The City of Isle of Palms is seeking an accomplished professional to serve as fire chief.
The City of Isle of Palms is a seven-mile long barrier island located eight miles east of Charleston on the South Carolina coast. In 1953, the island was incorporated as the City of Isle of Palms by an Act of the South Carolina Legislature. The City has a Council form of government with a Mayor and eight City Council members, each elected to four-year terms. All policy and legislative decisions are the responsibility of the Council. The City employs a City Administrator to manage its daily affairs and carry out the policies of the Council.
The Isle of Palms Fire Department was established in 1952 and is dedicated to excellent public service to our community. The Isle of Palms Fire Department consists of thirty (33) fulltime positions including one (1) Fire Chief, one (1) Training Officer, one (1) Fire Inspector, one (1) part-time Administrative Assistant, three (3) Battalion Chiefs, three (3) Captains, twelve (12) Engineers, twelve (12) Firefighters, three (3) part-time positions and up to three (3) support volunteers. The Department maintains equipment to a high standard. The Department’s equipment currently consists of (1) 2009 E-1 Rescue Pumper (1) 2003 E-1 95′ Platform refurbished in 2020, (1) 2020 E-1 75′ Aerial, (1) 2003 E-1 Rescue Pumper, (1) 1999 E-1 Ladder Service Vehicle, (4) boats, (2) Sea Doo personal watercrafts, (3) ATVs, and (4) 4×4 pickup trucks.
The department responds to a wide variety of emergencies including, but not limited to structure fires, brush fires, car fires, boat fires and other marine emergencies, hazmat calls, vehicle accidents, medical calls, and searches for missing people, animal rescues, water rescues in the Atlantic Ocean, Intracoastal Waterway, and surrounding bodies of water. The department responds to two neighboring unincorporated islands, (Goat Island and Dewees Island) when resources are available to do so.
The City has proudly maintained an ISO rating of 1 since 2017, which is the best possible rating and represents how wellprotected a community is by their fire department.
The City is looking for an exceptional leader with at least 10 years of progressively responsible, related experience that includes significant management and supervisory experience, preferably in a similarly sized city and fire department operation. Advanced skills in project management, planning, and formulating strategies and policies in response to emergent technological opportunities and challenges will be essential. Comprehensive details about the position can be found here (PDF).
Qualified candidates should visit the City’s website at https://www.iop.net/employmentopportunities and submit an online application, resume and cover letter by Monday, November 16, 2020. Following this date, applications will be screened against criteria outlined in this brochure and complete job description. Virtual and on-site interviews with the City of Isle of Palms will be offered to those candidates named as finalists, with reference checks, background checks and academic verifications conducted after receiving candidates’ consent. A preemployment screening to include controlled substance tests will be conducted by the City.
