Fire Engineer (Promotional)

THE ALAMEDA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT (ACFD) provides all-risk emergency services to the unincorporated areas of Alameda County (excluding Fairview), the cities of San Leandro, Dublin, Newark and Union City and Emeryville, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. With 30 fire stations and 35 companies serving a population of 394,000, the ACFD serves densely populated urban areas, waterways, industrialized centers, extensive urban interface, agricultural and wildland regions. Over 400 personnel and 100 Reserve Firefighters provide a wide variety of services to an ever expanding, dynamic and diverse community of roughly 508 square miles. These services include:

• Advanced Life Support Rescue
• Fire Suppression
• Hazardous Materials Response
• Urban Search & Rescue
• Water Rescue
• Community Outreach & Education
• Disaster Preparedness
• Fire Prevention and Code Compliance
• Regional Dispatch

The Alameda County Fire Department (ACFD) was formed on July 1, 1993 as a dependent special district with the Alameda County Board of Supervisors as its governing body. This consolidation brought together into a single jurisdiction the Castro Valley Fire Department, Eden Fire Department and County Fire Patrol (each a dependent special district under the Board of Supervisors).

Prior to 1993 Unincorporated Fire Protection:

• Castro Valley FPD
• Eden Consolidated FPD
• County Fire Patrol
• July 1, 1993 Alameda County Fire Department

Subsequently, the following communities have consolidated with the ACFD:

• July 1, 1995 City of San Leandro
• July 1, 1997 City of Dublin
• August 1, 2002 Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
• October 1, 2007 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
• January 20, 2008 Alameda County Regional Emergency Communications Center (ACRECC)
• May 1, 2010 City of Newark
• July 1, 2010 City of Union City
• July 1, 2012 City of Emeryville

The ACFD is also responsible for the administration and operation of the Alameda County Regional Emergency Communications Center (ACRECC). The dispatch center provides dispatch and communication center services for the ACFD, the Alameda County Emergency Medical Services Agency, Camp Parks RFTA, and the cities of Alameda and Fremont.

 

ALAMEDA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT'S MISSION:

We will provide the highest level of service to our communities by valuing our members, promoting positive leadership, and dedicating ourselves to excellence.

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THIS IS A PROMOTIONAL EXAM

YOU MUST BE AN ALAMEDA COUNTY EMPLOYEE TO APPLY

Current employment and completion by February 28, 2013 of the equivalent of six months of continuous service following a regular appointment in the Alameda County classified service.

Applications must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the last day for filing. February 28, 2013. 

Applications must be submitted online at www.jobaps.com\alameda.

THE POSITION:

 

Upon promotion to Fire Engineer, the incumbent will serve a one-year probationary period.

 

A Fire Engineer drives a variety of fire apparatus, operates the pumping unit, and participates in fire suppression operations, emergency services, and maintenance duties. Work is performed under the supervision of a Fire Captain.

 

 

(See job description in O.A.G. #21.004.)

EXAMPLE OF DUTIES:

1. Responds to fire and other emergency alarms by driving assigned vehicle to fire scenes and other locations.

2. Performs preventive and minor maintenance on assigned vehicles.

3. Spots the equipment; sets up for pumping or drafting; sets and adjusts controls on the pumper to deliver required water pressures and flow.

4. Lays hose lines and supply lines; may operate aerial ladders as assigned.

5. Assists in the inspection of public buildings and multiple residential units to determine and enforce compliance with safety laws and ordinances.

6. Compiles and submits information and reports on equipment runs, accidents, gas and oil usage, and apparatus inspections.

7. Assists in the maintenance of fire station and surrounding grounds.

8. Operates pumper equipment and otherwise assists in the suppression of fires.

9. Performs related duties as required.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

- Experience:

The equivalent of three years’ experience as a firefighter in the Alameda County Fire Department, successful completion of the Alameda County Fire Department Engineer’s Task Book and successful completion of CSFM Driver Operator 1A & 1B.

