Fire Chief

Nature of Work
The Fire Chief provides leadership and strategic direction for the overall operation and administration of the Rochester Fire Department which includes fire prevention, suppression, investigation, emergency medical services, rescue, hazardous materials, emergency management, budget planning, and employee engagement. Responsibilities are performed with considerable independence under general policy direction from the City Administrator and City Council.  The incumbent is an active participant in the City's Executive Leadership Team and maintains collaborative relationships with the staff of other City departments.

Reference Information
Official Notice of Exam

*Strategic Direction

• Lead the development and implementation of a strategic vision and plan for the Department that is in alignment and supportive of the City's strategic goals, enhances the community, motivates and inspires employees, and which addresses future service delivery needs.
• Create Departmental performance metrics to ensure the achievement of goals and objectives.
• Conduct leadership team meetings to facilitate information sharing, development of team goals, and to address key decisions and/or issues affecting the Department.
• Collaborate with other members of the City's Executive Leadership Team for the purpose of maximizing organizational resources and addressing organizational policy issues.
• Assess community needs/risks and prepare recommendations to address these issues to the City Administrator and Council.

 
*Operations

• Plan, organize and direct the work of the fire department in fire prevention, extinguishing of fires and in life-saving activities.
• Provide the Council with recommendations pertaining to fire suppression, EMS, rescue, hazardous materials, emergency management, fire prevention and other public safety activities.
• Develop policies and procedures designed to increase operational efficiency and effectiveness.
• Coordinate mutual fire protection plans, emergency responses, and other department activities with surrounding jurisdictions, other departments, and organizations.
• Develop and recommend service level standards, operating processes and resource requirements to effectively protect the community.
• Oversee the development and administration of the multi-year operating budget and capital needs; monitor to ensure financial compliance and alignment with organizational strategic directives.

 
*Team Leadership

• Foster a collaborative leadership style that encourages teamwork, promotes staff initiative, and provides professional growth opportunities for all departmental employees.
• Develop and implement effective performance management strategies to ensure the achievement of outcomes and to create an environment that encourages innovation, teamwork, employee engagement, fiscal responsibility, and high-quality work.
• Create expectations and outcomes for employees to work collaboratively with other City department staff, public agencies, customers, and the community.
• Oversee the recruitment, hiring, and orientation processes for new employees and ensure strategies are implemented to obtain and maintain a diverse workforce.
• Collaborate with the Human Resources professionals to resolve employment/labor relations issues and participate in collective bargaining agreement negotiations when requested.

*Public Relations 

• Promote positive relations for the City and Department through direct public interaction and media relations.
• Work effectively with other City departments and local agencies to accomplish City and Departmental objectives, minimizing duplication of services.
• Attend and speak at meetings of various community organizations to establish a general understanding of fire Department objectives and to promote good public safety.
• Attend meetings of professional organizations to gather information on most recent techniques of fire department administration and operation.
• Advocate for changes in laws and policies relating to fire prevention by conferring with officials, educating community groups, and conducting public relations campaigns.

Perform other related duties and responsibilities consistent with the role and function of this position.

*ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONSEducation and Experience 
A Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Fire Science, Emergency Management, Public Administration, Business Administration or a closely related field and ten years of combined firefighting experience with at least five years of career progression and increasing leadership in supervisory positions in a career fire department.

A combination of education and experience may be considered.

Licenses 
Valid driver's license

Desirable Qualifications 
Master's degree in one of the aforementioned fields
Chief Fire Officer Designation (CFOD)
National Fire Academy's Executive Fire Officer (EFO) Certification

POSITION COMPETENCIES 
Strategic Agility:  Sees ahead clearly; can anticipate future consequences and trends accurately; has broad knowledge and perspective; is future oriented; can articulately paint credible pictures and visions of possibilities and likelihoods; can create competitive and breakthrough strategies and plans.
 
Managing Vision and Purpose:  Communicates a compelling and inspired vision or sense of core purpose; is optimistic; creates mileposts and symbols to rally support behind the vision; makes the vision sharable by everyone; can inspire and motivate divisions or the organization.
 
Informing: Provides the information employees need to know to do their jobs and to feel good about being a member of the team, division, and/or organization; provides individuals information so that they can make accurate decisions; is timely with information.
 
Conflict Management: Steps up to conflicts, seeing them as opportunities; reads situations quickly; good at focused listening; can hammer out tough agreements and settle disputes equitably; can find common ground and get cooperation with minimum noise.
 
Interpersonal Savvy: Relates well to all kinds of people – up, down, and sideways, inside and outside the organization; builds appropriate rapport; builds constructive and effective relationships; uses diplomacy and tact; can defuse even high-tension situations.
 
Compassion: Genuinely cares about people; is concerned about their work and non-work problems; is available and ready to help; is sympathetic to the plight of others not as fortunate; demonstrates real empathy with the joys and pains of others.
 
Building Effective Teams: Blends people into teams when needed; creates strong morale and spirit in his/her team; shares wins and successes; fosters open dialogue; lets people finish and be responsible for their work; defines success in terms of the whole team; creates a feeling of belonging in the team.
 
Self-Knowledge: Knows personal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and limits; seeks feedback; gains insights from mistakes; is open to criticism; isn't defensive; is receptive to talking about shortcomings; looks forward to balanced ( 's and –'s) performance evaluations and career discussions.

PHYSICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL CRITERIA
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the following represents the physical and environmental demands for this position. The employee must be able to perform the essential functions with or without accommodation.

In consideration of the overall amount of physical effort required to perform this position, the work is best described as Sedentary to Light Work: Exerting from zero to 20 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount constantly to move objects. If the use of arm and/or leg controls requires exertion of forces greater than that for Sedentary Work and the worker sits most of the time, the job is rated for Light Work.
 
Physical demands that may be required continuously (2/3 or more of the time), frequently (1/3 to 2/3 of the time), and occasionally (up to 1/3 of the time) are noted below:

Continuous demands: sitting.

Frequent demands: fine dexterity and standing.

Occasional demands: walking, carrying, handling, climbing, pushing/pulling, bending, and crouching.

Sensory requirements necessary in the performance of the essential functions of this position include: sight, hearing, touch, and smell.
 
Environmental conditions that may exist in the performance of the essential functions of this job include primarily NONE (not substantially exposed to environmental conditions); however, on rare occasions the individual may have exposure to outdoor conditions and noise.

Salary : $140,195 - $200,280