Fire Warden/Marshal

Company: County of Sonoma, California
Location: Santa Rosa
Posted on: June 12, 2021

Job Description:

Position Information

Bring your fire prevention and hazmat services expertise to Permit Sonoma. Become the County's next Fire Warden/Marshal.

Starting salary up to $75.57/hour ($157,723/year), a cash allowance of $600/month, and an excellent total compensation package!*

What We Offer

When you join Permit Sonoma you become part of a challenging and rewarding work environment where you gain the satisfaction of knowing that you are working to better your community. You can also look forward to a competitive total compensation package, including*:

• An annual Staff Development/Wellness Benefit allowance up to $1,700 and ongoing education/training opportunities
• Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year
• Significant portion of health care premiums paid by the County and access to several health plan options
• County contribution to a Health Reimbursement Arrangement to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits
• Retirement fully integrated with Social Security
• May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) of Paid Parental Leave after 12 months of County employment
• Eligibility for a salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range

Become the Next Leader of Permit Sonoma's Fire Prevention Division

When you become the County's Fire Warden/Marshal, you will plan, manage, coordinate, and supervise comprehensive fire and hazmat services programs and operations. These programs include Fire Prevention, Fire Safe Standards Plan Check, HazMat and the County's Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA), Life Safety, and Vegetation Management. You will also respond to emergencies as the Command Officer and may serve as the Incident Commander as needed. Additionally, you will:

• Direct program operations, including the development and implementation of policies, goals, objectives, and priorities
• Participate in setting long-range programs/services plans and objectives, in consultation with the Director of Permit Sonoma
• Coordinate with professionals, outside agencies, and other County departments to organize efforts and program activities
• Oversee the County's recent CAL Fire Grant, to create safer egress and access on roadsides that are more resistant to fire starts
• Directly, and through subordinate supervisors, manage a staff of 18, including establishing performance standards and evaluating performance; interviewing, selecting, and training staff; advising supervisors on the appropriate handling of employee performance issues; and recommending changes/improvements as needed

In order to effectively and professionally represent the County, our ideal candidate will have excellent interpersonal skills, and:

• Multiple years of experience investigating fires and working to ensure that proper fire prevention and control measures are in place; assessing underground tanks, hazardous waste, and other materials to ensure proper storage and handling; and managing vegetation effectively
• A strong work ethic, sound judgment, and a common-sense approach to resolving issues
• The ability to analyze administrative problems in order to reach practical conclusions and institute effective changes
• Experience successfully supervising a team of professional and technical staff to accomplish fire prevention, investigation, and hazmat incident response objectives
• Excellent time management skills, with the proficiency to continuously manage competing demands
• Highly effective written and verbal communication skills, including the capability to engage and interact with audiences of all levels

Please note: Due to the nature of the work performed by the Fire Warden/Marshal, the pre-employment requirements of this position outline that qualified candidates must have:

• Company Officer, Fire Inspector 1, Fire Inspector 2, and Fire Investigation certification by the California Fire Service Training and Education System
• First Responder certification
• Hazardous Materials "Operational Level" certification
• Hazardous Materials Incident Command certification or the ability to gain certification within one year of appointment

Additionally, in our 24/7 environment, and as the leader of Sonoma County's Hazardous Materials Response Team, the Fire Warden/Marshal must have the flexibility to be on-call and work any assigned shift as required; including evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays. Please visit Permit Sonoma's website to learn more about the valuable services and support that the Fire Prevention Division provides to the County of Sonoma.

• Salary is negotiable within the established range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can found in the Salary Resolution (SalRes) and our Employee Benefits directory.

Permit Sonoma is currently recruiting to fill a Fire Warden/Marshal position. The Civil Service title of this position is Fire Warden/Fire Marshal. This employment list may also be used to fill future full-time, part-time, or extra-help (temporary) positions as they occur during the active status of the list. County employees who wish to be considered for future positions should consider applying to this recruitment.

APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS REQUIRE THE SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE BE COMPLETED.

Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience: Any combination of education and experience which would provide for the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed. Normally this would include significant academic course work in fire science, fire administration, public, business administration, or closely related fields AND four years of fire suppression and prevention experience, including at least one year equivalent to Senior Fire Inspector or higher. A Bachelor's Degree, or equivalent, in Fire Science, Fire Administration, Public Administration, or a related field is desirable.

Certifications: Company Officer, Fire Inspector 1, Fire Inspector 2, and Fire Investigation Certification by the California Fire Service Training and Education System; Hazardous Materials "Operational Level" Certification; and First Responder certification are required to qualify for a position in this classification. Hazardous Materials Incident Command certification is required within one year of employment in this class.

If at any time, the Director determines it is necessary for the position to carry a firearm as permitted by penal code, completion of PC 832 will be required prior to issuing the firearm.