- License:

Possession and maintenance of a valid California Motor Vehicle license with a Firefighter’s endorsement.

SECURITY CLEARANCE:

As an employee within a safety classification, if hired/promoted after January 1, 2009, employees must maintain a Department of Energy security clearance unless otherwise approved by the Fire Chief.

 

NOTE: The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

NOTE: The level and scope of the following knowledge and abilities are related to duties listed under the "Examples of Duties" section of this specification.

Knowledge of:

• Operation and maintenance of fire pumping equipment and related apparatus.
• Technical fire fighting techniques and the principles of hydraulics as applied to fire suppression.
• Working knowledge of modern fire fighting methods.
• Fire prevention and safety principles and methods.
• General knowledge of departmental rules, regulations, policies and codes and ordinances; modern first aid techniques.

Ability to:

• Administer first aid as required.
• Perform maintenance and minor mechanical repairs to fire equipment and other apparatus.
• Understand and follow oral and written instructions.
• Function as a firefighter when necessary.
• Memorize the names of streets and locations of water mains and fire hydrants.

PRE-TEST WORKSHOP DATES:

 

The 32-hour pre-test workshop will be:

 February 7 or 8, February 11 or 13, February 15 or 19 and February 21 or 22, 2013. 

100% attendance is required for those individuals who had not completed the workshop in 2011. 

However, ALL APPLICANTS are strongly encouraged to attend.

Refer to the training bulletin board for sign-up details.

 

 

 

TEST DATES:

Written Test:

March 19, 2013 and March 20, 2013 (tentative)

Performance Test:

Week of April 22 - April 26, 2013 (tentative)

 

 

 

FIRE ENGINEER TEST RESOURCE LIST:

• IFSTA essentials, 5th edition
• Driver Apparatus Operator, 2nd edition
• Aerial Operations, 1st edition
• ACFD OAG's and SOG's
• ACFD Hydraulics Manual

THE SELECTION PROCESS:

 

The selection process for this examination will consist of the following:

1. A review of competitor's applications to verify possession of the minimum qualifications.
2. Those competitors who possess the minimum qualifications will be invited to participate in the required pre-examination workshop then a written examination, weighted 20%. The written examination will measure the applicant's knowledge in such areas as fire apparatus operations and maintenance, essentials of firefighting, water supplies and fire stream practices, hydraulic principles and calculations and ACFD’s policies and practices.
3. All competitors who participate in the written examination will be invited to participate in the performance portion of the process. The performance portion will consist of an aerial ladder performance test, a pumping operations performance test, a drafting operations performance test, and a driving performance test. Each of the four components of the performance portion will be weighted at 20%.

***Competitors must achieve at least 70% in each of the following four components: Aerial Ladder, Pumping Operations, Drafting Operations and Driving Operations and 70% overall in order to obtain an overall qualifying score in the entire examination process.

 

 

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES

TO ANNOUNCED EXAMINATION STEPS.

*** For benefit information, please contact the Alameda County Fire Department Human Resources Officer or designee.

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @acgov.org and alamedacountyHR@acgov.org as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you may use. If you do not do this, your email blocking or spam filtering program may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments. You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you. All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in your online application account by clicking on the "My applications" button on the Current Job Openings page.

Please take the steps recommended above to insure you do not miss any notices about a recruitment for which you have applied. The County of Alameda is not responsible for notices that are not read, received or accessed by any applicant for a County recruitment. NOTE: All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box alamedacountyHR@acgov.org are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. If you have questions please go to our website at www.acgov.org/hrs.

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For additional information about this recruitment or questions about the application process, please contact:

Monique Hill| Human Resource Analyst II

Human Resource Services Division, Alameda County

1405 Lakeside Drive | Oakland, California 94612

Office 510-208-4841| Facsimile 510-272-6424

monique.hill@acgov.org | www.acgov.org