<p>Description</p> <p>Emergency Services Coordinator</p> <p>Monthly Hiring Range: $6,819.00 - $7,842.00</p> <p>Monthly Salary Range:$6,819.00 - $9,532.00</p> <p>This position reports to the Emergency Services Unit Supervisor but may report directly to another Sergeant, Commander, Division Chief, or Sheriff, depending on assignment or incident.</p> <p>The Emergency Services Unit (ESU) plays a critical role in ensuring the Sheriff's Office's compliance with the management of search-and-rescue operations, hazardous materials incidents, and large-scale incidents within the Sheriff's jurisdiction, such as wildfires and floods. The Unit develops and implements programs and training that enhance the response capabilities of the Sheriff's Office and EMS agencies for a range of emergency incidents, including active attackers, mass-casualty events, natural disasters, and similar situations.</p> <p>The Emergency Services Coordinator is responsible for programs that support the coordination and implementation of search-and-rescue and hazmat operations in Boulder County. The ESU Coordinator will serve as the Incident Command/Unified Command for search and rescue (mountainous and swift-water), hazmat, and other emergency incidents. Please note that this is a field Incident Command position, not an Office of Disaster Management position.</p> <p>Additional duties include program/project management (most working hours) and serving as a liaison to fire, EMS, and rescue partners, ensuring strong working relationships, promoting sound planning, and assisting with conflict resolution within emergency services agencies throughout Boulder County. The ESU Coordinator develops, maintains, and provides training/programs surrounding emergency services topics. These programs can include critical event planning and management; flood detection and warning; spring snowmelt and creek-flow monitoring; avalanche and winter-storm monitoring; search and rescue; hazardous materials response; and representation at various meetings. Other programs include off-road machine training, grant application and management, Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) support, internal training management, deputy training, CalTopo account management, and other activities.</p> <p>New employees receive an 80-hour bank of vacation at the time of hire, in addition to 8 hours of both vacation and medical leave accruals each month.</p> <p>Boulder County is a family-friendly workplace dedicated to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and respectful environment for all employees. We prohibit unlawful discrimination against applicants and employees on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.</p> <p>Boulder County requires its employees to reside in the state of Colorado as of the first day of work.</p> <p>PLEASE NOTE: When submitting your application be sure to include all relevant education and experience, as applications are screened based on the qualifications listed in this position announcement. Applications that do not appear to meet minimum qualifications, as outlined below, will not be considered. Resumes are not accepted in lieu of completed applications.</p> <p>Please be aware that your cover letter and resume will not be accessed in the initial screening process, so you must complete your application and supplemental questions with as much detail as possible. Any personally identifiable information (PII) such as name and address will be redacted from applications that meet the minimum screening requirements and are forwarded to the hiring manager. If the hiring manager selects you to advance in the hiring process, your cover letter and resume will then be accessible to the hiring team.</p> <p>Examples of Duties</p> <ul> <li>Available 24 hours a day for large-scale emergencies. Rotating on-call responsibilities 24/7/365, this includes nights, weekends, and holidays; typically, five to six on-call shifts per month. Respond to calls within five minutes. </li><li>Provides on-scene Incident Command and resource ordering as required for search and rescue, hazardous material incidents, weather events, spring water flow/flood recommendations/prediction, and other natural and human cause catastrophes. </li><li>Regularly attend meetings during and outside regular business hours. </li><li>Enhances Boulder County Sheriff's Office relations with county fire protection districts/departments, ambulance service providers, city, county, state, and national park rangers, United States Forest Service (USFS) fire and law enforcement personnel, and is the liaison for BCSO contracted emergency rescue agencies. Assists with writing contracts, memorandums of understanding, and scopes of work to define the working relationships amongst agencies. </li><li>Administers and maintains the snowmobile, ATV, and UTV