Assistant Chief Fire Officer

THE COMPETITION

Laois County Council invites applications from suitably qualified persons, who wish to be considered for inclusion on a panel for the role of Assistant Chief Fire Officer from which permanent, specific purpose, fixed term, temporary and where applicable, acting-up vacancies may be filled.

THE ROLE

The Assistant Chief Fire Officer works as part of a multi-disciplinary team within the Fire Services Directorates to deliver key local authority services.

The role requires a clear knowledge and understanding of local authority services and its key stakeholders and relationships, local government structures and its democratic role and mandate, current local government issues, future trends and strategic direction of the sector, management and implementation of change, and Public Works Contracts.

The Assistant Chief Fire Officer shall operate under the direction of and report to the Senior Fire Officer of the section to which they are assigned. Initially this will be within the Fire Prevention section. They must undertake those duties as assigned to them by their supervisor.

The Assistant Chief Fire Officer shall also report to the Director of Service of the section to which they are assigned or any other person designated by the Director of Service.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE POST

CHARACTER

Candidates must be of good character.

HEALTH

Candidates shall be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service. For the purpose of satisfying the requirements as to health, it will be necessary for successful candidates, before they are appointed, to undergo at their own expense a medical examination by a qualified medical practitioner to be nominated by the Local Authority. On taking up appointment the expense of the medical examination will be refunded to candidates.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

1. Education, training, experience, etc.

Each Candidate must, on the latest date for receipt of completed application forms for the office –

(a) Hold, in the National Framework of Qualifications:

(i) a degree at Level 8 in engineering, architecture, or other building construction related discipline, or

(ii) a professional qualification equivalent to one of the foregoing awarded by the relevant professional body, or

(iii) a degree at Level 8 in a science or technology related discipline including, physics, chemistry, environmental or computer science, information communications technology, or a fire related discipline including fire safety, emergency management or emergency services, or

(iv) a degree at Level 8 together with a Level 9 qualification in a fire related discipline including fire safety, emergency management or emergency services.

(b) Have a satisfactory knowledge of one or more of the following:

 principles and practices of fire safety,

 fire service operations

 major emergency management

 technological and industrial processes

 telecommunications and information technology

(c) Have at least five years satisfactory relevant experience, including adequate experience in at least one of the areas specified at (b) above;

(d) Have a high standard of training in one or more of the areas specified in (b) above;

(e) Be competent to perform efficiently the duties of the office and possess the appropriate qualities.

Desirable: Good working knowledge of fire prevention and fire safety certificate assessing & processing.

In addition:

DRIVING LICENCE:

Candidates shall hold a full clean current driving licence in respect of Category B Vehicles or equivalent in the EU Model Driving Licence on the latest date for the receipt of completed

applications.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE POST

In the context of the key duties and responsibilities for the post of Assistant Chief Fire Officer, the ideal candidate shall also be able to demonstrate the following;

• Project Management Skills

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

• People management skills

• Budgetary Management Skills

• Negotiation and leadership skills

• An excellent understanding of Health and Safety legislation and regulations and their application in the workplace.

• An ability to prepare and present technical reports

• An ability to interpret and undertake critical analysis of scientific data

• Problem solving skills

• Competence in the operation of ICT Systems

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The duties of the office are to give the local authority and

(a) such other local authorities or bodies for which the Chief Executive, for the purposes of the City and County Management Acts, is Manager and

(b) to any other local authority or body with which an agreement has been made by the local authority or by any of the authorities or bodies mentioned in sub-paragraph (a) of this paragraph,

under the direction and supervision of the Chief Executive or other appropriate officer of the local authority such technical services of an advisory, supervisory or executive nature as may be required by any local authority or body mentioned above in the exercise and performance of any of its powers, functions and duties including the duty of assisting the Chief Executive or other appropriate officer in the supervision of such services of any of the foregoing local authorities or bodies, and, when required to do so, to perform the duty of acting for the appropriate officer of higher rank during that officer’s absence.

The duties of the post of Assistant Chief Fire Officer include, but are not limited to:

Fire Prevention, including

• processing of fire safety certification applications & licensing applications,

• carrying of inspections under the Fire Services Acts, Building Control Act and other relevant legislation.

