Fire Captain

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Thank you for your interest in the position of Fire Captain with our department. We look forward to the opportunity to consider you as an applicant.

We are currently recruiting to fill one immediate vacancy and an eligibility list will be established to fill future vacancies. The dates associated with our recruitment process have been included for planning purposes. Additional details regarding the recruitment process will be sent via email to qualified applicants after the recruitment closes and our screening process is completed (on or before December 15th at 5 p.m.).

Annual salary range: $96,783.23 to $117,640.56 plus excellence benefits as listed in the current MOU.

To be considered for this career opportunity applicants must submit, an application with detailed information in each section of the application: Education, Work Experience, Certificates and Licenses, and Skills. Applicants must also respond to the supplemental questions and attach copies of all of the required licenses and certificates. 

RECRUITMENT OVERVIEW

The dates associated with the various steps of our recruitment process are outlined in this job posting. Please make note of the dates and plan now to participate in each phase of the process.

WRITTEN EXAM: 

If we determine that you meet the minimum requirements for the position and that you have attached all of the required items, you will be invited to take a written exam which is the first phase of our recruitment process. Refer to the "Qualifications/Requirements" section of this posting for a complete list of all required documents.

The written examination will be administered the morning of: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18th. A minimum passing score of 70% is required on the written exam to advance to the Interview & Assessment Center phase of the recruitment.

SOURCE MATERIAL: The written exam will be based on the following source material:

*IFSTA's Fire & Emergency Services Company Officer (6th Edition)

*IFSTA Essentials of Fire Fighting & Fire Department Operations (7th Edition)

Additional details regarding the written exam will be sent via email to qualified applicants after the recruitment closes and our screening process is completed (on or before Monday, December 15th at 5 p.m.).

INTERVIEW & ASSESSMENT PROCESS: 

Applicants that achieve a score of 70% or greater on the written exam will be invited to participate in our interview and assessment process which will be administered on: Thursday, January 8th and/or Friday, January 9th. 

Depending on the number of qualified applicants, it may take two days for us to assess all the candidates but you will only need to report on one of the days. 

Please plan now to be available for our interview and assessment center process. As soon as we are able to confirm the number of qualified applicants, we will update you by email. 

POSITION OVERVIEW:

Under general supervision, plans, schedules, deploys, supervises, and reviews the work of Firefighters, Firefighter/Paramedics, and Fire Engineers of an assigned company or station responsible for providing fire suppression, rescue, emergency medical treatment, hazardous material response, and fire inspection and prevention services; takes command of fires and other emergency incidents within the City unless relieved by another officer; performs the full range of emergency response duties as a member of a response team; coordinates, and participates in non-emergency inspection, training, maintenance, and related activities; and performs other duties as required.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED

Receives general supervision from a Fire Battalion Chief. Exercise direct and general supervision over assigned staff.

CLASS CHARACTERISTICS

This is a full supervisory class in the fire series, responsible for all activities of an assigned company or station and for assisting with overall department management activities, as assigned. Responsibilities include both company command and the performance of a variety of emergency response, non-emergency maintenance, and administrative duties. This class is distinguished from the Fire Battalion Chief in that the latter is a management-level class responsible for the operations of an assigned program within the Fire Department.

CITY & DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW:

The City of Tulare is a vibrant and steadily growing community with a population of 70,693 located in the heart of California's Central Valley. The City provides a full-range of service to our citizens. The organization, staffed with 411 full-time employees, enjoys a culture of fiscal conservatism, collaboration, teamwork and dedication to public service and our community.

The Tulare City Fire Department (TFD) was established in 1882. The department has an outstanding history, tradition, and connection to the community of Tulare. Today, the TFD strives to evolve each day to meet the demands of the citizens, visitors, organizations and companies who live, learn, play, work, worship, and prosper in Tulare.

TFD has 52 sworn members, 2 non-sworn members and 1 Management Analyst. We operate out of three fire stations; each has one engine company with four personnel on duty each day. TFD also operates a ladder company with three personnel out of Station 61 each day. These highly trained and professional firefighters are ready at a moment’s notice to answer any call for services. TFD is an Insurance Services Office (ISO) rated Class 2 Fire Department.

TFD is comprised of two divisions: Administration and Fire Suppression.

ADMINISTRATION DIVISION: Tulare City Fire Department is responsible for enforcing local, state and federal fire safety laws. The Prevention Bureau within the admin division, achieves this by conducting annual fire & life safety inspections of all existing buildings that are open to the public. The prevention bureau performs plan reviews for safety compliance of all new commercial, industrial and multi-residential structures. Plan review consists of checking plans for fire safety features such as: fire sprinkler, and fire alarm plans. The prevention bureau is also very involved with the storage and sale of safe & sane fireworks, as well as large public gatherings, most notably the World Ag Expo.

SUPPRESSION DIVISION: The Fire Suppression Division consists of fifty-two (52) uniformed personnel. The primary responsibility of the fire suppression and first responder units are to respond to fire, emergency medical, rescue, and life safety emergencies within Tulare. Emergency Services are delivered through four (4) in-service fire companies from three (3) strategically located fire stations within the city. A battalion chief is on duty each day to perform as an incident commander, supervise fire suppression activities, and provide personnel supervision.

The primary goals of the Fire Department are to reduce casualties and the loss of life, improve patient outcomes, reduce property loss and damage, affect successful extrications of trapped victims, and protect the environment from the effects of a hazardous materials release. In calendar year 2024, the Fire Department responded to 464 fire calls, 4,335 medical calls and 2,775 calls for various other reasons for a total of 7,574 calls for service. The Fire Department is also responsible for enforcing local fire ordinances, state and federal laws, apprehending arsonists and assisting in their prosecution.

If you are interested, please visit the link below to find job description, salary, benefits, knowledge, skills, and abilities, and certification and education requirements for each position.

https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/tulareca/jobs/5144534/fire-captain?pagetype=jobOpportunitiesJobs

We look forward to seeing what you can bring to our expanding team.

Respectfully, Chief Ott

Message from Marc Mondell, City Manager

It’s an exciting time to be part of the City of Tulare, there is an unprecedented level of public and private investment and growth occurring within the community. This is also true for the Fire Department in that the City Council has invested significant funds over the past 3.5 years including; a new $1.5 million state of the art ladder truck and new $1 million fire engine. The City provided the largest raise in the history of the Department to all fire personnel and hired 12 new fire fighters through the SAFER program. The Department recently completed its Standards of Coverage analysis which calls for a new Fire Station and management is actively working to determine the preferred location, design parameters, and funding. The Department is reorganizing its management structure and anticipates the creation of a new Deputy Fire Chief position in the future.

If you are looking to be part of a great team doing important work with career advancement opportunity, then you should consider applying for one of our leadership positions today. On behalf of City Council and Chief Ott, we welcome your application!