Fire chief

{{Short description|Top executive rank or commanding officer in a fire department}} {{Hatnote|For the UK-specific rank, see Chief fire officer.}} {{More citations needed|date=August 2023}}{{Infobox military rank|name=Fire Chief|image=Fire Chief Insignia, Sleeve, and Shoulder Board.png|image_size=100 px|caption=Typical collar insignia, dress sleeve, and shoulder boards of a fire chief|image2=|image_size2=|caption2=|lower rank=Assistant or Deputy Chief|abbreviation=CF|service branch=|child=|subbox=|headquarters=|image3=|image_size3=|rank=Fire Chief, Fire Commissioner, or Chief of Department|equivalents=Chief Fire Officer (United Kingdom)}} A '''fire chief''' (or '''fire commissioner''' in some jurisdictions) is a top executive rank or commanding officer in a fire department. Fire chiefs may have varying administrative and operational responsibilities depending on the size of their department. In smaller departments, the fire chief may take on an integral role in operations as the incident commander. In many large departments, a fire chief typically serves a more administrative role, and supervises other lower-ranked chiefs who are entrusted to operationally command most incidents.

A fire chief will typically respond to incidents in their own specialized command vehicle as opposed to standard fire apparatus. Depending on their jurisdiction, they may be elected or appointed to their position.

==Nomenclature== Various official English-language titles for a fire chief include ''fire chief'', ''chief fire officer'' and ''fire commissioner''. The latter can refer to a fire chief or to an overseer who works for the local government. "Chief fire officer" is the usual title in the United Kingdom. Traditionally, a fire chief in Scotland was known as a "fire master", but this was changed in 2006.

The definition of the term ''fire officer'' varies by country, but generally refers to all firefighting personnel who have some command duties. This is comparable to the usage of "officer" in the military, rather than the term ''police officer''. In fire departments of the United States, fire officers who are part of an engine company or other unit (lieutenants and captains) are ''company officers'' and those ranked higher (e.g. battalion chiefs) are ''chief officers''.

==Appointment== A fire chief is usually appointed by the authority who oversees the running of the fire department, such as the mayor for a municipal fire department.

It varies among countries as to whether it is the norm or not for fire chiefs to be former frontline firefighters. This is the case in the United States.<ref>chit[https://study.com/articles/Fire_Chief_Job_Description_Duties_and_Requirements.html Fire Chief: Description, Duties and Requirements]</ref> It is also the norm in the United Kingdom, though in recent years there have been exceptions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fire-magazine.com/kent-appoints-first-female-chief-fire-officer|title=Kent appoints first female Chief Fire Officer - FIRE|website=FIRE|access-date=2018-09-26|archive-date=2018-09-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926205847/https://www.fire-magazine.com/kent-appoints-first-female-chief-fire-officer|url-status=dead}}</ref> By contrast, in France, fire officers and frontline firefighters are recruited separately in a similar way to the military.<ref name="wafa.asn.au">https://www.wafa.asn.au/wh/6807/images/Churchill-Report-Version-2-April-17.docx{{Dead link|date=December 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Duties and functions== A fire chief's role varies considerably depending on the size of the department. Some countries have a single national fire service, such as Israel, New Zealand, and the Philippines. Conversely, some countries, like the United States and Germany, have autonomous fire departments even in small towns. Others organize their fire services based on subdivisions such as regions, counties, provinces or sub-national states.

The larger the fire department, the more ranks will exist in between the chief and regular firefighters, such as assistants or deputy chiefs.<ref name="commpress">{{Cite web|url=http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070922/NEWS01/709220302/1099/RSS1007|title=Fire department celebrates 20 years|access-date=September 22, 2007|publisher=Cincinnati Community Press|year=2007|author=Krystan Krailler}}</ref> The chief of a small volunteer fire department is likely to be the main incident commander for the majority of their call-outs and is nearly always a volunteer as well. However, the chief of a large fire department is employed in a mostly administrative role, and will only be called out to the largest incidents.

===Administrative=== The fire chief is responsible for carrying out the day-to-day tasks of running a firefighting organization. Such tasks include supervising other officers and firefighters at an emergency scene and recruiting, training, and equipping them for their respective duties.<ref name="dallas">{{Cite web|url=http://www.dallasfirerescue.com/Chiefs%20message.htm|title=Fire Chief's Message|access-date=September 22, 2007|publisher=Dallas Fire-Rescue - City of Dallas, Texas|year=2007|author=Eddie Burns Sr.|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071028115957/http://www.dallasfirerescue.com/Chiefs%20message.htm|archive-date=October 28, 2007}}</ref> Depending upon local needs and organization, the chief may also be involved in fire prevention, fire inspection, disaster preparedness, emergency medical services, and related disciplines, as well as administrative duties such as budgets and personnel issues, research into safety and regulations, and liaison with other agencies.<ref name="globe">{{Cite web|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070921.wfiretrucks0921/BNStory/National/home|title=Fire trucks too heavy for highways, chief finds|access-date=September 22, 2007|publisher=The Globe and Mail|year=2007|author=The Canadian Press}}</ref> The chief is answerable to the local or national government that oversees the fire service. As well as the position of chief of scheduling.

===Incident command=== During an emergency incident, the first fire officer on the scene must "establish command", which can then be transferred to more senior officers such as the chief. The chief may delegate some statutory powers to qualified officers, such as the ability to enter or use private property as reasonably necessary to stop a fire, or to order people or property seized as may be essential to preserving safety or investigating the cause of an incident.

A fire chief's vehicle is not only a means of transport, but can act as an incident command post and a contact point for media reporters.

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[https://www.nfpa.org/ Official website] of the National Fire Protection Association *[http://www.iafc.org/ Official website] of the International Association of Fire Chiefs *[http://firechief.com/ ''Fire Chief''] magazine for fire protection officials

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fire Chief}} Category:Firefighter ranks