Wildfire Battalion Chief

QUALIFICATIONS

• This position requires a working knowledge and broad understanding of local, state and federal government structure, enabling legislation and responsibilities (10-3 & 7-33, MCA, 29 CFR 1910.120, EPCRA, 42 U.S.C CH. 68);  understanding of local, state and federal emergency procedures, programs and fiscal requirements relating to emergency and disaster declarations (Stafford Act, National Response Framework, Fire Management Assistance Grant, County Assist Program); fire management; facilitation and project management skills and ability to be a competent user of video teleconferencing tools (i.e. Teams, WebEx, etc.) and desktop publishing tools (Office, Adobe Creative Suite, ArcGIS) for creation of multi hundred page document and included graphics that are 508 compliant; federal grant management (Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, Western States WUI, Montana Forest Action Plan) utilizing in-kind and soft match; local government accounting and budgeting practices and an understanding and experience in multiple aspects of the emergency response system (law, fire, ems, health).  This position must have skill in operational wildland firefighting.   This position must be able to maintain the integrity of sensitive and highly confidential information; exercise courtesy and tact in receiving the public, staff and elected official, and in giving and obtaining information in person and over the phone; and establish and maintain cooperative relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
• Position requires skills and knowledge to develop and maintain emergency plans in accordance with applicable standards (National Wildfire Coordinating Group, NFPA, CPG101, Montana Code Annotated, EPCRA, National Mitigation Framework, etc…) through collaboration, drafting and editing skills.  Position will be a primary backup for the Chief of Emergency Management and Fire on wildfire related topics.  Position will frequently take leadership roles on wildland fires and in some cases may act in an agency administrator function.
• Position requires familiarity with government budgeting process and the Budgeting, Accounting and Reporting System (BARS) for tracking budgets and processing claims and invoices.  Position will support numerous complex grant projects involving cost shares across numerous parties.

• The required knowledge, skills, and abilities are typically acquired through a combination of education and experience equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in emergency management, public administration, public safety, forestry or a related field, plus five (5) or more years of prior work experience and understanding of the emergency response system (law, fire, ems, health) including public safety experience, experience managing long term incidents, experience in specifically and must have or obtain credentials for management of wildfires & hazardous materials incidents plus required Montana emergency management qualifications.   This position is preferred to reside and live in Gallatin County but may live in adjacent counties upon mutual agreement.
• This position will require an annual Arduous or Moderate Work Capacity Rating in order to obtain and maintain operational wildland fire qualifications to support the Gallatin County Rural Fire responsibilities of the position.  This is a national standard to demonstrate physical fitness for wildland firefighting.
• This position must have or complete within one (1) year of employment ICS100, ICS200, ICS300 and ICS400; FEMA’s Professional Development Series; and Hazardous Materials Operations Level Training. Position must have or work towards NWCG qualifications in the focus area of Operations.  It is preferred to have NWCG qualification as a Division Group Supervisor and a Type 3 Incident Commander.  If qualifications are not held upon hiring, employee must obtain these qualifications through a training development plan.  This is a long-term process that is based on performance and not time.  Position must also have, or obtain, Hazardous Material on Scene Incident Commander qualification.  This is available less frequently and will be completed when timing allows.

Please note this is a full-time nonexempt position with part-time hours for 6 weeks during a calendar year. 

• Manage County’s obligation for wildfire suppression in 7-33-22, MCA
• Manage County’s obligations for wildfire coordination and support contained in the Cooperative Fire Control Agreement with MT DNRC.
• Manage County’s wildland fire apparatus fleet, both County owned, and State owned through the Cooperative Equipment Agreement.
• Support wildfire response through mentoring, coaching and trainee evaluations.
• Support management of Fire Control Ordinance with coordination of open burning and other restrictions.
• Maintain close coordination and support with MT DNRC, US Forest Service and neighboring counties.
• Maintain strong relationships with major landowners in the County.
• Maintain qualification and training records within the Montana Incident Qualification System (IQS) platform for personnel within Gallatin County.
• Manage and facilitate Gallatin County Incident Qualification Committee to include Position Task Book initiation and completion, issuance of Incident Qualification Cards and integration of personnel in the Interagency Dispatch System (IROC).
• Manage County wildland fire training schedule and act as course coordinator for our hosted classes.
• Support and facilitate opportunities for local personnel to obtain training assignments for development of qualifications throughout county.
• Directly supervise Gallatin County Fuels Module through hiring, training, scheduling and other administrative activities. 