• represent the Fire Authority in dealing with applications before the Courts

• manage Community Fire Safety including the Primary Schools Programme

• give advice and talks on fire safety to all members of our community which maybe out of normal working hours.

Fire Service Operations, including

• organising & attending training courses & weekly on-station training,

• vehicle, equipment & station maintenance & upgrading

• management of fire stations & staff

• developing & updating pre-incident plans

• attend incidents as an authorised rostered senior fire officer, drill nights and exercises out of normal working hours.

• participation in the Senior Fire Officers Roster in accordance with the 1996 Rostering Agreement (or as amended)

Major Emergency Management, including

• management of Laois County Councils Major Emergency Plan

• participate in both local & regional MEM training

Health & Safety, including

• managing & operating the safety management system

• carrying out risk assessments of equipment, training, training locations etc

Rostering Agreement

The terms of the Senior Fire Officer Rostering Agreement 1996 (or as amended) will apply to this employment.

Competencies for the Post:

Key Competencies for the post include the following and candidates will be expected to demonstrate sufficient evidence within their application form of competence under each of these. Please take particular note of these when completing the application form as any short-listing or interview processes will be based on the information provided by candidates.

Candidates at interviews must achieve a minimum 50% of the total marks available in each of the competencies to qualify for inclusion on a panel.

Technical Knowledge & Expertise Candidates should have satisfactory knowledge and experience in one or more of the following:-

• Principles and practices of fire safety

• Fire service operations

• Major emergency management

• Building design and construction

• Technological and industrial processes

• Telecommunications and information technology

Judgement & Decision

Making • Can pinpoint critical information and address issues logically.

• Understands the context and impact of decisions made.

• Can act decisively with the complex information and multiple stakeholders

• Evaluate the current work practices to identify changes that could be made to help them run more efficiently

Interpersonal and • Show respect, tact and maintain composure• •

Communication skills

when dealing with customers and staff members.

• Demonstrate the ability to be assertive and communicate in a clear and confident manner

• Actively listen and deal with information in a constructive manner.

Delivery of Results

• Deliver results on time and to a high standard.

• Plan and prioritise the work schedule, ensuring the efficient use of all the resources available and delivering on objectives even with multiple or conflicting demands

• Develop and implement quality assurance measures to achieve compliance with performance standards or benchmarks.

• Take responsibility for own work and the work of the team.

• Produce reports in a clear and concise manner and maintain accurate records.

THE PRINCIPAL TERMS & CONDITIONS

1. PARTICULARS:

Laois County Council reserves the rights to, at any time, assign an employee to any premises in use by the Council now or in the future.

2. PROBATION:

Where a person who is not already a permanent employee of a local authority is appointed, the following provisions shall apply:

(a) There shall be a period after appointment takes effect, during which such a person shall hold the position on probation;

(b) Such period shall be ten months but the Chief Executive may, at his/her discretion, extend such period;

(c) Such a person shall cease to hold the position at the end of the period of probation, unless during this period the Chief Executive has certified that the service is satisfactory;

(d) There will be ongoing assessments during the probationary period. Employment may be terminated by either party during probation or at the end of the probationary period on one week’s notice.

(e) If not already possessing the following qualifications, such person shall

a. Attend and successfully pass an Initial Firefighting Skills course (3 weeks)

b. Attend and successfully pass an initial Breathing Apparatus wearers course (2 weeks)

c. Attend and successfully pass an initial Compartment Fire Behaviour course (1 week)

3. SALARY:

The salary shall be fully inclusive and shall be as determined from time to time. Holders of the office shall pay to the local authority any fees or other monies (other than their inclusive salary) payable to or received by them by virtue of their office or in respect of services which they are required by or under any enactment to perform.

The salary scale for the post of Assistant Chief Fire Officer is: €60,858 - €84,596 (LSI2) - Circular EL 04/2026 refers.

In accordance with EL 02/2011 persons who are not serving local authority employees must be placed on the minimum of the scale. Where a person being appointed is a serving local authority employee normal starting pay rules will apply. The rate of remuneration may be adjusted from time to time in line with government policy.

