Emergency Services Battalion Chief

Larimer County; Fort Collins (CO); On-site; USD 84,000 - 89,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

Paid time off

401(a) retirement plan

Job summary

Larimer County is seeking an experienced Emergency Services Battalion Chief to lead wildland firefighting efforts and drive strategic initiatives across the Emergency Services Unit. You will cultivate relationships with partner agencies, volunteer groups, and state/federal partners while guiding field leadership and maintaining operational standards.

The role requires extensive incident management experience, supervisory expertise, and a commitment to safety.

Qualifications

• Minimum: high school diploma or GED plus required NWCG/NIMS certifications.
• Five years full-time, with at least two years in a supervisory role.
• Valid Colorado driver's license and CPR/First Aid.
• NWCG Red Card with Task Force Leader/CreW Boss/ICT4 levels.
• ICS 100/200/300 and IS 700/800 certifications.

Responsibilities

• Lead Emergency Services programs and teams, setting direction and standards.
• Respond to emergencies and take on incident command roles.
• Build relationships with partner agencies and volunteer groups.
• Manage budgets, grants, purchasing, and resource tracking.
• Oversee recruitment, training, and succession planning to ensure readiness.
• Promote safety culture through risk management and after-action reviews.
• Coordinate with Battalion Chief and Field Commanders to unify operations.
• Support strategic planning and long-term growth of the section.

Skills

Emergency leadership

Incident command

Strategic thinking

Collaborative leadership

Mentorship

Risk management

Decision making

Volunteer coordination

Education

High school diploma or GED

NWCG arduous level work capacity test

NWCG Red Card (TFLD/CRWB/ICT4)

NIMS ICS 100/200/300

NIMS IS-700/800

Tools

None

Job description

One Agency, One Mission: Public Safety

The Emergency Services Unit of the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office seeks an experienced leader in wildland firefighting to serve as an

Overview

The Emergency Services Unit of the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office seeks an experienced leader in wildland firefighting to serve as an Emergency Services Battalion Chief.

We are looking for a candidate who is capable of cultivating relationships with partner agencies and volunteer emergency response groups, while focusing on fostering a positive work environment within the unit. Key responsibilities also include maintaining relationships with state and federal agencies and supporting the Emergency Services Chief in the department’s future development.

• Starting pay range for this position is $60.9702 - $64.6833 hourly.

This position offers the opportunity to enhance disaster response efforts across Larimer County while leading dedicated teams in a mission-driven environment. It’s a chance to make a lasting impact as an emergency response leader, expand your expertise, and contribute to the protection and preservation of Larimer County and its people.

Job Details

This is a full-time, in-person position with on-call rotation. Availability to work days, nights, weekends, and holidays as needed is required.

Responsibilities

What You’ll Be Doing:

• Lead an assigned portfolio of Emergency Services programs and teams, setting direction, priorities, and standards for Field Commanders, staff, and team leadership.
• Respond to emergencies and disasters across Larimer County, filling incident command and leadership roles and taking part in the duty officer rotation.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with partner agencies, fire protection districts, volunteer response organizations, and state and federal agencies.
• Manage program budgets, grants, purchasing, and resource tracking, keeping spending accountable and aligned with section priorities.
• Oversee recruitment, training, qualification standards, and succession planning so personnel and teams are ready to respond.
• Promote a strong safety culture through risk management, after-action reviews, and consistent operational standards.
• Coordinate closely with the other Battalion Chief and the Field Commanders to keep operations unified across the section.
• Support the Emergency Services Chief with strategic planning, policy development, and the section’s long-term growth.

View the full job description at: https://www.larimer.gov/hr/careers/job-descriptions#/app/detail/Emergency_Services_Battalion_Chief

What We’re Looking For

• Significant emergency response experience with progressive supervisory and command responsibility, including incident management within ICS.
• Knowledge of how local, state, and federal emergency response systems work together, including mutual aid and interagency agreements.
• A strategic thinker who sees the big picture and brings new ideas to move our programs forward.
• A collaborative leader who works well at every level of the chain of command and builds trust with career staff, volunteers, and partner agencies.
• A dedicated mentor and coach who invests in developing people and building future leaders.
• A balance of boots-on-the-ground experience, administrative skill (budgets, grants, documentation), and forward-thinking.
• Sound judgment and composure under pressure, with a firm commitment to responder and public safety.
• Experience working with or leading volunteer and part-time personnel.