• Perform a variety of other duties as assigned by the Chief of Emergency Management and Fire. This includes coordinating special projects and events, system research and analysis, attending meetings and special events, and attending continuing education and training as required.  While this position is focused on the wildfire program, the position will support the other program areas of Emergency Management and Hazardous Materials within the responsibility of Gallatin County Emergency Management. This will include serving as a rotational Emergency Management Duty Officer, supporting non-wildfire incidents and other projects the department is working on.
• If the County Commission proclaims a local emergency due to an actual or threatened disaster such as an earthquake, fire, riot, flood etc., County employees may be required to provide services during the emergency and for a subsequent period of assessment and recovery.

Reporting/Working Relationships

• This position is accountable for and will have some capacity for commitment and direction for the assigned programs and must meet the program objectives; program policy changes will be expected to be consulted with the Chief of Emergency Management and Fire.  During response to incidents, this position is expected to get to the point where they can act on the Chief of Emergency Management and Fire behalf with delegated authority; this position will be accountable to make appropriate decisions on behalf of the Chief and County when in the Emergency Management Duty Officer role (ability to be on call and respond to requests for assistance outside of regular work hours).  Incidents are often dynamic and need to be managed with quick actions that will not always allow the opportunity for consultation with others.

• This position will function largely independently with regards to the project management responsibility.  This position and the Chief will work as a team to back each other up and provide coverage for each other.  This position and the Chief will often have to operate independently to meet the program objectives and support incidents, there just isn’t time to do everything as a group.  This position is expected to be a primary Emergency Management Duty Officer and split 24/7/365 on call coverage with other staff.  In this capacity the position will get to a point where they can perform this duty independently without constant direction from the Chief.  This position will have regular interaction and guidance from the Chief. This position will have direct oversight of several technical aspects of the Emergency Management Program. The position will be responsible for the wildfire program which requires coordination with many partner agencies.
• This position requires successful completion of a Criminal Justice Information Network (CJIN) background and ongoing completion of CJIN training to maintain CJIN clearance.  The position also requires successfully passing a driver’s background check and maintaining a clear driving record during employment in order to operate county vehicles and maintaining employment.  The position also requires completion of an Emergency Vehicle Operations Course and a Universal Task Vehicle driving course.

• This position will coordinate and interact with other government agencies within Gallatin County and Montana on a constant basis, including coordinating activities and bringing agencies together into unified efforts, gaining consensus on joint planning documents and response plans, facilitating coordinated responses to incidents, conducting training and exercises with numerous agencies and other activities towards coordinating our preparedness with our partners. Position will have routine interaction with the public, agency officials, and local businesses in the development and implementation of wildfire mitigation projects. In addition to working with partner government agencies, the position also interacts with private companies and non-profit organizations that we partner with. The position will support our public education efforts for preparedness with the citizens of Gallatin County. During incidents this position may serve as a spokesperson representing Gallatin County and will often interact with the affected citizens to provide them information, direction and address their concerns and this position could frequently act as the County’s official representative for incidents such as wildfires where delegations to incident management teams are assigned or other incidents where the Federal Emergency Management Agency becomes involved.  Both the interaction with citizens affected by an incident and representing the County during incidents can be challenging as people often don’t have the same objectives and everyone is under stress.  This often creates a situation where tact and approach are very important.

• This position supervises the Gallatin County Fuels Module.  Duties include assigning work, determining work methods, evaluating work in progress, training, scheduling and performance evaluations. This position will have supervisory duties over emergency management volunteers and response personnel on incidents. The position may occasionally fill in for other staff, or coordinate special projects as directed.