Marine Safety Officer - City of Laguna Beach
Job Description
Under general direction, the position of Marine Safety Officer supervises and participates in marine and other related emergencies; makes rescues and prevents marine accidents; patrols beaches with the overall goal of providing protection to life, limb and property; and provides responsible and complex staffing assistance to the Marine Safety Chief.
Reports to/Supervises: Reports to the Marine Safety Captain. Supervises the life guarding activities of seasonal personnel.
Marine Safety Officer Competencies:
- Critical Thinking
- Fact Finding
- General Physical Ability
- Legal & Regulatory Navigation
- Industry Monitoring
- Safety Focus
- Self Management
- Teamwork
- Relationship Building
- Handling Conflict
- Influencing
- Writing
- Presentation Skill
- Adaptability
The Application/Selection Process: A complete City online application must be submitted by the close of the filing deadline of Friday, July 8, 2022 at 5:00 P.M. P.S.T. Applications will be screened carefully and selected candidates will be invited to undergo a Structured Panel Interview to evaluate their knowledge, skills and abilities as they relate to the position. The department may include other job-related assessment tools developed to predict successful job performance. At the conclusion of selection testing, names of candidates deemed eligible for hire will be placed on an employment eligibility list. The appointing hiring authority will further review the job-related qualifications of those deemed eligible for hire before making selection decisions.
Pre-Placement Process: Selected candidates must successfully pass a thorough, public safety police background check (including a polygraph examination), a fingerprint check with the State Department of Justice, and a pre-placement physical and drug test.
In order to maintain a safe and healthy workplace, the City requires all employees who are not vaccinated for COVID-19 to submit to weekly COVID-19 testing. Employees who provide adequate proof of vaccination for COVID-19 to Human Resources are not required to undergo weekly testing.
Examples of Duties
The following duties are normal for this position. These are not to be construed as exclusive or all-inclusive. Other duties may be required and assigned.
- Patrols the beach area enforcing applicable ordinances/codes, issuing citations, and informing the public of hazardous ocean conditions, in order to ensure the safety and protection of citizens, residents and the marine environment
- Identifies and removes marine safety hazards through preventative lifeguarding practices
- Trains, motivates and evaluates assigned personnel in open water rescue, emergency medicine, disaster response, technical rescue and occupational safety practices
- Administers staff training, physical performance exams and drills
- Supervises, evaluates and documents work of subordinate staff (e.g., recurrent and seasonal personnel), ensuring compliance with department rules, regulations, policies, procedures and training guidelines, providing coaching, instruction, and discipline to improve performance
- Responds to various aquatic emergencies and medical aids, assuming control of rescues, during all hours of the day or night (position subject to both on-call and 24-hour call back)
- Operates specialized lifesaving equipment and administers emergency medical treatment of a highly skilled nature at an Emergency Medical Technician level
- Provides educational safety and marine resource information to the public
- Protects and patrols the City's beaches and marine protected areas and ecosystems, investigating and addressing complaints
- Enforces federal, state and municipal codes and ordinances, and issues corrective action (including citations) according to Penal Code 832
- Gathers necessary information, conducts required research, and writes reports (e.g., includes but is not limited to: marine safety issues, operational issues, marine environment, etc.)
- Serves the Laguna Beach community as the Department liaison, meeting with community groups to assist in educating the public regarding various drowning prevention programs, marine protection laws, regulations and concerns
- Assures maintenance of departmental equipment, facilities and supplies
- Provides instruction in marine safety, oceanography and marine science to staff and the public
- Performs related duties as assigned
Minimum Qualifications
Any combination demonstrating the ability to effectively and successfully perform the duties of the position is considered qualifying. A typical combination is as follows:
Education: Successful completion of two years (60 units) of college; a two or four year college or university degree preferred. When assigned to the Marine Protection specialty, a Bachelor's degree in Marine Biology or a related field is preferred.
Experience: Minimum of five seasonal years (2,600 hours) with at least one year (520 hours) in a supervisory role as an ocean lifeguard.
License/Certificate Requirements: Valid California class "C" Driver's License. Advanced United State Lifesaving Association; Valid California State Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification, registered and certified with Orange County Medical Services. NAUI or PADI master/advanced scuba certification.
The following must be obtained within 18 months of employment:
State Title 22 first aid instructor rating, NAUI dive-master certification, American Heart Association CPR instructor rating, California State Peace Officer certification, PC 832. River/flood rescue certification from an accredited agency (minimum 30 hours), Completion of California State Fire Marshall Courses ICS 200, 300, Command 1 and 2 certifications, Instructor 1 and 2 certification, Rescue Systems I and Hazardous Materials Operational.