programs. </li><li>Develops/facilitates, writes, and implements annexes to the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). </li><li>Write and administer grants related to emergency services. </li><li>Aids the Boulder County Sheriff's Office Operations Division in internal training on emergency services topics. </li><li>Administers the ambulance contracting and compliance program for all ambulance transport agencies in Boulder County. </li><li>Attends Multi-Agency Coordination Group (MACS) Meetings and may be a group member fulfilling the role of Emergency Support Function (ESF) 9 - Search and Rescue, ESF 10 - Hazmat, and ESF 13 - Public Safety. </li><li>May be the liaison from an incident/event to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). </li><li>Represent the Sheriff's Office at meetings with local, state, and federal cooperators. </li><li>May be a member of the Boulder Incident Management Team (IMT) Type III Team. </li><li>Completes proper incident reports and records. </li><li>Further the mission of the Sheriff's Office and effectively carries out agency and unit goals and objectives. </li><li>May be reassigned in the case of an emergency. </li><li>Carry out other duties as assigned by the Emergency Services Unit Supervisor. </li><li>You will be assigned a full-time, take-home truck for on-call response. </li></ul> <p>Required Qualifications</p> <p>Education and Experience:</p> <p>Required</p> <p>High school diploma or equivalent supplemented by specialized courses in search and rescue and emergency service disciplines. Prior experience of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Incident Command System (ICS) to include certification of ICS 100, 200, 300, 400, 700, 800. Possession of, or ability to obtain, a valid Colorado Driver's License.</p> <p>Preferred</p> <p>College degree or additional education preferred. Previous experience in wildland or structure fire suppression, search and rescue, and hazardous materials awareness or operations is preferred.</p> <p>Strongly Preferred Core Certifications & Training:</p> <p>These are considered essential or strongly preferred for anyone regularly acting as IC:</p> <ul> <li>Advanced command training, such as: </li><li>All-Hazards Incident Commander (AHIMT) </li><li>All-Hazards Planning/Operations Section Chief (if IC duties rotate) </li></ul> <p>Search & Rescue-Specific Training Preferred</p> <ul> <li>NASAR SARTECH II or I (or equivalent state SAR technician level) </li><li>Inland Search Planning Course (Coast Guard) </li><li>Managing Land Search Operations (MLSO) or "Search Management." </li><li>Wide Area Search </li><li>Technical rescue fundamentals (rope, swift water, confined space) depending on jurisdiction </li><li>Previous experience with off-highway mechanized vehicles (UTV, ATV, Snowmobiles) </li></ul> <p>Medical Qualifications Preferred</p> <ul> <li>EMR or higher </li></ul> <p>Communication & Coordination</p> <ul> <li>Proficiency with interoperable radio systems & resource tracking tools. </li></ul> <p>Field Experience Preferred:</p> <p>An effective SAR IC must have a strong operational background:</p> <ul> <li> <p>3-5+ years of SAR, Law Enforcement, Fire, EMS, or other type of first responder field operations experience</p> </li><li> <p>Documented leadership roles during missions:</p> </li><li> <p>Team lead, strike team leader, operations lead, or deputy IC</p> </li><li> <p>Experience coordinating multi-agency responses:</p> </li><li> <p>Sheriff's Office, fire, EMS, air resources, ground teams, volunteers</p> </li><li> <p>Familiarity with lost person behavior, map/compass, GPS, and topographic navigation</p> </li><li> <p>Experience operating in challenging environments (night, weather, terrain)</p> </li></ul> <p>Highly Desirable Critical Knowledge Areas:</p> <p>Someone taking command of SAR incidents needs advanced competency in:</p> <ul> <li>Incident Action Planning (IAP development, objectives, strategies) </li><li>Risk management (LCES, dynamic risk analysis) </li><li>Resource ordering and tracking </li><li>Operational periods & briefing cycles </li><li>Search theory (POA, POD, search tactics, containment strategies) </li><li>Local terrain, weather patterns, and common hazards </li><li>Legal authority of SAR under the sheriff or agency having jurisdiction </li><li>SARTopo (CalTopo) experience </li></ul> <p>Essential Skills & Abilities:</p> <p>These are the leadership and operational qualities that make an IC effective:</p> <p>Leadership & Command</p> <ul> <li>Calm decision-making under pressure </li><li>Ability to synthesize rapidly changing information </li><li>Accountability and clarity during chaotic events </li><li>Strong communication with both volunteers and sworn personnel </li></ul> <p>Operational Judgement</p> <ul> <li>Ability to manage high-consequence situations with limited information </li><li>Confidence in developing