A battalion chief is the rank and title of a subordinate

fire chief A fire chief or fire commissioner is a top executive rank or commanding officer in a fire department. Nomenclature Various official English-language titles for a fire chief include ''fire chief'', ''chief fire officer'' and ''fire commissioner' ...

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

in the

firefighting Firefighting is the act of extinguishing or preventing the spread of unwanted fires from threatening human lives and destroying property and the environment. A person who engages in firefighting is known as a firefighter. Firefighters typically ...

command structure. The title of battalion chief is usually synonymous with firefighting in the United States and Canada. A battalion chief is the lowest chief officer in a fire department's rank structure, above rank-and-file

fire station __NOTOC__ A fire station (also called a fire house, fire hall, firemen's hall, or engine house) is a structure or other area for storing firefighting apparatuses such as fire engines and related vehicles, personal protective equipment, fire ...

officers and fire company officers. A battalion chief commands a firefighting battalion, similar to a military

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions ...

. A battalion consists of several fire stations and multiple fire companies. A battalion chief has command over each fire station's officers and each company or unit's officers, as well as the uniformed

firefighter A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions als ...

s. A battalion chief is usually under the command of a division chief, district chief, deputy chief, or assistant chief, etc who in turn reports to a chief of department, chief engineer, a shift commander, a tour commander or a fire commissioner or other personnel who are official employees. There are several fire departments, including North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue, Atlanta Fire Rescue, Bruce Township Fire Department, Baltimore City Fire Department, San Francisco Fire Department, Jersey City Fire Department, Newark Fire Department, the Detroit Fire Department, the

New York City Fire Department The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), is an American department of the government of New York City that provides fire protection services, technical rescue/special operations services, ...

, the

Chicago Fire Department The Chicago Fire Department (CFD) provides fire suppression, rescue services, Hazardous Materials Response services and emergency medical response services to the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, under the jurisdiction of the Mayor of Chi ...

, the Sacramento Fire Department , CAL FIRE, Philadelphia Fire Department, the

Los Angeles County Fire Department The Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD) provides firefighting services as well as technical rescue services, hazardous materials response services and emergency medical response services for the unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County ...

and the St. Louis Fire Department who all have battalion chiefs in their rank structure. There are several fire departments, including The Boston Fire Department, Denver Fire Department, New Orleans Fire Department and the

Toronto Fire Services Toronto Fire Services (TFS) provides fire protection, technical rescue services, hazardous materials response, and first responder emergency medical assistance in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Toronto Fire Services is currently the largest municipal f ...

, however, that use the title of district chief in place of battalion chief.

References

{{Firefighting Firefighter ranks