Position: Fire Sprinkler Fitter — Service & Repair
Company: FFF Protection — a trade name of Valley Fire Control, LLC
Location: Greater Boise, with an office in Nampa, ID
Reports To: Co-Founder & Principal Superintendent
Employment Type: Full-time, hourly, non-exempt (overtime eligible)
Bargaining Unit Status: Non-union
Travel: Daily local travel across the Treasure Valley; occasional travel to other Valley Fire Control locations
FFF Protection serves the Greater Boise market from our office in Nampa, Idaho. We install, inspect, service, and repair fire sprinkler systems, fire alarm systems, suppression systems, and portable fire extinguishers.
FFF Protection is a trade name of Valley Fire Control, LLC, part of Columbia Safety Services — a multi-state regional fire protection group operating across Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. We respect the trades, run a disciplined operation, and care about doing the work right.
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.
A lot of contractors will bid new construction all day and quietly decline the hard repair work. Replacing an underground fire main. Pulling and setting a fire pump. Repiping a frozen preaction system inside a customer’s working freezer in the middle of winter.
We take that work, and our customers call us because of it. It is profitable, it is interesting, and it demands a fitter who has genuinely been around the trade — not a helper who can follow a drawing.
We need another one of those fitters.
Read the work environment section before you apply. We are being straight with you about it.
This is not a new construction seat. This is large-scale repair and replacement work on existing systems in occupied, operating buildings. The drawing rarely matches what you find. You will spend time in trenches, in mechanical rooms, on lifts, and in cold storage.
Typical work includes underground fire main replacement, fire pump removal and replacement, and repiping frozen or failed preaction and dry systems inside customers’ freezers and coolers, where temperatures run from roughly -20°F to 40°F.
If that reads as a good day to you, keep going. If it reads as a bad one, we would rather you know now.
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Replace and repair underground fire service mains, including pipe joining, restraint, thrust blocking, backfill coordination, flushing, and hydrostatic testing
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Remove and replace fire pumps, controllers, and associated suction and discharge piping
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Replace frozen, corroded, or failed preaction, dry, and wet system piping, including work inside freezers, coolers, and cold storage environments
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Cut, thread, groove, and fit steel pipe, and install grooved and threaded fittings
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Replace risers, standpipes, valves, trim, gauges, switches, and sprinkler heads
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Perform system flushing, hydrostatic testing, and return-to-service procedures
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Diagnose and repair leaks, breaks, and freeze damage
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Plan and execute system shutdowns to minimize customer downtime, including nights or weekends when a facility cannot come offline during business hours
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Coordinate with AHJs and inspectors on acceptance testing where required
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Document work accurately and communicate clearly with customers about scope and status
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Maintain your tools, truck stock, and equipment
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Follow safety protocols for trenching and excavation, confined space, cold exposure, hot work, and fall protection
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Mentor less experienced fitters and helpers
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Represent FFF Protection professionally in every customer interaction
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Experienced — you have done repair work, and you know what actually goes wrong on these systems
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Resourceful — repair work never matches the drawing, and you solve it in the field
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Physically willing — trenches, freezers, and mechanical rooms do not put you off
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Safety-minded — trenching, hot work, and cold exposure will hurt you if you get casual about them
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Customer-aware — you are working in someone’s operating building, often near their product
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Self-sufficient — you can run your own work without a superintendent standing over you
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Aligned with our values: Customer First, Grit, Effective Communication, Own the Outcome, Take Pride in the Work, and Do the Right Thing
An honest filter, because this seat is physically and technically demanding:
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If you want clean new construction sites and repeatable work, this is the wrong seat
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If extended work at -20°F is a dealbreaker, tell us now rather than in month two
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If you do not want to be in a trench, a meaningful share of this work is not for you
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If you need someone assigning you every task, you will be frustrated and so will we
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If a customer asking hard questions about why their system is down rattles you, this is difficult work to do well
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5+ years of hands-on commercial fire sprinkler fitting experience
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Demonstrated experience on large-scale repair and replacement work — underground mains, fire pumps, or full system piping replacement
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Ability to cut, thread, groove, and fit steel pipe, and to work from existing conditions rather than a clean set of drawings
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Working knowledge of NFPA 13 and NFPA 25 as they apply to repair, replacement, and return-to-service
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Ability to work in extreme cold, roughly -20°F to 40°F, for extended periods with appropriate PPE
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Ability to work in trenches and excavations, confined spaces, and at heights
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Ability to lift 50 lbs or more regularly, and to handle pipe and equipment with mechanical assistance
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Valid driver’s license and clean driving record
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Fluent in spoken and written English
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Ability to pass a background check and pre-employment drug screen
No Idaho state sprinkler fitter license is required for this position. We hire on demonstrated experience and capability.
We are not hiring at the trainee or apprentice level for this seat.
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Underground fire main replacement experience, including restraint and thrust blocking
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Fire pump removal and replacement experience, electric or diesel
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Cold storage, freezer, and preaction system experience
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Welding certification and pipe welding experience
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Trench safety and confined space training
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OSHA 10 or OSHA 30
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Backflow assembly repair experience
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Washington State Patrol Sprinkler Fitter Certificate of Competency, or an equivalent credential from another state
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NICET certification in water-based systems
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Foreman or crew lead experience
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Trailer towing experience, or a CDL
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Bilingual (Spanish or other languages)
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Hourly rate: $31.00 – $45.00 per hour, based on experience and demonstrated capability
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Overtime is paid for hours worked over 40 in a workweek
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Additional pay applies to emergency and after-hours call-out work
Placement within the range reflects your years in the trade, the range of repair work you have actually performed, and how independently you can run a job. Advancement is based on demonstrated capability, not tenure.
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Hard, varied work — no two repairs are the same, and you will learn things new construction never teaches
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Paid on what you can actually do, from $31.00 to $45.00 per hour
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Non-union with company-paid benefits and a take-home service truck
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We are the company customers call when other contractors pass on the job
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High-trust, high-ownership environment with no micromanagement
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Backed by a multi-state regional fire protection group focused on the long term
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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
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The company pays approximately 90% of the employee premium on the HSA-qualified medical plan, plus a substantial share of dependent premiums
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Health Savings Account with a $600 annual company contribution
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401(k) with Safe Harbor employer match up to 3.5%
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Paid time off starting at 10 days annually and increasing with length of service
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Eight paid holidays
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Company-paid basic life and AD&D insurance
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Employee Assistance Program, telehealth access, and optional pet insurance
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Company service truck for business use, with fuel, maintenance, and insurance covered
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Paid training, certifications, and continuing education
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Tools and equipment provided
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Cold weather PPE and gear provided for freezer and cold storage work
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Paid training, certifications, and continuing education
Schedule & Work Environment
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Full-time, Monday through Friday, with overtime available
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Occasional nights, weekends, and on-call emergency response — broken and frozen systems do not wait for business hours
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Daily local travel across the Treasure Valley; occasional travel to other Valley Fire Control locations
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Work performed in occupied commercial and industrial buildings, mechanical and riser rooms, trenches and excavations, on lifts and ladders, and inside freezers and cold storage
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Extended exposure to temperatures from roughly -20°F to 40°F in cold storage work, and to outdoor conditions year-round on underground work
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Regular lifting, carrying, threading, and handling of steel pipe and heavy equipment
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Required PPE provided and expected on every job
If you have real years in the trade, you would rather solve a hard repair than run a clean ceiling grid, and cold weather does not scare you off — we want to talk.
Valley Fire Control, 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 Valley Fire Control, LLC is at-will and may be terminated by either party at any time, with or without cause or notice, consistent with applicable law.
