FIRE CHIEF

JOB
PURPOSE OF CLASSIFICATIONThe Fire Chief provides administrative direction and leadership for all Fire Department functions, operations, and personnel through the supervision of staff and a review of their activities. Responsibilities include: reviewing the general operation of the department to determine efficiency; providing direction on major projects or problem areas; planning for the future; developing and implementing policies and procedures; and providing policy guidance. In addition, the Fire Chief is responsible, through study and consultation with County officials, for developing recommendations for the protection of life and property in Whitfield County.NOTE: This classification has been designated as a non-merit system, at-will position. The Fire Chief is appointed by the Board of Commissioners upon the recommendation of the County Administrator. This employee receives general supervision from the County Administrator, who reviews work on the basis of overall results achieved. *POSITION OPEN UNTIL FILLED*

EXAMPLE OF DUTIES
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONSThe following duties are normal for this position. The omission of specific statements of the duties does not exclude them from the classification if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment for this classification. Other duties may be required and assigned.Carries out managerial responsibility in accordance with County and state policies, procedures, and applicable laws; manages, directs, and evaluates assigned staff, processing employee concerns and problems, directing work, counseling, disciplining, and completing employee performance appraisals; interviews, hires, and trains employees; plans, coordinates, assigns, and monitors performance and coaches, councils, mentors, trains, and advises employees for meeting department goals and employee career development; plans, organizes, assigns, reviews, and controls work production and activities, to include procedures, allocation of resources, problem resolution, and training of employees.Plans, directs, and controls department activities such as: the recruitment of personnel; purchase of equipment; assignment of personnel and equipment; accreditation requirements, and budgeting and control of expenditures. Coordinates Fire Department activities with other County departments. Manages incident scenes involving structure fire, hazardous material, multi-company rescues, and natural or man-made disasters; responds to incident and commands scene to ensure that appropriate techniques are utilized; supervises, conducts, and monitors fire investigations to determine cause and origin; Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with staff, County officials, community organizations, other fire departments, other agencies, County departments, and the general public. Makes effective verbal and written presentations. Speaks before public groups on the plans, programs, and goals of the Fire Department. Participates in meeting with influential people within the community, developers, officials, citizens, and news media to establish goodwill, resolve and respond to issues, and for the dissemination of information. Advises the County Administrator and the Board of Commissioners of Fire Department progress. Responds courteously and tactfully to a demanding and diverse public in answering questions, explaining department policies, and handling complaints. Responds to all major citizen complaints involving the department. Develops, communicates, and monitors policies, procedures, and standards; implements improvements when necessary; monitors and communicates policies, procedures and standards to identify and correct problems and deficiencies.Conducts staff meetings to review progress, accomplishments, budgets, strategies, and plans for the department; confers with upper management to keep them informed on key issues and progress toward objectives, and to gain their support and approval; makes recommendations to assist upper management in making needed improvements.Ensures quality standards and compliance with regulations are maintained; signs official and other documents to approve or ensure information adequacy, accuracy, and legitimacy.Recommends to the Commissioner the selection of new station sites, changes in the locations of existing stations, construction of new stations, purchases of new apparatus, hose equipment, and the sale of stations, apparatus, used hose, and equipment not necessary for use in the operation of the department. Maintains and upgrades professional knowledge, skills, and development by attending seminars and training programs, and reading trade and professional journals and publications.Directs fire safety education, pre-fire planning, and emergency preparedness programs, as well as the regulatory responsibilities of the department.Performs special assignments as requested to research and prepare reports and projects, to develop and implement programs, and to present technical data to management, elected officials, and others.Writes detailed or technical reports of findings, conclusions, and recommendations based on thorough analysis of data for presentation to others.Plans, organizes, coordinates, prepares, administers, and monitors the Department budget. Analyzes and resolves operational and procedural problems. Secures, justifies, and monitors the use of budgetary monies and capital; identifies and develops potential sources of supplies, materials, equipment, and services that are capable of providing appropriate quality at appropriate prices; creates and designs plans and specifications using all available sources of information for a project or program to meet the needs of the County and Department.Prepares annual report for all fires occurring in the County during the preceding year stating the cause, classification, and number of buildings involved, and other relevant data on the Department operations, including a status report on apparatus, equipment, and buildings. Supervises the enforcement of fire prevention laws and ordinances. Ensures that annual inspections are conducted in a timely manner and reports are made. Operates a computer, office equipment, fire apparatus, firefighting equipment, maintenance tools, gas detector, weapon, projector, carpentry tools, radio, pager, cellular telephone, or other equipment as necessary to complete essential functions, to include the use of word processing, spreadsheet, database, or other system software.ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONSPerforms other related duties as required.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
PERFORMANCE APTITUDESData Utilization: Requires the ability to coordinate, manage, and/or correlate data. Includes exercising judgment in determining time, place and/or sequence of operations, referencing data analyses to determine necessity for revision of organizational components, and in the formulation of operational strategy. Human Interaction: Requires the ability to function in a director capacity for a major organizational unit requiring significant internal and external interaction. Equipment, Machinery, Tools, and Materials Utilization: Requires the ability to operate and control the actions of equipment, machinery, tools and/or materials requiring complex and rapid adjustments. Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to utilize a wide variety of reference, descriptive, and/or advisory data and information. Mathematical Aptitude: Requires the ability to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication and division; ability to calculate decimals and percentages; may include ability to perform mathematical operations involving basic algebraic principles and formulas, and basic geometric principles and calculations. Functional Reasoning: Requires the ability to apply principles of logical or synthesis functions; to deal with several concrete and abstract variables; and to analyze major problems that require complex planning for interrelated activities that can span one or several work units. Situational Reasoning: Requires the ability to exercise judgment, decisiveness and creativity in situations involving the direction, control and planning of an entire program or set of programs. ADA COMPLIANCEPhysical Ability: Tasks require the ability to exert light physical effort in sedentary to light work, but which may involve some lifting, carrying, pushing and/or pulling of objects and materials of moderate weight (12-20 pounds); may occasionally involve heavier objects and materials (up to 100 pounds). Tasks may involve extended periods of time at a keyboard or work station. Sensory Requirements: Some tasks require the ability to perceive and discriminate colors or shades of colors, sounds, taste, odor, depth, texture, and visual cues or signals. Some tasks require the ability to communicate orally. Environmental Factors: Performance of essential functions may require exposure to adverse environmental conditions, such as smoke, dust, pollen, wetness, humidity, temperature extremes, or machinery. Whitfield County, Georgia is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the County will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.