Command Zone Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Duties Description The Task Force Operations Zone Chief serves as the uniformed, deployable senior operational manager for an assigned EMS zone within the New York State EMS Task Force and directs the personnel, units, facilities, and specialized resources assigned to the zone. The position provides direct supervision to Task Force Operations Zone Captains and second-level supervision to Task Force Operations Paramedics and other assigned personnel; Establishes zone priorities and operating practices; Directs workforce, readiness, and resource management activities; And coordinates routine and emergency missions involving EMS system support, medical incident management, patient movement, healthcare facility crises, special operations, public health support, and other authorized deployments within the assigned zone and statewide.
The position directs the integration of Task Force operations with the State Medical Operations Coordination Center, local and regional incident command structures, EMS agencies, healthcare facilities, emergency management, public health, fire, law enforcement, and other partners. The position provides senior technical assistance, advises Branch and Division leadership on regional conditions and resource needs, develops assigned supervisors and personnel, and ensures the continuous clinical, operational, and deployment readiness of the zone's workforce and resources. During significant incidents, the position may serve as the State EMS Field Commander or in another senior incident management role consistent with training and assignment.
The position directs a geographically dispersed operation with assignments ranging from workforce supervision, regional planning, training, and resource readiness to complex incidents involving multiple jurisdictions, concurrent EMS system disruptions, medically fragile populations, specialized resources, healthcare infrastructure failures, and hazardous or austere conditions. Work requires analysis and reconciliation of mission requests, operational data, staffing, clinical and safety requirements, local capabilities, regional healthcare impacts, incident conditions, and available state resources to establish zone priorities, select courses of action, allocate or reposition resources, adapt statewide procedures to local conditions, and determine when additional state or interregional support is required.
The work requires independent judgment, leadership, initiative, and clear communication when information may be incomplete or conflicting, local systems may be under significant strain, and multiple incidents may compete for limited personnel and equipment. The position must balance patient and responder safety, workforce management, local command authority, statewide policy, regional EMS and healthcare continuity, resource sustainability, and the limits of delegated authority. Errors in operational strategy, supervisory direction, resource allocation, hazard assessment, readiness oversight, or interagency coordination may result in patient harm, responder injury, regional service disruption, loss of accountability, ineffective use of state resources, or delayed Department response to a significant emergency.
Major Functions and Associated Duties:
Zone Leadership, Workforce Management, and Program Administration - 30%
Directs the personnel, operations, facilities, and resources assigned to an EMS zone and establishes work priorities consistent with statewide Task Force objectives, regional conditions, staffing, readiness requirements, and mission demands; Provides direct supervision to Task Force Operations Zone Captains and second-level supervision to Task Force Operations Paramedics and other assigned personnel; Assigns operational, supervisory, administrative, training, and readiness responsibilities to Zone Captains according to workload, employee qualifications, geographic needs, and assignment complexity; Reviews work in progress and at completion to evaluate performance, adherence to policy, operational effectiveness, and matters requiring corrective action or higher-level review; Coordinates zone staffing, schedules, coverage, leave, callback, standby assignments, and workforce redistribution to maintain required operational capability; Trains, coaches, counsels, and evaluates subordinate supervisors and reviews their supervision, performance management, and development of assigned employees; Addresses elevated conduct, attendance, performance, competency, safety, and labor-management matters and recommends or initiates corrective or disciplinary action within delegated authority; Participates in recruitment, interviewing, selection, onboarding, succession planning, and employee development; Establishes communication, reporting, and accountability practices to support consistent operations across assigned districts and units; Develops and recommends staffing, facility, fleet, equipment, procurement, and budget priorities for the zone; Prepares operational, workforce, readiness, and performance reports and briefs Branch and Division leadership on significant accomplishments, risks, resource needs, and unresolved issues; Coordinates zone activities with other EMS zones, Division programs, Department units, and partner agencies.
Incident Command, Deployment, and Medical Operations Coordination - 25%
Evaluates mission requests, incident reports, situational data, resource availability, regional impacts, and competing operational needs to establish deployment strategies, response priorities, command relationships, and resource configurations; Directs Task Force response during EMS system disruptions, disasters, mass-casualty incidents, severe weather, public health emergencies, healthcare facility crises, special events, patient movement operations, and other authorized missions; Determines the assignment, positioning, reassignment, or relief of personnel, Paramedic Response Units, specialized vehicles, transport resources, command assets, infrastructure-support systems, and other state capabilities within delegated authority; Serves as State EMS Field Commander, Medical Branch Director, Branch Director, Agency Representative, liaison, or another senior incident management position consistent with training and assignment; Establishes or coordinates medical incident management structures, operational objectives, reporting requirements, communications arrangements, safety measures, resource priorities, and contingency actions; Directs multiple Task Force units, strike teams, specialized resources, and operational periods and integrates their activities with local, regional, and state incident command structures; Coordinates field operations and resource status with SMOCC, Branch and Division leadership, other Zone Chiefs, local incident command, emergency management, healthcare leadership, and participating agencies; Maintains a common operating picture and provides timely operational updates, resource recommendations, and executive-level briefings; Resolves elevated operational, personnel, clinical, safety, logistics, and interagency issues and requests additional or statewide support when mission requirements exceed zone capability; Ensures responder safety, personnel and patient accountability, resource tracking, sustainment, relief, continuity of command, demobilization, documentation, and post-mission restoration; Directs after-action activities and communicates significant findings and corrective-action needs to appropriate program leadership.
