Senior Fire Safety Specialist

• Job Type: Support Staff - Non-Union
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Standard Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, flexibility to work a variety of shifts, including evenings, overnight hours, weekends, and holidays
• Building:
• Salary Range: $75,000- $80,000

Position Summary

The Senior Fire Safety Specialist, reporting to the Director of Fire Safety Operations, serves as a senior member of the CUIMC Fire Safety team. This position performs all functions of a Fire Safety Specialist while assuming enhanced responsibility for coordinating, assigning, and scheduling the daily activities of the Fire Safety Specialist team to ensure full fire safety coverage across the CUIMC campus.

This role requires the ability to work variable shifts including days, evenings, overnights, weekends, and holidays.  The position also involves significant physical activity in a complex medical and research environment. The Senior Fire Safety Specialist must possess technical expertise in building fire protection and suppression systems, as well as familiarity with basic building utilities, including HVAC, vertical transportation, and emergency power.

Responsibilities

The position is classified as University essential personnel and must be available for campus support during potential states of emergencies.

• Assists and supports the Director of Fire Safety Operations in mentoring and training new personnel and reinforcing departmental procedures and performance expectations.

• Development of daily, weekly, and special‑event schedules for all Fire Safety Specialists to ensure adequate staffing and campus-wide fire safety coverage.
• Coordinates work assignments, balances workload distribution, and adjusts staffing in response to operational needs, emergencies, and inspections.
• Serves as a point of contact for the Fire Safety Specialist team for daily operational updates, guidance, and on-the-ground coordination.

• Responds to all reports of fire or fire alarm activations as a member of the Fire Response Team in collaboration with Public Safety and Facilities.

• Operates lobby fire alarm panels, makes announcements, and serves as Fire Safety Incident Commander during alarms, coordinating evacuation efforts with Public Safety and Facilities staff.
• Acts as liaison with FDNY units and operates under the direction of the FDNY Officer in Charge.
• In the Director's absence, performs initial fire scene assessments, documents incidents, and communicates status updates to the Director.

• Responds to other campus emergencies such as gas leaks, water leaks, odors, stuck elevators and other life safety issues.  May initiate a Facilities RAVE alert when warranted via Public Safety to alert Facilities Management.

• Acts as Facilities Incident Commander until relieved by Facilities Management personnel.

• Independently performs required fire safety inspections and technical maintenance duties as directed by the Director of Fire Safety Operations and Facilities Compliance.
• Escorts FDNY inspectors, distributes violation notices, conducts follow-up inspections, and tracks remediation.
• Ensures compliance with the NYC Building Code, Fire Code, and other applicable regulations.
• Interacts with city, state, and federal regulatory authorities as needed.

• Conducts fire safety training independently, including building fire drills.
• Performs data entry and prepares related fire safety reports, logs, and documentation.
• Supports the Director in maintaining inspection and compliance documentation for regulatory audits.

• Works collaboratively with Public Safety, Facilities Management, Environmental Health & Safety, and other campus partners to maintain a safe and compliant environment.
• Builds and maintains effective relationships with diverse constituencies across the academic medical community.

• Must be able to work overtime or double shifts based on the University's needs.
• Performs all other duties as assigned by the Director of Fire Safety Operations.

Minimum Qualifications

• Professional demeanor and strong ethical standards.
• Ability to obtain required FDNY Certificates of Fitness, including A‑35, C‑92, F‑01, F‑03, F‑04, F‑60, F‑89, P‑98, S‑12, S‑13, S‑95, T‑89, W‑07, etc.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Ability to perform physical tasks associated with campus-wide fire safety coverage.
• Strong verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Computer literacy, including Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
• High school diploma or equivalent.

Preferred Qualifications

• Minimum of two to five years of experience responding to fire alarms in a business, industrial, or academic campus setting.

• Technical school, Firefighting or Fire Alarm Technician experience may substitute for some experience.

Other Requirements

• Type other requirements and/or special indicators if CUIMC

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.