This is work of a highly technical and dangerous nature. Employees in this class serve as members of the Harford County Special Operations Team with responsibility for responding to all reports of actual or potential hazmat and technical rescue incidents. Employees work under the general supervision of the Battalion Chief of Special Operations. Employees will train to remain proficient in a variety of hazmat and rescue disciplines in accordance with OSHA, NFPA 1006.
There are three rates of pay for Special Operations Technicians:
Level A & B (Life Threatening) - $41.61 per hour
Level C (Environmental Emergencies) - $22.26 per hour
Training/Maintenance/Details - $15.15 per hour
Examples of Duties
EXAMPLES OF WORK: (The following examples illustrate the work performed in the positions in the class. Positions may require some or all of these examples depending on the organization of work within the department. The list is not inclusive. A position may require related duties not listed, if necessary, to accomplish the work of the department.)
Responds to reports of fire, rescue, EMS, and hazardous materials incidents.
Attends regularly scheduled weekly training sessions.
May be required to attend specialized training classes which are held outside of Harford County.
Participates in the scheduled inspection and maintenance of all response equipment.
Must meet any and all OSHA/MOSH standards regarding hazardous material response, and Technical Rescue Response, including annual training recertification and annual physical examinations, as well as any and all NFPA standards in NFPA 1006.
May be required to utilize computer programs for research purposes in support of response.
Perform firefighting duties
Provide emergency medical patient care.
Drive and operate emergency vehicles, to include but not limited to, ambulances, hazardous materials apparatus, fire engines, ladder trucks, command vehicles, pick-up trucks, and SUV type vehicles.
Minimum Qualification Requirements
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES :
-Thorough knowledge of the geography of Harford County.
-General knowledge of the fire service, specifically of the volunteer fire service in Harford County of Hazmat Operations and Technical rescue operational functions and accepted procedures.
-Ability to deal fairly and diplomatically with other team members, fire department personnel, police officials, Federal and State agencies, and members of the public.
-Must be able to wear a respirator and/or Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA); must be able to lift, carry and climb with extra weight.
EDUCATION:
Possession of a high school or vocational/technical school diploma or GED Certificate, supplemented by successful completion of the classes listed below.
EXPERIENCE:
Five (5) years of experience in the Fire Service, either in a volunteer or career department, AND three (3) years' experience related to the response of Special Operations Response.
CERTIFICATIONS & LICENSES:
Certification as a Firefighter I through MFSPQB or NBFSPQ
Certification as a Firefighter II through MFSPQB or NBFSPQ
Certification as a Maryland Hazardous Materials Technician MFSPQB or NBFSPQ
Completion of MFRI Rescue Technician - Site Operations or Rescue Technician Revised; or Rescue Technician Vehicle and Machinery Rescue; or Rescue Advanced; or Rescue Specialist; or Technical Rescue: Common Passenger Vehicle Technical Rescuer-Technician; or equivalent.
Completion to the Technician Level in a Swift/Surface Water Rescue course as defined by NFPA 1006.
Completion to the Technician Level in a Technical Rope Rescue course as defined by NFPA 1006.
Completion of one of the following courses to the Technician Level as defined by NFPA 1006:
Confined Space Technical Rescuer I & II or Confined Space Technical Rescuer-Technician
Trench Technical Rescuer I & II or Trench Technical Rescuer-Technician
Structural Collapse Technical Rescuer i & II
Completion of MFRI Emergency Vehicle Operator or MFRI Emergency Vehicle Driver/Operator Course
Completion of NIMS 100, 200, 700, 800 courses
Current Maryland Emergency Medical Technician Certification or higher.
Valid Class "C" driver's license with no more than three (3) points; Class B preferred.
Current Healthcare provider level CPR Card.
SAFETY:
Must comply with all Federal (OSHA), State of Maryland (MOSH), safety regulations and applicable Harford County safety policies, procedures, or manual as required for this position.
COMPENSATION:
Other compensation may include but is not limited to:
Overtime
Compensatory time
Shift Differentials
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
Must have a telephone at place of residence.
