Fire Engineer

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION

In the realm of emergency services, the Engineer must be in a state of continual and constant readiness. Because any and all aspect of emergency service involves the saving of human lives and, to a lesser nature, property, it is fundamental to the position of Engineer that all duties and responsibilities are deemed essential at the very least.

While under the direct supervision of the Fire Lieutenant, the Engineer performs crucial and difficult firefighting, rescue and emergency medical functions during the response to, and while on the scene of, emergency incidents. The Engineer may also perform fire prevention, general facility, apparatus and equipment maintenance, public education and other related programs and services.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

The Engineer has a responsibility to ensure his/her assigned apparatus, equipment and facilities are maintained in appropriate readiness to respond to a variety of life-saving emergency calls. The Engineer is primarily responsible for the safe and efficient operation of firefighting and rescue apparatus in response to emergencies and at the emergency scene; regulating the water pressure from an apparatus; checking apparatus for proper operation and general condition; performing lifesaving work at emergency scenes; general preparatory work at the fire station; and performing and assisting with routine maintenance of apparatus and equipment. Work is normally performed under the direct supervision of the Fire Lieutenant.

ESSENTIAL/REPRESENTATIVE DUTIES

Because of the inherent nature of emergency scenarios encountered by the department, the following duties are merely representational for this classification. Incumbents may not perform all of the listed duties and/or may be required to perform additional or different duties from those set forth below to address departmental needs and continual changing departmental practices. The duties and responsibilities delineated below cannot be presented in a prioritized fashion as each emergency scenario and each passing day within the facility itself is unique.

• Ability to operate in extremely dangerous scenarios and life and death environments that potentially expose the individual to great bodily harm or death;
• Dons a Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) when needed and enters Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH) atmospheres;
• Participates in fire suppression, fire prevention, emergency medical services, training and disaster preparedness program services and activities;
• Enters confined spaces while providing confined space rescue and other types of rescue;
• Enters, swims and wades water in water while providing laminar and swift water rescue;
• Provides high and low angle rescue services;
• Performs in dynamic, highly stressful situations;
• Operates department apparatus, vehicles, and radios;
• Responds to emergency incidents as required by departmental policy;
• Performs work during emergency/disaster situations;
• Reacts quickly and calmly to all types of emergency and departmental scenarios;
• Analyzes problems, identifies alternative solutions and projects consequences of proposed actions;
• May work extended hours and days to meet any and all operational needs;
• Exposes him/herself regularly in heat, smoke, hazardous gases and innumerable other hazardous conditions and environments;
• Performs and assists in station maintenance and duties;
• Conducts and prepares pre-incident surveys; secures emergency scenes; performs fire extinguishment; performs salvage and overhaul operations; provides emergency medical services, and performs technical rescue work;
• Assists in the alteration to station facilities, grounds, and equipment;
• Performs routine and periodic inspections of apparatus;
• Represents the department at various events;
• Prepares and maintains a variety of records;
• Represents the department at special events including parades and open houses;
• Participates in ongoing firefighting, rescue, and emergency medical training;
• Conducts public information/education classes related to fire prevention, hazardous materials, disaster preparedness and other department activities;
• Attends and participates in professional group meetings; stays abreast of new trends and innovations in the field of fire prevention, suppression, training, and management; and
• Performs all other duties and responsibilities as assigned by Fire Lieutenant or higher-ranking personnel.

QUALIFICATIONS

The following generally describes the knowledge and ability required to enter the job and/or be learned within a short period of time in order to successfully perform the assigned duties:

Knowledge of:

• Basic principles of fire science; the Incident Command System (ICS); principles of incident safety; hazardous materials incident management techniques; technical rescue techniques; and emergency medical practices;
• Fire science theory, principles and practices and their application to a wide variety of emergency service operations including fire suppression, fire prevention, and fire investigation; operational characteristics of fire apparatus and equipment including emergency driving techniques, safe fire apparatus operation; fire prevention principles, methods, and practices;
• Geography and street layout of the service districts and surrounding area;
• Basic laws and regulations pertaining to fire and emergency medical service operations;
• Personal protective equipment;
• Basic hydraulic and mechanical concepts;
• Basic office procedures and equipment including computers and applicable software applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, and databases;
• Departmental policy and procedures and manual of operations;
• Pertinent federal, state, and local laws, codes and regulations;
• Algebraic and arithmetic computations;
• English usage, spelling, grammar and punctuation; and
• Principles and practices of customer service.

Education and Experience:

Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying.

A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

Required

• Possession of a high school diploma or GED equivalent
• Possession of a valid Driver’s license
• Certified NC Firefighter Certification
• Certified NC EMT-B
• NIMS/ICS 100, 200

Recommended

• Possession of NC class B License
• NIMS/ICS 700, 800
• Certified NC Technical Rescuer
• D/O Basic pumps and EVD
• Certified NC Driver Operator Aerials
• Certified NC Driver Operator Pumps
• Fire Life Safety Educator – 1
• CPS technician

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT

The conditions herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. Reasonable accommodation(s) may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions unless the accommodation(s) imposes an undue hardship upon the essential emergency duties and responsibilities of the department.

Environment:

Operating from the facility itself, this individual must frequently travel to various locations to respond to emergency scenes, disasters, or critical incidents and to attend meetings. The employee may have frequent exposure to excessive heat, smoke, noise, dust, grease, fumes, airborne particles, noxious odors, gases, explosives and blood-borne pathogens. The employee will work in all types of weather and temperature conditions and frequently works near moving mechanical parts, in areas of limited and restricted entry and exit, and in highly precarious places. Exposure to vibration from equipment and vehicles and operation of hand and foot controls or repetitive body motions are expected. Employee will have extensive public contact on emergency scenes where the noise level in the work environment can be extreme and may be very loud when responding to emergency calls and when working at a fire or other emergency incident. The employee is expected to wear appropriate and heavy personal protective equipment including goggles, face protector, turn-outs, safety shoes and self-contained breathing apparatus and must be able to work extended hours including evenings and weekends and may be required to travel outside the fire district and county boundaries to attend meetings and training. The work environment is team-oriented having life or death tasks, pace and pressure. Work is frequently performed in hostile and hazardous environments.

Pay: $55,000.00 - $58,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Bereavement leave
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Tuition reimbursement
• Uniform allowance
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person