The Administration Division provides overall direction, leadership and vision for the department. Divisional responsibilities include providing administrative support for the Fire Department including budget preparation and administration, payroll, purchasing, setting departmental goals and objectives planning/research, and information technology. The staff includes the Fire Chief, two Deputy Fire Chiefs, one Fire Administration Manager, and two Administrative Assistants.
Budget
The City of Concord prepares an annual budget to provide funding for fire, rescue, medical assistance, training & safety, code enforcement, life safety education, and emergency management services.
- Prepares status reports for the operating and capital budgets during the year and monitors the operating budget monthly.
- The budget process consists of five stages: forecasting, requesting, reviewing, adopting and monitoring.
- Financial management focuses on strategic resource allocation and management. It forges the link between budgeting and planning and ensures that funding decisions made with attention to cost and the appropriateness, efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery.
- Financial analysis & projections include accounting for expenditures against state, federal and private funds; accessing federal grant funds and funding via interagency transfer; reporting expenditures against federal grants, development of the financial portions of various federal grant applications.
Planning & Research
- Identifies new station locations.
- Conducts planning, research, and analysis projects.
- Manages the fire-rescue records management system.
- Reviews documents submitted by volunteer fire departments affected by city initiated annexations.
- Prepares the capital improvement budget.
- Coordinates and maintains the data to support the city’s performance measurement system.
- Develops the departmental master plan, strategic plan, and business plan to continue to prepare for the future.
Human Resources
- Processes documents for transfers, leaves of absence, and reassignments.
- Administers the department's Firefighter Recruitment Program.
- Assists in the development and administration of promotional processes.
- Maintains information on the Family Medical Leave Act.
- Maintains departmental personnel records.
- Assists in administering and monitoring performance appraisal system.
- Coordinates training for all newly promoted supervisors.
Information Technology
- Assists with specifications for new information technology systems.
- Works with Technologies Edge (City of Concord contractual IT Department) to Manage all IT projects and initiatives for the department.
- Represents Concord Fire on all City-wide Technology Teams/Committees and Liaison with other City Departments.
- Coordinates the maintenance of systems and administration.
- Manages departmental hardware, software, and peripherals.
- Represents Concord Fire on City GIS related committees to ensure data integrity is maintained for all City data that may be adapted or accessed for Concord Fire systems.
Records Management
Records Management includes maintenance of the fire-rescue reports associated with the department’s records management system (Firehouse Software). Distribution of incident report information and performance research of fire-rescue records are crucial for planning future public safety services.
False calls are incidents in which smoke detectors or fire alarms sound for non-fire related events. The City allows for three free calls in any consecutive 90-day period. The property owner is billed per call thereafter. Other reports are generated to include average call response times, apparatus incidents, and statistical reports electronically submitted to the State of North Carolina.