Deputy Chief of Operations

Kcfd1; Klamath Falls (OR); On-site; USD 155,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

100% Employer paid Medical/Dental/Visa

Voluntary Disability Insurance

Employer paid Life and AD&D Insurance

Voluntary Accident/Hospital Coverage

HRA-VEBA employer contribution

Flexible Spending Accounts

Vehicle provided

Cell phone provided

Job summary

Klamath County Fire District 1 is seeking a Deputy Chief of Operations in Klamath Falls, Oregon. You will lead all-hazards emergency services, guide strategic operations, and drive performance and culture across the district.

The role offers a full-time schedule with duty rotations, significant leadership responsibilities, and collaboration with fire and EMS teams to ensure readiness and service excellence.

Qualifications

• Three years of supervisory experience with at least one year as a Battalion Chief or equivalent.
• Eight years paid full-time emergency response experience with a fire agency of comparable size.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel and reporting systems.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for emergency response operations and organizational culture.
• Develop future leaders and build labor and community partnerships.
• Support data-driven decision making and resource deployment.
• Ensure training, performance management and operational readiness.

Skills

Supervisory experience

Emergency response

MS Outlook/Word/Excel

Education

Associate or Bachelor's in Fire/Business/EMS Admin

Tools

Fire/EMS reporting systems

Job description

Klamath County Fire District 1

143 N. Broad Street

Klamath Falls, OR 97601

The current annual salary range for this position is $155,427.28-$160,090.10. Salary placement is de-pendent upon experience and qualifications.

HIRING TIMELINE

Candidates will initially be screened based on their qualifications for this position as evidenced by their education and experience.

Application deadline: October 18th, 2026*
Assessment Center Date: November 19th, 2026
Chiefs Interview (Successful & Invited): Tentatively November 20th, 2026

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Candidates selected to progress to the assessment center will be notified as soon as possible to allow sufficient time for travel arrangements, particularly for those traveling from outside the area.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Deputy Chief of Operations is a key member of Klamath County Fire District 1's Executive Leadership Team, reporting directly to the Fire Chief and providing strategic leadership for emergency response operations, organizational culture, and operational excellence. Beyond emergency response, the Deputy Chief fosters a culture of leadership, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement. The role includes developing future leaders, building strong labor and community partnerships, supporting data-driven decision-making, and maintaining operational readiness through effective training, performance management, and resource deployment.

The Deputy Chief oversees the planning and coordination of the District's fire and EMS operations, ensuring compliance, effective resource management, and strong personnel development. The Operations Division provides all-hazards emergency services, including fire suppression, EMS, ambulance transport, technical rescue, hazardous materials response, wildland firefighting, and incident management.

SCHEDULE

This is a full-time, 40 hours a week, Monday-Friday position; however, this position participates in the Duty Chief Rotation and evening and weekend work is required. This is a uniformed, salaried position and frequently results in working greater than 40 hours a week.

BENEFITS

• 100% Employer paid Medical/Dental/Vision (employee & family)
• Voluntary Long & Short Term Disability Insurance
• Employer paid Life and AD&D Insurance - Policy Value of $20K
• Voluntary Accident/Hospital/Cancer Coverage
• Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA-VEBA) employer contribution ($1,401- $6,495 annually)
• Flexible Spending Accounts FSA Medical and Dependent Care

Vacation, Sick, Holiday, Personal Leave Benefits

• Vacation is accrued at 18.67 hours per month/ 224 per year
• Sick leave/PTO is accrued at 12 hours per month
• 40 hours per year personal leave
• 10 compensated holidays per year

Additional Benefits

• Vehicle provided
• Cell phone provided

Retirement Benefits

• Oregon Public Employee Retirement System (PERS); employer pickup of 6% employee contribution
• Deferred compensation (Section 457b Plan) for employee's retirement planning- optional

HIRING PROCESS

• Application Review
• Onsite Skills Assessment Center
• Onsite Panel Interview - (scored)
• Chiefs Interview (if invited)
• Conditional Offer *pre-screenings
• Final offer

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

EXPERIENCE

To qualify for this position, you will need three (3) years of supervisory experience with at least one (1) year as an AIC Battalion Chief or Battalion Chief, or equivalent. Eight (8) years paid full-time emergency response experience with a paid or combination fire agency of equal or greater size complexity.

Basic working knowledge of Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word, Excel, Fire/EMS reporting and staffing systems and the ability to operate within a networked environment.

EDUCATION

Education: An Associate or Bachelor's degree in Fire, Business or EMS Administration or closely related field. *A combined education and experience level may commensurate with a Bachelor's degree, as determined by the Board, in its sole discretion.

CERTIFICATIONS/LICENSES

• NFPA HazMat Operations Level Responder
• NFPA Fire Officer 2 or equivalent
• NWCG Engine Boss or equivalent
• Oregon Basic or National Registry EMT License
• NIMS - IC 100, 200, 300, 400, 700, and 800
• Blue Card IC (or ability to obtain within 1 year)
• Possession of a driver's license valid in Oregon (or ability to obtain within 30 days of hire)
• Insurable driving record

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT

A residency requirement applies to this position. This position requires performance as a responder to emergency scenes and at times will act and respond as a Duty Officer. Residency with 15 minutes normal driving time of the Fire Districts boundaries is required.

ABOUT KLAMATH COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT 1

KCFD1 is a progressive, high performing Special District governed by an elected, five-member Board of Directors. The District provides all hazard fire protection to 192 square miles in and around the City of Klamath Falls serving roughly 60,000 patrons with an ISO rating of 2/10. The District also provides ALS Transport services and is assigned Klamath County Ambulance Service Area #5 that covers a total of 490 square miles. The diverse area covered includes urban/suburban areas and rural/frontier as well.

KCFD1 employs 69 line personnel assigned to emergency response operations. Members work from 4 stations operating on a 48/96 schedule and respond to a diverse range of incidents. In 2025 KCFD1 personnel responded to mitigate 9,346 calls for service which included structure fires, technical rescues, critical EMS calls and interfacility transports.

As the largest career fire department in Klamath County (KC), District personnel regularly play a role in regional emergency services. Personnel routinely interface with local and state partner agencies and serve on leadership positions across organizations such as KC Fire Defense Board, KC Ambulance Advisory Board, Klamath Fire Prevention Cooperative, 911 Advisory Committee, Klamath Interoperable Communications Group.

MISSION

We at Klamath County Fire District 1 are devoted to safeguarding the lives and property of our community, visitors and neighbors by providing professional emergency services, with compassion, courtesy, integrity and fiscal responsibility.

For questions about the position or application process, contact Human Resources at [e-mail] or by calling 541-885-2056 x126

PRE-EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS

Employment for this position is contingent on clearance of the following:

• Pre-Employment Drug Screen (includes Marijuana)
• Background Investigation
• Physical Examination