search strategies and pivoting when necessary </li><li>Understanding when to escalate, call mutual aid, or deploy specialty teams </li></ul> <p>Interpersonal & Coordination Skills</p> <ul> <li>Skilled at multi-agency collaboration </li><li>Ability to diplomatically work with volunteers, law enforcement, fire, EMS, and families of missing persons </li><li>Clear, consistent briefing and documentation </li></ul> <p>Recommended Administrative & Program Management:</p> <p>Because this is a coordinator-level position, beyond field IC duties, the role often includes:</p> <ul> <li>Writing and maintaining SAR plans, SOPs, and deployment protocols </li><li>Running training programs and exercises </li><li>Managing equipment and response readiness </li><li>Managing budgets and grants </li><li>Maintaining mission logs, after-action reports, and performance documentation </li><li>Ensuring compliance with state SAR statutes and agency policies </li></ul> <p>Recommended Personal Attributes:</p> <p>These are often unofficial, but agencies highly value them:</p> <ul> <li>Adaptability - SAR missions evolve constantly </li><li>Empathy - critical when working with families of the missing </li><li>High attention to detail - for documentation, tracking clues, and safety </li><li>Composure - able to handle emotional cases (children, suicides, medical emergencies) </li></ul> <p>Physical Requirements:</p> <p>Appropriate voice skills to be clearly understood on the telephone, radio, and in public contacts; may be required to talk extensively on the phone or radio. Must also have acceptable hearing to hear well on the telephone, radio, and in public contacts.</p> <p>Must pass the current NWCG red card physical fitness test for the Moderate Level:A 2-mile walk carrying 25 pounds in 30 minutes.</p> <p>Must have acceptable eyesight, correctable to 20/20, to perform search and rescue responsibilities; drive a vehicle in all conditions, and perform equipment maintenance duties.</p> <p>May be required to sit, stand, or walk for extended periods. May be required to run for short distances. Must be able to engage in physically strenuous activities, including search and rescue in all types of terrain, in dangerous situations, and during all kinds of weather.</p> <p>Must have fine and gross motor skills and use of fingers, hands, and arms to operate equipment and motor vehicles.</p> <p>May be required to climb ladders, work in confined spaces, and work in hazardous areas.</p> <p>May be subjected to caustic, flammable, or hazardous materials.</p> <p>Must be able to work in inclement weather conditions.</p> <p>Must be capable of working under stressful situations.</p> <p>Must have good cognitive skills and awareness of work accuracy.</p> <p>Supplemental Information</p> <p>The Boulder County Sheriff's Office- Emergency Services Unit</p> <p>Who We Are:</p> <p>Unit Description</p> <p>The Emergency Services Unit (ESU) is part of the Operations Division of the Boulder County Sheriff's Office under the Special Operations section. ESU addresses the Sheriff's statutory responsibilities outside the typical law enforcement arena. Those areas include Search and Rescue, Hazmat, and other emergency services field work. The Emergency Services Unit Coordinator's position is hands-on and constantly changing.ESU currently comprises five professionals whose primary responsibility is to provide tools and skills for all-hazards emergency situations through field response to incidents.</p> <p>The primary role of ESU is on-scene Incident Command for search and rescue/hazmat incidents. The ESU also supports response for weather events, spring water flow/flood recommendations/predictions, wildland fire, and other natural and human-caused catastrophes. This is a 24/7/365 responsibility.The information below is representative of our previous six-year call load:</p> <p>2019: 198</p> <p>2020: 256</p> <p>2021: 247</p> <p>2022: 254</p> <p>2023:</p> <p>210</p> <p>2024:</p> <p>211</p> <p>2025:</p> <p>215</p> <p>The on-call requirement for the ESU position is the most demanding aspect of the job. With a current staff of five, the ESU Coordinators are required to take "on-call" after work hours, numerous times per week, including nights, days, weekends, and holidays. A coordinator can expect to be the primary on call ~6 days per month. The on-call Emergency Services Duty Officer (ESDO) must respond within 5 minutes of the incident page. In specific incidents, such as complex rescues or search calls, more than one coordinator may need to assist. In addition, the coordinator must reside in proximity to Boulder County to coordinate and assume Incident Command promptly.