[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.