Chief fire officer

Chief fire officers supervise a fire department. They coordinate the operations of the department, and supervise and lead the fire and rescue staff during firefighting and rescue activities to ensure the safety of the staff and limitation of risks. They perform administrative duties to ensure record maintenance, and implement policies to improve the department’s operations.

The following job titles also refer to chief fire officer:

fire captain
chief firefighter
fire chief
chief fire and rescue officer
fire department chief
chief fireman
fire lieutenant
marshal

Bachelor’s degree is generally required to work as chief fire officer. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Chief fire officer is a Skill level 4 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to chief fire officer.

firefighter instructor
fire commissioner
police commissioner
army general
correctional services manager

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of chief fire officer. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of chief fire officer with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of chief fire officer.

Pyrotechnic articles legislation: The legal rules surrounding pyrotechnics and pyrotechnic materials.
Fire safety regulations: The legal rules to be applied for fire safety and fire prevention in a facility.
Fire prevention procedures: The regulations concerning fire and explosion prevention, and the equipment, systems and methods used in it.
Fire-fighting systems: The devices and systems used to extinguish fires; the classes and chemistry of fire.
First response: The procedures of pre-hospital care for medical emergencies, such as first aid, resuscitation techniques, legal and ethical issues, patient assessment, trauma emergencies.

These skills are necessary for the role of chief fire officer.

Lead a team: Lead, supervise and motivate a group of people, in order to meet the expected results within a given timeline and with the foreseen resources in mind.
Extinguish fires: Choose the adequate substances and methods to extinguish fires depending on their size, such as water and various chemical agents. Use a breathing apparatus.
Manage staff: Manage employees and subordinates, working in a team or individually, to maximise their performance and contribution. Schedule their work and activities, give instructions, motivate and direct the workers to meet the company objectives. Monitor and measure how an employee undertakes their responsibilities and how well these activities are executed. Identify areas for improvement and make suggestions to achieve this. Lead a group of people to help them achieve goals and maintain an effective working relationship among staff.
Use geographic information systems: Work with computer data systems such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
Ensure public safety and security: Implement the relevant procedures, strategies and use the proper equipment to promote local or national security activities for the protection of data, people, institutions, and property.
Work as a team in a hazardous environment: Work together with others in a dangerous, sometimes noisy, environment, such as a building on fire or metal forging facilities, in order to achieve a higher degree of efficiency while heeding the co-workers’ safety.
Manage major incidents: Take immediate action to respond to major incidents that affect the safety and security of individuals in private or public places such as road accidents.
Use different types of fire extinguishers: Understand and apply various methods of firefighting and various types and classes of fire extinguishing equipment.
Delegate activities: Delegate activities and tasks to others according to the ability, level of preparation, competence and legal scope of practice. Make sure that people understand what they should do and when they should do it.
Manage emergency care situations: Manage situations in which decision making under time pressure is essential to save lives.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of chief fire officer. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Environmental policy: Local, national and international policies dealing with the promotion of environmental sustainability and the development of projects which reduce negative environmental impact and improve the state of the environment.
Pollution legislation: Be familiar with European and National legislation regarding the risk of pollution.
Hydraulics: The power transmission systems that use the force of flowing liquids to transmit power.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of chief fire officer. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Apply first response: Respond to medical or trauma emergencies and care for the patient in a manner compliant with health and safety regulations, assessing the legal and ethical issues of the situation, and provide proper pre-hospital care.
Perform risk analysis: Identify and assess factors that may jeopardise the success of a project or threaten the organisation’s functioning. Implement procedures to avoid or minimise their impact.
Manage budgets: Plan, monitor and report on the budget.
Select hazard control: Perform appropriate selection of hazard control measures and risk management
Assess employees’ capability levels: Evaluate the capabilities of employees by creating criteria and systematic testing methods for measuring expertise of individuals within an organisation.
Recruit employees: Hire new employees by scoping the job role, advertising, performing interviews and selecting staff in line with company policy and legislation.
Supervise worker safety: Ensure safety of site personnel; supervise correct use of protective equipment and clothing; understand and implement safety procedures.
Manage security equipment: Oversee and conduct inventory of security tools and equipment.
Plan health and safety procedures: Set up procedures for maintaining and improving health and safety in the workplace.
Test safety strategies: Test policies and strategies related to risk and safety management and procedures, such as testing evacuation plans, safety equipment, and carrying out drills.
Coordinate rescue missions: Coordinate rescue missions during the event of a disaster or during an accident, ensure that all possible methods are being used to ensure the safety of the people being rescued, and that the search is as efficient and thorough as possible.
Educate public on fire safety: Develop and execute educational and promotional plans to educate the public on fire prevention knowledge and methods, fire safety such as the ability to identify hazards and the use of fire safety equipment, and to raise awareness on fire prevention issues.
Train employees: Lead and guide employees through a process in which they are taught the necessary skills for the perspective job. Organise activities aimed at introducing the work and systems or improving the performance of individuals and groups in organisational settings.
Maintain operational communications: Maintain communications between different departments of an organisation, between the staff, or during specific operations or missions, to ensure that the operation or mission is successful, or that the organisation functions smoothly.
Coordinate with other emergency services: Coordinate the firefighters’ work with the activities of the emergency medical services and of the police.
Operate fire extinguishers: Understand the operation of fire extinguishing equipment and fire extinguishing techniques.
Conduct public presentations: Speak in public and interact with those present. Prepare notices, plans, charts, and other information to support the presentation.

1349 – Professional services managers not elsewhere classified

 

 

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References

1. Chief fire officer – ESCO