Fire Chief - Belmont, NC

Belmont, NC's beautiful, historic mill city – near Charlotte, NC – seeks a hands-on fire safety and prevention leader to serve as its next Fire Chief. This opportunity is for the professional with highly demonstrated technical skills and a progressive fire service experience history. Belmont's next Fire Chief possesses knowledge and familiarity with all areas, levels, and ranks of fire and rescue, suppression, operations, and prevention, as well as the technology supporting these functions. The Belmont Fire Chief oversees all fire service functions, including inspections, training and operations, budget management, and policy and procedure implementation.

 Because the Belmont Fire Department is young, the successful candidate will have experience growing a department and a track record of advocating for the best staff recruitment and retention practices. Additionally, the incoming Fire Chief must maintain the continuous improvement mentality that the prior chief established to ensure up-to-date equipment and practices that promote the safety of staff and the community.

As the City of Belmont prepares for ongoing growth, the department's next Fire Chief will lead the department through a season of expansion to support the City's growing needs, including leading efforts to address the need for expansion of fire coverage. The next Fire Chief will successfully balance overseeing day-to-day operations while executing the department's short and long-term goals and remaining present and available to respond to emergencies, training, and meetings on nights and weekends. 

The next Fire Chief will be fully engaged within the department while also being visible and collaborative across City departments and the community to meet the safety needs of the residents of Belmont. Department staff seek a trusted leader who is naturally comfortable interacting with and mentoring staff and is confidently assertive in advocating and lobbying to the supportive City Council, City leadership, and other stakeholders for department needs. 

The community-minded Fire Chief successfully establishes and sustains trusted relationships within the fire department, city government and department directors, elected officials, and community and emergency response partners for the City of Belmont. Essential relationships with neighboring departments must be maintained and enhanced to share resources and leverage support when needed.

About the Community: 

Formerly known as Garibaldi Station in the 1750s, Belmont, meaning “Beautiful Mountain,” received its name in 1833 due to its proximity to Crowders Mountain. As a thriving textile community, Belmont was home to over twenty textile mills by the 1930s, the first of which, the “Chronicle Mill,” was established in 1901. As a result of industrial growth and railroad access, Belmont's population soared from 145 to over 4,000 at the turn of the century.

Located just west of Charlotte in Gaston County, Belmont has begun to reimagine its future following a decline in its textile industry from the late 90s and 2000s. Belmont’s proximity to Charlotte and abundant water access have attracted new investors and residents.  to waterways have attracted new investors and residents. With a population of nearly 16,500 residents, Belmont continues to gain attraction as the perfect location for access to outdoor activities and a short commute to work. Surrounded by the natural beauty of rich forests, rolling hills, and the rambling banks of Lake Wylie and the Catawba River, Belmont beckons a wealth of year-long visitors with varied interests.

City leaders continue to foster partnerships with developers to establish attractive residential development within and adjacent to the city limits, some of which include high-end waterfront properties. The remaining portions of the peninsula are quickly developing. The downtown area is experiencing redevelopment and revitalization. What was once the Chronical Mill has been turned into apartments, bringing new life to downtown and Main Street. This modern era of development will see Belmont establish a new identity while retaining its small-town charm and sense of community. 

The City’s community members, of which 83% are white, 7% are African American, 3% are Asian, and 4% are Hispanic, unite around many events throughout the year that honor the history of Belmont and celebrate its unique small-town culture. The annual National Faith and Blue Weekend facilitates a safe and strong community by engaging law enforcement officers and residents through the connections of faith-based organizations.   The annual Garibaldi Festival, which features art, music, and food, elevates the rich history of the city’s roots. Whether at the weekly Farmer’s Market or the Friday Night Live Concert series, the annual Christmas Parade, or a favorite downtown shop or restaurant, seeing a familiar face reminds community members and leaders that Belmont’s small-town charm will always be preserved amid impending growth and opportunities. 

Pathways such as the Seven Oaks Preserve Trail, downtown Belmont walking routes, and a segment of the Carolina Thread Trail provide an escape for runners and cyclists. The Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, a 300-acre garden on the edge of Lake Wylie, offers outdoor events and activities for all ages. Aquatic enthusiasts enjoy the South Fork River Blueway or the shores of the Catawba River. Belmont’s Kevin Loftin Riverfront Park has public fishing, an expansive playground, and rental shelters overlooking the river. The Belmont Rowing Center and nearby U.S. National Whitewater Center provide lessons for those wishing to improve their skills traversing the river’s waters. 

Gaston County’s well-regarded public schools serve the Belmont community, with Page Primary School, North Belmont Elementary School, Belmont Central Elementary School, Belmont Middle School, and South Point High School. The County's three state-funded charter schools and several independent schools, including Gaston Day School, are additional student opportunities. Belmont Abbey College, a 4-year private liberal arts institution with 1,500 students, is one of the only Catholic colleges in the Southeast. In addition to Belmont Abbey College, the 10-county Charlotte region has 49 other colleges and universities serving nearly 240,000 students, one of the closest of which is the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Offering more than 150 graduate programs, UNC Charlotte is just over 30 minutes away via I-85.

