Hazardous Materials/WMD Coordinator

GENERAL STATEMENT OF JOB

The purpose of this class is to coordinate, manage, and supervise all operations of the County’s COBRA Team and Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)/Emergency Operations Team, as well as the County’s hazardous materials program. This position provides technical expertise in the investigation and prosecution of criminal activity involving hazardous materials or related law violations, conducts field chemical analysis of samples and evidence, and oversees HazMat/WMD training and response. The coordinator manages multi-agency responses to hazardous materials or WMD incidents and ensures the operational readiness of the HazMat Division. This class plans, organizes, and implements programs within broad organizational policies and reports program progress to administration through formal reports and briefings.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Essential Functions:

• Manages the Hazardous Materials Division and all hazardous materials responses.
• Plans, coordinates, and manages the County’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive (CBRNE) and hazardous materials programs, ensuring compliance with all applicable policies, procedures, laws, regulations, and safety standards.
• Researches current best practices and methods for HazMat and CBRNE response; develops, recommends, and implements goals and objectives to ensure the County’s preparedness.
• Prepares, maintains, and annually reviews CBRNE and HazMat emergency response plans, policies, and procedures.
• Manages HazMat/WMD training for internal staff and partner agencies; plans and conducts emergency preparedness and response training, evaluates team members’ skills, and develops initial, remedial, and refresher programs.
• Coordinates the organization, analysis, planning, and assignment of resources to prepare for, mitigate, respond to, and recover from CBRNE or HazMat incidents.
• Provides direct supervision of EOT/COBRA and HazMat team members during response operations.
• Oversees WMD/HazMat investigations; prepares cases, processes evidence, and assists with prosecution of criminal cases.
• Coordinates the HazMat permitting program and conducts inspections of HazMat-related businesses.
• Supervises personnel assigned to the Hazardous Materials Division and other staff during incidents or investigations.
• Researches available equipment and new technologies for HazMat/CBRNE management; makes recommendations for County implementation.
• Receives and processes HazMat/WMD intelligence from federal and state agencies and distributes it as authorized.
• Coordinates CBRNE and HazMat programs with local, state, and federal emergency management officials.
• Conducts fire and life safety inspections and performs code enforcement of adopted County regulations.
• Responds to public calls for emergency assistance, providing leadership as required.
• Secures and administers grant funding for assigned programs; monitors expenditures and prepares related reports.
• Assists in public education programs to increase awareness of hazardous materials handling, fire and life safety codes, and related topics; provides educational presentations to community groups.
• Maintains accurate training, response, and certification records.
• Receives and responds to inquiries, concerns, complaints, and requests for assistance regarding areas of responsibility.
• Compiles data and prepares reports required by the Department, County, and/or other agencies.
• Performs general administrative and clerical work as required, including preparing reports, correspondence, data entry, filing, and document management.
• Attends training, workshops, seminars, conferences, and meetings to maintain and enhance job knowledge and skills.

• Performs other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM EDUCATION AND TRAINING

• Bachelor’s degree with education in public safety, criminal justice, public administration, hazardous materials response/management, code enforcement, or a closely related field.
• Five (5) years of related work experience.

-or-

• Any combination of education and experience that meets the requirements for performing the essential functions of this job.

Licenses/Certifications/Other:

• Must possess a valid state driver’s license.
• Must possess Hazardous Materials Technician, Specialist, HazMat Instructor, Field Chemistry, Weapons of Mass Destruction/CBRNE Incident Command, and ICS Instructor, CAMEO certifications; may be required to possess or obtain additional certifications as deemed necessary by department head.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND STANDARDS REQUIRED

