Division Chief of Fire Prevention

City of Olathe

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Division Chief of Fire Prevention oversees the Fire Prevention Division within the Community Risk Reduction Section of the Olathe Fire Department. This position is responsible for overseeing all fire code enforcement activities including fire plan review, fire inspections, and fire department issued permits based on locally adopted fire codes and standards. The Division Chief of Fire Prevention serves as the primary fire plans examiner and supervises fire inspection personnel. The Division Chief of Fire Prevention functions as the Assistant Fire Marshal and serves as the Acting Fire Marshal in the Fire Marshal’s absence. This role plays a critical role in supporting safe community growth, reducing risk, and advancing the department’s mission of public safety. In this role, you will lead the Fire Prevention Division and help protect the community through plan review, inspections, permitting, and strong partnerships with residents, businesses, developers, and city staff. This is a unique opportunity to help shape and define a key leadership role within a growing and forward-looking department. As Division Chief of Fire Prevention, you will help lead fire prevention efforts in one of the fastest-growing communities in the region and contribute to major development projects that will have a lasting impact on Olathe.

Requirements

Three years of professional work experience in the field of fire protection is required.
A bachelor’s degree with major coursework in fire protection engineering, fire science, fire administration, public administration or a related field is required.
A valid driver’s license and favorable driving record are required.
A current valid Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) license or Paramedic license from either the State of Kansas or the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) is required.
Fire Inspector and Fire Plan Review Certifications from International Code Council (ICC), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC), Pro Board, or other approved certifying entity are required within one year of hire.
Proficiency with verbal and written English language required.

Nice To Haves

One or more years of supervisory experience is preferred.
Professional work experience in a municipal fire department is preferred.
A master’s degree in fire protection engineering, fire science, fire administration, public administration or a related field is preferred.
Additional relevant and progressively more responsible experience may be substituted for education.
Kansas State Fire Marshal Certified Fire Investigator I or II is preferred.
Fire Protection Engineering License is preferred.
Additional proficiency with Spanish and/or American Sign Language is preferred.

Responsibilities

Leads and manages the Fire Prevention Division; plans, organizes, assists and directs day-to-day fire prevention activities including plan review, inspections, and permits; formulates and interprets policies and procedures; supervises and develops fire inspection personnel, including hiring, scheduling, training, coaching, and evaluating staff, while fostering collaboration and effective communication with internal and external stakeholders.
Manages the department’s fire plan review program and activities; reviews civil, architectural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection system plans, specifications, and calculations to ensure compliance with locally adopted codes, standards, and regulations of the city; coordinates with other city departments to assist in conducting thorough and streamlined approvals for planning and construction projects through Development Review Committee, Planning Commission, and other meetings as necessary.
Manages the department’s fire inspection program and activities; conducts fire and life safety inspections of new and existing buildings, hazardous activities or operations, and witnesses final acceptance testing of fire protection systems to evaluate fire code compliance; assists in enforcing the department’s permit program and activities; develops, reviews, and evaluates permit processes to ensure streamlined efforts pertaining to issuing construction and operational permits required by the adopted fire code.
Develops considerable knowledge of adopted International Code Council (ICC) codes, standards, and other regulations to perform interpretation and develop enforcement guidelines for residents, professional organizations, and department personnel; provides technical assistance and guidance to architects, engineers, developers, contractors, building owners, city staff and fire department personnel by providing technical interpretations of building and fire codes; assists in the training of fire department personnel in topics related to fire behavior, fire protection, fire prevention, fire inspections, and fire code requirements; provides presentations and training at various events concerning updates to codes and regulations.
Updates all city and department records management systems (RMS); ensures all property, plan review, inspection, and permit data is up to date; assists in collecting and inputting data to support pre-incident planning efforts; supports the fire and investigation program and fire investigators; duties may include conducting origin and cause investigations, fire scene reconstruction, system failure analysis, and evaluating structures or systems for fire code compliance.