Fire Chief / Safety Specialist

Posting Start Date: 6/4/26

Job Location (Short): Tacoma, WA, USA, 98421

Position Title: Fire Chief / Safety Specialist

The Opportunity

• Fire Chief / Safety Specialist at a growth-oriented energy company
• Enjoy exposure to senior leaders while providing continuous improvement for emergency preparedness and safety programs.
• Reporting to the H&S Lead the Fire Chief / Safety Specialist provides leadership and support to advance safety performance, compliance, and operational readiness.

Key activities include:

The Fire Chief & Emergency Response Specialist serves as the site's designated leader for emergency response and fire protection programs within a high-hazard refinery environment. This role is responsible for the overall readiness, capability, and performance of the site's employee fire brigade, including leading emergency response to fire, medical, and hazardous material incidents.

Acting as the on-site Incident Commander, the Fire Chief ensures effective emergency preparedness through structured training, drills, pre-incident planning, and maintenance of firefighting systems and equipment. This position plays a central role in protecting personnel, assets, and operations by maintaining a high level of emergency response capability aligned with industry best practices.

In addition to emergency response leadership, this role provides field-based safety support across the facility, partnering with operations to identify and mitigate risk, support permit-to-work systems, and reinforce a strong safety culture. The position also supports occupational health and workers' compensation programs, including management of Washington State L&I claims and coordination of return-to-work efforts.

This role requires a hands-on leader who can operate effectively in dynamic, high-risk conditions, make sound decisions under pressure, and influence safety and emergency response performance across all levels of the organization.

Key Responsibilities

Emergency Response & Fire Brigade Leadership (Primary Focus)

• Lead, manage, and oversee the site's employee fire brigade, including staffing, training, and performance management.
• Serve as the designated Incident Commander for on-site emergencies, including fire, medical, rescue, and hazardous material incidents.
• Develop, implement, and maintain site emergency response plans, procedures, and pre-incident plans for process units and high-hazard areas.
• Coordinate and lead emergency drills and exercises to validate readiness and response effectiveness.
• Oversee the inspection, testing, and readiness of firefighting equipment, fire protection systems, and emergency response assets.
• Ensure alignment with Incident Command System (ICS) principles and coordinate with mutual aid partners and local emergency response agencies.
• Provide or coordinate training in firefighting, rescue, hazardous materials response, and basic EMT functions for brigade members.
• Maintain compliance with applicable fire codes, standards, and industrial emergency response expectations.

Field Safety Support (Secondary Focus)

• Serve as a visible, field-based safety resource supporting refinery operations.
• Conduct safety inspections, audits, and job hazard analyses to identify and mitigate risk.
• Support and administer permit-to-work systems, including hot work, confined space entry, lockout/tagout, and line breaking.
• Lead or support incident investigations, root cause analysis, and corrective action implementation.
• Partner with operations and contractors to reinforce safe work practices and regulatory compliance.

Occupational Health & Claims Management (Supporting Role)

• Manage Washington State L&I workers' compensation claims from injury reporting through closure.
• Act as liaison between employees, healthcare providers, and L&I representatives.
• Coordinate return-to-work and light-duty programs.
• Support occupational health programs, including post-injury care coordination and telemedicine.
• Administer respirator medical clearance and fit testing programs and maintain compliance records.

Regulatory Compliance & Program Support

• Maintain OSHA injury and illness recordkeeping (300, 300A, 301).
• Support regulatory inspections and maintain required documentation.
• Develop and deliver safety and emergency response training programs.

Note: This description is intended to give you a general overview of the position. Additional responsibilities and opportunities may be identified based on current business needs.

Qualifications

To meet the basic qualifications for this role, you will have legal authorization to work permanently in the United States for any employer without requiring a visa transfer or visa sponsorship. To comply with the regulations at this work location, successful applicants must be eligible to obtain a TWIC card (Transportation Worker Identification Credential). Please review eligibility criteria at https://www.tsa.gov/for-industry/twic.

Additional qualifications include:

Required Qualifications

• Experience leading or participating in an industrial emergency response team or fire brigade.
• Experience in oil & gas refinery or chemical plant operations.
• Firefighter I/II certification and/or Fire Officer experience.

• Demonstrated experience in emergency response leadership or incident command roles.

• Direct experience managing permit-to-work systems, including hot work and other high-risk activities.
• Working knowledge of OSHA regulations and recordkeeping requirements.
• Strong communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills
• Experience using Microsoft Office

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Occupational Safety, Environmental Health, Industrial Hygiene, or related field (or equivalent experience), or minimum 3-5 years of safety/emergency response experience in an oil and gas environment.
• Current or prior Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification.
• Professional certification (ASP, CSP, CHST, or similar).
• Experience with safety management systems and EHS software platforms.
• Knowledge of industrial hygiene monitoring and exposure assessments.
• Demonstrated experience managing WA State L&I workers' compensation claims.
• Experience serving as a site safety and claims representative in a manufacturing, refinery, chemical, or industrial setting.
• Experience administering respirator medical clearances and fit testing programs.

Key Competencies

• Emergency response leadership and decision-making under pressure
• Strong interpersonal skills with ability to influence at all levels
• Detail-oriented with strong regulatory knowledge
• Strong analytical and root cause investigation skills
• Ability to manage sensitive and confidential information
• Ability to work independently in high-risk, fast-paced industrial environments

Physical & Work Environment

• Industrial setting including exposure to noise, chemicals, and outdoor elements.
• Ability to wear required PPE including respirators and firefighting gear.
• Ability to respond to emergencies at any time, including off-hours as needed.
• Ability to walk, climb, and access operational areas of the facility.
• Lifting, carry, push or pull up 50 lbs
• Bend, stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, and reach as necessary to perform inspections or emergency duties

Hiring Range:

The hiring range for this position is $99,133 to $148,699, plus 15% discretionary bonus. The candidate selected will be placed according to his/her skills and qualifications.