Current Opportunities

Deputy Fire Chief, Operations | City of Leduc

The Organization

The City of Leduc is a thriving community of roughly 35,000 citizens and is perfectly situated along Alberta’s major transportation connections including their regional partner, the Edmonton International Airport. Offering the best of both worlds, Leduc has a younger demographic who enjoy the convenience of urban amenities, yet have proximity to employment opportunities in a smaller, family-oriented community. Leduc has been one of the fastest growing communities in the region, and was listed as one of the “friendliest communities in Canada” in 2018.

The City of Leduc has something for everyone including programs and services that enhance quality of life and sense of community. The pride of Leduc is the Leduc Recreation Centre which offers an abundance of offerings from NHL sized rinks to an aquatics and fitness centre. Residents can explore over 60km of paved Multiway Trails as well as the William F. Lede Park by Telford Lake. Some of Leduc’s unique local attractions include the Leduc #1 Energy Discovery Centre, Dr. Woods House Museum, the Stone Barn Garden, and one of the last wooden grain elevators in Alberta.

Governed by a seven-member Council and an Administration team with a workforce of over 450 employees, the City of Leduc is proud to serve their community. With their Mission statement People.Building.Community, and core values of “teamwork, service, respect and leadership,” the City currently has four key areas of focus:

• A City Where People Want to Live, Work and Play
• A City with a Plan for the Future
• An Economically Prosperous City and Region
• A Collaborative Community-Builder and Regional Partner

Website link: www.leduc.ca

 

The Opportunity

Reports to:	Fire Chief & Director of Emergency Management
Direct Reports:	6: 4 Shift Managers; 1 Medical Training Officer; 1 Fire Administrator
Indirect Reports:	8 Captains, 32 full time firefighter/paramedics, and approximately 45 part-time firefighters and paramedics
Location:	Leduc, AB

 

Mandate

The Deputy Fire Chief, Operations is required to provide operational and administrative leadership on all matters pertaining to the delivery of fire, rescue, and ambulance operations and training. Accountable to the Fire Chief, they will develop a high functioning team of fire officers that lead a psychologically safe workplace for all staff, as well as participate in and implement long-range planning, operating, and budget processes. The Deputy Chief, Operations will regularly manage and make decisions on various emergency and non-emergency situations that are sensitive in nature.

The position will also oversee all first response operations of the department and training. As part of the senior management team, the position also shares the responsibility of the financial management of an annual Operating Budget of over $10,000,000 per year with annual recoveries in excess of $3 million. Capital is variable and depends on current infrastructure needs.

In the absence of the Fire Chief, the Deputy Fire Chief Operations may be required to assume the role of Fire Chief. They will act on a temporary basis by fulfilling their responsibilities and duties, including the temporary supervision and oversight of the security and safety of two other Deputy Fire Chiefs (managers), two Fire Prevention Officers, one Quality Assurance Coordinator and two administrative support personnel. They would also be responsible for the safety and security of 40 full time firefighting personnel and up to 60 paid on-call firefighters that are also part of the bargaining unit.

 

Key Accountabilities

Fire Protection

• Lead the development of safe, sustainable, and effective fire response strategies and systems for the City;
• Ensure all firefighting personnel are trained, equipped, and qualified to safely deliver fire and medical first responses;
• Ensure appropriately qualified trainers and evaluators are available to administer certification and job performance requirement training for all personnel;
• Oversee all recruit training and fitness programs;
• Develop and implement job performance requirements that reflect the department’s service profile;
• Ensure all required standards and regulations pertaining to the delivery of fire response are met and exceeded;
• Respond, as required, to fire, rescue, and medical events within the City, designated rural response areas, as well as mutual aid requests, providing command, control, and scene safety at events.

Emergency and Medical Services

• Ensure the safe and effective operation of emergency medical services under the Alberta Health Services Ambulance Contract;
• Ensure adequately skilled personnel are in place to deliver medical first response and ambulance services at contracted and posted service levels;
• Develop and implement Job Performance Requirements that ensure all medical practitioners are current with best practices in emergency medical services;
• Ensure all required standards and regulations pertaining to the delivery of emergency medical response are met or exceeded;
• Ensure capacity is maintained to support ambulance services through an effective medical first response program;
• Act as a department liaison with Alberta Health Services on all EMS operational concerns.

Training

• Coordinate, through Medical and Fire training leads, fire and emergency medical training for career and paid on-call personnel;
• Research and recommend best practices in sustainable fire, medical first response, and rescue, and make recommendations to further enhance service and training systems delivery including equipment and tactics;
• Provide oversight for the operation of the training props and training yard;
• Work with regional partners on training facility use and integrated training programs;
• Ensure that all personnel complete training on required skills, Medical Control Protocols and certification requirements;
• Oversee fire and EMS training committees;
• Assess and evaluate all training results, whilst amending, revising, and defining training program components, deliverables, and outcomes;
• Prepare reports and recommendations for the development of training needs for all fire service personnel and present to the Fire Chief.

