The City of Cape Girardeau Fire Department delivers Fire, Rescue, BLS/ALS first‐response EMS, and Emergency Management services to an economically and ethnically diverse community of over 38,000 permanent residents located on the Mississippi River/Interstate 55 corridor in southeast Missouri. As a regional destination hub Cape’s population can swell up to 100,000 daily. The Fire Chief leads a force of 62 sworn personnel and four civilian employees working out of four fire stations strategically located throughout the City. 

The City is seeking applications for a Fire Chief/Emergency Management Director. The Cape Girardeau Fire Department has developed into a very proficient and well‐respected agency in the region and in the State of Missouri. The new Fire Chief will be expected to establish his/her own distinct leadership style and set a clear direction for the Department and its personnel to continue to build and grow into an even better organization. As a department head answering directly to the City Manager in a Manager‐Council form of municipal government, the Fire Chief/Emergency Management Director is a key member of the City’s leadership team. 

Minimum Qualifications
•    12‐15 years of progressively responsible experience in the fire service
•    5 years of experience as a chief officer in a similarly sized city or assistant chief in a larger community
•    Bachelor’s degree in a related field of study
•    Experience working with IAFF local union under a Collective Bargaining Agreement
•    Experience with Emergency Management
•    Experience with Emergency Medical Services

Preferred Qualifications
•    Master’s degree in a related field of study
•    Completion of National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officers Program and/or completion of the Emergency Management Institute’s Emergency Management Professionals Program
•    Current or past certification and experience as a paramedic

The starting salary range is $78,000 to $82,000 with growth opportunities to $119,000.