Tacoma Fire Department Policy 1000 PDF

Policy 1000 ADMINISTRATION Tacoma Fire Department Effective: 04/2022 DEPARTMENT AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY 1.0 POLICY/PURPOSE 1.1 The City of Tacoma Fire Department (TFD) is legally established by City Ordinance No. 26 in July 1880. 1.2 Under the supervision of the Fire Chief,...

Policy 1000 ADMINISTRATION Tacoma Fire Department Effective: 04/2022 DEPARTMENT AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY 1.0 POLICY/PURPOSE 1.1 The City of Tacoma Fire Department (TFD) is legally established by City Ordinance No. 26 in July 1880. 1.2 Under the supervision of the Fire Chief, TFD is responsible to provide first response for all emergencies and/or disasters within its jurisdiction related to fire, emergency medical services, rescue, hazardous materials, marine incidents, or any other incident deemed appropriate by the Fire Chief and/or City Manager. The prevention of such events shall also be a core function of the department. 1.3 The Fire Chief will establish the vision, mission, and values of the department. They will also prescribe rules and regulations for emergency operations and the administration of the department that are consistent with nationally recognized best practices whenever possible. 1.4 The Fire Chief will manage the department within the constraints of the budget authorized by the City Manager and City Council, and adhere to, meet or exceed local, state, and federal laws for the governance of the fire department and service to the community. 1.5 It is the goal of the department to apply the rules and regulations of the department uniformly to all members. 1.6 TFD policies, operating guidelines, and directives from the Fire Chief define the rules, regulations, and procedures for the department and will have precedence over other TFD communications. The only exception to this is in those areas covered under applicable local, state, and federal laws, and those covered under collective bargaining agreements in effect at the time. 2.0 DEFINITIONS 2.1 Policy: Rules and regulations based on department, local, state, and federal laws, standards, and/or directives. 2.2 Operating Guidelines: The additional information and recommended procedures needed to accomplish the directives of the policies. Operating guidelines will be adhered to unless there is a compelling and reasonable cause for deviation. 3.0 RESPONSIBILITIES 3.1 The Fire Chief is responsible for the development, administration, interpretation, and enforcement of fire department policies and operating guidelines. 3.2 It is the responsibility of all members of TFD to become familiar with, and abide by, the policies and operating guidelines of TFD. 3.3 The Fire Chief is responsible for maintaining this document. 4.0 REFERENCES 4.1 Charter of the City of Tacoma 4.2 Tacoma Municipal Code, Chapter 1.06 4.3 Current TFD Organizational Chart 1|Page Department Authority and Responsibilities, 1000 4.4 All TFD policies and operating guidelines 4.5 City of Tacoma job classifications for fire department employees 5.0 OPERATING GUIDELINES 5.1 General Guidelines 1. The direction of the City of Tacoma workforce, including TFD personnel, is vested exclusively with the City Manager and delegated to the Fire Chief per the Tacoma Municipal Code (TMC). 2. Delegation to the Fire Chief by the City Manager includes, but may not be limited to, the authority to: a. Maintain the efficient and economical conduct and operations of the department, as entrusted to the Fire Chief by the City Manager. b. Determine methods, means, and personnel by which such operations are to be conducted. c. Take necessary actions in emergency conditions, regardless of prior commitments, to carry out the mission of the agency, provided the items listed above shall not conflict with City ordinances and personnel rules. d. Direct, appoint, hire, promote, transfer, assign, and retain employees. e. Suspend, demote, discharge, or take other legitimate disciplinary action against employees. f. Relieve employees from duty because of lack of work, performance, or other legitimate reasons. 3. The Fire Chief, with the approval of the City Manager, shall have the authority to: a. Manage and control all facilities and equipment assigned to the fire department and belonging to the City. b. Serve as the Administrator of Emergency Management for the City of Tacoma. 5.2 Department Organization 1. TFD has an established organizational chart, approved by the City Manager that delineates the chain of command and span of control within the department. 2. Job classifications for each of the positions listed on the organizational chart are maintained by the City’s Human Resources Department in cooperation with the Deputy Chief, Administration Bureau, TFD’s designated Human Resources Liaison. a. Specific information on job classifications can be accessed via the Human Resources page of the City’s intranet site. 3. TFD has an established chain of command intended to efficiently provide employees with a way to receive or pass on information, instructions, and/or requests. a. When reporting an EEO complaint, TFD employees may directly contact any supervisor, TFD EEO officer, City EEO officer, or external EEO compliance agency, in compliance with TFD’s rules and regulations related to EEO. Revision History: 03/2014, 04/2022 Approval: Toryono Green, Fire Chief 2|Page