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Data Involvement: Requires coordinating or determining time, place, or sequence of operations or activities based on analysis of data or information and may implement and report on operations and activities.
• People Involvement: Requires managing, supervising or leading others by determining work procedures, assigning duties, maintaining harmonious relations and promoting efficiency.
• Involvement with Things: Requires supervising the activities of those operating or repairing complex machinery or equipment that requires extended training and experience, such as the Emergency Operations Center, emergency vehicles, emergency communications equipment, etc., or the application of custom or commercial administrative or other complex software or systems; and may involve installation and testing. Must be proficient in the use of firearms and other Public Safety equipment.
• Reasoning Requirements: Requires performing work involving the application of principles of logical thinking to diagnose or define problems, collect data and solve abstract problems with widespread unit or organizational impact
• Mathematical Requirements: Requires using mathematics involving the practical application of fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions or measurements, logarithmic, or geometric construction; may use algebraic solutions of equations and inequalities, descriptive statistics, deductive geometry (plane and solid), and rectangular coordinates; and may use mathematical classifications or schemes. 
• Language Requirements: Requires reading professional literature and technical manuals; speaking to groups of employees as well as other public and private groups; and writing manuals and complex reports.
• Mental Requirements: Requires doing professional-level and scientific-level work requiring the application of principles and practices in a wide range of administrative, technical, scientific, or managerial methods in the solution of administrative or technical problems; or the coordination of advanced-level managerial work; requires understanding of operating policies and procedures and the ability to apply these to complex administrative, scientific, and technical problems; requires continuous, close attention for accurate results or frequent exposure to unusual pressures; and requires a high degree of abstract analysis.
• Computer Requirements: Must be familiar with Microsoft Office applications – including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access along with needed experience with GIS; be able to create workbooks and spreadsheets when needed in Excel; compose letters and other documents using proper grammar in Word; create presentations in PowerPoint; assist with the maintenance of database records in Access; create maps; and assist with analyzing data in GIS.
• Judgments and Decisions: Decision making is a significant part of the job, affecting a large segment of the organization and the general public; works in a dynamic environment; and responsible to assist in developing policy and practices.

Physical Requirements:

The work is heavy work which requires the person to occasionally exert up to 100 pounds of force, and/or up to 50 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 20 pounds of force constantly to grasp, lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects. Additionally, the following physical abilities are required:

• Balancing:  Maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling while walking, standing, or crouching on narrow, slippery, or erratically moving surfaces. The amount of balancing exceeds that needed for ordinary locomotion and maintenance of body equilibrium.
• Climbing: A scending or descending ladders, stairs, scaffolding, ramps, poles and the like, using feet and legs and/or hands and arms. Body agility is emphasized.
• Crawling:  Moving about on hands and knees or hands and feet.
• Crouching: Bending the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine.
• Feeling:  Perceiving attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature or texture by touching with skin, particularly that of fingertips.
• Grasping:  Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.
• Handling:  Picking, holding, or otherwise working, primarily with the whole hand.
• Hearing: Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discrimination in sound.
• Kneeling: Bending legs at knee to come to a rest on knee or knees.
• Lifting: Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position-to-position. Occurs to a considerable degree and requires substantial use of upper extremities and back muscles.
• Manual Dexterity: Picking, pinching, typing, or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with the whole hand as in handling.
• Mental Acuity: Ability to make rational decisions through sound logic and deductive processes.
• Pulling: Using upper extremities to exert force in order to draw, haul or tug objects in a sustained motion.
• Pushing: Using upper extremities to press against something with steady force in order to thrust forward, downward or outward.
• Reaching: Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.
• Speaking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word including the ability to convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately and concisely.
• Standing: Particularly for sustained periods of time.
• Stooping: Bending body downward and forward by bending spine at the waist. Occurs to a considerable degree and requires full motion of the lower extremities and back muscles.
• Talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word including those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly. Shouting in order to be heard above ambient noise level.
• Visual Acuity: Have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; and/or extensive reading. Including color, depth perception, and field vision. Visual Acuity to determine the accuracy, neatness, and thoroughness of the work assigned or to make general observations of facilities or structures. Have visual acuity to operate motor vehicles and/or heavy equipment. Have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: visual inspection involving small defects, small parts, operation of machines; using measurement devices; and/or assembly or fabrication parts at distances close to the eyes.
• Walking: Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

May be required to work hours other than the regular schedule including nights, weekends, and holidays. This position requires regular and reliable attendance and the employee’s physical presence at the workplace. The job may risk exposure to extreme heat and/or cold, wet or humid conditions, violent weather, extreme noise levels, vibration, fire hazards, fumes and/or noxious odors, traffic, electrical shock, radiation, disease/pathogens, toxic/caustic chemicals, explosives, and civil or criminal violence. Work is performed regularly where decisions are made that could lead to major community or organizational consequences if there is a failure to make the appropriate decision at the time.

EEO AND ADA MESSAGE

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the essential job functions satisfactorily.  Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary job functions described herein.  Since every duty associated with this position may not be described herein, employees may be required to perform duties not specifically spelled out in the job description, but which may be reasonably considered to be incidental in the performing of their duties just as though they were written out in this job description.

Richland County is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  ADA requires the County to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities.  Prospective and current employees are invited to discuss accommodations.

Richland County has the right to revise this job description at any time. This description does not represent in any way a contract of employment.

Compensation Range: $33.66 - $53.81