(a) Appointment and Removal. The Chief of the Department may appoint and remove, from among the members of the Department, a Fire Marshal, formerly known and referred to as Chief Fire Inspector, a Master Mechanic and an Assistant Mechanic. In making such appointments, the Chief shall appoint those individuals believed by him or her to be the best qualified, giving consideration to seniority when appropriate.
(b) Declaration of Title of Specialist. An individual assigned to perform the duties of Fire Marshal, Master Mechanic or Assistant Mechanic or Arson Investigator is hereby declared to be a "specialist" during the time he or she holds such job assignment.
(c) Fire Marshal. The Fire Marshal shall have control of and supervise the general operations of the Bureau of Fire Prevention, and shall report directly to the Fire Chief, who shall be in charge of the Bureau of Fire Prevention. The Fire Marshal shall be responsible to supervise, plan, organize, and conduct all fire risk management, loss prevention, fire origin and cause investigation, and arson investigation programs. The Fire Marshal shall also serve as the agency liaison for all non-governmental agencies engaged in supporting emergency response. The Fire Marshal shall also serve as the Department Public Information Officer. Any member appointed as Fire Marshal must possess the necessary qualifications for the position and maintain all necessary licensures and certifications as set forth in the “Fire Marshal” position job description.
(d) Master Mechanic. The Master Mechanic shall have general supervision of the machine and repair shops of the Department and the repair and maintenance of apparatus and equipment. He or she shall keep a record of all supplies and shall be responsible for all tools and appliances belonging to the repair shop.
(e) Assistants. The Chief may direct members of the Department to temporarily serve as Assistant Inspector or Assistant Mechanic, and while so serving, such assistants shall be under the direction and guidance of the respective specialists in charge.
(f) EMT-Firefighters. Any member appointed as a firefighter must obtain and maintain State certification as an EMT.
(g) Firefighter/Paramedic. Any qualified applicant appointed to the Fire Department may be required, as a condition of continued employment, to achieve Paramedic (EMT-P) status at a designated time following probation. The fire-fighter/paramedic shall abide by all requirements of the State and the City to become State certified and to maintain certification.
(h) Arson Investigator. The Chief retains the exclusive right to determine which employees shall be designated as an Arson Investigator, subject to the requirements set forth in the applicable Collective Bargaining Agreement.
(i) Compensation. (EDITOR'S NOTE: Subsection (h) was repealed by Ordinance 95-43, passed August 21, 1995.)
(j) Promotions.
(1) While serving as a specialist, an individual shall be eligible to take advancement examinations and to qualify for successively higher rank in the same manner as other members of the Department.
(2) When an individual's specialist status is terminated, regardless of the reason for the termination, he or she shall revert to the rank and compensation level held immediately prior to assuming the duties of specialist, except that if while serving as a specialist, he or she duly qualified for promotion to a higher rank and there is a vacancy in the higher grade, then he or she shall be entitled to the appropriate higher rank and compensation level.
(k) Hours and Duties. The aforesaid specialists shall work such hours and shifts as may be assigned by the Chief. The Master Mechanic shall, in the discretion of the Chief, perform regular duties of the Department, including the fighting of fires, when not performing duties of his or her particular specialty.
(Ord. 95-43. Passed 8-21-95; Ord. 2018-24. Passed 4-17-18; Ord. 2020-57. Passed 12-21-20.)