Department:

Emergency Services

Start Here. Grow Here. Stay Here.

The Sarasota County Fire Department (SCFD) has an opening for an Assistant Chief of Training who will have the unique opportunity to shape the future of the department by driving cutting-edge training programs, fostering a culture of continuous learning, and preparing our team for the challenges of tomorrow by leading a Training Division dedicated to building resilience, refining skills, and ensuring the safety and readiness of our personnel.

SCFD’s vision is to remain at the forefront of the fire service by empowering our people through advanced education, all-hazards training, and leadership development. With strong support for professional growth, collaboration, and innovation, the Sarasota County Fire Department offers an environment where your ideas will flourish, and your efforts will make a tangible difference.

If you’re a dynamic leader who thrives on inspiring others, solving challenges, and fostering excellence, we invite you to join our mission to protect and serve the community while building the next generation of fire service leaders.

This position starts at $135,000.00 for FRS Non-Special Risk and $145,000.00 for FRS Special Risk. Apply today and help us to keep Sarasota the safe community where people love to live, work, and play!

About the Position

The Assistant Fire Chief position is responsible for highly professional administrative and managerial functions within the Fire Department. Personnel working under the working title of Assistant Fire Chief may be assigned by the Fire Chief or his/her designee to work 24-hour Shifts (56-hour Work Week) or 40-hour Work Week within the fire department. Work involves leadership, management, and administration of daily operations or divisional oversight within the Fire Department, including all subordinate personnel below for the area of assignment. Reports to and assists the Deputy Fire Chiefs within the division managing the Fire Department. Direct supervision of any assigned positions relevant to the area of responsibility and assigned shift requires independent judgment. Responds to emergency scenes and assume the appropriate position based on the emergency need and complexity of the incident.

Essential Functions:

Assists in the formulation, development, direction, implementation, and monitoring of the Fire Department’s strategic and master plans relating to the Training Division; research, identifies, and establishes performance measures to evaluate relevant area(s) of responsibility; assists with ISO rating evaluations and supports the fire accreditation process.Assists in developing, implementing, and administering policies, procedures, rules and regulations, general orders, and strategies for emergency response operations to guide the delivery of emergency services to the community through a comprehensive fire and EMS training curriculum.Collaborates with various County departments and personnel to coordinate Fire Department matters relating to the Training Division.Performs a significant role in coordination with other Assistant Fire Chiefs to determine current and future personnel and fire and EMS training needs.Conducts research, creates reports, and provides recommendations to the Fire Chief and/or Deputy Fire Chiefs on any special projects or activities in the Training Division.Conducts research, prepares reports, and makes recommendations to the Fire Chief and/or Deputy Fire Chief for the Training Division budget and personnel requests.Manages proactive assessments of training documentation, employee certifications tracking and renewals, Florida Bureau of Fire Standards compliance, Florida Department of EMS, and regularly reviews and audits to ensure appropriate controls are established and implemented.Any other duties as assigned by the Fire Chief and/or Deputy Fire Chief(s).

About the Schedule

Work Hours:

Full-Time.May be assigned by the Fire Chief (or his/her designee) to work a 40-hour work week or 56-hour work week (24/48-hour shifts).The work schedule may vary based on departmental needs.

About You

Minimum Qualifications:

Master's degree from an accredited college or university in Emergency Management, Fire Science, Business Administration, Public Administration, or a related field -AND- Experience in fire administration, emergency medical services work and/or fire operations command responsibilities; to include a minimum of one (1) year as a battalion chief or equivalent -OR- a minimum of four (4) years as a caption or equivalent -OR- a combination thereof totaling a minimum of four (4) years.-OR- Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university in Emergency Management, Fire Science, Business Administration, Public Administration, or related field -AND- Experience in fire administration, emergency medical services work, and/or fire operations command responsibilities; to include a minimum of two (2) years as a battalion chief or equivalent -OR- a minimum of six (6) years as a captain or equivalent -OR- a combination thereof totaling a minimum of six (6) years.Must possess a proven track record of effective leadership and progressive fire service management.Valid Florida driver's license within 30 days of hire.

May be required to obtain the following at the discretion of the Fire Chief (possession of the following are required to be considered for FRS Special Risk):

Florida Minimum Standards Firefighter Certification.Florida Emergency Medical Technician or Paramedic Certification.Florida Fire Officer II Certification (or Fire Officer I Certification if obtained prior to November 18, 2013).

Preferred Qualifications:

National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer designation and/or Chief Fire Officer designation.NIMS Incident Command Position Certifications: I-100, I-200, I-300, I-400, I-700, and I-800.

Subject to Passing Substance Screening: This position is subject to passing a pre-employment substance screening. An applicant who fails to pass a required drug screening test shall be disqualified from employment for a period of five years.

Physical Demands: Employees in this role must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 lbs. Employees can use handling devices (dolly, cart, etc.) or work with another team member to lift and/or move excessive poundage of 50-plus pounds.

CJIS Clearance: The successful candidate will be subject to an extensive background check(s) as a part of the hiring process.

Per department policy, employees in this role must adhere to the following:

Beards, goatees, and flies are prohibited.

Mustaches shall be well-groomed and neatly trimmed. The lower lip shall be clearly visible with the mouth closed. Mustaches may not extend below or beyond ½ inch from the corner of the mouth.

About Everything Else

Starting Pay Rate: $135,000.00 (FRS Non-Special Risk), $145.000.00 (FRS Special Risk)

Our interview process could include phone interview(s), Microsoft Teams video interview(s), and/or in-person interview(s).

If you are selected to join our team, please click on this link to review the Required First Day Documents. You will need to present the following items on your first day:

1. I-9 Acceptable Documents to show your identity and authorization to work. Use this link to learn more and review the different document options: https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents

If your position requires a Florida Driver’s License, this must be one of your documents. (Your Florida Driver’s License can serve as one of your documents listed in link above – List B Documents.)  

2. U.S. Social Security Card (signed, physical card). This is a requirement of our Payroll Department and failure to provide this document could jeopardize timely compensation. (Your U.S. Social Security Card can serve as one of your documents listed in link above – List C Documents.)  

Benefits:

Enjoy great benefits including Health, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance, Short-Term and Long-Term Disability, Flexible Spending Accounts, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Florida Retirement System (FRS) and many, many more! Choose one of three great medical plans, including one with a $0 premium option, with completed preventative visits!For more information about employee benefits, please click this link or visit SCGov.net for additional information.Utilize our award-winning wellness program including free gyms at multiple Sarasota County Government locations. Enjoy 11 paid holidays, 3 personal days and 16 paid vacation days in the first year of full-time employment with increasing accrual rates with years of service. (That adds up to a possible 30 days off in your 1st year!)​​

A different blend of voices prompt better conversations, choices and results for everyone. Sarasota County – Many Voices, One Team.

We celebrate and value the experiences, backgrounds, perspectives, talents and strengths that make us different.

Our vision is to attract, develop, retain and engage a talented workforce broadly representative of the citizens and communities we serve. To further value creativity, innovation, collaboration and great customer service – internally and externally. 

A job applicant with a disability who requires reasonable accommodation to participate in the application/selection process is requested to make known the need for an accommodation to Human Resources or appropriate county staff members. For assistance with the application, please call 941-861-5353.

Sarasota County prohibits discrimination in all services, programs or activities. View the complete policy at scgov.net (keywords: ADA Compliance).

Sarasota County Government is a Tobacco-Free/Drug-Free Workplace.