5215 Fire Protection Engineer

5215 Fire Protection Engineer

Under general direction, performs challenging and responsible professional engineering review and inspection work in the specialized field of fire prevention and safety, and advises fire inspection personnel engaged in fire prevention work.

5215 Fire Protection Engineer is distinguished from classes 6331 Building Inspector, 6333 Senior Building Inspector, 6334 Chief Building Inspector, 6281 Fire Safety Inspector II, and class H4 Inspector, Fire Department in that the former is a licensed professional engineer specializing in fire protection and safety standards and procedures and possesses the expertise to inspect and test fire protection and suppression systems.

EXAMPLES OF IMPORTANT AND ESSENTIAL DUTIES

According to Civil Service Commission Rule 109, the duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to this job code/class and are not intended to be an inclusive list.

1. Reviews fire protection plans and systems, equivalency proposals, permit applications, subdivision and parcel maps, etc., to ensure compliance with applicable codes, ordinances, and standards; reviews site permits, architectural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing plans and specifications for code compliance; ensures that fire code provisions are included where hazardous processes and/or dangerous chemicals or radioactive materials are involved; and submits recommendations to the Fire Marshal for approval or disapproval of plans or specifications.

2. Advises and provides training to Fire Department personnel regarding applicable codes, technical engineering aspects of fire prevention work, plan review, and technical research; prepares technical documents as appropriate; and assists the Chief, Division of Fire Prevention and Investigation (Fire Marshal) in the training of Fire Department Personnel.

3. Inspects and witnesses acceptance tests for fire protection systems; and participates in inspections of buildings and other structures periodically during the course of construction to ensure compliance with approved fire protection plans and testing procedures.

4. Interacts with members of the public (contractors, architects, engineers, building managers, and owners, etc.) and other government agencies regarding fire code, standard, and ordinance issues; gives lectures and arranges life-safety demonstrations; and represents the Fire Department on fire code and technical issues as necessary.

5. Reviews codes, ordinances, and fire protection standards from other jurisdictions for possible local applications; assists in the development of new codes and ordinances; assists in the revision of codes, ordinances, standards, and Fire Department Administrative Bulletins; and reviews new products, listings, materials, fire protection systems and equipment for use in local fire prevention applications.

6. Provides professional, technical guidance and assistance to the department in the design, testing, and potential of proposed new fire-fighting apparatus and equipment as well as fire-retardant materials.

7. Investigates sites of fires and makes determinations regarding possible structural, mechanical, alarm, fire extinguishing, or other safety system failures; prepares reports as required.

8. Evaluates performance-based analysis to determine whether proposed fire protection systems are acceptable with regard to the intent of codes, standards, and ordinances; evaluates conditions as necessary to ensure that a proposed performance-based design is acceptable; communicates acceptability of performance-based designs to Fire Department officials; and performs and analyzes results of hydraulic water flow tests.

9. May act for the Senior Mechanical Engineer in his/her absence.

Qualifications

These minimum qualifications establish the education, training, experience, special skills and/or license(s) which are required for employment in the classification. Please note, additional qualifications (i.e., special conditions) may apply to a particular position and will be stated on the exam/job announcement.

Education:

Possession of a baccalaureate degree in fire protection, mechanical, electrical, chemical, or civil engineering, or a related engineering field, from an accredited college or university.

Experience:

Two (2) years of professional experience in fire protection analysis including building design, specification writing, construction inspection, and plan review (including reading and interpreting architectural plans, computer fire modeling, and review of fire protection and life safety systems such as sprinkler and fire pump systems, smoke removal systems, fire resistive construction, means of egress, etc.)

License and Certification:

1. A valid California Driver License.

2. Possession of a valid Fire Protection Engineer license issued by the California Board of Registration for Professional Engineers.

Substitution:

A degree in fire protection engineering from an accredited college or university may be substituted for one (1) year of the required experience.

A valid registration as a Fire Protection Engineer from another state (which is transferable to the State of California) may substitute for the required Fire Protection Engineer license.

The FPE license may be obtained post-hire but must be obtained during the 12-month probationary period. In accordance with Civil Service Rule 117.4, an appointing officer, with the approval of the Human Resources Director, may extend the probationary period of a probationary appointee for up to a maximum of twelve (12) calendar months in order to allow the employee time in which to obtain the license.

Additional Information

IMPORTANT: Applicants may be contacted by email about this announcement and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date. Also, applicants must ensure that email from CCSF is not blocked on their computer by a spam filter. To prevent blocking, applicants should set up their email to accept CCSF mail from the following address: @sfgov.org.

Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

All work experience, education, training and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum qualifications must be included on your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications.

Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility or disqualification.

Upon successful submittal of the application online, you will receive an email acknowledging the receipt of the application. If you are having difficulty submitting your application online or if you have any questions regarding this recruitment, please contact the exam analyst, Deana Kwan by email at Deana.kwan@sfgov.org.

VERIFICATION: Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at

Note: Falsifying one's education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

Application materials [CCSF application and resume] will be screened to determine that applicants meet the minimum qualifications to advance in the selection process. The application or resume' must include your role and the tasks that you performed in the qualifying work, as well as project details such as type and size of building; type of construction; occupancy type; whether you performed design and/or plan review tasks; the dates during which the work was performed; and the code and/or additions under which the work was approved. Qualified candidates will be invited to a performance exam.

Performance Exam (Weight 100%): The performance exam will be designed to measure essential knowledge areas and abilities. Details on these knowledge areas and abilities can be found from among, but not limited to the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities listed here:

ELIGIBLE LIST: The eligible list resulting from this examination is subject to change after adoption (e.g., as a result of appeals), as directed by the Human Resources Director or the Civil Service Commission. The duration of candidates' eligibility on the list will be 24 months and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

CERTIFICATION RULE: The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this selection process will be the "Rule of the List".

Department Selection Process: Candidates whose names appear on the adopted eligible list will be invited by the Fire Department to participate in additional selection process steps including interviews. The decision of the Appointing Officer as to an applicant's qualifications for further screening and appointment will be final.

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights: Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations. [Note: The correction of clerical errors in an announcement may be posted on the Department of Human Resources website at

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