About the Organization: 

Operating under the Council-Manager form of government, the City of Belmont has a Mayor and five Council members who serve 4-year terms. Municipal elections are held in odd-numbered years, with the next election to be held this year. The leaders of Belmont envision a vibrant, multi-generational community that incorporates small-town charm and heritage with an entrepreneurial spirit.  The City's FY 23-24 budget of $31M is 4% more than the total FY 2022-2023. Belmont's property tax rate is $0.455 per $100.00 valuation.

The City of Belmont employs more than 233 staff over seven departments. Learn more about the City of Belmont here. www.cityofbelmont.org

About the Position: 

This City of Belmont Fire Department is a 24/7, 365-day operation from two fire stations. Reporting to the City Manager, the Fire Chief will oversee a budget of approximately $3.5M and three direct reports (two Division Chiefs and one Deputy Fire Chief). In addition to the Fire Chief, fire personnel include 34 full-time and six part-time employees. There are four companies, three engines, and a ladder with four minimum personnel and five on the ladder. Additionally, there is a fire boat to facilitate lake coverage.

The Fire Chief is responsible for all department administrative functions, representing the department at the town and county level, Board and stakeholder engagement, and strategic development while managing personnel, including recruitment and retention efforts. The next Fire Chief will be a personable and accessible leader who can effectively delegate the department's day-to-day operations to the appropriate personnel. The successful Fire Chief is an open-minded leader committed to bringing structure and guidance to a young department and can confidently build and sustain relationships with other city departments, neighboring fire departments, the city council, stakeholders, and community members.

 The successful candidate is committed to continued training and professional development so that staff can build skills, achieve performance excellence, and develop staff for promotional opportunities and varied job assignments. The department desires an empowering leader who can add more structure, training, and professionalism while encouraging and motivating a team to achieve and maintain high standards of excellence and accountability so that the City is proactive in decisions and not reactive to decisions. 

Prior experience conducting internal fire code plan reviews with the Fire Marshall is desired, as is developing emergency action and hazard mitigation plans for use within the City. Learn more about the Fire Department here.

Key Position Priorities:  

• Nurture cohesion among department members, bridge gaps across roles and divisions, and unite personnel around a shared vision while building and maintaining high staff morale. 
• Maintaining outstanding community and intergovernmental relationships.
• Modernize the department with new standard operating procedures and personnel guidelines while embracing technology and continuously seeking methods to improve service delivery using new technologies, methods, and best practices. 
• Assess staffing levels, compensation, training, and other work factors and advocate for short—and long-term solutions to improve retention, recruitment, and morale, positioning the department as a competitive employer.
• Help adopt, educate, and reinforce the department's long-range vision and plans to align its strategic plan with the City's plan. 
• Develop and implement effective career succession models and professional development training and programs to advance the department while recruiting and retaining diversity among staff and leveraging internal talent. 

The following are required: 

• Graduation from a college or university with a degree in fire science, public administration, or related field, completion of advanced courses and seminars in fire administration and management.
• Five years of considerable experience as a Deputy/Assistant Chief at a similar sized or larger department, or substantial experience in fire service management, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Additional Requirements

• Knowledge and experience with permit review and fire code enforcement are desirable.
• Possession of a valid North Carolina driver’s license.
• Possession of Fire Officer and other certifications as required by the City.

The Successful Candidate is: 

• experienced working in a council-manager form of government and has expert skills in navigating the complexities of varying roles (e.g., need for building relationships, educating council, ensuring mutual trust);
• knowledgeable with all areas of fire and rescue, suppression, operations, and prevention, as well as technology supporting these functions
• skilled in budget development and management, policy development and application, and personnel management and development;
• a hands-on leader who is personal and accessible, with a high level of awareness of day-to-day operations; 
• a strategic problem solver who is experienced in transitioning a smaller department into a larger one while preserving the department’s current culture and identity;
• is adept in securing grant funding for capital improvement needs, staffing, and/or equipment; 
• an open-minded leader who has a track record in creating camaraderie and common values across stations and shifts; 
• skilled at engaging collaboratively and diplomatically with a variety of stakeholders such as fire department staff, other City employees, community members and groups, the City Manager, the City Council, other fire departments, and regional, state, and federal authorities to leverage department opportunities, manage challenges, and maximize resources such as training, equipment, mutual aid, etc.; 
• an excellent and effective communicator, including one-on-one, small groups, and public speaking, who confidently and persuasively engages with community members and groups, staff, and City Council; and
• a long-term visionary who thinks “outside the box” to grow a young fire department from two to three stations, replace the current headquarters station, implement a prevention and education division, and ensure the fire department is more self-sufficient. 

Salary : $150,000 - $180,000