Description
Lead and manage an assigned battalion of fire suppression and prevention personnel, directing multi-company emergency operations, training, staffing, and budgets. Ensure readiness, safety, interagency coordination, and compliance with laws, standards, and departmental policy.
- • Deploy companies and specialized units to strategic positions to support rescue and fire attack.
- • Assume Incident Command or Operations Section roles at multi-company incidents.
- • Conduct incident size-ups and determine alarm assignments, tactics, and resource needs.
- • Oversee EMS and technical rescue operations and ensure protocol compliance.
- • Coordinate communications among command, dispatch, mutual-aid partners, and city leadership.
- • Direct battalion training in firefighting, EMS, hazardous materials, and prevention.
- • Assign instructors, schedule drills, and track training compliance and outcomes.
- • Oversee readiness and maintenance standards for apparatus, equipment, and PPE across stations.
- • Conduct station and apparatus inspections for safety and policy compliance; enforce corrections.
- • Manage staffing, schedules, leave approvals, and station coverage; authorize overtime and callbacks.
- • Evaluate and coach company officers and personnel; conduct performance reviews.
- • Recommend and implement personnel actions on discipline, performance, leaves, and grievances.
- • Monitor and manage battalion budgets, expenditures, and overtime.
- • Recommend apparatus and equipment repairs, replacements, and specifications.
- • Supervise company-level fire prevention, inspections, and public education efforts.
- • Oversee acceptance testing and operational checks of fire protection and detection systems with prevention staff.
- • Interpret fire and life safety codes and approve operational plans and permits with the Fire Marshal’s office.
- • Develop and review pre-incident plans, target hazard profiles, and evacuation plans.
- • Maintain operational records, response statistics, and readiness documentation.
- • Prepare incident reports, after-action reviews, and operational correspondence.
- • Coordinate movement, staging, and strike team/task force assignments during large incidents.
- • Direct or review incident investigations and referrals for arson, hazards, and false alarms.
- • Evaluate station procedures and implement improvements for efficiency and regulatory compliance.
- • Ensure firefighter health, wellness, and safety programs are followed; chair safety briefings.
- • Plan and supervise prescribed burn operations where applicable; review conditions and post-burn analyses.
- • Maintain current knowledge of laws, ICS/NIMS, tactics, EMS protocols, and safety practices.
- • Lead interagency planning, mutual-aid agreements, and EOC or area command liaison activities.
- • Participate in recruitment, hiring, promotional processes, and succession planning.
- • Engage with community stakeholders and elected officials on risk reduction and service delivery.
- • Ensure compliance with departmental policies, accreditation standards, and audit requirements.
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Public Service & Safety
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
