Fire Battalion Chief

City of Hendersonville Fire Department

The Hendersonville Fire Department was established in 1892 and is currently the busiest fire department in Henderson County.  The department has a total of 37 members making up four divisions: Administration (3), Operations (30), Life Safety (3), and Training (1).  The department utilizes 3 rotating shifts working in 24-hour increments; which provides continuous coverage 365 days a year out of 2 fire stations. The members are broken into 2 Engine companies and a Ladder Company.  All employees are NFPA certified Firefighters and Emergency Medical Technicians at the basic level with the exception of the Administrative Assistant. Annually, the department responds to over 4,600 calls for service and maintains an ISO Class 3 rating.

The City of Hendersonville Fire Department recently received a Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response Grant and is in the process of hiring twelve new Firefighters.  These Firefighters will allow the department to add an additional engine company and three new Operational Battalion Chief positions bringing the total members to 49.  The City has also purchased property for a third fire station and approved the purchase of a third engine company, replacement of our existing ladder company and engine over the next three years. 

City of Hendersonville

The City of Hendersonville is located in the center of Henderson County, along the Eastern Escarpment of the southern Blue Ridge Mountains and serves as the county seat. The City is 7 square miles and the population as of 2017 was 14,165.  This is a 19% increase since 2000. The City changes with the seasons, and truly cannot be measured by the almost 14,000 residents that call it home. The daytime population for the City is estimated to be around 30,000 due to the influx of people coming into the City for work. The historic downtown Main Street is a nationally recognized tourist attraction and brings a multitude of people of various ages to enjoy the numerous restaurants, unique shopping and night life activities.  Hendersonville's median age is 47, which is 9 years above the median for the state.  The City also has an extremely high population over the age of 65 (31.5%) compared to the state (15.9%) which also attributes to the high call volume.  The city has multiple high hazard locations including a 222-bed hospital, 5 educational facilities, several large retirement communities that include assisted living, as well as several historic districts downtown that include large houses that date back to the 1800's.

About the Position

The Battalion Chief is responsible for planning and supervising the activities and response requirements of fire suppression and emergency response personnel for multiple fire stations during a 24-hour shift work schedule. Emphasis of the work is on management of personnel, serving as incident commander, resolving employee relations issues, communicating new policies and procedures, community relations, time management, fiscal and capital resource management, overseeing the maintenance of equipment, maintenance of budgets, teaching fire related classes, investigating fires, and other related work. An employee in this class is the first level of management in the department and exercises significant independence of action, discretion, and judgment in the department’s response to emergency situations. Work is performed under the general supervision of the Deputy Fire Chief and is evaluated on the basis of individual and team performance objectives, observation, reports, and quality and quantity of work performed.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Thorough knowledge of City’s geography, street locations and hydrant locations
• Thorough knowledge of current firefighting practices and procedures
• Thorough knowledge of firefighting hazards and related safety precautions
• Knowledge of principles and practices of supervision and management of human resources
• Ability to take command of emergency situations, determine the method of suppression, and supervise personnel performing suppression activities ensuring proper procedures and safety
• Ability to supervise personnel at different locations throughout the city; ability to plan and present on-going training of personnel to ensure readiness and meet state requirements
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with other fire department employees, other city employees, and the general public
• Ability to conduct fire prevention/ fire safety training from school age children to senior adults
• Ability to deliver fire department presentations to community groups
• Ability to represent the City fire department in a positive and professional manner
• Skilled in operating fire apparatus such as trucks, pumps, levers, hoses, radios and firefighting tools such as pry bars, axes, nozzles, air packs, fans, shovels, rakes, sledgehammers, jaws-of-life or other extraction tools, defibrillator, engine trucks, and other tools and equipment

Physical Requirements

Work in this position is characteristically supervisory in nature. However, depending upon the circumstances of any fire related call the employee may be exposed to some of the same physical requirements of other fire employees which is heavy work requiring exertion of and/or in excess of 100 pounds of force occasionally, and/or in excess of 50 pounds of force frequently, and/or in excess of 20 pounds of force constantly to move objects. Employee must have the physical stamina to endure the rigors of intensive firefighting and salvage work. Employee must have the visual acuity to be the operator of a truck and other equipment and be able to distinguish colors and see peripherally from both eyes.

Desirable Education and Experience

• Associate degree in fire science technology or related field is required. 
• A minimum of seven years with a Firefighter Level II Certification
• A minimum of three years of supervisory experience in the rank of Fire Captain, Fire Lieutenant, Deputy Fire Marshal, Assistant Fire Marshal, or Fire Training Officer.  

Special Requirements

• Certification as a Firefighter Level II
• Valid Driver’s License (Obtain Class B driver’s license within one year of employment)
• Emergency Medical Technician (EMT-Basic)
• NC certification at Hazmat Operations Level
• Emergency Vehicle Driver Certification
• NIMS 100, 200, 300, 700, 800
• Child Passenger Safety Seat Technician (Obtain within one year of employment)
• Driver Operator Pumps
• Driver Operator Aerials
• Fire Instructor Level II
• Fire Officer II
• Fire Inspector Level I (Obtain within one year of employment)

Compensation Package

• Starting Salary - $51,940 - $65,495 Depending on qualifications.
• This position is non-exempt
• Medical, dental and vision insurance available for employees and dependents. City pays for employee portion.
• Participation in the North Carolina Local Governmental Employees’ retirement System.
• Optional 401(k) available both Pre-tax and Roth options.
• Twelve Paid holidays.
• Vacation and sick leave.
• Employee Clinic

Applications Process & Closing Date:

To apply please submit a City of Hendersonville Application online, a resume, and a valid driver’s license to the Human Resources Department.  The closing date for this position is Friday, November 01, 2019 at 12:00 pm.  The City of Hendersonville is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Information about Assessment

The Assessment Center will be conducted on November 20, 2019 in Hendersonville by JQJ Consulting. 

The assessment center will comprise of a:

• Writing Assignment (Performed before assessment center)
• Role Play Scenario
• Incident Operations Simulation
• Presentation Exercise

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