Fire + Emergency Services Consultant

Jensen Hughes is seeking a full-time, in-office Fire + Emergency Services Consultant to support our Colorado Springs, CO location.

We are looking for an experienced fire service professional who combines operational leadership with strong analytical, technical writing, project management, and client engagement skills. The ideal candidate will possess extensive knowledge of fire and EMS operations, community risk reduction, emergency service delivery, and organizational performance improvement.

The successful applicant will work with public- and private-sector clients to evaluate risk, optimize emergency response capabilities, improve organizational effectiveness, and plan for future service needs. This role requires the ability to analyze complex operational and organizational challenges, develop practical and data-driven recommendations, and communicate findings to a wide range of stakeholders.

Key responsibilities include conducting Fire and EMS Master Plans, Community Risk Assessments, Standards of Cover studies, strategic plans, accreditation readiness assessments, staffing and deployment analyses, station and apparatus planning, and emergency response evaluations. The candidate will collaborate closely with clients, technical specialists, GIS professionals, and multidisciplinary project teams to deliver high-quality consulting services.

This position requires work across multiple time zones and may involve domestic and international travel to support client needs. The role is highly consultative and requires an individual who is equally comfortable in a fire station, analyzing operational data, facilitating stakeholder discussions, briefing executive leadership, and presenting recommendations to governing bodies.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support Fire and Emergency Services consulting projects for municipal, industrial, aviation, and other public- and private-sector clients.
• Conduct Fire and EMS Master Plans, Community Risk Assessments, Standards of Cover studies, strategic plans, operational assessments, and organizational reviews.
• Analyze service demand, response performance, staffing models, deployment strategies, unit reliability, Effective Response Force performance, mutual aid utilization, and future service requirements.
• Collaborate with GIS and data analytics professionals to evaluate station locations, travel times, response coverage, community risk, growth projections, and development impacts.
• Evaluate governance structures, administration, staffing levels, training programs, prevention activities, communications systems, facilities, apparatus, logistics operations, financial sustainability, and capital improvement needs.
• Develop practical recommendations, implementation plans, performance objectives, and service delivery alternatives for clients.
• Support accreditation preparation, ISO readiness initiatives, station and facility planning, apparatus evaluations, concurrency analyses, and specialized emergency response assessments.
• Evaluate emergency response capabilities for airports, Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), industrial facilities, ports, remote operations, energy projects, wildland-urban interface areas, and other high-risk environments.
• Conduct site visits, operational observations, stakeholder interviews, workshops, facility assessments, and public engagement meetings.
• Prepare and deliver technically defensible reports, presentations, executive briefings, proposals, and implementation strategies.
• Manage project scope, schedule, budget, quality, team resources, and client expectations across multiple simultaneous assignments.
• Build and maintain trusted client relationships through exceptional service and technical expertise.
• Support business development efforts through proposal preparation, client presentations, interviews, networking, and market development activities.
• Foster effective communication with project team members, clients, governing agencies, and other stakeholders to ensure project success.
• Travel domestically and internationally as required.

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Fire Science, Public Administration, Emergency Management, Organizational Leadership, Fire Protection Engineering, or a related discipline; or an equivalent combination of education, training, and relevant experience.
• 6+ years of progressively responsible experience in fire and emergency services, emergency management, public safety consulting, or a related field.
• Strong knowledge of fire and EMS operations, incident command systems, resource deployment, community risk reduction, emergency service administration, and organizational management.
• Experience conducting operational assessments, staffing studies, deployment analyses, organizational evaluations, facility assessments, apparatus reviews, or related consulting assignments.
• Working knowledge of applicable NFPA standards, accreditation principles, regulatory requirements, and industry best practices.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret complex information and translate findings into practical, evidence-based recommendations.
• Strong analytical, technical writing, facilitation, presentation, and problem-solving skills.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects, priorities, budgets, deadlines, and client relationships simultaneously.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and related applications.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with multidisciplinary and geographically dispersed teams.
• Willingness and ability to travel as required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Chief-level or senior leadership experience within a municipal fire and emergency services organization.
• Graduate degree in Public Administration, Emergency Management, Organizational Leadership, Fire Protection, or a related field.
• Executive Fire Officer (EFO), Chief Fire Officer (CFO), Fire Marshal, Fire and Emergency Services Analyst, Chief EMS Officer, Certified Emergency Manager (CEM), Professional Engineer (PE), or similar professional credential.
• Experience with CFAI accreditation, CPSE programs, Community Risk Assessments, Standards of Cover studies, strategic planning, and ISO Public Protection Classification readiness.
• Experience analyzing CAD, RMS, GIS, demographic, operational, financial, or performance data.
• Familiarity with ArcGIS or similar geospatial platforms used for response modeling, deployment planning, station location analysis, and community risk assessments.
• Experience with fire station planning, apparatus replacement planning, capital improvement planning, organizational assessments, feasibility studies, and shared services evaluations.
• Experience supporting aviation response systems, industrial fire brigades, battery energy storage facilities, maritime operations, hazardous materials response, wildland fire operations, or other specialized emergency response environments.
• Demonstrated seller-doer experience, including client development, proposal preparation, project delivery, and professional presentations.

Jensen Hughes is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status.

At Jensen Hughes, we embrace innovation and understand that people are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT and other generative platforms to learn, prepare and communicate.  We have provided some guidelines regarding the responsible use of AI in the recruitment process.  Please click here to review.

The security of your personal data is important to us. Jensen Hughes has implemented reasonable physical, technical, and administrative security standards to protect personal data from loss, misuse, alteration, or destruction. We protect your personal data against unauthorized access, use, or disclosure, using security technologies and procedures, such as encryption and limited access. Only authorized individuals may access your personal data for the purpose for which it was collected, and these individuals receive training about the importance of protecting personal data.  Jensen Hughes is committed to compliance with all relevant data privacy laws in all areas where we do business, including, but not limited to, the GDPR and the CCPA.  Additionally, our service providers are contractually bound to maintain the confidentiality of personal data and may not use the information for any unauthorized purpose.

*Policy on use of 3rd party recruiting agency for direct placements

Jensen Hughes will occasionally augment a recruiting search through agencies for certain positions when business conditions warrant. Jensen Hughes will not accept resumes, inquiries or proposals from recruiting agencies as an acceptable method to consider a candidate. 3rd party recruiting agencies must sign a standard Jensen Hughes agreement after being evaluated and accepted by a Human Resources or Talent Acquisition manager, or member of the talent acquisition team. Hiring managers and employees of Jensen Hughes are not authorized to accept resumes, engage in fee-based searches through recruiting firms or sign a search agreement. Please note this policy does not apply to “staffing firms” or firms that are involved with hiring temporary staff. Any recruiting agency interested in being considered may contact our recruiting team at jensenhughesrecruiting.com.