How to hire a fire chief

How to hire a fire chief, step by step

Here's a step-by-step fire chief hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a fire chief job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new fire chief
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a fire chief do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a fire chief, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a fire chief to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a fire chief that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of fire chiefs.

   Type of Fire Chief	Description	Hourly rate
   Fire Chief		$19-58
   Company Commander	In the military, a company commander serves as the commanding officer to a unit of soldiers. They are primarily in charge of overseeing every soldiers' performance and the overall company's daily progress, taking responsibility for every activity and outcome... Show more	$37-73

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Fire Protection
   • Emergency Response
   • Public Safety
   • Fire Service
   • Fire Suppression
   • Emergency Services
   • EMT
   • Medical Services
   • NFPA
   • Training Programs
   • Personnel Management
   • Emergency Situations
   • Incident Command System
   • Firefighting

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the combat logistics operations center's daily operations and ensure efficient information flow between internal and external organizations.
   • Determine appropriate control techniques and direct firefighting teams during numerous fire, hazardous material releases and medical emergencies.
   • Respond to fires, medical, HAZMAT, bombs and threat calls.
   • Maintain and inspect the SCBA equipment.
   • Conduct departmental assessments in accordance with DoD, standards.
   • Provide emergency medical care including first-aid and CPR to victims.

   More fire chief duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your fire chief job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A fire chief can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, fire chiefs' average salary in alaska is 58% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level fire chiefs 67% less than senior-level fire chiefs.
   • Certifications. A fire chief with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a fire chief's salary.

   Average fire chief salary

   $69,961yearly

   $33.64 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level fire chief salary

   $40,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 14, 2026

   Average fire chief salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$111,370	$54
   2	Virginia	$88,751	$43
   3	New York	$86,878	$42
   4	Florida	$70,366	$34
   5	Tennessee	$67,164	$32
   6	Illinois	$66,637	$32
   7	District of Columbia	$60,005	$29
   8	Texas	$58,343	$28
   9	New Mexico	$56,478	$27
   10	Ohio	$55,794	$27
   11	Nevada	$55,276	$27
   12	Missouri	$49,213	$24

   Average fire chief salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	CVR Energy	$174,601	$83.94
   2	Akima Infrastructure Services	$107,242	$51.56
   3	Icma-rc	$101,246	$48.68	15
   4	Argonne National Laboratory	$96,552	$46.42
   5	HollyFrontier	$91,041	$43.77
   6	City of Cathedral City	$59,137	$28.43
   7	Broward County Public Schools	$59,121	$28.42
   8	Day & Zimmermann	$58,669	$28.21
   9	SOS International	$56,651	$27.24
   10	Ventura County Community Foundation	$56,387	$27.11
   11	City of Louisville	$56,289	$27.06
   12	City of Reno	$56,235	$27.04
   13	IAP Worldwide Services	$54,142	$26.03
   14	Air National Guard	$53,516	$25.73
   15	Minnesota Limited	$52,334	$25.16
   16	NANA	$52,083	$25.04	3
   17	Central Missouri Community Action	$51,931	$24.97
   18	City of Cincinnati	$48,141	$23.14
   19	City of Farmington	$47,539	$22.86	3
   20	City of Sacramento	$46,858	$22.53	2

4. Writing a fire chief job description

   A fire chief job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a fire chief job description:

   Fire chief job description example

   ALL APPLICANTS MUST ATTACH A COVER LETTER AND RESUME OR CURRICULUM VITAE TO THEIR APPLICATION.
   
   WORKING FOR THE CITY OF MCKINNEY
   
   Working for the City of McKinney is more than a job. It is an opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. It is also an opportunity to have a hand in the development of one of the fastest growing communities in the nation. In 2014, our community was named "The #1 Best Place to Live in America." Although proud of that honor, everyone on our team is committed to making McKinney an even better place to live, work and raise a family. That's why we exist.
   
   OUR CORE VALUES
   
   City of McKinney employees work hard and at a very fast pace. However, we also look after and support one another. All of us are guided by four employee-inspired values - Respect, Integrity, Service, and Excellence (RISE). We are also supported by servant-based leaders who foster and support a healthy, family-oriented culture. All new employees are expected to embrace and live by our core values and commit to helping us sustain our exceptional work environment as a high performance organization.
   
