Salary guide · updated August 2026
What engineers are actually asking. From live data, not guesswork.
Every week, recruitment agencies tell employers like us what engineers across the South East are asking. We log every signal, anonymised, and publish the picture here. No survey of last year's adverts: this is the current market, updated as it moves.
Headline asking salaries · South East & London
| Role | Experience | Asking |
|---|---|---|
| Fire alarm engineer | 2 to 3 years in | £28k to £32k |
| Fire alarm engineer | 10+ years in | £38k to £40k |
| Security systems engineer | 2 to 3 years in | £28k to £32k |
| Security systems engineer | 5 years in | around £35k |
| Security systems engineer | 10+ years, SSSTS | around £40k |
| Fire & security engineer (multi-skilled) | experienced | £35k to £40k |
| Sprinkler project engineer | 10+ years, BAFSA | around £42k |
Source: asking salaries observed in the South East recruitment market, logged August 2026. Small sample, honestly labelled; it grows every week. Trades not listed yet simply haven't crossed the desk; their bands publish as the data lands.
What we pay
The table above is the market asking. Every role on the live roles page carries a salary band set with that picture in view. The band letter is on the listing; the number is agreed in conversation, because it depends on tickets, experience and patch. Paid overtime and shared call-out sit on top of base.
Straight answers
What does a fire alarm engineer earn in the South East?
From live market data (August 2026): around £28k to £32k at two to three years in, £38k to £40k with ten or more years. Asking salaries, not advertised ones.
What does a security systems engineer earn in the South East?
From live market data (August 2026): £28k to £32k at two to three years, around £35k at five, and around £40k with ten years plus SSSTS.
What does a sprinkler engineer earn in the South East?
Current signal: a BAFSA-qualified sprinkler project engineer with ten or more years is asking around £42k on the South Coast.
What does Time Served actually pay?
Every role we advertise carries a salary band, set with the market picture above in view. The band letter is on the listing; the number is agreed in conversation, because it depends on tickets, experience and patch. Paid overtime and shared call-out sit on top of base.
Where does this data come from?
Weekly logging of what recruitment agencies tell employers engineers are actually asking across the South East, anonymised. It updates as the market moves.
The full guide
The 2027 Fire, Security & Building Services Salary Guide is being built from this rolling dataset: bands by trade and county, what the tickets add, and what employee ownership does to total reward. Register and tick the salary guide box; it lands in your inbox on release, and you hear about roles that beat these numbers first.
How we pay: a salary band on every role we advertise, market-checked against this data. See the trades: fire alarm · security · sprinklers · all 13.
Written and reviewed by the AMPM Group senior management team. Updated September 2026.