4. WORKING HOURS:

The standard working week will be 35 hours. The role may require flexible working hours and may occasionally include evening and weekend work for which overtime will not be paid but time-off-in-lieu will be available.

5. ANNUAL LEAVE:

30 days per annum.

6. RESIDENCE

The holder of the position shall reside in the district in which his/her duties are to be performed or within a reasonable distance thereof.

7. EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

The Council shall work to promote a culture of equality and to develop equality and recruitment policies and procedures to ensure that all candidates are selected on merit. The Council shall endeavor to ensure that the selection process does not provide unjustifiable advantage or disadvantage to any particular candidate or group of candidates. The recruitment and selection process shall embrace genuine equality of opportunity, and this will be integral to the process by which appointments are made.

8. RECRUITMENT

Selection of candidates for appointment shall be by means of a competitive interview.

a) Shortlisting Process

The local authority may decide, by reason of the number of persons seeking admission to a competition, to carry out a shortlisting procedure. The number of persons to be invited, in these circumstances, to interview, shall be determined by the local authority from time to time having regard to the likely number of vacancies to be filled. The local authority may at its discretion, decide that such shortlisting will be based on qualifications, relevant experience and information submitted on the application form. In that regard, candidates should ensure they provide detailed and accurate information in completing the form. Alternatively, the local authority may at its discretion decide to shortlist by way of preliminary interview.

b) Competitive Interview

Selection of candidates for appointment shall be by means of a competitive interview. The competitive interview shall be conducted by or on behalf of the local authority. The Council is committed to a process of selection on merit, based on fair and open competition. The criteria for judging suitability and ranking will be related directly to the qualification, attributes and skills required to undertake the duties and responsibilities to the standard required in the post.

c) Panels

Following completion of interviews, panels may be formed, the duration of which is at the discretion of the Council. While a panel remains in force, offers of temporary or permanent employment may be made subject to confirmation of qualifications and satisfying clauses in relation to health, character, or other requirements of the particular post. Persons to whom an offer of employment is made must take up duty within 1 month from the date of offer, or such extended period as the Council may agree, otherwise, the Council may decide not to appoint them.

d) References/Documentary Evidence

Each candidate may be required to submit as references the names and addresses of two responsible persons to whom he/she is well known but not related. Candidates may be required to submit documentary evidence to the local authority in support of their application.

9. COMMENCEMENT

The local authority shall require a person to whom an appointment is offered to take up such appointment within a period of not more than one month and is he/she fails to take up the appointment within such period or such period or such longer period as the local authority in its absolute discretion may determine, the local authority shall not appoint him/her.

10. RETIREMENT

If you are currently employed in the public service, retirement age and superannuation contributions will be determined in accordance with the Superannuation Scheme to which you are currently attached.

The Single Public Service Pension Scheme (“Single Scheme”) as provided by the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012 commenced with effect from 1st January 2013. The act provides retirement provisions for new entrants to the public service appointed on or after 1st January 2013. Minimum retirement age is 66 while the compulsory retirement age of 70 applies.

It should be noted that candidates who are in receipt of a Public Service Pension and are rehired in any paid capacity by a Public Service Body may be liable to have their pension abated. Prior to appointment successful candidates will be obliged to complete a Declaration in relation to previous Public Pensionable Employment.

11. GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATIONS

Laois County Council is committed to protecting your personal data and we comply with our obligations under the Data Protection Acts, 1988 – 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulations.

Basis for Processing your Personal Information

The basis for processing your personal data is to process your application for the position you have applied for with Laois County Council under the Terms of the Employment (Information) Act 1994 and Human Resources Department policies and procedures. Personal data sought for the purpose of recruitment will include your name, your contact details including email address and mobile number, particulars of education, details regarding your record of employment, details of referees and confirmation of if you require an employment permit/visa or work authorisation. When your application form is received, we create a computer record in your name, which contains much of the personal information you have supplied. This personal record is used solely in processing your candidature. You are entitled to obtain at any time, a copy of information about you, which is kept on computer.