Fire/EMS Chief - City of Clive, IA

Clive, IA (18,601) is a city located in Dallas and Polk Counties in the western portion of the Des Moines metropolitan area.  Clive serves as the axis of the western Des Moines suburbs, between Urbandale, Waukee and West Des Moines along the major transportation corridors of I-35, I-80 and I-235. Clive is a thriving community featuring large and small business alike providing services and career opportunities.  The community is bound on all sides by other communities and there still are areas within the boundaries where business and homes are being built.  Clive is most famous for the Clive Greenbelt trail, which is a 11-mile-long paved trail running straight through the middle of the City along the banks of Walnut Creek.  Traveling through the hardwood forest creekside, it is hard to believe it exists in a metro area. 

The city is seeking candidates for the position of Fire/EMS Chief following the announcement of the retirement of current Chief Rick Roe who has served the department and the City of Clive and surrounding communities for over 24 years.  Clive is governed by a Mayor and five council members who are elected at large in a non-partisan setting. The day-to-day administration is carried out by the appointed City Manager and city staff including the fire chief.  The city provides a complete municipal service profile like many communities in metro areas.  The mission of the Clive Fire Department is to “Provide exceptional service to our community through compassion, integrity, and professionalism.”  Clive covers an area of 7.7 square miles.

• The Fire/EMS Chief reports to the City Manager and is supported by an Assistant Chief of Operations, an Assistant Chief of Training, an Assistant Chief – Fire Marshal, and Administrative Assistant, a Medical Director (PT) and support Chaplain services (PT). The department employs a total of 48 personnel involved in delivering services to the city. Staffing coverage for emergency response is through the use of 12 career firefighters assigned to 24-hour rotating shifts and 30 part-time responders that work 12 hour shifts.  There are 5 Lieutenants assigned to shift, 3 career and 2 part-time.  Career personnel are represented by IAFF Local 5055.
• The City of Clive recently completed construction of the Clive Public Safety Center, a 44,000 square foot facility project.  This provides top-of-the-line facilities for joint Fire and Police operations focused on the health and safety of personnel and those they serve.
• The department operates from its current Strategic Plan with (5) distinct initiatives; Enhance Public Relations, Mental Health Awareness/Peer Support, Training, Internal Communications and Recruitment and Retention.
• The department has shared service agreements with neighboring communities providing joint operations from the West Des Moines Station 22 and Urbandale Station 43.  The department operates from one station (Station 32) within the city.
• 9-1-1 Service is provided by WestCom 9-1-1 Dispatch serving the cities of Clive, Norwalk, Urbandale, Waukee, West Des Moines and Windsor Heights.
• Training is clearly important to the department having a shared Fire Safety Training Center (FAST Center) located at Urbandale Station 42, serving the cities of Clive, Urbandale, and Windsor Heights.
• The department has completed a full Standards of Cover evaluation and currently is an ISO Class 3/3.

The Fire/EMS Chief position is a very visible member of the senior leadership team of the City and requires well-developed leadership abilities and management skill sets that are based upon consensus building and problem-solving.  He/she must be a highly motivated, self-starting, and confident individual with excellent, genuine, and trustworthy interpersonal skills.  The City is seeking progressive candidates committed to excellence in delivery of fire/EMS, Specialized Response and Emergency Management services.   

• The City is seeking an experienced, innovative, collaborative fire/EMS leader with demonstrated managerial, interpersonal and customer service skills.  Successful candidates will be able to demonstrate a balance of commitment to the organization as well as the senior management team of the City with a genuine confidence and approachable personality to residents, business, and governmental leaders.  
• It is particularly important the next Fire/EMS Chief be an integral and engaged leader of the Fire Department, with a strong background in modern fire, EMS, Community Risk Reduction, emergency management and all hazards’ practices. 
• The new Fire/EMS Chief must understand the need to use data for problem solving assessing community risk and vulnerabilities.
• The Fire/EMS Chief should have a positive track record of strong bargaining relations with proven experience in fostering collaboration with Bargaining Unit members.
• The ability to mentor and foster leadership roles within the staff, succession planning, and a global vision of the community’s needs and vision are critical.  Creativity and the ability to guide and balance change is a must.
• The capability to be an active participant in operations and training to safely function as a command officer on incident scenes including oversight of interior operations within IDLH conditions.
• The ability to develop strong relationships with surrounding Fire/EMS agencies due to Clive’s reliance on shared service agreements to provide Fire/EMS coverage to the community.
• The next Fire/EMS Chief will also have a demonstrated record of fairness, transparency, and consistency in the administration of Departmental policies and procedures and the willingness to address issues in a positive and timely manner. The Fire/EMS Chief must possess well-developed writing and public speaking skills and the utmost integrity.

Successful candidates: 

• Shall possess a bachelor’s degree in Public Safety Administration or related field from an accredited college or university.  A master’s degree preferred.
• At least seven 7-10 years of demonstrated leadership in supervisory positions with career development as a chief officer.
• Candidate’s successful completion of the Executive Fire Officer Program offered by the National Fire Academy, and or Chief Fire Officer Designation is desired. 

The annual starting salary range for this position is $130,000 +/- depending upon qualifications.   The City of Clive also offers an attractive benefits package.  Candidates interested in applying for the position should submit their résumé and cover letter electronically by February 24, 2023 along with contact information for five (5) work-related and/or professional references to www.GovHRjobs.com. Questions may be addressed to consultant T.E. Sashko, Vice-President. Questions, call via phone at (847)380-3240 x123.   

The City of Clive, IA is an equal opportunity employer.