rates. Dedicated monitoring jobs may have different duties and occupational classifications. Check actual local offers, paid monitoring time and benefits before using this broader category to assess your compensation.

Hourly rates by level in USA

What fire watch attendants earn at each stage of the trade in USA, before overtime or per-diem.

Entry · 0–2 yrs
$16.87–$18.57/hr
▲ 0.85% from last year
Skilled · 3–7 yrs
$18.57–$28.72/hr
▲ 0.85% from last year
Lead · 7+ yrs
$28.72–$37.54/hr
▲ 0.85% from last year

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Where do you stand?

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$/ hr

Use your base rate, not what you take home after overtime.

You're right around the middle

$32.00 is above roughly 52% of this market. The top quarter starts at $37.00, and the median sits at $31.50.

10th
$18
25th
$25
Median
$32
75th
$37
90th
$50
YOU · $32.00
Your percentile
52th
Among this market
Your annual · 40 hrs
$66,560
Before overtime and per diem
Gap to median
+$1,040
Above the median

Calculate pay with extra credentials

Pick your level, add credentials, select shift — the estimate updates live.

1Your level

2Certifications you hold

3Shift & work type

4Overtime & per diem

Weekly overtime hours8 hrs
Per diem (per day away)$0
American RecruitsEstimate
Skilled Fire Watch
USA · Day Shift
Base rate$23.65
+ Fire Watch Training$0.38
+ OSHA 10-Hour Construction$0.38
Effective hourly$24.41
Straight · 40 hrs$976
Overtime · 8 hrs @ 1.5×$293
Weekly gross$1,269
Annualised · 50 weeks
$63,453
8 OT hrs/week · USA

Who pays the most in USA

Road, commercial building and utility employers provide broader crew comparisons. Ranked construction-laborer medians do not measure fire-watch pay; traffic, site deadlines and travel differ across these selected settings, without an exhaustive industry ranking.

01 / 03$24.08/hr

Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction

Broader infrastructure crew employment.

+ Infrastructure experience
+ Outdoor variety
– Traffic exposure
– Changing sites
02 / 03$24.01/hr

Nonresidential Building Construction

Broader commercial and institutional construction employment.

+ Project variety
+ Construction exposure
– Site deadlines
– Changing locations
03 / 03$22.47/hr

Utility System Construction

Broader utility infrastructure crew employment.

+ Infrastructure projects
+ Field variety
– Site restrictions
– Travel demands

Which states pay fire watch attendants the most

Median hourly across every state with a published guide for this trade. Cost of living is not netted out — compare take-home, not just the rate.

  1. 01California$28.98/hr
  2. 02Virginia$20.94/hr

What each certification is worth

Sorted by payback speed.

CertificationRate bumpExtra / yearCostPayback
Fire Watch Training+$0.38$790$755 weeks
Fall Protection Competent Person+$0.75$1,560$1625 weeks
OSHA 10-Hour Construction+$0.38$790$906 weeks
NCCER Safety Technology+$1$2,080$2506 weeks
First Aid/CPR (OSHA-aligned)+$0.25$520$758 weeks

What overtime actually adds

At $22.66/hr.

40 hr week
$906
No OT
50 hr week
$1,246
+$16,995/yr
60 hr week
$1,586
+$33,990/yr
70 hr week
$1,926
+$50,985/yr

Questions workers ask

Is required post-work monitoring unpaid because welding has stopped?▾
No. For covered, nonexempt employees, required watching remains work even after hot work ends. Record monitoring, checks and handover until authorized release. A quiet period does not automatically become personal time, and the permit's closing time need not be your paid finishing time.
Can payroll automatically exclude a travel allowance from overtime?▾
Not merely because it is called an allowance. Qualifying business-expense reimbursements can be excluded; wage supplements require different treatment. Ask what expenses it covers and how it is calculated before comparing the package.
Is mandatory online refresher training unpaid?▾
Not automatically. Federal guidance excludes training only when all four conditions apply: outside regular hours, voluntary, not directly job-related and no productive work. Online delivery or continuing-education credit does not decide the issue.

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Source: Construction Laborers, SOC 47-2061, comparison benchmark only. BLS does not separately measure construction fire-watch wages in this series.

Last updated October 15, 2026. Rates are market estimates, not guarantees.