[Adopted as Title 2, Ch. 2.54, of the 1986 Code; amended
in its entirety FCB 1-6-2006]
The position of Fire Commissioner is hereby established. The
Mayor shall appoint a single Fire Commissioner for the City of Springfield.
The Fire Commissioner shall be appointed for a term of not less
than three years, and the term of said Fire Commissioner shall not
be coterminus with the Mayor. The Fire Commissioner shall hold office
until a successor is appointed and qualified, and any vacancy occurring
shall be filled by the Mayor. Said Fire Commissioner may be removed
from office by the Mayor for cause.
[Amended 1-16-2013]
Such Fire Commissioner at the time of appointment shall have
had at least 10 years of experience in fire service, at least five
of which must be at the level of a deputy chief, district chief, or
equivalent rank, in a federal, state, or local fire department, or
equivalent body of experience in the private sector. Such Fire Commissioner
shall not engage in any other business and shall be sworn to the faithful
performance of the office before entering upon the same. The Fire
Commissioner shall comply with the residency ordinance of the City.
The Fire Commissioner at the time of appointment shall possess a bachelor’s
degree in fire science or in a field related to his or her duties
from an accredited institution of higher learning, or shall be enrolled
in a bachelor’s degree program in fire science or in a field
related to his or her duties from an accredited institution of higher
learning, and said degree shall be obtained within three years.
The Fire Commissioner shall have the authority to appoint, establish
and organize the Fire Department of the City. The Fire Commissioner
shall have control of the government, administration, disposition
and discipline of the Fire Department, and of the staff of the Department
and shall make all rules and regulations as are proper for the efficiency
of the Department and its staff. Except as otherwise provided herein,
all the powers and duties of the Board of Fire Chiefs and the Board
of Fire Commissioners of the City of Springfield now or previously
conferred or imposed by law or otherwise reflected in City ordinances
are hereafter conferred and imposed upon said Fire Commissioner, including
but not limited to those otherwise vested in the Mayor and City Council
by Chapter 244 of the Acts of 1909.
