External Chief Officer Succession Planning Survey

What is your current position within the organization?

Fire Chief

Deputy Chief

Assistant Chief

Battalion Chief

Does your department currently have a formal succession plan in place?

Yes

No

In development

Does your department have a formal officer development / mentoring training program ?

Yes

No

In development

At what point do you feel employees should be voluntarily introduced to the succession planning process?

Entry level

Senior firefighter (10+ years of experience)

Company Officer

Battalion Chief / Shift Commander

Deputy / Assistant Chief

Do you feel it is the fire department’s responsibility to prepare its future leaders through professional development?

Strongly agree - the department should train the members to ensure they are adequately prepared

Agree

Neutral - the responsibility should be divided between the interested candidate and the department equally

Disagree

Strongly disagree - candidates should strive to obtain the necessary skills and qualifications on their own thus weeding out the competition

What do you feel are some of the benefits of a formal succession plan (Select all that apply)?

With regards to succession planning, how strongly do you feel positions are filled by internal qualified candidates?

Strongly feel that selections are made in house

Somewhat agree

Neutral - the best candidate should be selected

Somewhat disagree

Strongly disagree - senior positions should be filled from outside the organization

What do you feel should be the minimum educational requirements for the position of Fire Chief?

Masters degree in Fire Science, Public Administration or related field

Bachelors degree in Fire Science, Public Administration or related field

Associates degree in Fire Science or related field

High School diploma

On the job training

What do you feel should be the minimum educational requirements for the position of Deputy Chief?

Masters degree in Fire Science, Public Administration or related field

Bachelors degree in Fire Science, Public Administration or related field

Associates degree in Fire Science or related field

High School diploma

On the job training

What formal or training certifications do you feel the Fire Chief should possess (Select all that apply)?

National Fire Academy / Executive Fire Officer

Chief Fire Officer / CFO

OSFM Fire Officer III

OSFM Fire Officer II

OSFM Fire Officer I

Incident Safety Officer

Hazardous Materials Incident Command

Other

What formal or training certifications do you feel the Deputy Chief should possess (Select all that apply)?