Position Description
Minimum Salary – $65,545 per year

The Fire Chief directs the operations of the department including developing and administering policies and procedures, planning department activities, controlling expenditures, preparing and presenting budgets, reviewing and approving equipment and apparatus specifications, directing the preparation and analysis of records and reports, and consulting with Town management on policy and planning activities. Other duties include commanding major incidents, directing training activities, coordinating activities with other departments, and interpreting local, state and federal regulations.

Duties and Responsibilities
These duties and responsibilities are not intended to be all-inclusive. Employee may perform other related duties as negotiated to meet the ongoing needs of the Town.

• Develops and oversees implementation of the Town’s fire protection system which includes assessing community needs, setting priorities, determining available resources, and evaluating protection options.
• Coordinates the department’s capital purchases to include determining priorities, recommending vendors, and preparing bid specifications.
• Responds to major fire and rescue emergencies by determining tactical objectives and incident command structure, and evaluating outcomes.
• Selects, trains, motivates, and evaluates Fire Department personnel, provides or coordinates staff training and counseling, evaluates employee performance, works with employees to correct deficiencies, and implements discipline and termination procedures.
• Assesses and monitors work load, administrative and support systems, and internal reporting relationships, and implements improvements.
• Plans, organizes, directs, and supervises all Fire Department based suppression, rescue, pre-hospital emergency medical, hazardous materials, disaster preparedness, and risk reduction programs for the Town.
• Manages the development and implementation of Fire Department goals, objectives, policies, and priorities for assigned service area, establishes appropriate service and staffing levels, and develops and administers standard operating policies and procedures.
• Participates on a variety of boards and commissions, attends and participates in professional group meetings, conferences and workshops, and stays abreast of new trends and innovations in the field of fire prevention, suppression, and operations.
• Leads and manages effective service delivery and activities by planning and prioritizing tasks, reviewing all operations, ensuring policy and procedure compliance, recommending changes and adjustments, monitoring customer service levels, reviewing station locations, recommending outside agency contracts, reviewing requirements needed for fire class ratings, and monitoring staff performance and development.
• Prepares and administers the annual budget by forecasting revenues and expenditures, identifying staffing needs, establishing equipment replacement programs, identifying new equipment, presenting proposals for approval, authorizing payments and monitoring expenditures for recommended adjustments.
• Develops and manages goals and objectives by reviewing and supporting executive management and elected officials goals, supporting strategic planning efforts, developing and evaluating performance measures, implementing policies and procedures, and reviewing training guidelines.
• Recommends policy changes by reviewing needs and emerging trends, identifying modifications, recommending new and/or upgraded fees, and monitoring other municipalities.
• Represents the Town by attending and participating in meetings and on committees, and promoting opportunities and collaboration with local, state and federal officials.
• Works irregular hours including weekends, holidays and extended hours as needed.
• Performs work during emergency/disaster situations.
• Performs other duties of a similar nature or level.

Financial and Budgeting Responsibility
Employee prepares the annual budget for the Fire Department.

Education and Experience
Bachelor’s degree in fire science, public administration, or related field and twelve (12) years of progressively responsible supervisory and firefighting experience including three (3) years of incident command experience as a Fire Captain or higher ranking officer and five (5) years of administrative management experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the job such as those listed above.

Licenses and Professional Certifications
• NC Driver’s License
• NC Fire Officer Levels I, II, III & IV or National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) equivalent
• National Incident Management System (NIMS) Incident Command System (ICS) courses 100, 200, 300, 400, 700, 800
• NC Firefighter Certification (preferred)
• NC Driver License Class B (within ninety (90) days of employment)
• Completion of NC Fire Chief 101 and National Fire Academy (NFA) Leadership I through the Office of State Fire Marshall (within one (1) year of employment)
• Completion of National Fire Academy (NFA) Strategy and Tactics for Initial Company Operations (within one (1) year of employment)

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Knowledge of general principles of fire science; emergency management techniques; hazardous materials management techniques; emergency medical practices; departmental policies and practices; principles of finance and budgeting; local and state fire ordinances; firefighting and rescue equipment and appropriate vendors; federal and state firefighter training requirements; fire investigative practices; state and local fire protection and rescue agencies; and operations of Town government.

Skilled in supervising rescue and fire suppression operations and maintaining managerial control in extremely stressful conditions; performing a broad range of supervisor responsibilities over others; observing or monitoring people’s behavior, or objects to determine compliance with prescribed operating or safety standards; report writing, project and workload planning; planning, organizing and directing a large group of employees through subordinate supervisors; analyzing complex emergency response and operations problems, developing sound alternatives and making effective recommendations and decisions under both emergency and non-emergency circumstances; preparing and monitoring budgets; effectively motivating, supervising and eliciting the cooperation of others; maintaining discipline, and commanding the respect of subordinate supervisors; preparing and making presentations; using a computer and related software applications; driving a vehicle; supervising and evaluating employees; working cooperatively with other Town employees and the public; and communication, interpersonal skills as applied to interaction with coworkers, supervisor, the general public, etc. sufficient to exchange or convey information and to receive work direction.

Ability to represent the Town in a professional and respectful manner while interacting with a diverse set of individuals within the workplace and the community.

Working Conditions
Employee is subject to inside environmental conditions having the lighting, temperature, and noise of an open floor-plan office environment. The employee is also exposed to outdoor conditions when responding to calls, and may be frequently exposed to weather elements including rain, wind, varying temperatures, etc. In addition, the employee must effectively deal with personal danger, which may include exposure to hazardous chemicals and materials, fumes and smoke, intense heat, electrical hazards, confined or high work places, dangerous animals, extremely loud noises, hazards of emergency driving, hazards associated with traffic control and working in and near traffic, and natural and man-made disasters.

Physical Requirements
A portion of work is performed within an office environment, primarily behind a desk, and frequently includes the operation of a computer. The employee must read and write, and interact with others in person, over the phone, and via other devices. The employee may move about within the facility to access file cabinets, documents, office machinery, and other equipment. Travel is often required to outside sites in order to perform the duties described above, as well as to attend meetings, trainings, events, and other business activities. Work also requires running, walking, standing, bending, crouching, crawling, lifting, carrying, and/or moving equipment and injured/deceased persons, pushing and pulling various objects, climbing stairs and ladders, performing life-saving and rescue procedures, and operating assigned equipment including motor vehicles. Must be able to perform medium work exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally; and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently; and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects.

Direct Reports
• Assistant Fire Chief