   SUMMARY OF POSITION
   
   As a key member of the Fire Department Management team, the Assistant Fire Chief will report to the Fire Chief and assume a strategic role in the overall leadership of the department. The Assistant Fire Chief is responsible for providing support to the Fire Chief in leading, planning, implementing, and managing assigned activities of the Fire Department. Position is responsible for providing supervision to the assigned divisions of the Fire Department.
   
   Essential Functions/Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities
   
   GENERAL EXPECTATIONS FOR ALL EMPLOYEES
   
   In order for us to continue to achieve our primary function of making McKinney a better place to live, work, and raise a family, we hold these expectations for all employees.
   
   * Learn and demonstrate an understanding of how team, department, and City goals are interconnected.
   * Contribute to a positive work culture.
   * Ability to assess his/her work performance or the work performance of the team.
   * Contribute to the development of others and/or the working unit or overall organization.
   * Ability and willingness to work as part of a team, to demonstrate team skills, and to perform a fair share of team responsibilities.
   * Ability to continuously learn and develop through a mix of internal and external training opportunities, and if applicable, encourage subordinates to do the same.
   
   ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
   
   * Responsible for leading, planning, implementing, and managing all activities of the assigned divisions of the Fire Department.
   * Participate in the development and implementation of departmental goals, objectives, policies, and priorities for each assigned service and/or operational area; oversee the development and implementation of policies and plans related to departmental services and operations.
   * Develop realistic and attainable goals for subordinates through a team process and ensure success through assigned accountability.
   * Respond to emergency and non-emergency incidents both during regular work hours and after hours as appropriate. Command, assist and or operate at incidents as appropriate. Take decisive action in emergency situations and react with calm, quick efficiency in making technical decisions in those situations.
   * Provide assistance to the Fire Chief by developing the following areas within City policy: maintain appropriate service and staffing levels, monitor and evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of methods and procedures, and allocate department resources accordingly.
   * Ensure that all tools, personal protective equipment, and supplies are maintained in working order and available to all levels of Fire and EMS service.
   * Assist in preparing annual department budget projections and maintaining the budget in a fiscally responsible manner.
   * Represent and support the values and vision of the Fire Chief and the City of McKinney.
   * Develop, oversee, and implement new and innovative programs and services that emphasize creative problem solving; solicit employee participation to continuously improve the department.
   * Manage the implementation of both new and promotional recruiting and examination processes; such as developing written tactical exercises, validating physical ability testing and interviewing of candidates.
   * Generate departmental respect and trust through actions and leads by example.
   * Develop and maintain a knowledgeable, service-oriented, productive work group.
   * Responsible to provide timely, accurate, and thorough performance evaluations for supervised employees.
   * Attend City Council meetings and other functions as necessary.
   * Comply with all written City policies and procedures.
   * Adhere to assigned work schedule as outlined in City and department attendance policies and procedures.
   
   OTHER JOB FUNCTIONS:
   
   * Perform other duties as assigned or directed.
   
   KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES, AND BEHAVIORS
   
   * Ability to embrace and embody the City's core values of Respect, Integrity, Service, and Excellence (R.I.S.E.).
   * Ability to embrace and embody the Fire Department's core values of Consider what's best for the Community, Excellence in Customer Service, and Constantly in Search of a Better Way (Optimizing) (C.E.O).
   * Ability to communicate effectively with peers, supervisors, subordinates, and people to whom service is provided.
   * Ability to produce desired work outcomes, including quality, quantity, and timeliness.
   * Ability to plan and organize work, time, and resources, and if applicable, that of subordinates.
   * Ability to lead a team; contribute as a team member and treat co-workers, subordinates and others with respect.
   * Ability to provide leadership, counsel, motivation and constructive performance reviews to staff.
   * Ability to build professional relationships with internal staff and internal and external customers.
   * Knowledge of budget projection, development, management and justification practices and procedures.
   * Knowledge of city policies and procedures.
   * Skill in responding to and managing emergencies and all-hazards incidents.
   * Skill in planning, developing and implementing department procedures and objectives.
   * Skill in effectively supervising and delegating duties to assigned staff.
   * Skill in resolving customer complaints and concerns.
   * Skill in speaking and dealing tactfully and effectively in high pressure situations.
   * Demonstrate high level of integrity and dependability with a strong sense of urgency and results-orientation.
   * Offer flexibility and adaptability, especially during times of change.
   * Communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

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5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find fire chiefs for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your fire chief job on Zippia to find and recruit fire chief candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting fire chiefs requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new fire chief

   Once you've selected the best fire chief candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new fire chief. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a fire chief?