Field Safety Officer - OPS

Requisition No: 832439

Agency: Division of Emergency Management

Working Title: Field Safety Officer - OPS - 31902097

Pay Plan: Temp

Position Number: 31902097

Salary: $39.00 hourly

Posting Closing Date: 07/17/2024

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Field Safety Officer - OPS

Bureau of Response

State of Florida Division of Emergency Management

This position is available statewide

The Florida Division of Emergency Management plans for and responds to both natural and man-made disasters. These range from floods and hurricanes to incidents involving hazardous materials or nuclear power. The Division of Emergency Management (FDEM or Division) is the liaison between federal, state, and local agencies. FDEM prepares and implements a statewide Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, routinely conducts extensive exercises to test state and county emergency response capabilities, provides technical assistance to local governments as they prepare emergency plans and procedures, as well as conducts emergency operations trainings for state and local government agencies.

The Division serves as the lead agency for the State Emergency Response Team (SERT), whose primary goal is the coordination of the state’s efforts during disaster response and recovery. This coordination is conducted within the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) in Tallahassee. Additionally, the Division manages the State Watch Office; the 24-hours a day operation tasked with providing situational awareness to stakeholders statewide. After a disaster, FDEM conducts damage assessment surveys and advises the Governor of the state of Florida on whether to declare an emergency and seek federal relief funds. It is against this backdrop that FDEM strives to demonstrate its mission of, “Coordinate, collaborate and communicate with our community stakeholders for a resilient Florida” along with our vision of, “Leading the Profession in building prepared and resilient communities”.

Position Overview and Responsibilities:

The Safety Officer (SOFR) is responsible for ensuring operational safety during emergency incidents. This role focuses on identifying hazards, mitigating risks, and safeguarding the health and well-being of incident personnel. The SOFR's role is pivotal in maintaining safety standards, preventing accidents, and promoting a secure environment for incident personnel. This position is a Command Staff level position on Florida’s State All-Hazards Incident Management Team.

Duties for the position include, but are not limited to:

• Identify incident-related hazardous situations.
• Propose actions to mitigate risks and hazards with the greatest potential for serious accidents or injuries.
• Ensure the safety, welfare, and accountability of assigned incident personnel.
• Exercise emergency authority to stop unsafe actions at any time.
• Develop the ICS 208 Safety Message / Plan for each operational period during an incident.
• Develop the ICS 206 Medical Plan in the absence of a Medical Unit Leader for each operational period during an incident.
• Investigate, or coordinate the investigation of, accidents occurring within the incident area.
• Conduct safety analyses and prepare reports on all incident facilities and locations, as necessary; communicate safety issues or concerns to incident personnel at shift briefings.
• Determine the need for subject matter experts or technical specialists to advise on or oversee unique safety issues or hazards, such as confined space, hazardous materials (HAZMAT), infectious diseases, etc.
• Assign and oversee Assistant Safety Officers, technical specialists, and subject matter experts, as necessary.
• Coordinate and effectively communicate activities with the State Emergency Response Team.
• Implement priorities and objectives from State Emergency Response Team Command Staff.
• Perform duties as assigned during activations of the emergency operation center, work non-traditional hours, and travel for extended periods. Employee must be able to deploy to anywhere in Florida or the United States for up to 28 days at a time. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• In-depth understanding of incident safety protocols, risk assessment, and emergency response procedures.
• Ability to adapt swiftly to changing incident conditions.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills for clear reporting and coordination.
• Experience in accident investigation techniques and root cause analysis.
• Attention to detail and accuracy in documenting findings.
• Familiarity with safety regulations, hazardous materials handling, and infectious disease protocols.
• Ability to collaborate with technical specialists and subject matter experts.
• Work effectively with diverse stakeholders, including government agencies, first responders, and safety professionals.

Minimum Qualifications:

• A valid driver’s license.
• Must be able to deploy for extended periods with little to no advance notice anywhere in Florida or the United States, work nontraditional hours including weekends and holidays, and perform other duties as required. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (i.e., up to 28 days at a time).

Special Notes:

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.

The Division of Emergency Management is committed to successfully recruiting and onboarding talented and skilled individuals into its workforce. The Division appreciates the service and sacrifices made by veterans and their family members. Further, FDEM recognizes the immeasurable value veterans bring to the workplace and is committed to increasing the number of veterans that serve in its workforce.

The Division of Emergency Management is committed to increasing recruitment and hiring of individuals with disabilities and improving employment outcomes. An individual with a disability is qualified if he or she satisfies the skills, experience, and other job-related requirements for a position and can perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation. Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must contact the FDEM Human Resources Office at (850) 815-4177. FDEM requests applicants notify HR in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.

Successful completion of background screening will be required for this position.

The State of Florida and the Division of Emergency Management participate in E-Verify. This federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States.

In response to emergency events, Division of Emergency Management employees may be required to work irregular hours, to work more than 8 hours per day, to work extended periods (including weekends and holidays), to work at locations other than their official headquarters, and to perform duties in addition to those outlined in the employee’s position description. Employees must be able to deploy to emergency sites with limited advance notice.

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer, and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.