(a) The Fire Chief shall be appointed by the Mayor pursuant to the provisions of Charter Section 7.04(E)(1) and subject to such rules and procedures that Council may promulgate.
(b) Applicants for the position of Fire Chief shall meet the following minimum requirements:
(1) Shall be a citizen of the United States
(2) Have not less than ten years of actual experience within a fire department that provides both fire and EMS services with progressively higher levels of management experience consisting of at least two years as a Chief Officer or two years in an administrative or upper management level fire position comparable to the position of captain or lieutenant in a City Fire Department.
(3) Completion of NIMS/ ICS including: NIMS/ICS 100, 200, 300, 400, 700, 800
(4) Must be certified as a Paramedic through the State of Ohio or National Registry.
(5) A. A candidate must be a graduate of an accredited college or university with a bachelor degree or higher in public or business administration, fire science or other related field.
B. In addition to the requirements above, preference will be given to those individuals who possess training/ experience in the following area:
1. Completion of NFPA 1021, Fire Officer I, II, III and IV programs
2. Certified Fire and EMS Instructor,
3. Public fire education training,
4. Sprinkler systems,
5. Managing Fire Company Tactical Operations,
6. Previous experience working in a college or university community
7. Executive Leadership,
8. Fire cause and origin,
9. Insurance Service Office rating system, and
10. Fire service supervision including health, safety and survival;
Such training being conducted by the Ohio Fire Academy or similarly rated training facility.
11. A graduate or current student of the National Fire Academy's Executive Fire Officer Program or the Ohio Fire Chief's Ohio Fire Executive Program with emphasis on the executive Development and management sciences shall be recommended and preferred, but not required.
(6) Capable of passing a psychological examination, polygraph examination, medical examination, and the current physical fitness for duty standards of the City Fire Department.
(7) Shall have a valid Ohio Drivers License.
(8) Shall have no prior felony convictions or pending criminal suits.
(9) Must be certified as a Firefighter Level II, Paramedic and have a certified Fire Safety Inspectors certificate issued by the State of Ohio at the time of appointment or within one year.
(c) Applicants for the position of Fire Chief shall submit an application accompanied by all appropriate documentation necessary to prove the applicant's ability to meet the requirements of subsection (b) hereof. All applications will be accepted by the Civil Service Commission and processed through the Assessment Center Process Board. The Commission and Board may use any mutually agreeable method to limit the number of final applicants to a maximum of ten persons. The final applicants determined to best meet the City's needs and qualifications will be tested by the Assessment Center Process by the Assessment Center Board. The applicants will be rated by the Assessment Center Board in a numerical order based upon the results of the Assessment Center Process. The three highest ranking candidates' names shall be submitted to the Mayor for appointment pursuant to subsection (a) hereof. All other names on the list and the order of their ranking shall remain the confidential information of the Civil Service Commission.
(d) If one or more of the three names submitted to the Mayor is found not qualified for the position based upon the requirements of subsection (b) hereof, an equal number of names shall be submitted to the Mayor by the Civil Service Commission from the eligibility list in the order of their ranking on the list.
(e) The eligibility list shall remain in effect for one year from the date the list is certified as being in effect by the Civil Service Commission.
(f) The Mayor shall choose one person from the list of three names submitted to him or as amended by the Civil Service Commission.
(g) Any person on the eligibility list that is not presently a member of the City Fire Department shall not be subject to the requirements of Section 143.10(b) as it pertains to an original appointment. The person hired from the list shall be subject to all other ordinances or laws applicable to this position or to employment by the City in general.
(Ord. 16-79. Passed 12-5-16.)