Career Opportunity

Fire Protection Engineer 5215

Recruitment: REF3447Z

Published: August 23, 2023

Apply using SmartRecruiters, the City and County of San Francisco's application portal Learn More

About:

Established in 1866, the San Francisco Fire Department is rich in tradition and history. From the Great Earthquake and Fire of 1906 to the Loma Prieta Earthquake of 1989, the Department has grown to meet the many challenges along the way. Today, the San Francisco Fire Department serves an estimated 1.5 million people, providing fire suppression, fire prevention and emergency medical services to the residents, visitors and workers within San Francisco's 49 square miles.

Role description

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.

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.

How to qualify

This examination is open to individuals meeting all of the minimum qualifications listed below.

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:
Six (6) 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:
A valid Driver's License.
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.

Finalists from out of state will need to obtain a valid CA Driver's License in accordance with CA DMV. 

What else should I know?

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 http://sfdhr.org/index.aspx?page=456

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: https://www.jobapscloud.com/SF/specs/classspecdisplay.asp?ClassNumber=5215

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 Three Scores”.

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. Correction of clerical errors in an announcement may be posted on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.smartrecruiters.com/CityAndCountyOfSanFrancisco1/.

The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 110.4. Such appeals must be submitted in writing to the Department of Human Resources, 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 4th Fl, SF, CA 94103-5413 by close of business on the 5th business day following the issuance date of this examination announcement. Information concerning other Civil Service Commission [CSC] Rules involving announcements, applications, and examination policies, including applicant appeal rights, can be found on the CSC website at http://sfgov.org/civilservice/rules.

General Information concerning City and County of San Francisco Employment Policies and Procedures:
Important Employment Information for the City and County of San Francisco can be obtained at http://sfdhr.org/information-about-hiring-process.

Copies of Application Documents:
Applicants should keep copies of all documents submitted, as these will not be returned.

Right to Work:
All persons entering the City and County of San Francisco workforce are required to provide verification of authorization to work in the United States.
Applicants with disabilities who meet the minimum eligibility requirements for this job announcement can find information on requesting a reasonable ADA Accommodation at:
http://sfdhr.org/information-about-hiring-process#applicantswithdisabilities

Information regarding requests for Veterans Preference can be found at:
http://sfdhr.org/information-about-hiring-process#veteranspreference

Disaster Service Workers - https://sfdhr.org/disaster-service-workers

Any changes to your contact information (name, address, phone number, etc.) should be updated immediately. To update your contact information, go to https://www.smartr.me/public/sign-in. Failure to maintain current contact information may result in loss of eligibility.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.