In honor of Women in Construction Week (March 1-7, 2026), we spoke with women currently working as system inspectors with Summit Fire & Security to learn more about their career paths in fire and life safety, the support that helped shape their journeys, and what it’s like working in this essential field.
Madison Miller is an Inspector with Summit Fire & Security in Nashville, Tennessee. She joined Summit in August 2024 and is currently one of 10 inspectors in the Nashville office, and the only woman on the team.
“Madison came to Summit Fire & Security as an experienced fire alarm inspector looking for a good environment to grow and advance in the industry,” shares Kevin Flowers, Service Manager with Summit Fire & Security, and Madison’s manager. “She very quickly took advantage of our Inspection training program. Now she is more than capable of performing inspections on multiple systems. She has her TN Extinguisher license, TN backflow license, as well as NICET certification. Madison has a can-do attitude and is happy to help any department or office in need. We are very happy and lucky to have Madison as an employee and teammate in the Nashville office.”
Read on as Madison shares her journey into the fire and life safety industry.
When did you first get interested in the fire protection industry?
I started working in fire protection in October of 2023. I was planning to be in the electrical union in Nashville, but I needed to pay the bills. I joined a temp agency, and they ended up putting me in fire protection and I just loved it and have stuck with it.
What part of fire and life safety do you work in?
I started in inspections as an assistant with my previous employers. The company I originally started with was just focused on fire alarms. I ended up moving to a different company that covered more systems like fire pumps, sprinklers, alarms, and extinguishers. Because of these roles I felt like I was ready to become an inspector, and I felt like I wasn’t getting a lot of growth opportunities. And then in 2024 I found Summit.
Now I mostly focus on inspections of fire alarms, but I’m really starting to enjoy sprinklers. It can be intimidating because it’s water, and when you’re dealing with water, you’re going to be scared to damage things. In the end, it all works together. To work on sprinklers, you need to be familiar with alarms and pumps—it all feeds into each other. Everything’s about verifying signals and getting your timing and making sure everything’s up to code.
Why did you feel you weren’t getting growth opportunities prior to Summit?
With my first company, I just didn’t want to be just limited to just fire alarm. I wanted to do more. So, when I moved to the second company, I didn’t mind being a helper. I really liked it because when you’re a helper, you get to go with other technicians, and I loved it. It was a lot of grunt work, lot of changing out extinguishers, but they were using me as an inspector and not promoting me with that title and a raise. So, I decided to search for another opportunity and found Summit where I have the inspector title.
What kind of inspection training have you received?
I didn’t receive any official training prior to working at Summit. In my previous roles, I was mostly a helper with on-the-job training, and that was a great way for me to learn. I was out with the systems lead trying to learn and ask as many questions as I could. That’s how a lot of people in the industry learn, solely on the job.
At Summit, the learning opportunities are a lot more structured. There’s an ITM course that requires a longer commitment. The training program is two years. I’ve been in it for a year and a half now, and I have six more months to go. The training is awesome. It’s a great environment and the trainers make it as interactive as possible.
The hands-on portion is amazing, especially during sprinkler week. Summit has their own classrooms designated for the ITM program. In the training centers, you can find every sprinkler system you can think of—a foam system, a deluge system, pre-action systems, a couple different dry systems, a wet system, and then they have a big fire pump. And it’s one big classroom for you. It’s a great experience and an amazing confidence builder. Getting hands-on experience knowing that you’re not going to damage anything is incredible and provides a great way to troubleshoot problems.
What do you like about performing inspections on fire protection systems?
Inspections are so important to make sure the fire protection systems work properly. I’ve heard of people dying from systems that are not being maintained and it’s on us to educate and stress how important fire protection is. I wish I could green tag every panel and people may not like a sound test, or they might be mad when something gets wet. But it’s all about making sure everyone can come home safe at the end of the day because we all have families and someone we care about. And I never want to look at someone in the eye and say their loved one can’t come home because I didn’t say something.
I also love the people in the industry. Everyone wants to see you succeed. It can be hard and frustrating at times, but everyone is here to help. And especially within my branch, it feels like a family. It’s important in this line of work to feel confident in what you’re doing. I receive a lot of support at Summit, and I love to know that I can reach out to anyone and they’ll help me. I even called one of the trainers because I had an NFPA question. I wanted to make sure I got it right.
What advice would you give to a woman who’s thinking about getting into the fire and life safety industry?
The fire protection industry is great. I found a lot of people who came to respect me and challenge me. Working in a male dominant field feels natural to me because I saw my mother do it her whole life. She works in the auto industry, and she always had confidence that she knew what she was doing.
My favorite thing in life is saying you have nothing to lose and only things to gain. This is an amazing career that is economically secure, challenging, and potential for other things. If you come into the field with a good attitude, eager to work hard and willing to learn, I can confidently say you’ll find success.
