Fire Battalion Chief (Promotional)

THIS IS A NEW PROMOTIONAL ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION.  The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list and may last approximately one year but can be extended.  Qualified applicants must be current Alameda County Fire Department Captains and meet the minimum qualifications. 

Applications must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing.   

Supplemental Questionnaire: A properly completed Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted with each application.  Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing.  Applications will only be accepted online.  Failure to submit the Application or Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification.

ONLINE APPLICATIONS ONLY

THE POSITION

Under general direction, when assigned as a shift commander over all fire stations in the battalion/district, responsible for fire suppression and the supervision of district station operations while on duty; and, performs related duties as required.

Please CLICK HERE for the full job description.

Experience:

The equivalent of two years of full-time paid experience as a Fire Captain in the Alameda County Fire Department.

Must be in possession of a valid California driver’s license, either Commercial or Class C, with the Firefighter Endorsement. 

AND

Education:

Completion, by date of application close, of the following prerequisite training courses:
• Command 2A
• Command 2B
• Command 2C
• Command 2D
• Command 2E
• Management 2A
• Management 2B
• Management 2C
• Management 2D
• Management 2E
• ICS400

OR

• Chief Fire Officer 3A: Human Resources Management
• Chief Fire Officer 3B: Budget and Fiscal Responsibilities
• Chief Fire Officer 3C: General Administration Functions
• Chief Fire Officer 3D: Emergency Service Delivery Responsibilities
• ICS300

OR

• CSFM Chief Officer Certification

Special Requirements:

• Is subject to emergency recall while off duty

NOTE: The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:

NOTE: The level and scope of the following knowledge and abilities are related to duties listed under the “Examples of Duties” section of this specification.

Knowledge of:

• Modern fire prevention practices and techniques
• Principles and practices of supervision
• Training practices and techniques
• Laws, ordinances, and regulations which govern the fire department
• Principles, practices, procedures and equipment used in fighting fires and in saving lives and property
• The operation and maintenance of fire and rescue apparatus and equipment
• Principles of hydraulics, chemistry, and physics as related to fire service
• Arson investigation
• Modern administrative, project management and budgetary principles and techniques
• Hazardous and flammable materials
• Effective methods of crowd control, building evacuation techniques and traffic rules
• State and Federal mutual aid systems


Ability to:

• Effectively convey Department philosophy, messages, and rationale to employees
• Direct and train subordinates
• Prepare clear and concise reports
• Communicate effectively both orally and in writing
• Recognize and appraise fire hazards
• Manage time in an effective manner
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with other employees and the public
• Plan, organize, and implement effectively
• Perform analysis and problem solving
• Exercise sound judgment and make decisions
• Demonstrate management control
• Demonstrate flexibility
• Adapt to stress
• Work effectively with a diverse population
• Demonstrate interpersonal sensitivity

THE EXAMINATION WILL CONSIST OF the following steps:

1) A review of candidates' applications to verify possession of minimum requirements. Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process.

2) A review of candidates’ Supplemental Questionnaires to further screen for minimum qualifications. Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process.

3) An assessment center examination will be weighted as 100% of the candidate's final examination score and may consist of:

1. A structured interview to assess background and training, weighted at 20% of the candidate's final score

2. A simulation exercise to assess incident command skills, weighted at 20% of the candidate's final score

3. An oral presentation to assess public relations, administrative and verbal communications skills, weighted at 20% of the candidate's final score, and

4. Two independent administrative exercises designed to assess administrative and managerial skills each weighted separately at 20% (total of 40%) of the candidate's final score.

CANDIDATES MUST ATTAIN A QUALIFYING RATING ON EACH PORTION OF THIS EXAMINATION.

NOTE:

Competitors must achieve at least 70% in each of the assessment test components individually listed above in order to obtain an overall qualifying score in the entire examination process.

Competitors who score 70% or above in the entire process will have their names placed on the eligible list in order of final ranking.

We reserve the right to make changes to the announced examination components. Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit. Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position. Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position. Other recruitments many be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work.

To learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the “What You Need to Know” section of our website, www.acgov.org/hrs.

Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance. The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency:

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN

TEST RESOURCE LIST:

FIRESCOPE FOG Manual (2017) edition
Alameda County Fire Department OAGs and SOGs

*WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED RECRUITMENT & SELECTION PLAN*

Alameda County and the Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination and/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Alameda County’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy and applicable statues. To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the examination/selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement before the last date for filing. Alameda County requires applicants to provide supporting documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a disability/medical condition pursuant to the ADA, FEHA and applicable statutes.

For more information regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit our website, www.acgov.org/hrs

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @acgov.org and alamedacountyHR@acgov.org as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you may use. If you do not do this, your email blocking or spam filtering program may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments. You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you. All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in your online application account by clicking on the 'My applications' button on the Current Job Openings page.

Please take the steps recommended above to ensure you do not miss any notices about a recruitment for which you have applied. The County of Alameda is not responsible for notices that are not read, received, or accessed by any applicant for a County recruitment.

NOTE: All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box alamedacountyHR@acgov.org are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. If you have questions please go to our website at www.acgov.org/hrs. You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the bulletin for the recruitment for which you have applied.

Iona Childers, Human Resources Analyst
Human Resource Services, County of Alameda
Iona.Childers@acgov.org
(510) 272-6463

Alameda County is an Equal Opportunity Employer