Division Chief of Community Risk Reduction / Fire Marshal

City of Shawnee•Shawnee, KS

20d

About The Position

The Division Chief of Community Risk Reduction is a tactical-level position that provides leadership, direction, and coordination of the Community Risk Reduction program. This highly visible role involves significant interaction with public and private stakeholders, can affect public perception of the City, and contributes to the City’s future development. The employee is expected to stay current with trends and innovations in Community Risk Reduction. The position leads the Community Risk Reduction Division and directs fire prevention work, including inspections, plan reviews, and permits. It provides technical interpretation and guidance on fire codes and regulations, oversees personnel and division records and software, and supports fire department training, public education, and pre-incident planning. The role also conducts fire investigations, serves as evidence custodian, testifies as an expert witness when required, and represents the City and Fire Department with the public and other agencies. The base schedule is Monday through Friday during regular office hours. The exempt position may require evening, weekend, and holiday availability and is essentially on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for administrative and management decisions, emergencies, and other issues. The full-time, exempt position has a hiring range of $119,000–$130,000 annually, depending on qualifications.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
At least 10 years of fire service experience.
Kansas Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Basic, Advanced, or Paramedic certification, or National Registry certification with the ability to obtain Kansas certification upon hire.
Successful completion of Pro Board or IFSAC certifications in HAZMAT Awareness, HAZMAT Operations, Firefighter I, Firefighter II, Fire Inspector, and Fire Plan Review.
Ability to obtain certifications from ICC, NFPA, IFSAC, Pro Board, or another approved certifying entity within one year of appointment.
Any combination of education and experience that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the responsibilities may also be considered.

Nice To Haves

Progressively responsible supervisory experience.

Responsibilities

Lead and manage the Community Risk Reduction Division.
Plan and direct day-to-day fire prevention activities, including inspections, plan reviews, and permits.
Supervise fire inspection personnel, including scheduling, training, coaching, and evaluating staff.
Develop knowledge of adopted codes, standards, and regulations; interpret them and develop enforcement guidelines.
Provide technical assistance and fire-code guidance to architects, engineers, developers, contractors, building owners, City staff, and fire department personnel.
Review civil, architectural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection system plans, specifications, and calculations for compliance.
Conduct fire and life safety inspections of new and existing buildings and hazardous activities or operations, and witness final acceptance testing of fire protection systems.
Develop, review, and evaluate permit processes to streamline enforcement and issuance of permits required by the adopted fire code.
Conduct origin and cause investigations, fire scene reconstruction, and system failure analysis, and evaluate structures or systems for fire-code compliance.
Serve as the department’s evidence custodian.
Testify in court proceedings as an expert witness when required.
Assist with training fire department personnel on fire behavior, protection, prevention, inspections, and code requirements.
Ensure accurate records for commercial occupancies, plan reviews, inspections, and permit data; assist with collecting and entering data for pre-incident planning.
Administer departmental software platforms related to Community Risk Reduction.
Establish and maintain contact with appropriate federal, state, county, and regional associations.
Cooperate with the State Fire Marshal’s office on inspections, re-inspections, and inquiries.
Respond to public inquiries, provide information, and resolve complaints.
Represent the City and Fire Department at meetings with the public, other City departments, and outside agencies as required.
Supervise and participate in developing and implementing educational programs for schools, businesses, community groups, and the public.
Communicate effectively in formal and informal settings, adapting information, media, and presentation style to the audience.