Qualifications

We encourage you to think about your unique background and skills before applying. People often underestimate how their experiences match up with a role’s needs. We encourage you to apply if you meet the minimum qualifications and believe your skills and perspective can add value to this position.

Required At Date Of Hire

• High school diploma or GED required.
• Must be at least 21 years of age by date of hire required.
• Five (5) years of full-time experience in similar work, with at least two (2) years of experience as a supervisor required.
• Possession of a valid Colorado Driver's License by date of hire required.
• CPR and First Aid certification by date of hire required.
• Certification at the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) arduous level work capacity test by date of hire required and maintained according to NWCG standards.
• Possession of a valid National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) Red Card with the minimum of Task Force Leader (TFLD), Crew Boss Single Resource (CRWB), and Incident Commander Type 4 (ICT4) level by date of hire required and maintained according to NWCG standards.
• Certification of National Incident Management System (NIMS) ICS 100, 200, and 300 by date of hire required.
• Certification of NIMS IS 700 and 800 levels by date of hire required.

Required After Date of Hire

• Must obtain NIMS ICS 400 within 2 years of date of hire required.
• Must obtain NWCG standards as a Type 3 Incident Commander within 3 years of date of hire required and maintained according to NWCG standards.
• Must obtain (NWCG) standards as a Division Supervisor within 3 years of date of hire required and maintained according to NWCG standards.
• Must pass Managing a Lost Person Incident (MLPI) course or equivalent within 3 years of date of hire required.
• Must pass Fundamentals of Search and Rescue (FUNSAR) course or equivalent within 2 years of date of hire required.
• Must pass Water Operations Officer Development course or equivalent within 2 years of date of hire required.
• Must pass Dive Rescue 1 course or equivalent within 3 years of date of hire required.
• Must pass Swiftwater Rescue course or equivalent within 3 years of date of hire required.
• Must pass Swiftwater Rescue 2 course or equivalent within 4 years of date of hire required.
• Must pass Hazardous Material Awareness course or equivalent within 2 years of date of hire required.
• Must pass Supervisor Development course or equivalent within 2 years of date of hire required.
• Must pass RT-130 Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher within 3 months of date of hire.

Benefits

Larimer County offers the following for all Regular/Limited Term positions:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Benefits.
• Flexible Spending Accounts / Health Savings Account
• Short and Long-Term Disability.
• Employee Assistance Program
• Basic Life/Accidental Death & Dismemberment
• Accident Insurance
• Critical Illness Insurance
• Retirement Plan 401(a) with employer match.
• 457(b) Deferred Compensation.
• Paid time off, including vacation, sick, and holidays.

Click here to view information on Larimer County's Benefits.

Supplemental Information

Schedule

40 hours per week, Monday - Friday, On-Call Rotation.

Expect to work some weekends, nights, and holidays as needed.

Physical Demands

Work is a combination of indoor work in a normal office environment and outside in the elements.

See details at: https://www.larimer.gov/hr/careers/job-descriptions#/app/detail/Emergency_Services_Battalion_Chief

Other Information To Note

An offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a pre-employment drug screen and background check. As marijuana is an illegal substance under federal law, testing positive for marijuana (medical or otherwise) or any other substance for which the county tests will result in the contingent offer of employment being revoked. Successful completion of the drug screen is defined as obtaining a negative result. The Sheriff’s Office prohibits possession of marijuana by employees under any circumstances and expects employees to comply with federal law.

Applicants Must Meet All Of The Following

• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States
• Cannot have a felony conviction
• No convictions involving domestic violence
• No use of illegal drugs within the past five years
• For current Sheriff’s Office employees***

To be considered, you must get a Letter of Support from your chain of command and submit the Letter of Support with your application by 11:59 pm of the closing date on listed on the job posting. Please use the following process for your Letter of Support:

• Submit your Letter of Intent to your direct supervisor.
• Your direct supervisor will then write a Letter of Support and route that Letter of Support through your chain of command.
• Your next-level supervisor/manager endorses your direct supervisor's Letter of Support.
• Your mid-level manager then endorses your Letter of Support.
• Your Division Commander then endorses your Letter of Support.
• Submit your fully endorsed Letter of Support along with your application.