Fire Prevention and Education Officer

City of Urbana; Urbana (IL); On-site; USD 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

City of Urbana seeks a dedicated Fire Inspector to enforce fire and life safety codes across City properties and coordinate prevention programs with multiple agencies. You will review plans, assess compliance, and provide guidance on fire protection systems for campus buildings.

Qualifications include Illinois certifications, driver’s license, and several years in fire inspection or prevention. Join a team that serves the Urbana community and partners with UIUC and other agencies.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED equivalent.
• Two (2) years of professional experience in fire code enforcement, fire prevention, public safety, or related inspection work.
• Must possess and maintain an Illinois driver’s license within 15 days of hire.
• Must possess and maintain required Illinois/NFPA/IFSA/CODE certifications listed above.
• Within two years of hire, obtain and maintain higher level Fire Inspector certifications listed.

Responsibilities

• Enforces fire and life safety codes for City properties and reports violations to appropriate staff.
• Reviews building plans for code compliance and provides recommendations on fire systems on UIUC campus.
• Coordinates public fire and life safety prevention programs with various agencies.
• Responds to and resolves citizen complaints of alleged code violations or hazards.
• Prepares and presents reports on public safety issues to stakeholders and the public.

Education

State of Illinois Fire Inspector I certification

NFPA 1030 Fire Inspector

IFSAC Fire Inspector I

ProBoard Fire Inspector I

State of Illinois Fire Inspector II

Illinois Public Fire and Life Safety Educator I

Job description

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Actively supports and upholds the City’s mission and values.
• Performs fire andlife safety code inspectionsin City and University of Illinois commercial and residential buildings; enforces fire and life safety codes for City properties and reports code violations for the University of Illinois properties to appropriate University staff.
• Reviews building plans to assure compliance with building and fire codes and provides recommendations to the Universityof Illinois on fire suppressionand detection systems,as wellas operational concerns relating to the deliveryof fire and emergency services on the UIUC campus.
• Liaises with property owners to provide information and education on fire safety risk mitigation; provides guidance to motivate compliance with fire code regulations; reports or escalates repeated non-compliance and complex safety issues as required.
• Coordinates and presents public fire and life safety prevention programs with various agenciesto ensure the most effective useof community resources.
• Actively supports and upholds the City’s mission and values.
• Performs fire andlife safety code inspectionsin City and University of Illinois commercial and residential buildings; enforces fire and life safety codes for City properties and reports code violations for the University of Illinois properties to appropriate University staff.
• Reviews building plans to assure compliance with building and fire codes and provides recommendations to the Universityof Illinois on fire suppressionand detection systems,as wellas operational concerns relating to the deliveryof fire and emergency services on the UIUC campus.
• Liaises with property owners to provide information and education on fire safety risk mitigation; provides guidance to motivate compliance with fire code regulations; reports or escalates repeated non-compliance and complex safety issues as required.
• Coordinates and presents public fire and life safety prevention programs with various agenciesto ensure the most effective useof community resources.
• Responds toandresolves citizen complaintsof alleged code violations or hazards.
• Prepares and presents reports on various public safety issues related to areas of responsibility to community stakeholders, City staff, and members of the public as assigned orrequired.
• Issues fire prevention permits as requiredby fire code.
• Prepares fire safety announcements for media; works closely with City of Urbana or University of Illinois staffto promotefire safety activities and awareness.
• Assists in coordinating activitiesof staff during public information, education, and community relations programs and events related to CRR.
• Assists in coordinating operational analysis of data and program evaluationon services, programs, and projects assigned to the CRR Division, includingbut not limitedto fire prevention, and public safety education.
• Assists in coordinating the Public Safety Education and Fire Prevention programs with numerous other agencies, including but not limitedto the Universityof Illinoisand the City of Champaign.
• Provides input and makes recommendations for long-range risk reduction planning to establish future departmentaland division needs.
• Presents and facilitates fire safety classes and workshops for various school and community groups.
• Identifies and tracks CRR trends, developments, and public education needs and opportunities in thearea of fire service risk reduction; develops applicable education programsand materials or makes recommendations as required.
• Trains fire department staff in fire code, public education, public information dissemination,and community relations programs, activities, requirements, and best practices.
• Disseminates information concerning special fire department events and other departmental operations tothedepartment,the community, and other agencies.
• Prepares lists of pre-incident plans,Knox Box information,and walkthroughs for City and campus buildings.
• Completes department assigned training.
• Performs other related duties asassigned.

Required / Minimum Qualifications:

Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

• Completion of a high school diploma or GED equivalent.
• A minimum of two (2) years of professional experience in fire code enforcement, fire prevention, public safety, and/or commercial building inspection, or comparable related experience. Professional experience refers to full-time, paid employment.
• Must possess and maintain an State of Illinois driver’s license within 15 days of hire.
• Must possess and maintain State of Illinois Fire Inspector I certification, NFPA 1030 Fire Inspector, IFSAC Fire Inspector I, ProBoard Fire Inspector I, or International Code Council Fire Inspector I certification.
• Must possess or acquire within two years of hire and maintain:

1. State of Illinois certification as Fire Inspector II.
2. NFPA 1030 Fire Inspector
3. IFSAC Fire Inspector II
4. ProBoard Fire Inspector II, or International Code Council Fire Inspector II
5. State of Illinois certification as Public Fire and Life Safety Educator I, IFSAC Public Fire and Life Safety Educator I, or ProBoard Public Fire and Life Safety Educator I.

Preferred Qualifications

• Five (5) or more years of professional experience coordinating or facilitating fire service Community Risk Reduction programs or activities, to include fire code enforcement, public education, and/or fire prevention activities.
• An associate’s or higher degree in fire science, fire protection technology, or a related field from an accredited college or university.
• State of Illinois Certification as Basic Fire Prevention Officer

For a complete list of duties and qualifications, please refer to the job description.