EMS and Healthcare System Stabilization, Technical Assistance, and Regional Coordination - 25%
Monitors EMS, healthcare, public health, emergency management, and environmental conditions throughout the zone to identify service instability, workforce shortages, mutual aid exhaustion, unusual demand, facility disruptions, infrastructure failures, and other threats to patient safety or continuity of operations; Assesses the operational significance and potential regional effects of identified conditions and develops or recommends early intervention, stabilization, contingency, or deployment strategies; Directs Task Force support to EMS agencies and communities experiencing temporary ALS coverage gaps, service interruptions, operational instability, or regional saturation and ensures state resources reinforce rather than unnecessarily replace local capability; Provides senior technical assistance to EMS agencies, county and regional EMS leaders, healthcare facilities, emergency management, public health, local governments, and other partners concerning EMS continuity, staffing contingencies, medical incident management, patient movement, healthcare evacuation, special event medical operations, resource coordination, and use of state capabilities; Directs or coordinates Task Force response to hospitals, nursing homes, adult care facilities, and other healthcare settings affected by fire, flood, evacuation, power loss, HVAC failure, oxygen or utility disruption, structural concern, staffing emergency, or another continuity threat; Works with facility executives, local incident command, SMOCC, and regional partners to evaluate patient impacts, shelter-in-place options, evacuation requirements, transportation needs, receiving-facility capacity, patient tracking, infrastructure support, and regional EMS consequences; Coordinates zone-level Ambulance Bus and multi-patient movement operations, alternate care sites, shelter medical support, public health missions, and deployment of mobile medical, power, HVAC, oxygen, communications, temporary treatment, and other healthcare continuity resources; Develops working relationships with regional EMS councils, county EMS coordinators, healthcare systems, local health departments, emergency management, fire, law enforcement, and other response organizations through meetings, planning activities, exercises, and operational coordination; Represents the Task Force and Division in regional preparedness, response, and system-stabilization discussions; Communicates emerging conditions, systemic vulnerabilities, recurring requests, capability gaps, and recommended policy or resource actions to Branch and Division leadership.
Zone Readiness, Specialized Capabilities, Planning, and Continuous Improvement - 20%
Directs zone-wide readiness and accountability programs for Paramedic Response Units, Special Operations ambulances, UTV Ambulances, Ambulance Buses, command and support vehicles, trailers, medications, controlled substances, medical equipment, personal protective equipment, respiratory protection, patient isolation systems, communications equipment, patient tracking systems, deployment supplies, infrastructure-support resources, facilities, and other specialized assets; Establishes inspection, inventory, maintenance, replenishment, decontamination, repair, replacement, deployment configuration, and post-mission restoration requirements and verifies that Zone Captains correct or elevate identified deficiencies; Evaluates personnel, vehicle, equipment, facility, and deployment-package readiness and reallocates resources or recommends procurement, replacement, redistribution, or capability expansion when deficiencies affect mission performance; Directs development and maintenance of zone operational plans, mobilization procedures, continuity strategies, special event plans, facility-support concepts, response annexes, and resource packages consistent with statewide policy; Oversees specialized EMS capabilities involving hazardous materials, technical rescue, high-consequence infectious disease, biohazard patient movement, austere environments, UTV Ambulances, Ambulance Buses, responder rehabilitation, and other complex or nontraditional missions; Ensures Zone Captains administer required clinical continuing education, simulation, skills validation, patient care review, field evaluation, remediation, and medical direction competency processes for assigned paramedics; Reviews elevated clinical competency, patient care, controlled substance, occupational safety, and operational concerns and coordinates action with medical direction, quality improvement, occupational health, Branch leadership, and other appropriate programs; Maintains all certifications, licenses, medical direction authorizations, and operational credentials held at appointment that are applicable to the position, together with any additional credentials required for assigned duties, and completes required continuing education, competency validation, and renewal activities; Establishes zone training and exercise priorities and directs drills, mobilization tests, specialized equipment training, facility familiarization, and multi-agency exercises; Reviews mission reports, readiness data, patient care and safety trends, after-action findings, and corrective-action progress to evaluate zone performance; Develops and implements improvements within delegated authority and recommends changes to statewide policies, procedures, training, staffing, equipment, deployment practices, and program design.
Minimum Qualifications Permanent Transfer Candidates: Current NYS Department of Health employee with one year of permanent or contingent permanent competitive service in the Health Systems Specialist 3 (EMC), SG23 title. OR current NYS employee with one year of permanent or contingent permanent competitive service in a title SG21 or higher and eligible to transfer under Section 52.6 of the NYS Civil Service Law AND able to meet the non-competitive qualifications below.
Non-Competitive Candidates via NY HELPS: New York State DOH Emergency Medical Technician-Basic (EMT-B), or Advanced EMT - Intermediate (AEMT-I) certification; and five years of administrative experience in an EMS program. Administrative experience includes work as a professional EMS planner; county or regional emergency medical administrator/coordinator, administrator or officer position with an ambulance squad, or EMS educator or trainer.
Substitution: EMS experience in an ambulance service, or advanced life support-first response service, may be credited on a month-for-month basis for up to two years of the required experience. College study may be substituted for up to 2 years of the required experience at the rate of 30 credit hours for 1 year of experience.
Preferred Qualifications: (Certifications / Licenses): Current New York State Paramedic certification; Valid driver's license acceptable in New York State; Current provider-level CPR, advanced cardiac life support, and pediatric advanced life support or equivalent credentials; Completion of ICS-100, ICS-200, ICS-300, ICS-400, IS-700, IS-703, and IS-800 at appointment or within a Department-established period following appointment; National Fire Academy EMS Incident