</p> <p>Areas of Work:</p> <p>Search and Rescue /Hazmat Incident Command</p> <p>ESU will send one coordinator to most incidents. The coordinator is responsible for Incident Command (as defined by FEMA) and oversees all Section Chiefs for the incident. These incidents include:</p> <ul> <li>Rock climbing accidents (injuries) </li><li>Stuck climbers and hikers </li><li>Missing personsmountainous and urban) </li><li>Swift water, open water, and dive rescue </li><li>Avalanche/landslide rescue </li><li>Downed aircraft accidents and searches </li><li>Wildland fire - law branch </li><li>Backcountry major accident </li><li>Mine and cave rescue </li><li>Hazmat incidents </li><li>Flood rescue </li></ul> <p>Related skill sets which the coordinators possess for Incident Command</p> <ul> <li>A working knowledge and comprehensive understanding of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the Incident Command System (ICS). The coordinator will direct the development of Incident Action Plans (IAPs) for ongoing incidents. </li><li>Knowledge/experience in mountain and urban search and rescue techniques. </li><li>A comprehensive understanding of all rescue resources, including air, land, and water, available to the Sheriff's Office, when and how to order them for incidents. </li><li>Ability to analyze search calls according to best known practices. </li><li>Computer mapping (Sartopo and Field Maps) </li><li>Accurately update associated databases, write press releases, and incident reports </li><li>Emergency vehicle driving </li></ul> <p>Projects</p> <p>Outside of incident response, ESU is responsible for numerous projects such as:</p> <ul> <li>Working as liaisons to maintain good working relationships, promote sound planning, and assist with conflict resolution among the emergency service provider agencies within Boulder County. </li><li>Assisting in major event planning and incident management, including: Flood detection/warning, spring water flow monitoring, avalanche and winter storm monitoring, search and rescue, hazardous materials response, mass casualty incidents, and representation at a variety of meetings. </li><li>Enhancing the Boulder County Sheriff's Office relations with county fire protection districts/departments, ambulance service providers, city, county, state, and National Park rangers, United States Forest Service (USFS) personnel, and is the liaison for the BCSO contracted emergency rescue agencies. </li><li>Administers and maintains the snowmobile, ATV, and UTV programs. </li><li>Maintains the County Mass Casualty trailer and an incident support trailer. </li><li>Administering ambulance contracts. </li><li>Write and administer grants such as BSAR. </li><li>Assist the Boulder County Hazmat Team Advisory Committee. </li><li>Administer the Active 911 app for the Sheriff's Office. </li><li>Work on issues associated with rescue concerns at the local and regional levels. </li><li>Work on projects associated with the Boulder County Fire Fighters' Association and the Boulder Valley Fire Consortium. </li><li>Build mapping capability for the Sheriff's Office, including Field Maps and SarTopo. </li><li>Maintain and deploy the Starlink system. </li><li>Work with volunteer and paid rescue and fire agencies to build the wide area search capabilities for the County. </li><li>Develop and implement "Emergency Services Topics" training programs for the Sheriff's Office. </li><li>Develop and participate in tabletop and field exercises. </li><li>May be reassigned in the case of an emergency. </li></ul> <p>Related skill sets which coordinators possess for project management</p> <ul> <li>Accomplish assigned tasks during stressful situations. </li><li>Project management skills, such as the ability to design programs and envisionend states. </li><li>Communicate tactfully, diplomatically, and effectively with the public, coworkers, and partner agencies. </li><li>Effective time management skills. </li><li>Effective planning skills - both short and long term. </li><li>Ability to work without direct supervision for both day-to-day operations and emergency incidents. </li><li>Demonstrate a thorough understanding of modern emergency service principles, strategies, tactics, methods, procedures, and management. This includes hazardous materials, incident management, and search and rescue. </li><li>Must possess above-average writing skills. </li><li>Communicate effectively in public forums. </li></ul> <p>Office of Disaster Management/ Emergency Operations Center</p> <p>ESU Coordinators support the Office of Disaster Management in the following:</p> <ul> <li>Active members of the MACS group and fulfilling the role in Emergency Support Function (ESF) 9 - Search and Rescue, ESF 10 - Hazmat, and ESF 13 - Public Safety. </li><li>May be the liaison for an incident/event to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). </li><li>Develops/facilitates, writes, and implements annexes to the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). </li><li>Assists with the work of the Local Emergency Planning Committee. </li></ul>