Desirable Certifications: Any and all of the follow certifications are desirable: Fire Prevention Officer III, Fire Plans Examiner, Fire Marshal or Chief Officer Certification; Master Instructor Certification by the California Fire Service Training and Education System. Possession of an Executive Fire Officer Certification from the National Fire Academy, and Chief Fire Officer Designation from the Commission on Chief Fire Officer Designation.

License: Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required depending upon assignment to perform the essential job functions of the position.

Citizenship Requirement: Permanent resident aliens who wish to be employed as peace officers must apply for citizenship at least one year before application for such employment. If a permanent resident alien has not obtained citizenship within three years after application for employment or is denied citizenship he or she shall be disqualified for peace officer status.

Background Requirement: Incumbents shall not have been convicted of a felony in this state or any other state or in any federal jurisdiction, which would have been a felony if committed in this state, nor be under current formal probation supervision.

Retirement Eligibility: Candidates in this classification are eligible for Public Safety Retirement which is defined by the County Employees' Retirement System.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Considerable knowledge of: current fire prevention, fire safety, firefighting, fire rescue, and fire investigation principles, practices and procedures; National Fire Safety Standards, County Fire Regulations, State Fire Regulations, including Titles 19 and 24, California Fire Code, Uniform Building Code, Health and Safety Code, National Fire Code and other federal, state, and local laws pertaining to fire prevention and fire suppression; rescue procedures, principles of emergency medical care, training methods, hazardous material response, communications methods, and public relations techniques; principles, methods, and techniques of administration of fire programs.

Working knowledge of: the principles of supervision, staff development, and training; components and procedures of Incident command; fire extinguishing and alarm systems; the principles and techniques used in investigating fire cause and origin; the principles in the preservation and rules of evidence; written and oral communications, including language mechanics, syntax, and English composition; the characteristics and methods of handling and storing explosives, flammable materials, and hazardous substances; hazardous materials containment and mitigation; research methodology, report writing, and basic statistics; the basic principles of building construction as they relate to fire and life safety provisions; effective methods of weed abatement; Sonoma County geography and water systems.

Ability to: effectively plan, organize, and implement an effective fire prevention and investigative program; analyze administrative problems in order to reach practical conclusions and institute effective changes; manage fire prevention, inspection, investigation, suppression, and vegetation management programs; investigate fires and determine their origin and cause; review and interpret construction plans and specifications and evaluate appropriate fire protection measures; plan, organize, coordinate, supervise, and evaluate the work activities and performance of subordinates; establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff, representatives of fire departments and districts, public officials, groups, organizations, and the general public; communicate verbal and written ideas clearly and logically; analyze situations accurately and adopt an effective course of action; maintain technical records and prepare clear and concise reports and recommendations regarding specific resources, plans, and policies; supervise and control the expenditure of funds allocated to the Fire Prevention/Hazardous Materials Division; understand, interpret, and apply rules, regulations, ordinances and federal, state, and local legislation; give presentations to groups and organizations regarding fire safety and prevention; attend meetings after normal business hours and be subject to emergency call at all hours; assume responsibility for tactics, strategies, and decision making at the scene of an emergency.

Selection Procedure & Some Helpful Tips When Applying

• Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
• You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application and should be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
• You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
• Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.

Please visit Getting-a-Job with the County of Sonoma to review more detailed information about the hiring process, including the application process, examination steps, and department selection process.

APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS REQUIRE THE SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE BE COMPLETED.

Responses to supplemental questions may be scored using position-specific criteria. Please provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for thorough assessment of your qualifications. Responses which state "See Resume" or "See Application" may be considered insufficient and therefore may not be scored.

The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:

An Application & Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (weight 100%) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's application and supplemental questionnaire for satisfaction of minimum qualifications (pass/not pass); and for educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities which relate to this position. Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Relevance of work history, related experience, and achieved level of education and/or training as described in the application and responses to the supplemental questions.

Candidates demonstrating possession of the minimum qualifications will be placed on an employment list in order of most qualified to least qualified based on the achieved score received in the Application & Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination. Scores may be adjusted based on such factors as number of candidates, anticipated vacancies, past practice, and natural breaks in the scores achieved by this group of candidates.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

A background investigation is required prior to employment. Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation. Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to applicants.

Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer are contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter. You may also review the Job Classification Screening Schedule to determine the requirements for this position.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications are accepted on-line at: www.yourpath2sonomacounty.org. Paper applications may be submitted by person, fax (707-565-3770), email, or through the mail. All applications and appropriate supplemental information as outlined in the job bulletin must be RECEIVED by the time and date specified on the first page of this job announcement. Applications received after the recruitment closes will not be accepted.

The County of Sonoma prioritizes and is committed to continuously providing a workplace where equal employment opportunity is afforded to all people. Please view the County's Equal Employment Opportunity Policy for further information.

HR Analyst: CG

HR Technician: KC

Keywords: County of Sonoma, California, Santa Rosa , Fire Warden/Marshal, Other , Santa Rosa, California