Marshalltown, IA – Fire Chief

• The Fire Chief reports to the City Administrator and is supported by a Deputy Chief in charge of operations and training, a Fire Marshal who is in charge of investigations, public education, inspections and code enforcement, and an Office Manager. Shift operations are supported by three Captains who serve as shift commanders (24/48 shift schedule), three Lieutenants who serve as second in command on their shifts and eighteen Firefighter/EMT’s, 6 per shift. The Firefighter/EMT’s are members of IAFF Local 16. The current contract was just negotiated with a new expiration date of June 30, 2027. The bargaining unit consists of Firefighter/EMT’s and Lieutenants.
• The fire department has a training facility located on the campus of Marshalltown Community College. All sworn personnel are certified in National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Incident Command, and Firefighter II, Haz-Mat Operations, and EMT or higher. The department is an all-hazards response agency.
• The Marshalltown Police and Fire building was newly constructed and opened in August 2019. The joint facility features a training room, report writing stations, command offices, fitness center, day room, full kitchen, outdoor patio, bunk rooms, laundry, and steam shower facilities.
• The department provides primary fire and EMS service response to the city. EMS transport is supported by Unity Point EMS. The department has Mutual Aid agreements with twelve volunteer fire agencies that surround the city.
• In 2023 the department continued to experience call volume increases and saw a 1.5% increase from 2022 to 3,476 calls for service. EMS calls were the dominant response in 2023 for a total of 2,439 requests for assistance.
• The Fire Marshal’s division completed a total of 424 inspections in 2022 and an increase of over 100 inspections compared to 2022. Due to the volume of necessary inspections, the department contracted with Iowa Inspections, LLC in 2022 to inspect business occupancies in the city. They supported 158 of the total inspections for the year and that was almost double the previous year.
• The department is always progressive, and milestones include operating under a new records management system (RMS) implemented in 2023; digitizing preplans; additional training of new Fire Education Specialists, replacement of an engine and more.
• The department response of apparatus includes one (1) utility vehicle, one (1) rescue vehicle, two (2) ladder trucks, two (2) engines and one (1) battalion SUV.
• The department currently has an ISO Class 3 rating.

• The City is seeking an experienced, innovative, collaborative fire/EMS leader with demonstrated managerial, interpersonal and customer service skills. Successful candidates will be able to demonstrate a balance of commitment to the organization as well as the senior management team of the City with genuine confidence and approachable personality to residents, business, and governmental leaders.   
• It is particularly important the next Fire Chief be an integral and engaged leader of the Fire Department, with a strong background in modern fire, EMS, Community Risk Reduction, emergency management and all hazards’ practices. 
• The new Fire Chief must understand the need to use data for problem solving to assess community risk and vulnerabilities.
• The Fire Chief should have a positive track record of strong bargaining relations with proven experience in fostering collaboration with Bargaining Unit members. 
• The ability to mentor and foster leadership roles within the staff, succession planning, and a global vision of the community’s needs and vision are critical. Creativity and the ability to guide and balance change is a must. 
• The capability to be an active participant in operations and training to safely function as a command officer on incident scenes including oversight of interior operations within IDLH conditions.
• The ability to continue strong relationships with surrounding Fire/EMS agencies.
• The next Fire Chief will also have a demonstrated record of fairness, transparency, and consistency in the administration of Departmental policies and procedures and the willingness to address issues in a positive and timely manner. The Fire Chief must possess well-developed writing and public speaking skills and the utmost integrity.

• Shall possess a bachelor’s degree in fire service administration or related field from an accredited college or university. A master’s degree preferred. 
• At least seven 7-10 years of demonstrated leadership in supervisory positions with career development as a chief officer.
• Candidate’s successful completion of the Executive Fire Officer Program offered by the National Fire Academy, and/or Chief Fire Officer Designation (CPSE or state equivalent) is desired. 

Posted: 2024-08-02