FT Firefighter

Firefighter

Under the direction of a Captain or Lieutenant, the Firefighter is responsible for emergency response and fire prevention and safety efforts, including the protection of life and property from the hazards of fire, chemicals, disasters and other types of emergencies, providinglife-saving medical care of the sick and injured, performance of life-safety inspections, and providing public education. In emergency situations, the work may involve considerable short and long term dangers.

Firefighters perform many duties as part of a cohesive team but must also be ableto act without continuous supervision and be able to exercise independent discretion, using sound judgement, based on accepted rules and procedures. See hourly rates listed below.

Respond to calls for service, on duty, as well as off duty as directed, at all hours of the day or night. Immediately assess safety risks and hazards at all emergency scenes, which include but are not limited to the following:

• Building, vehicle, brush, non-building structures, and chemical fires, including those intentionally set
• Medicals, including critical injuries and illnesses, mental health calls, assaults, and overdoses
• Hazardous materials releases, reactions, and explosions
• Extricating victims from crashes involving passenger, commercial, aircraft, boat and rail vehicles
• Rescues involving water, ice, high/low angle, tight spaces, and below grade
• Active shooter situations, mass casualties, and civil unrest

Enter structures by any means including climbing ladders, scaling structures, cutting through walls, using mechanical means, or breaking locks, doors, or windows, to search for and rescue individuals from fires and other emergency situations, sometimes under extreme circumstances. Evacuate occupants of burning and hazardous structures and situations and assist them to safety.

Drive and operate every type of apparatus from all three stations: Operate pumps and place aerial ladders and elevated water streams (engines, tenders, ladder trucks, rescue truck, dry-chemical special hazards truck, brush trucks), know location and operation of all equipment on each truck, and be able to find and use immediately.

Wearing appropriate personal protective equipment, including self-contained breathing apparatus, extinguish fires, place hoses and ground ladders in appropriate and safe locations, ventilate structures by appropriate and safe means.

• Work at heights off of ladders, aerial devices, and roofs, and in confined spaces, while exposed to extreme heat and cold, smoke, toxic gases, and structural dangers.

Inspect, run, and troubleshoot all mechanical equipment regularly (apparatus, tools and building systems) to ensure constant state of readiness. Regularly inventory and check all supplies and tools to ensure in proper location and working order.

Respond to medical calls to assess the nature and extent of illness and/or injury and provide appropriate patient care, wearing appropriate personal protective equipment.

• Obtain required information from patients and accurately assess medical condition.
• Provide skilled medical care and treatment, using adjunct medical equipment and drugs, in compliance with IGH FD medical protocol.

As directed, conduct inspections of existing multi-family residential and business properties and create pre-plans of businesses, including critical hazards and high-risk properties.

• Locate hazardous conditions and code violations in buildings, including those that use, store or handle hazardous materials
• Identify corrective action and conduct follow-up inspections to ensure corrective actions have been taken
• Complete all necessary reports and paperwork

Create and maintain a positive and healthy working relationship with individuals and organizations internal and external to the fire department.

• Establish positive customer service, public relations, and communications with our internal and external customers and those we serve.
• Coordinate activities and cooperate with personnel from other city departments and emergency personnel from other communities.
• Display professionalism at all times.

Perform community outreach and educational duties to develop and foster relationships and partnerships with residents, businesses, school districts and community groups for improved safety. Examples include such representative tasks as:

• Conduct various educational sessions for business owners, employees and students
• Participate in community events such as IGH Days, Yellow Ribbon, school events, etc.
• Provide fire and injury prevention and education to all ages, from children to seniors
• Perform CPR and first aid training for various community groups
• Conduct regular educational visits to schools in the city
• Participate in annual Fire Prevention Week events
• Conduct tours of fire stations

Maintain proficiencies and continually learn new skills as appropriate.

• Attend, as well as assist with preparing and running weekly drills for all fire personnel and attend additional educational opportunities to gain and retain knowledgeable in all requirements of the job.
• Complete on-going training assigned and obtain and maintain all certifications as required.
• Serve as Field Training Officer for newly hired on-call firefighters, as assigned.

Perform housekeeping duties within each station when not responding to calls, at training, or attending other events.

Display responsiveness to the needs of the pubic and show fairness and objectivity, in treatment of other people, speaking in ways that are courteous and non-discriminatory. Display respect and sensitivity when interacting with people of diverse cultures and backgrounds and display strong commitment to serving the public equitably.

Perform other duties of a comparable level or type, as required.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• 18 years of age
• High school diploma or equivalent
• Must have at least 18 months Fire Department experience or equivalent (EMS, Law Enforcement, military, Etc.)
• Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technician within 6 months of hire.
• IFSAC or Pro-Board accredited Firefighter I and II certifications
• IFSAC or Pro-Board accredited Hazardous Materials Operations certification in 470, 472 or 1072
• Valid and unrestricted Driver's License
• Successfully pass drivers' license check, criminal background check, physical exam, and reference check.
• Obtain firefighter license in the State of Minnesota within 6 months of hire
• IFSAC Accredited Fire Inspector I prior to completion of probation
• National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) 100, 200, 700
• Other training and certifications may be required by City after employment
• Be willing to work long and varied shifts as assigned.
• Maintain clean driving and background records after hire
• Maintain physical ability to perform all parts of job
• Maintain compliance with the City's drug and alcohol policies

Desired Qualifications:

• Additional experience as a Firefighter
• Experience as an EMT or Paramedic
• Post-secondary degree in Fire Science or closely related field
• IFSAC or Pro-Board Fire Apparatus Operator (FAO) III
• Experience with fire and building codes
• IFSAC or Pro-Board Fire Instructor I certification
• Maintain residency within 15-minute response to one of 3 IGH stations (preferred, not required)
• Fluency in Spanish, Hmong, or other non-English languages prevalent in the city of Inver Grove Heights.

Physical Job Requirements:

• reach and extend hands and arms in any direction
• ascend and descend multiple flights of stairs and 45 foot ladders while carrying heavy loads,
• balance and possess the ability to steady oneself and keep from falling when walking, standing, crouching, crawling on narrow, slippery, or erratically moving surfaces
• work under high tress/pressure
• assist in carrying and lifting a stretcher with a patient
• climb up and on the top of the fire truck and balance self
• lift or carry equipment from floor to overhead
• walk and crawl long distances while carrying, dragging or lifting
• push/pull objects using total body movements
• walk long distances
• enter into confined spaces or work from heights

Need to have the following:

• good grip strength with gloves to handle tools requiring torquing, pounding, and jerky motions with hands
• excellent

Government Careers

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