Fire Marshal

City of Lakeville•Lakeville, MN

About The Position

The Fire Marshal leads the Fire Prevention Division and serves as a key leader and trusted advisor to the Fire Chief. The role shapes the city’s safety strategy, supervises division personnel, and helps ensure commercial and residential development proceeds safely. It combines administrative leadership with field work, including structural plan reviews, coordination with developers and city departments, fire and life safety inspections, and fire origin-and-cause investigations. The Fire Marshal also serves on the command team, may act as Fire Chief when required, performs duty-officer responsibilities, and may deploy as Incident Commander at emergency scenes. The position oversees fire prevention, public education, and community risk reduction programs; division administration, staffing, budgets, policies, records, and compliance tracking; and coordination with city departments, regulatory agencies, contractors, developers, and community stakeholders. The Fire Marshal provides technical expertise and incident-command support, maintains hazardous materials inventories under SARA Title III, and supports Emergency Operations Center activation as needed. The position generally follows a standard administrative eight-hour workday, with flexibility to attend meetings, conduct inspections, support community education, respond to emergencies, and investigate fires outside normal business hours. Duty-officer assignments and other operational responsibilities may also be required.

Requirements

Associate’s degree in Fire Science, Public Administration, or a related field.
At least 5 years of progressive fire service experience, including at least 3 years in a supervisory or officer capacity.
Current and active IFSAC- or ProBoard-accredited Firefighter II certification, or equivalent as determined by the Fire Department.
Current and active IFSAC- or ProBoard-accredited Hazardous Material Operations certification, independent of Firefighter I or II certification, or equivalent as determined by the Fire Department.
Current and active IFSAC- or ProBoard-accredited Fire Officer I certification, or equivalent as determined by the Fire Department.
Current and active IFSAC- or ProBoard-accredited Fire Instructor I certification, or equivalent as determined by the Fire Department.
FEMA NIMS ICS-100, 200, 700, and 800 certifications.
Current Emergency Medical Technician Basic or Advanced certification through the National Registry of EMTs.
Fire Inspector (Fire Inspector I) certification through the Minnesota Fire Service Certification Board or equivalent, meeting NFPA 1030 standards.
Fire Investigation certification through the Minnesota Fire Service Certification Board or equivalent.
State of Minnesota Licensed Firefighter upon employment.
Blue Card Certification, or ability to obtain it within one year of hire.
Fire Inspector Plans Examiner (Fire Inspector II) certification through the Minnesota Fire Service Certification Board or equivalent, or ability to obtain it within one year of hire, meeting NFPA 1030 standards.
Considerable experience reviewing fire protection system plans in accordance with local, state, and federal codes and NFPA standards.
Firefighting and emergency response experience.
Valid driver’s license.
Physical ability to perform inspections above, at, or below grade.
Thorough knowledge of applicable Minnesota State Fire Code provisions, adopted local ordinances, and relevant NFPA standards.
Knowledge of building construction, fire protection systems, fire alarm systems, and construction plan review.
Ability to establish productive working relationships with employees, city departments, businesses, contractors, and the public.
Ability to interpret and consistently apply fire and life safety codes, regulations, and departmental policies.
Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing, including preparing technical reports and enforcement documentation and delivering public presentations.
Ability to exercise sound judgment, resolve conflicts, and make defensible decisions in regulatory and emergency situations.
Proficiency with electronic inspection and permitting systems, records management software, electronic plan review, and standard office applications.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Fire Science, Public Administration, or a related field.
IFSAC- or ProBoard-accredited Fire Officer II certification, or equivalent as determined by the Fire Department, or ability to obtain within one year.
FEMA NIMS ICS-300 and ICS-400 certifications.

Responsibilities

Conduct structural plan reviews for compliance with fire codes, building codes, and local requirements, including review of occupancy classifications, construction types, hazard classifications, fire protection and alarm systems, and sprinkler plans.
Participate in pre-construction meetings and advise contractors, developers, and others on code compliance, acceptable methods and materials, and local requirements; coordinate plan reviews and inspections with the Building Official.
Coordinate and oversee scheduled, risk-based, and complaint-driven fire and life safety inspections; document deficiencies and pursue corrective actions.
Respond to complaints involving fire and life safety hazards and coordinate compliance schedules and resolution strategies with responsible parties.
Administer licensing inspections, special event permitting, mobile food vendor permitting, and the Knox Box program.
Respond to emergency incidents according to departmental procedures and provide technical expertise, incident-command support, and fire investigation assistance.
Serve as Incident Commander, Division/Group Supervisor, Safety Officer, or Duty Officer as assigned.
Lead fire cause-and-origin investigations, collaborate with the Police Department on arson cases, preserve evidence, maintain chain-of-custody documentation, and complete investigation reports.
Work with insurance companies during fire investigations, provide reports as appropriate, and testify in court regarding fire prevention enforcement and arson matters.
Coordinate and oversee fire prevention, public education, and community risk reduction programs; identify risks, develop targeted initiatives, and evaluate program effectiveness.
Maintain hazardous materials inventories in compliance with SARA Title III requirements and support Emergency Operations Center activation as needed.
Operate emergency apparatus in accordance with department driving requirements and stay current on continuing education, code changes, and evolving materials and construction methods.
Supervise assigned fire prevention personnel, including assignments, scheduling, training, performance expectations, and employee evaluations.
Coordinate Fire Prevention Division administration, including inspection priorities, program goals, workload management, records management, and compliance tracking.
Develop budget recommendations for fire prevention activities, equipment, training, and programs; monitor assigned expenditures and assist the Fire Chief with budget administration.
Develop and recommend policies, procedures, and operational guidelines for fire prevention, inspections, investigations, and code enforcement.
Coordinate with other city departments to support consistent code application and effective service delivery.
Prepare reports, correspondence, code interpretations, enforcement orders, and other fire prevention documentation; maintain accurate records and support required reporting.
Maintain effective communication about division activities, priorities, and significant issues; collaborate with department leadership and other city departments, agencies, contractors, developers, and community stakeholders.
Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.