Scottsdale Fire Department recently announced the creation of three 56-hour community risk reduction captain positions.

Captains Pete Earls, Steve Hunter and Kelly Cavner were named to fill these inaugural positions.

“Addressing specific risks in our community is a responsibility of every member of the fire department,” said Fire Chief Tom Shannon. “The new positions will allow SFD to quickly respond to a variety of these on a 24-hour shift schedule.”

The new program replaces the shift deputy fire marshal positions that were developed in 2017. The new captain-level positions enhance the DFM program by adding threat liaison officer roles and FireWise assessment capabilities, according to a press release.

“These three individuals have extensive and broad knowledge that will be an incredible asset, not only to the fire department but to the community,” Shannon said.

The captains will begin in their new roles July 13 and will work out of the new Fire Station 603 on Indian Bend.

The following is a brief overview of some of the CRR Captain position’s responsibilities.

Fire inspections:

•  Fireworks shows/retail sales, tents, expos/car shows, etc.
•  Night inspection support
•  Assist as needed with simple Certificate of Occupancy inspections (tenant improvement, restaurants, small retail
•  Assist with false alarm follow-up
•  Assist with coordination of the new CORE score inspection program

Fire investigation coordination:

•  Activate Fire Investigation Task Force based on the following:
•  Any death on the scene directly or indirectly related to the fire
•  Known/viable suspicion or evidence of arson
•  Excessive fire damage disproportionate to burn rate and fire damage industry standards
•  High profile/impact fires Fashion Square, Honor Health, General Dynamics, some city buildings, etc.
• All other “standard” fires will be assessed for most probable cause and origin with a short narrative developed by the CRR Captain and responding captain.

FireWise:

• Program management and assessor

Level ‘C’ Threat Liaison Officer (TLO):

• Initial clock stop with SPD including unplanned emergency responses
• Information sharing between SPD and SFD including community liaison partner.
• Threat and vulnerability assessment (TVA) manager
• Support Unified Command and interagency coordination through information sharing and resource coordination.