Selected candidate must:
a) Must submit proof of certifications - either copies of certificates or MFRI/MFSPQB/NBFSPQ Transcript.
b) Submit to a base-line physical examination as required by OSHA or medical officer to include urine drug screen and OSHA respiratory physical exam;
c) Submit to a thorough background check due to critical nature of duties
d) Attend a sufficient number of special operations incidents and training sessions to ensure competency in the skills required for active participation on the Special Operations Team
e) Must be able to respond to Special Operations station within 30 minutes from residence obeying all traffic laws
f) On-call 24/7 for emergency situations
FRINGE BENEFITS
(Effective July 1, 2023)
ANNUAL LEAVE - Begin accruing first day of employment and cannot be taken until successful completion of probationary period, EXCESS of 40 DAYS [320 hours] will be deposited into an 106 Premium Reimbursement Account.
0 months - 3 years 1 day per month (12 days per year)
4 years - 9 years 1 ¼ days per month (15 days per year)
10 years - 15 years 1 ¾ days per month (21 days per year)
Over 15 years 2 days per month (24 days per year)
* Please note that leave is prorated according to your status determined by actual hours worked*
SICK LEAVE - Begin accruing first day of employment (UMLIMITED ACCUMULATION)
1 day is allowed after first month of employment
1 ¼ days per month accumulation
PERSONAL LEAVE - For new employees, personal leave is prorated according to schedule below, for the first year only. Any employee on board as of December 31st of each year automatically receives 8 days as of January 1st the following year. (NOTE: Personal Leave may not be taken until successful completion of probationary period; personal leave will be lost if not taken before December 31st of each year.)
1/1 to 1/31 6 days 4/1 to 4/30 3 days
2/1 to 2/28 5 days 5/1 to 5/31 2 days
3/1 to 3/31 4 days 6/1 to 6/30 1 day
7/1 to 12/31 0 days
FAMILY LEAVE - Up to 12 weeks per year
FUNERAL LEAVE - 3 days + 1 day for extended travel
MILITARY LEAVE - 3 weeks per year with no loss in pay for Reserve or National Guard Training, Active Duty and serving during emergencies.
CIVIL LEAVE - No loss in pay while serving Jury Duty.
RETIREMENT - State Pension System (7% employee contribution)
COUNTYFLEX - Provides the employee with a range of health care and other employee benefit options which gives employee the opportunity to design a benefit plan that best meets the employee's needs. Employee may use available credits to purchase the following:
HEALTH INSURANCE - CareFirst Triple Option and BlueChoice Opt-Out Plus Open Access and Kaiser Permanente (all plans include prescription drug coverage)
DENTAL INSURANCE - CareFirst Dental PPO Plus Plan and CareFirst Dental PPO Plan
VISION INSURANCE - Provided through BlueVision Plus
FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNTS - Provided through American Fidelity. Employees may fund health and child care expenses on a pre-tax basis.
PRE-TAX - All deductions for health, dental, vision and flexible spending accounts are subject to deductions from paycheck before federal and state taxes are applied.
LIFE INSURANCE -
Provided through MetLife - $50,000 policy - NO COST TO EMPLOYEE
SUPPLEMENTAL LIFE (TERM/WHOLE/UNIVERSAL AND AD&D)
Provided through MetLife.
LONG TERM DISABILITY - Provided through MetLife.
DEFERRED COMPENSATION -
Lincoln Financial Group - Retirement Consultant David Weiland
Phone 410-236-2494 Email- Dave.Weiland@LFG.com
[Customer Service Representative 1-800-234-3500]
RETIREE HEALTH CARE INSURANCE BENEFITS-
Employees hired on or after 7/1/2010 will have an automatic Retirement Health Savings account made available as the primary retiree healthcare benefit. This 105(h) Universal Reimbursement Account will only be able to be accessed upon separation of service and/or retirement whichever applicable. These accounts are employer funded, tax free, & portable with 20 different Nationwide investment options.
These funds are solely for the use of offsetting your premium health care cost, prescriptions, co-pays and deductibles. Upon death funds are made available immediately to the surviving spouse or qualified dependents (as defined by the IRC 152 (a).
DEATH BENEFITS - PAID BY COUNTY
50% of accumulated sick leave
All accumulated annual leave
Personal leave (maximum of 2 days)
$50,000 life insurance
One (1) month's salary
PAID BY RETIREMENT
One year's pay (after 1 year's service) plus employee's contributions refunded with interest.
