Internal Candidates Only - Fire Chief

Summary:   

Reporting to the Deputy City Manager, the Fire Rescue Chief provides leadership and oversight for all Marathon Fire Rescue operations, ensuring effective coordination, strategic direction, and administration of fire and emergency services.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

(The responsibilities outlined above are representative of the position and are not intended to encompass all tasks that may be assigned.)

• Directs and manages the development, administration, and oversight of the Fire Rescue Department budget, ensuring fiscal responsibility and alignment with City priorities.
• Leads and commands all Fire Rescue personnel, including the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of training and professional development programs.
• Responds to and commands emergency incidents as required, including fire suppression, rescue operations, and property conservation.
• Operates and oversees the operation of firefighting, EMS, and support apparatus, including ambulances and specialized equipment.
• Delivers and ensures delivery of advanced emergency medical care (BLS/ALS) in strict accordance with established protocols, medical direction, and regulatory standards.
• Supports and augments paramedic personnel as authorized by the EMS Medical Director and in compliance with Florida law and established medical control procedures.
• Plans, prioritizes, and supervises the daily deployment and utilization of personnel, apparatus, and equipment to ensure optimal operational readiness.
• Provides strategic leadership, supervision, and direction to all assigned personnel, including sworn, technical, and administrative staff.
• Ensures workforce readiness by mandating and participating in required training, drills, and administrative functions.
• Evaluates performance and accountability by conducting and documenting comprehensive personnel performance reviews.
• Leads the development and implementation of fire prevention, life safety, and public health initiatives, including infectious disease control measures.
• Continuously assesses and enhances fire suppression, prevention, and disaster response programs through research, data analysis, and adoption of emerging best practices and technologies.
• Supports and plays a key leadership role in the City’s Emergency Management program, including disaster preparedness and response, and serves within the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
• Establishes, negotiates, and maintains mutual aid and Interagency agreements to ensure coordinated regional emergency response capabilities.
• Ensures compliance and accountability through the accurate preparation, review, and maintenance of all required records, reports, and official documentation.
• Develops, implements, and enforces departmental policies, procedures, goals, and objectives in compliance with applicable federal, state, county, and local regulations.
• Provides direct oversight of the Fire Life Safety Division to ensure effective fire inspections, code enforcement, and plan review processes.
• Commands and oversees investigations of major fire incidents involving significant loss, injury, or fatality to determine origin, cause, and contributing factors.
• Directs and ensures quality assurance of emergency medical services, including regulatory compliance, medical oversight, and administration of EMS contracts and agreements.
• Leads strategic initiatives and special projects as assigned by the City Manager/Deputy City Manager, ensuring timely and effective completion.
• Performs other critical duties and responsibilities as assigned to support departmental and City operations.
• All other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Directly supervises all employees in the fire rescue department; carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the city's policies and applicable laws; supervises and instructs personnel in daily operations.
• Responsible for planning and reviewing plans of subordinate staff to ensure efficient staffing coverage to meet requirements in all areas of operations.
• Communicates work assignments to subordinates; delegates tasks and responsibilities as required; controls the timeliness and quality of work performance through monitoring and evaluation.
• Establishes time frames for work completion; controls productivity to ensure optimal utilization of resources; interviews, recommends for appointment, trains, evaluates, rewards, promotes and disciplines staff.
• Addresses complaints and resolves problems; oversees and ensures supervisors and employees receive adequate training in technical and safety-related job needs.

Qualification Requirements

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.