With the approval of the new budget, the Owensboro Fire Department is creating a second Fire Prevention position to spread knowledge internally and externally about fire safety and prevention.
Owensboro Fire Chief James Howard said the current Battalion Chief, Steve Leonard, works in Fire Prevention and Community Service as the Fire Marshal and is the department’s “encyclopedia” regarding code and prevention efforts.
Howard said the department had two part-time positions working alongside the Fire Marshal in the past, yet the knowledge is better suited for a full-time position.
“What [the budget approved] was eliminating those part-time positions and replacing them with a full time position to have to have a rank position working right under our Fire Marshal, basically as a Deputy Fire Marshal,” Howard said.
According to Howard, the new Deputy Fire Marshal will aid the Fire Marshal’s efforts in safety, education, code enforcement and investigations. As things get more specific, Howard said, details about hazardous materials, medical facilities and several other things become more frequent.
“It’s a robust division. It’s a lot from one person to right to take on,” Howard said.
This would raise the 99 uniformed positions to 100 starting on July 1.
Howard said that now that the position has been approved, they can formally begin the search for the person who will fill it. He said the department could also promote someone into the position or move one of the existing captains to the position.
Howard anticipates the second position to be highly positive and share knowledge and tasks across the two positions.
“The positions takes a knowledge that’s required to make sure the necessary rigor is there to make sure that those facilities are safe for the people that work at and come in and out of those facilities,” Howard said.
