Firefighter/Paramedic

The purpose of this position is to perform emergency response work in firefighting, emergency rescue, and hazardous material response to protect lives and properties of the residents of the City of Lauderhill, under the general supervision of the Fire Chief or designee. Employees in this classification perform skilled, protective work, under general supervision. The position is responsible for performing fire suppression, emergency rescue, and/or hazardous material containment or cleanup work in response to alarms and operating associated equipment and apparatus; inspecting and maintaining equipment; performing various maintenance custodial duties at the assigned fire station. Performs other duties as assigned.

Responds to emergencies with a fire company or rescue unit, and answers medical emergencies as part of an engine company.

Removes, extracts, and rescues persons from danger, recognizes acute symptoms requiring immediate care and administers life-saving rescue procedures to injured or afflicted persons.

Connects hose to hydrants and pumps; joins hose sections and connects nozzles to hose; connects to standpipes and sprinkler systems where applicable; advances hose lines into fire area; enters burning buildings with or without hose lines; operates nozzles and sprays water, foam, and/or other specialized control agents as applicable.

Operates hand fire extinguishers and similar equipment in extinguishing fires; raises and climbs ladders; works from aerial apparatus where applicable; ventilates burning buildings to remove smoke and gases.

Provides emergency medical care in accordance with established protocols for Basic Life Support and Advanced Life Support; administers necessary emergency medical care requiring the use of suction units, immobilization equipment, and oxygen delivery systems; provides cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR); transports patients to hospitals.

Performs salvage operations including sweeping water, removing debris, and placing smoke ejectors.

Interacts with, and delivers information to, the public during emergency situations.

Makes daily inspections of apparatus and equipment and notifies supervisor of defects; performs cleaning and maintenance tasks in and about assigned station.

Aids in the mitigation of other emergencies as directed by supervisor.

Attends training sessions in firefighting methods, equipment operation, rescue procedures, hazardous materials mitigation, and related subjects.

Recognizes hazardous material situations; makes identification of unknown substances through the use of specialized testing equipment; sets up decontamination procedures; assists agencies in the removal/disposal of hazardous material.

Prepares and maintains activity records, provides pertinent information to department personnel on following shift; reviews activity reports and confers with personnel from previous shift.

Conducts station tours and speaks to children and residents about safety; provides information to the public.

Assists with preparing meals.

Instructs CPR courses; performs blood pressure checks and public education.

Performs related duties as directed.

Driving Requirements: The ability to drive and operate a personal or City vehicle for extended periods of time, including utilization as field office; and to enter and exit the vehicle various times throughout the day.

Physical Requirements: The ability to exert extremely heavy physical effort in very heavy work, which may involve some combination of climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, and/or lifting, carrying, pushing, and/or pulling of objects and materials in excess of 100 pounds.

Sensory Requirements: The ability to perceive and differentiate audio and/or visual cues or signals; and to perceive and differentiate depths, and/or textures.

Form/Spatial Aptitude: The ability to inspect items for proper length, width, and shape; and to visually read various information.

Color Discrimination: The ability to differentiate between colors or shades of color.

Communication: The ability to effectively communicate with City employees, stakeholders, and the general public verbally and/or in writing as needed to exchange information, coordinate work activities, and resolve matters.

Functional Reasoning: The ability to apply principles of rational systems, such as motivation, incentive, and leadership; to interpret instructions furnished in written, oral diagrammatic, or schedule form; and to exercise independent judgment to adopt or modify methods and standards to meet variations in assigned objectives.

Situational Reasoning: The ability to exercise the judgment, decisiveness, and creativity required in situations involving the evaluation of information against sensory, judgmental, measurable, verifiable, or subjective criteria.

Data Conception: The ability to coordinate, manage, strategize, and or correlate data and/or information; and to exercise discretion in determining actual or probable consequences, and in identifying solutions or alternatives.

Mathematical Aptitude: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, divide, and calculate numbers, decimals, and percentages; and to interpret numerical data and graphs to create reports and/or develop forecasts.

Environmental Factors: Essential functions are performed with varied exposure to adverse environmental conditions (i.e. cold, heat, rain, sunlight, humidity, noise, dirt, odor, fumes, disease, pathogens, traffic hazards, animals, wildlife, violence, and/or explosives).

Schedule Requirements: The ability to work forty-eight (48)-hour work weeks. The schedule shall involve working 24/48 (24 on-duty hours, followed by 48 off-duty hours), with the Kelly Day (day off with pay) every 3 weeks averaging out over a year’s period to a 48-hour work week. Kelly days shall be chosen according to departmental seniority and scheduling requirements one time during the first quarter of each calendar year.