Assistant Fire Chief

Assists Fire Chief in managing department; supervises personnel; assists with direction of fire and rescue operations; serves as Training Coordinator for all Brenham Fire Department staff including preparing, organizing, assigning or conducting training for staff according to Local, State and Federal regulations on a continued basis; conducts public education courses to community; and communicates with city manager and elected officials on issues related to the department.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

• Assists Fire Chief in managing operations of the fire department; Assumes administrative duties of Fire Chief in that person’s absence.
• Is directly  involved  with  emergency  situational  leadership  and  operations  including  key positions within the incident command system, , including, but not limited to, Planning Section Chief, Operations Section Chief, Safety Officer, Liaison Officer, Public Information Officer, and Logistics Section Chief.
• Supervises Captains and apparatus operators, including assigning and reviewing work, training, conducting performance reviews, and assisting the Fire Chief in executing personnel actions such as hiring, transferring, promoting, disciplining, or dismissing employees;
• Coordinates BFD training program for all members, including evaluating skills, and maintaining proper training records for proper agencies;
• Teach BFD mandatory knowledge, skills, and abilities which will include conducting training sessions after hours and or weekends;
• Assists in the preparation of various reports related to training activities and accomplishments;
• Assists with development of department plans, procedures, and technical specifications;
• Assists Fire Chief in preparing annual department budget;
• Performs various administrative duties, including preparing correspondence and preparing and maintaining statistical information and files;
• Communicates with City Manager and elected officials on issues related to the fire department;
• Directs and coordinates emergency scene activities unless and until relieved of command by higher ranking Officer.
• Responds to fire and other related emergency requests as necessary
• Performs firefighting, salvage, and rescue functions;
• Serves as the Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator, including helping with coordination on emergency preparedness issues with the City of Brenham, US Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, State of Texas Department of Emergency Management, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), and other area entities;
• In the absence of Emergency Management Coordinator acts as advisor to city management regarding emergency situations;
• Advises departments on their emergency plans and coordinates interdepartmental activity in conjunction with emergency planning;

Supervisory Responsibilities

Supervises personnel, including assigning and reviewing work, training, conducting performance reviews, and assisting with execution of personnel actions such as hiring, transferring, promoting, disciplining, or dismissing employees.

Qualifications 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience

High school graduation or its equivalent plus eight years of experience in fire prevention and suppression, at least four of which involved supervision; or any equivalent combination of education and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Knowledge Of

General management principles; fire prevention, and suppression equipment, principles, methods, and practices; local codes related to the fire department; city ordinances; budgeting principles and procedures; and standard office practices and procedures.

Skill/Ability To

Operate computers, including word processing and spreadsheet software; establish and maintain effective working relationships with co-workers and the general public; develop, organize, motivate, and effectively utilize staff; communicate effectively, both orally and in writing; read and interpret manuals, policies, and other documents; operate fire suppression equipment; and gather, compile, analyze, and evaluate a variety of data, and make sound decisions regarding those data as they apply to providing department services.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations

Advanced firefighter certification from the Texas Commission on Fire Protection (TCFP); TCFP Instructor III Certification; TCFP Fire Officer II; TCFP Incident Command; TCFP Incident Safety Officer; NIMS 100, 200, 300, 400, 700, 800 and valid Class B Texas driver’s license.

Physical Demands 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the essential duties of this job, the employee frequently is required to stand and walk on various types of surfaces, and constantly is required to reach with hands and arms, bend, kneel, crouch, climb, crawl, twist, and to talk and hear.  The employee frequently is required to drive a vehicle.  The employee must be able to use hands and fingers to write and/or type information into computer and clean and maintain the fire station.  The employee must frequently lift and/or move objects weighing 20 to 50 pounds, such as fire hoses and other equipment and materials, and occasionally must lift and/or move objects weighing 100 pounds or more with or without the assistance of another officer.  The employee must be able to see clearly, with or without vision correction, in close situations, at a distance, and peripherally, and be able to recognize colors and adjust focus.  The employee must be able to perform multiple tasks simultaneously, such as walking while pulling the fire hose and watching for dangerous situations, and must be prepared to be called upon to perform acts of intense physical exertion during emergency situations.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the essential duties of this job, the employee constantly must present a positive attitude as a role model in the community. The employee frequently must work closely with others as part of and/or leader of a team, and must remain calm and professional in tense, emotionally charged, and stressful situations. The employee regularly must work under time pressures to meet deadlines and occasionally must perform multiple tasks simultaneously (such as talking on the telephone and making appropriate notes about the call).  The employee occasionally is exposed to emergency situations in which there is the possibility of danger or physical injury. The employee may be subject to working irregular schedules and overtime.  The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate, but may be noisy and distracting.