Fire Chief Application Page >

Human Resources Department
1375 Chatham Parkway
Savannah, GA 31405
http://www.savannahga.gov

INVITES APPLICATIONS FOR THE POSITION OF:
FIRE CHIEF

An Equal Opportunity Employer

SALARY
$140,000.00 - $160,000.00 Annually

OPENING DATE: 01/04/19

CLOSING DATE: 02/05/19

PURPOSE

TO APPLY FOR THIS POSITION, PLEASE VISIT THIE FOLLOWING LINK:

City of Savannah Fire Chief Application >

The City of Savannah, Georgia seeks a Fire Chief who is a mission driven, visionary, and innovative leader with a demonstrated history of being an advocate for the fire department that results in esprit des corps among staff, as well as a being a skilled collaborator and advocate with city government and the community. The Savannah Fire Rescue Department strives to be a national and regional leader in the fire service and the next Fire Chief will be tasked with assessing and implementing this vision.

The Community:

As America's first planned city, Savannah boasts historic architecture, luxurious parks and a government culture that aims to build upon its early success in providing superior planning, infrastructure and services for its citizens and visitors.

In addition to its assets as a city, Savannah offers great weather, nearby beaches, and a tradition of hospitality and cultural offerings. Savannah is home to a vibrant arts and cultural scene that plays host to over 200 festivals each year focused on a variety of themes including music, food and film. A growing Savannah Music Festival has garnered international acclaim as performers from Savannah and all over the world showcase talent in a variety of musical genres.

Savannah has a diverse economy consisting of manufacturing, one of the fastest growing seaports in the nation, tourism, regional medical services and the military. Retail and service businesses are also important factors.

Educational opportunities abound in Savannah, including a public school system that has pursued an aggressive building-improvements program, a multitude of private schools, and four distinct colleges. Savannah gets superior marks in the field of higher education with the institutions of Savannah State University, Georgia Southern University, South University and the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Savannah's warm weather allows participation in outdoor activities year-round. The city has more than 100 public recreational neighborhood parks, 13 swimming pools, more than 70 athletic fields, more than 75 basketball courts, 50 tennis courts, 2 public golf courses and a marina.

For boating, fishing and swimming enthusiasts, Savannah offers marinas throughout the 420 miles of navigable waters and 87,000 acres of tidal marshland, as well as the Intercoastal Waterway. Tybee Island is Savannah's public beach and is located approximately 20 minutes east of the downtown area.

With its well-preserved history, fascinating architecture, natural beauty, unique squares and mild climate, Savannah is a splendid spot for sightseeing. We boast the nation's largest National Historic Landmark District and have been voted one of "The World's 30 Friendliest Cities" and the Fifth "Best Small City in the United States" according to Condé Nast Traveler's Reader's Choice Awards.

With over 146,000 year-round residents, the population of Savannah also includes the students of their four colleges and universities. With six distinct historic districts, coastal beaches, and a globally recognized food and art scene, tourism is a major driver in the economy with over 14.1M visitors in 2017. Home to the Port of Savannah, nearby Fort Stewart – Hunter Air Base, International Paper, Gulfstream Aerospace, Titlemax and others, Savannah's economy is diverse and robust. The City is committed to promoting numerous festivals and special events throughout the year, and is particularly known for its St. Patrick's Day celebration.

Savannah has earned its reputation and has received accolades: USA Weekend Magazine declared Savannah one of the "top 10 Most Beautiful Places in America." The New York Times named us one of the "World's Top Ten Trendy Travel Hot Spots." Conde Nast Traveler picked us as a "Top 10 U.S City to Visit." Southern Living placed us as second on its "Best Southern City" list. And Outlook Magazine called us one of the "Top 25 Places to Live and Work." This is a wonderful community for your next career move.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

City Government, Fire Department and Position Overview:

The City of Savannah operates under a Council/Manager form of government with a budget of $398.5M, AA+ bond ratings and over 2400 employees working across 26 departments. The Fire Chief reports to the City Manager.

The Savannah Fire Rescue Department, steeped in history like the community it serves, was established in 1759 and was one of the first fully mechanized departments in the nation. With an ISO Class 1 rating, the fire department has received accreditation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence and was the first in the nation to receive the BOAT accreditation. The department provides fire suppression/prevention, specialized rescue and emergency medical care, hazardous materials incident response, technical rescue, code enforcement, fire investigation, and public fire safety education to the citizens of Savannah. The department's mission is accomplished through the deployment of 15 engine and 5 ladder companies, 2 heavy rescue units, a marine division staffed with 28 metal craft and john boats for flooding, and 15 mobile support unit from 15 stations. The Fire Department maintains mutual aid agreements with departments in the region. To date in 2018, the fire department has responded to 7699 calls for service. Total staffing is 351 uniformed and civilian personnel with department operations supported by a $ 32.7 million budget.

