Assistant Fire Chief - Town of Essex

Accepting Applications for Assistant Fire Chief!

The Essex Fire Department has an opening for an Assistant Fire Chief to serve our paid-on-call fire department. This is considered an appointed position and is not eligible for benefits under the Town of Essex.

To be considered for this role the successful candidate must live within proximity to the Town of Essex and be available to respond to emergency calls for service.

The Assistant Fire Chief is a key leadership position responsible for carrying out the vision of the department through collaboration, developing talent, planning and managing resources. This dedicated volunteer fire and EMS department is comprised of approximately 36 members who receive over 2000 emergency calls per year.

Job Descriptions:

Assistant Chief – This rank is part of the Senior Command Staff of the Department and part of the overall operations. The Assistant Chief will perform duties as assigned by the Chief and act as Command in the absence of the Chief.

In addition to the above, this position requires the following:

• Supports the Fire Chief and Deputy Chief in all management and administrative matters and may perform the Chief's duties in their absence.
• Coaches and Manages subordinate personnel, handles disciplinary issues, and coordinates shift schedules.
• Supervises daily operations, coordinates activities, and ensures department policies and rules are followed.
• Assists with budget preparation and monitoring, develops departmental rules, and writes reports.
• Responds to emergency scenes and may be required to provide command over duty crews.
• Serves as a liaison between the Chief and department members, and represents the department at public meetings, external organizations, or other events.
• Contributes to long-term planning, including the evaluation of capital acquisitions and potential upgrades to equipment and technology.

Required skills and qualifications

• Leadership and communication: Must be an effective, strategic, and empathetic leader with strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Technical and safety expertise: Possesses extensive knowledge of fire suppression, prevention, and related technical and safety matters.
• Problem-solving: Demonstrates the ability to solve problems by considering all causes, solutions, and outcomes.
• Adaptability: Can effectively modify behavior to respond to changing demands.
• Physical and mental stamina: Must be able to perform in challenging physical environments and handle high-stress situations.
• Experience: A significant amount of progressively responsible fire service experience is typically required, often including prior supervisory experience.
• Certifications: May require specific certifications, Firefighter II, Fire Officer and EMT.

Compensation: This position is a paid-on-call position with an additional monthly stipend for the administrative requirements of the position. This position will pay an hourly rate of $21.75 while responding to emergency calls and attending trainings. The monthly stipend will be $975.00.

For consideration of this position, applicants must submit a resume and cover letter through the Town of Essex website (https://essexvt.bamboohr.com/careers).