Administration

• Manage the day-to-day scheduling of resources required to meet objectives related to the response capability expected of our services;
• Provide for the continued development of the functional area through management of resources, providing training, implementing new ideas and technology, municipal partnerships and other innovative approaches to problem solving;
• Collaborate with peers on the management team in the negotiation and administration of the Collective Agreement, including day-to-day administration, disciplinary processes and participation in bargaining processes;
• Develop and implement operational and work plans;
• Prepare reports and recommendations for the continued improvement of fire, rescue and ambulance services and presentation of plans to the Fire Chief;
• Conduct performance appraisals on a regular basis, including engagement with direct reports for feedback, coaching, goal setting, and performance management if needed;
• Ensure compliance with provincial and corporate OH&S legislation and policies;
• Develop policy and standard operating procedures, maintenance, and implementation processes;
• Participate in the development and administration of annual operating and capital budgets.

Strategic Management

• Develop, participate, consult, and provide direction on issues of corporate importance to the City of Leduc;
• On behalf of the City of Leduc, represent, attend, chair, organize and administer activities on related boards, committees, commissions and other agencies on a regional and provincial level to further the strategic objectives of the City of Leduc;
• Collaborate on amendments to the Fire Protection Master Plan and other key guiding documents;
• Develop corporate objectives and policies; and
• Other duties as assigned by the Fire Chief.

 

First Year Deliverables / Measures of Success

Success in the first year will be determined by the candidate’s ability to:

• Develop and implement a novel organizational structure that promotes psychological safety and succession planning for staff within the Department;
• Evaluate and provide recommendations regarding staffing and operational needs for the opening of the third Fire Services station; and
• Thoughtfully integrate with the team by building strong rapport with Fire Services staff, the leadership team, and external partners.

 

Candidate Profile

The successful candidate will have the following:

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in fire science, administration, business, or a related field.
• Education in fire or EMS is required, with ICS 300 considered an asset.
• Human resource management, labour relations, adult education, and municipal governance training are also considered an asset.
• A comparable combination of education and experience in progressively complex organizations may be considered.

Experience:

• Ten (10) years of broad, extensive, and progressive experience in firefighting and/or EMS delivery, with five (5) years in an officer, supervisor, or management role.
• Previous experience in front line service delivery oversight, labour relations, and training.
• Prior experience working with career or paid on call/volunteer firefighters and have broad experience at the leadership level of the organization and be able to demonstrate roles as a key decision maker.
• Demonstrated track record of leadership within Fire Services coupled with experience as a key decision maker in previous organizations.

Competencies and Attributes:

• Fosters the development of a common vision by providing clear direction and priorities and by clarifying roles and responsibilities while creating a culture that is highly collaborative and inclusive;
• Able to engage in and facilitate difficult conversations with individuals and groups that result in resolutions or consensus.
• Sets an example for the organization’s culture by operating with a high level of integrity;
• Exceptional organizational abilities, sound judgment, common sense, and the ability to maintain confidentiality and diplomacy;
• Delivers beyond expectations, and has a drive to put items into action;
• Can operate effectively with few defined boundaries or structure;
• Makes decisions confidently and quickly when appropriate, engages others and collects information to make the best possible decisions;
• Expresses views with confidence and conviction while showing respect to others’ points of view;
• Constantly seeks to achieve best practice and does not take expedient approaches at the expense of quality outcomes;
• Typifies professional standards and practice; impeccable character and personal values, coupled with ambition and drive.

 

The Compensation

An excellent compensation package awaits the successful candidate.

 

Equal Opportunity

The City of Leduc is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and recognizes that a diverse team benefits and is essential to service excellence. The City of Leduc welcomes applications from all qualified individuals and encourage women, members of racialized communities, indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, and persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity to confidentially self-identify at time of application.  In accordance with the provincial legislation, accommodation will be provided by Gallagher and the City of Leduc throughout the recruitment, selection and/or assessment process, upon request, to applicants with disabilities. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply.

PLEASE NOTE: In your application, please clearly indicate in the subject line if you are applying for the Deputy Fire Chief, Operations role, the Deputy Fire Chief, Support Services role or BOTH. 

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How to Apply:

Please send your resume in Word or PDF format to: HRCCCanada.GBS.EdmontonPIES@ajg.com. Copy and Paste the following job title and code and place it in the subject line of your email so we can identify the job and confirm receipt of your application:
AAYK-528826 Deputy Fire Chief, Operations | City of Leduc - AB - Leduc (OTIAPPLY)

Please note that only those candidates meeting the selection criteria, established by our client, will be contacted further. Although we may not contact you directly for this particular role, all applications will be reviewed as we would like to consider you for future opportunities that may be appropriate. We encourage you to continue to visit our website at optimumtalent.com as our opportunities are updated on a regular basis.