The volunteer fire service continues to look for ways to encourage the public to invest in its operations while also working to solve recruitment and retention problems. Many departments offer administrative or non-operational positions for those who want to help but do not want to respond to EMS calls or fight fire.
One administrative member position that can be an interesting option for the public, while helping lighten the workload of training officers, is the fire department S-2 or intelligence officer.
Defining the role
In the Army, the S-2 officer is responsible for intelligence at the battalion or brigade level. The S-2 section is crucial for collecting, analyzing and disseminating information regarding the enemy and the battlefield. Their work helps commanders make informed decisions about operations.
In the fire service, this could cover new construction, new hazards and future developments that can affect a department’s operations and personnel. It could also include ongoing training requirements and recent advancements in fireground operations, apparatus and equipment.
While career fire departments can have uniform and civilian staff assigned to gather, review and disseminate all of this information, it is harder for a volunteer department where its members may already be overtasked. Having an invested administrative member focused on crucial information can ensure that the membership is properly informed without having an added burden placed on officers or members responsible for other tasks.
Here’s a breakdown of the responsibilities of a fire department S-2 officer:
- Intelligence collection. The S-2 can collect information on new building construction, changes in traffic and roadways, and the planning of large-scale or mass-gathering events in the response area.
- Security operations. In this area, the S-2 can assist the department leadership with ensuring its policies and procedures are up to date with special attention toward preventing possible incidents regarding harassment and discrimination.
- Planning and advising. Here the S-2 can assist chief officers with developing information for use with elected leaders and civic organizations. Working with a department treasurer, the S-2 can help prioritize future expenditures for department operations and provide chiefs with justification for the expenses.
- Training and supervision. In partnership with the training officer, the S-2 can assist with preparing and distributing written training materials. The S-2 can also work with chief and company officers to create and distribute after-action reports as well as highlight good and bad trends in emergency operations.
- Coordination with other units. It is not unusual for volunteer departments to not have a public information officer. Most leave it to chief officers to address the public and reporters. The S-2 can assist chiefs with presenting incident details to the media as well as preparing and delivering information to schools, police and EMS departments and civic groups, freeing the chief officers for other tasks.
While it looks like the S-2 duties are already covered in some departments by training officers, secretaries and other members, this position is one where the focus is on information vital to the operation of the department. Having one person with an eye for detail in these tasks can make work easier for others focused on their responsibilities.
What to look for in an S-2?
The primary requirements should be a desire to help the department and an eagerness to learn. Basic skills include attention to detail, quality record-keeping and strong writing. Additional skills and abilities involve proficiency in creating documents, spreadsheets, email and graphic design. The S-2 could also be taught how to navigate your department’s pre-planning software or other programs related to response, incident reports and training certifications.
Laying out an actual fire department intelligence officer or S-2 job description listing regular and as-required duties can help recruit someone from your community who has the required skills as well as the desire to help. Bringing this administrative member on board will be a recruitment and public relations win as well as a needed relief to your volunteer chiefs and company officers.
Final thoughts
Don’t neglect the value of building up the administrative ranks in your department. Your community has many people with the skill sets mentioned here who want to help but believe the only way they can is to go through months of training and only respond to emergency incidents. Bringing these volunteers into your department can reveal other areas outside of emergency operations that members of your community can invest in.
