Fire Battalion Chief

Purpose of Classification:

The Fire Battalion Chief serves as a senior management position responsible for overseeing and coordinating the operations, administration, and personnel of an assigned shift or division within the City of Fountain Inn Fire Department. This position ensures the effective delivery of fire suppression, emergency medical services, rescue operations, and disaster response within the municipality. The Fire Battalion Chief plays a critical role in maintaining the safety of the community, ensuring compliance with departmental policies and procedures, and fostering the professional development of fire personnel. Operating under the direction of the Fire Chief, this position requires strong leadership, decision-making skills, and the ability to manage complex emergency incidents in a medium-sized municipality with diverse public safety needs.

Essential Functions:

The following duties are normal for this position. The omission of specific statements of the duties does not exclude them from the classification if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment for this classification. Other duties may be required and assigned.

Command and oversee fire suppression, emergency medical response, and rescue operations during assigned shifts or incidents, ensuring public and personnel safety.

Direct and supervise personnel in assigned shifts or divisions, including scheduling, training, performance evaluation, and discipline. Provide administrative support by maintaining records and preparing reports; assist with administering new hire and promotional testing.

Develop and implement operational plans, including incident action plans, resource allocation, and strategies for emergency and non-emergency situations.

Monitor and ensure compliance with departmental policies, fire codes, regulations, and safety standards.

Serve as Incident Commander at major emergencies and coordinate multi-agency responses when required.

Evaluate fire scenes and emergency incidents for effectiveness and efficiency, recommending operational improvements when necessary.

Provide training and mentorship for personnel to enhance skills, knowledge, and leadership development.

Participate in the development and administration of departmental budgets, including the allocation of resources and preparation of reports.

Conduct fire safety inspections, pre-incident planning, and risk assessments for the community as needed.

Communicate effectively with city officials, department heads, and the public to address concerns, share information, and promote fire safety education.

Ensures departmental compliance with all applicable codes, laws, rules, regulations, standards, policies and procedures: ensures adherence to established safety procedures; monitors work environment and use of safety equipment to ensure safety of employees and other individual; and initiates any actions necessary to correct deviations or violations.

Represents the department to City administrators and elected officials, other government agencies, and the public, as needed: responds to complex questions, complaints, and requests for information; attends and participates in various committees, hearings, official functions, City Council meetings and other community meetings.

Regular Attendance: Consistent and reliable in-person attendance to ensure effective teamwork, collaboration, and communication with colleagues, clients, and community members. This includes but is not limited to attending scheduled meetings, participating in on-site or off-site events, and being available during standard work hours. The City will attempt to accommodate any reasonable adjustments as outlined by the ADA.

Additional Functions:

Performs other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications:

Associate degree in Fire Science or a related field preferred; Seven (7) years of progressively responsible firefighting experience, including at least three (3) years in a supervisory or command role; or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience which provides the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities for this job.

Certification as a Fire Officer II or higher (Fire Officer III preferred).

National Incident Management System (NIMS) certifications: ICS-100, ICS-200, ICS-300, ICS-400, IS-700, and IS-800.

Valid South Carolina Class E Driver’s License or equivalent. EMT or Paramedic certification (past or current) preferred.

May be required to obtain and maintain additional certifications as deemed necessary.

Specific Knowledge, Skills, or Abilities: Must be able to demonstrate proficiency in performance of the essential functions and learn, comprehend, and apply all City or departmental policies, practices, and procedures necessary to function effectively in the position. Extensive knowledge of modern fire suppression and prevention principles, procedures, techniques, and equipment. Working knowledge of first aid and resuscitation techniques and their application. Considerable knowledge of applicable laws, ordinances, departmental standard operating procedures and regulations. Considerable knowledge of the treatment of communicable disease and hazmat procedures. Ability to remain calm and make sound decisions under high-pressure situations.

Performance Aptitudes:

Data Utilization: Requires the ability to coordinate, manage, and/or correlate data. Includes exercising judgment in determining time, place and/or sequence of operations, referencing data analyses to determine necessity for revision of organizational components, and in the formulation of operational strategy.

Human Interaction: Requires the ability to function in a managerial capacity for a division or organizational unit; includes the ability to make decisions on procedural and technical levels.

Equipment, Machinery, Tools, and Materials Utilization: Requires the ability to operate, maneuver and/or control the actions of equipment, machinery, tools, technology and/or materials used in performing essential functions in fire service.

Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to utilize a wide variety of reference, descriptive, advisory and/or design data and information, such as shift reports, operational reports, inspection reports, employee performance appraisals, budget and financial documentation, codes and ordinances, etc.

Mathematical Aptitude: Requires the ability to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication and division; ability to calculate decimals and percentages; may include ability to perform mathematical operations with fractions; may include ability to compute discount, interest, and ratios; may include ability to calculate surface areas, volumes, weights, and measures.

Functional Reasoning: Requires the ability to apply principles of logical or synthesis functions; to deal with several concrete and abstract variables; and to analyze major problems that require complex planning for interrelated activities that can span one or several work units.

Situational Reasoning: Requires the ability to exercise judgment, decisiveness and creativity in critical and/or unexpected situations involving moderate risk to the organization.

Special Requirements:

Employee will be required to respond to emergency matters 24/7/365, such as major fire scenes and evacuations for severe storm events, etc.

ADA Compliance:

Physical Ability: The work requires exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and up to 30 pounds of force regularly as required to move objects and the following physical abilities and the following physical abilities: balancing, crouching, typing, grasping, handling, hearing, kneeling, mental acuity, reaching, repetitive motion, speaking, standing, stooping, talking, visual acuity, and walking.

Sensory Requirements: Some tasks require the ability to perceive and discriminate colors or shades of colors, sounds, odor, depth, texture, and visual cues or signals. Some tasks require the ability to communicate orally.

Environmental Factors: The work is typically performed in an office but may also be performed outdoors and at the scene of emergency incidents. The employee may be exposed to noise, dust, dirt, grease, machinery with moving parts, contagious or infectious diseases, irritating chemicals, inclement weather conditions, fire, heat, and toxic gases. The work requires the use of protective devices, such as masks, goggles, or gloves. Employee is frequently outdoors exposed to all types of weather.

The City of Fountain Inn is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.

The City reserves the right to revise this position description at any time.