Let’s take a look at a unique role at Renton RFA: Deputy Fire Marshal III – Public Education/PIO/Inspection. Don’t let the title throw you off, this role is mainly about public education and community engagement than it is about being a fire code compliance aficionado.
Our Deputy Fire Marshal III role, with specialization in Public Education, Public Information Officer, and Inspection functions, has a broad, exciting workload that’s as diverse as the community we serve. One day they may be in a classroom, teaching kids the ins-and-outs of home fire escape planning. The next, they might be visiting an assisted living facility, discussing emergency preparedness with our senior citizens. They also spend their time creating, implementing, and presenting safety programs to various businesses and community organizations and occasionally providing fire inspection services. All with one crucial goal: reducing risks to community member lives and property.
But this role doesn’t stop at face-to-face education. They also flex their creative skillset, working alongside our Communications team to create print and digital educational materials, education-related social media posts, and education-related videos, extending the organization’s reach beyond our immediate community.
This role also steps into the shoes of a Public Information Officer (PIO). Working as part of a dynamic South King County team, they rotate their duty as an on-call PIO. But what does a PIO do? In the case of a large-scale emergency incident, it is the PIO’s responsibility to gather key incident information, take photos, and send out public information about the incident for community members and local media. Depending on the incident, they may also stage a safe area for the media to gather and deliver interviews and updates as the incident progresses. Our PIO function also has the opportunity to work alongside other public information officers and communications professionals from local partner agencies to host media events, blending their public educator and PIO knowledge to deliver proactive education on seasonal safety topics throughout the region.
When it comes to the amount of time splits between these responsibilities day-to-day, it truly varies. For someone who does not enjoy a monotonous work day, this is one of the most fun parts about this position. You might be teaching a community class one day, inspecting a local business the next, or tweeting updates from a fire scene the day after that. Each day is a new learning experience, a new opportunity to make an impact on the community.
One thing that often presents a bit of confusion around this role is the idea that as a Deputy Fire Marshal III, you must have an advanced level of fire code knowledge and certifications just to apply. While that may be true in DFM III positions with a focus on other specialties, such as fire investigation, that is not true for the Public Education/PIO role. For this role, our priority is finding individuals with a strong public education and/or public health background – the rest will be taught once the right person comes aboard.
Renton RFA believes in providing our members with ongoing career education and professional development opportunities. Individuals who step into the Public Education/PIO specialty as a DFM III are provided on-the-job education to develop their skills and knowledge of things like fire code compliance, fire and life-safety education, and public information officer responsibilities. In fact, within the first year of joining the team, a new individual in this role is provided all the necessary means to achieve certifications in IFSAC Public Educator or IFSAC Fire Service Instructor I, International Code Council Fire Inspector I, and Youth Fire Setter Interventionist. These are pieces of technical knowledge that can be taught along the way. What we look for most are people with a passion for public education/health and the characteristics necessary to thrive while providing exceptional services to our diverse community.
So, what does it take to thrive in this role? Here are a few traits that we feel make someone most successful:
- Great communication skills
- Comfortable presenting in front of large groups of people
- Passionate about community education, especially fire and life safety
- Enjoy working as part of a team, both internally and with external agency partners
- Personable, warm, and approachable with excellent interpersonal skills
- Calm composure in high-stress situations
- Adaptable and flexible on the fly
- A desire to continually improve on existing resources and programs, as well as create new and innovative resources and programs
- Comfortable being one of the faces of the organization in print and digital promotional efforts
Last year, our team participated in over 168 educational programs and community events. Think about the reach and impact of those programs! With another Public Educator on board, we can’t wait to expand even further.
At Renton RFA, we provide a supportive environment that encourages employee growth. We value every individual and appreciate their unique contributions. We ensure our staff are well compensated and provided with excellent benefits. Plus, our team members have a voice to shape programs and processes within our organization. Renton RFA is known for being an innovator in the fire service, and we seek individuals with the same forward-thinking spirit.
We hope this has helped shine a light on this unique and rewarding role within our organization. If you’re interested in joining our team, head on over to www.rentonrfa.com/careers and checkout our open positions.