The next Savannah Fire Chief will be challenged to effectively respond to the increasing demand for EMS services, manage the development of a departmental strategic plan, prepare to respond to a community risk analysis due in 2019, and respond to the national challenge of recruiting and retaining staff who look like the community they serve. Additional significant challenges include working within budget constraints while continuing to ensure operational excellence in equipment, community risk reduction, and consistent pressures relating to increasing service demands, staffing levels, training and employee recruitment and retention.

The next Chief must be visible and engaged within the department and in the community, develop effective relationships with the Savannah Professional Fire Fighters Association, and exhibit outstanding communication skills with all stakeholders to achieve the high standards and excellence of service the community has come to expect. More information about the City and Department can be found at https://www.savannahga.gov/523/Fire-Savannah-Fire-Rescue.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Qualifications and Pay:

The City seeks a fire safe ty leader with a minimum of 15 years progressive fire safety experience and 10 years of cross-functional and progressively responsible experience including fire suppression, prevention, EMS and administrative work at rank equivalent to Division Chief, Assistant Chief or higher in a comparably sized community; a BA/BS degree (Master's degree highly preferred). NFA certification is also preferred.

The successful candidate:

• understands and is experienced in embracing practices that support a high level of community engagement that further the goals of excellent quality and timely service, fire prevention education for all ages, department advocacy and citizen understanding and enthusiasm for the fire service;
• proactively and strategically anticipates issues and opportunities and leverages resources to best accomplish goals of the community for fire safety;
• eliminates silos and seeks commonality across functions intra-departmentally and works effectively interdepartmentally to build relationships in service to public safety goals;
• expertly uses data and metrics to propose solutions and make decisions;
• has a track record of innovation in career development and is committed to continued training and professional development for staff in order to build skills, achieve performance excellence and develop staff for promotional opportunities and varied job assignments;
• experienced in media relations to represent the department and the City when called upon;
• has a proven track record in building and maintaining morale through effective teambuilding, advocacy and consistency of policy application;
• is skilled at diplomatically engaging with a diversity of stakeholders such as employees, other city employees, individual citizens, community groups, City Council members, regional, state and federal authorities in order to leverage department opportunities and mitigate challenges;
• is an individual with impeccable integrity with a proven record of consistency and reliable performance;
• has experience working in council-manager form of government and skills in navigating the complexities of varying roles; (need for building relationship, educating Council, clear communication, reestablishing trust);
• has held multiple assignments across functional areas such as suppression, prevention, EMS, and administration leading to a rich understanding of breadth and depth of roles that fire fighters assume;
• maintains knowledge of best practices in fire safety and emergency management through continuing education to include appreciation and understanding of technology;
• is skilled in complex budget development and management, policy development and application and progressive fire safety strategies despite budget constraints;
• understands the significance of diversity within all aspects of the department and has a proven track record of developing innovative solutions to attracting, retaining and promoting diversity;
• communicates excellently both verbally and in writing and possesses well-developed interpersonal skills and abilities; and,
• thrives in a culture of high-performance expectations and personal accountability and has a track record of developing the same departmental standards as a highly accomplished fire service leader.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The full hiring range is $ 140,000 -160,000. Starting salary will depend on experience and qualifications. The City provides an excellent benefits package. More details can be found here.

To confidentially apply for this position:

please go to http://www.developmentalassociates.com and click on the Fire Chief – Savannah link on the left side of the home page. All applications must be submitted online through the Developmental Associates application portal, not the City's application site. Please note that it is not sufficient to submit only a resume. Application review begins February 10, 2019. Semi-finalists will participate in on-site interviews and skill assessments in Savannah on March 25-26, 2019. All inquiries should be emailed to hiring@developmentalassociates.com. EOE

APPLICATIONS MUST BE COMPLETED ONLINE AT:
http://www.savannahga.gov

EXAM #2019-FC-FD-JAN
FIRE CHIEF
CS

https://agency.governmentjobs.com/savannah/job_bulletin.cfm?JobID=2310003