Fire commissioner

Fire commissioners oversee the activity of the fire department making sure the services supplied are effective and the necessary equipment is provided. They develop and manage the business policies ensuring the legislation in the field is followed. Fire commissioners perform safety inspections and promotes fire prevention education.

The following job titles also refer to fire commissioner:

brigade manager
fire brigade commissioner
fire service commissioner
chief fire officer
area manager

High school diploma is generally required to work as fire commissioner. 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.

Fire commissioner is a Skill level 4 occupation.

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

chief fire officer
fire prevention and protection engineer
firefighter instructor
emergency response coordinator
defence administration officer

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

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

Government policy: The political activities, plans, and intentions of a government for a legislative session for concrete causes.
Fire safety regulations: The legal rules to be applied for fire safety and fire prevention in a facility.
Building codes: The set of guidelines that determine the minimum standards for buildings and other constructions in order to protect public health and safety.
Fire prevention procedures: The regulations concerning fire and explosion prevention, and the equipment, systems and methods used in it.
Personnel management: The methodologies and procedures involved in the hiring and development of employees in order to ensure value for the organisation, as well as personnel needs, benefits, conflict resolution and ensuring a positive corporate climate.

These skills are necessary for the role of fire commissioner.

Communicate health and safety measures: Inform about applicable rules, guidelines and measures to avoid accidents and hazards in the workplace.
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.
Inspect fire equipment: Inspect fire equipment, such as fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems, and fire vehicle systems, to ensure the equipment is functional and to assess its faults.
Conduct fire safety inspections: Conduct inspections in buildings and on sites to assess their fire prevention and safety equipment, evacuation strategies, and related strategies, and ensure compliance with safety regulations.
Ensure equipment availability: Ensure that the necessary equipment is provided, ready and available for use before start of procedures.
Perform maintenance on fire alarm systems: Monitor the fire alarm system in the building and maintain emergency lights and smoke detectors by performing regular testing.
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.
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.
Conduct public presentations: Speak in public and interact with those present. Prepare notices, plans, charts, and other information to support the presentation.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of fire commissioner. 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.
Fire protection engineering: Application of engineering principles for the design and production of fire detection, prevention and suppression systems that range from the conception of fire alarms to space planning and building design.
Mechanical systems: Mechanical systems, including gears, engines, hydraulic and pneumatic systems. Their functions and likely defects.
Legal research: The methods and procedures of research in legal matters, such as the regulations, and different approaches to analyses and source gathering, and the knowledge on how to adapt the research methodology to a specific case to obtain the required information.
Construction methods: The various techniques and methods for erecting buildings and other constructions.
Fire-fighting systems: The devices and systems used to extinguish fires; the classes and chemistry of fire.
Building materials industry: Supplier, brands and types of products and goods available on the market of building materials.
Business knowledge: A firm’s functions, the processes and tasks which are employed to accomplish those functions and the relationship of those functions, processes and tasks to each of the functions, processes and tasks performed throughout the firm.

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

Coordinate fire fighting: Organize and direct the operations of fire fighting, according to the ship’s emergency plans to ensure safety.
Advise on government policy compliance: Advise organisations on how they may improve their compliance to the applicable government policies they are required to adhere to, and the necessary steps which need to be taken in order to ensure complete compliance.
Provide training: Provide training and orientation to new team members, or assign this task to an appropriately experienced team member.

1112 – Senior government officials

 

 

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References

1. Fire commissioner – ESCO