Article XIII - Battalion Chiefs
Last Modified: 09/01/2024 08:26
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Section 1 - Authority
A. The Battalion Chief shall have the authority to perform the duties and responsibilities outlined in Section 2 below.
B. Battalion Chiefs shall be next in rank to Deputy Chiefs and will be considered administrative personnel unless specifically assigned to other duty.
Section 2 - Duties and Responsibilities
A. They shall report to and be responsible to the appropriate Deputy Chief for their conduct and actions and for the general management, discipline, efficiency, performance, and training of all members of the Department under their command.
B. Insofar as possible, they shall coordinate the activities of the members under their command with the activities of the other Battalion Chiefs and shall supervise such activities so as to render the greatest possible service to the Citizens of the Toledo. They shall make such reports as are necessary to keep the Deputy Chief and Fire Chief fully advised in such a manner as to promote the greatest efficiency within the Department.
C. They shall receive all reports, requests, and other communications that may originate with members under their command and shall forward them through channels to the appropriate Deputy Chief together with their comments and approval or disapproval.
D. They shall cause an accurate record to be kept of all members under their command and such record shall show the names, dates on and off duty, absences due to illness, injury, vacation or any other reason with or without proper authority.
E. They shall keep an accurate file of all manuals, all general and special orders, directives, forms, and notices issued to the Department.
F. They shall be responsible for the proper distribution of personnel in their district as determined by higher authority and may, temporarily, shift personnel from one company to another to accomplish such distribution.
G. They shall refer to the Deputy Chief, with their recommendation, requests for transfers and may recommend, in writing, for the good of the fire service, the transfer of any member of their district.
H. They shall visit each station under their command at least once each week, and shall make a thorough inspection of the personnel, apparatus, equipment, property and records and report to the Deputy Chief any conditions not conforming to Department standards.
I. They shall make certain that members under their command adhere to safety regulations as determined by proper authority.
J. They shall perform such duties as the Fire Chief or appropriate Deputy Chief may prescribe.
Section 3 - Accidents, Illness and Injuries
A. If loss of life or serious injury occurs to any member of the Fire and Rescue Department or any other person at the scene of a fire or enroute to or from an emergency, a Battalion Chief, if not in attendance, will be dispatched to the scene. They will report the facts to the Alarm Office for transmittal to the proper agencies and/or higher authority.
B. They shall promptly investigate reports from Company Officers concerning accidents, damage to or loss of any Fire and Rescue Department property or building equipment, and a report of their findings shall accompany the Company Officer's report.
C. The Battalion Chiefs shall make (or cause to be made) a careful and thorough investigation and shall report their findings to the Deputy Chief of Operations in writing.
Section 4 – Pre-Fire Planning / Fire Code Enforcement
A. They shall preplan and record on the proper forms, all the serious life and fire hazards in their respective districts.
B. They shall immediately refer to the Fire Prevention Bureau any unusual or dangerous conditions found in their district, together with their recommendations for the correction or removal of such conditions. Copies of such report shall be sent to the Deputy Chief of Operations.
Section 5 - Fire Duty
A. They will respond when notified of an incident by Dispatch. They shall follow all provisions provided in departmental publications pertaining to emergency operations.
B. They shall complete or cause to be completed, all required Departmental forms pertaining to emergency situations.
C. They shall comply with the departmental policy on Fire Watch as detailed in Section “C” of this manual.
Section 6 - Drills and Instructions
A. They shall see that company commanders under their jurisdiction instruct the members of their respective companies in the prescribed evolutions as taught by the Fire Training Bureau, and conduct other training as prescribed by proper authority.
B. They shall hold company commanders accountable for the performance of their companies and shall report deficient or exemplary performance to higher authority.
C. They shall supervise at least one drill each month for each company in their district.
Section 7 - Discipline
A. They shall hold all company officers of the Fire and Rescue Department under their command responsible for promptness in the discharge of their duties, for the efficiency and condition of their respective members and equipment, for any neglect in carrying out, minutely and fully all directives, operating bulletins, laws, ordinances, rules and regulations or procedures governing the Fire and Rescue Department.
B. They shall have the right to issue orders and command the services of any subordinate members of the Department, bearing in mind the responsibilities of all such subordinates. The proper chain of command will be followed whenever possible.
C. They shall have the right to relieve any member from responding when in the Battalion Chief's opinion that member is unfit. They shall, after consultation with a Deputy Chief, have the right to relieve that member from duty. Such action shall be reported to higher authority. A report through channels shall be submitted to the Chief.
D. They shall submit written reports through channels if any member under their command shows indifference or continued inability in the performances of any of their duties.
E. They shall submit reports through proper channels of any member who exhibits exemplary performance.