Job Description

Salary : $81,828.00 - $94,104.00 Annually
Location : Boulder, CO
Job Type: Full-time
Job Number: SH2025-047
Department: Sheriffs Office
Division: SHE Operations
Opening Date: 12/09/2025
Closing Date: 1/5/2026 6:00 PM Mountain
FLSA: Non-Exempt


Description
Emergency Services Coordinator

Monthly Hiring Range: $6,819.00 - $7,842.00 Monthly Salary Range: $6,819.00 - $9,532.00
This position reports to the Emergency Services Unit Supervisor but may report directly to another Sergeant, Commander, Division Chief, or Sheriff, depending on assignment or incident.
The Emergency Services Unit (ESU) plays a critical role in ensuring the Sheriff's Office's compliance with the management of search-and-rescue operations, hazardous materials incidents, and large-scale incidents within the Sheriff's jurisdiction, such as wildfires and floods. The Unit develops and implements programs and training that enhance the response capabilities of the Sheriff's Office and EMS agencies for a range of emergency incidents, including active attackers, mass-casualty events, natural disasters, and similar situations.

The Emergency Services Coordinator is responsible for programs that support the coordination and implementation of search-and-rescue and hazmat operations in Boulder County. The ESU Coordinator will serve as the Incident Command/Unified Command for search and rescue (mountainous and swift-water), hazmat, and other emergency incidents. Please note that this is a field Incident Command position, not an Office of Disaster Management position.


Additional duties include program/project management (most working hours) and serving as a liaison to fire, EMS, and rescue partners, ensuring strong working relationships, promoting sound planning, and assisting with conflict resolution within emergency services agencies throughout Boulder County. The ESU Coordinator develops, maintains, and provides training/programs surrounding emergency services topics. These programs can include critical event planning and management; flood detection and warning; spring snowmelt and creek-flow monitoring; avalanche and winter-storm monitoring; search and rescue; hazardous materials response; and representation at various meetings. Other programs include off-road machine training, grant application and management, Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) support, internal training management, deputy training, CalTopo account management, and other activities.

New employees receive an 80-hour bank of vacation at the time of hire, in addition to 8 hours of both vacation and medical leave accruals each month.
Boulder County is a family-friendly workplace dedicated to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and respectful environment for all employees. We prohibit unlawful discrimination against applicants and employees on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.


Boulder County requires its employees to reside in the state of Colorado as of the first day of work.
PLEASE NOTE: When submitting your application be sure to include all relevant education and experience, as applications are screened based on the qualifications listed in this position announcement. Applications that do not appear to meet minimum qualifications, as outlined below, will not be considered. Resumes are not accepted in lieu of completed applications.

Please be aware that your cover letter and resume will not be accessed in the initial screening process, so you must complete your application and supplemental questions with as much detail as possible. Any personally identifiable information (PII) such as name and address will be redacted from applications that meet the minimum screening requirements and are forwarded to the hiring manager. If the hiring manager selects you to advance in the hiring process, your cover letter and resume will then be accessible to the hiring team.
Examples of Duties

• Available 24 hours a day for large-scale emergencies. Rotating on-call responsibilities 24/7/365, this includes nights, weekends, and holidays; typically, five to six on-call shifts per month. Respond to calls within five minutes.
• Provides on-scene Incident Command and resource ordering as required for search and rescue, hazardous material incidents, weather events, spring water flow/flood recommendations/prediction, and other natural and human cause catastrophes.
• Regularly attend meetings during and outside regular business hours.
• Enhances Boulder County Sheriff's Office relations with county fire protection districts/departments, ambulance service providers, city, county, state, and national park rangers, United States Forest Service (USFS) fire and law enforcement personnel, and is the liaison for BCSO contracted emergency rescue agencies. Assists with writing contracts, memorandums of understanding, and scopes of work to define the working relationships amongst agencies.
• Administers and maintains the snowmobile, ATV, and UTV programs.
• Develops/facilitates, writes, and implements annexes to the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).
• Write and administer grants related to emergency services.
• Aids the Boulder County Sheriff's Office Operations Division in internal training on emergency services topics.
• Administers the ambulance contracting and compliance program for all ambulance transport agencies in Boulder County.
• Attends Multi-Agency Coordination Group (MACS) Meetings and may be a group member fulfilling the role of Emergency Support Function (ESF) 9 - Search and Rescue, ESF 10 - Hazmat, and ESF 13 - Public Safety.
• May be the liaison from an incident/event to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
• Represent the Sheriff's Office at meetings with local, state, and federal cooperators.
• May be a member of the Boulder Incident Management Team (IMT) Type III Team.
• Completes proper incident reports and records.
• Further the mission of the Sheriff's Office and effectively carries out agency and unit goals and objectives.
• May be reassigned in the case of an emergency.
• Carry out other duties as assigned by the Emergency Services Unit Supervisor.
• You will be assigned a full-time, take-home truck for on-call response.

Required Qualifications
Education and Experience:

Required

High school diploma or equivalent supplemented by specialized courses in search and rescue and emergency service disciplines. Prior experience of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Incident Command System (ICS) to include certification of ICS 100, 200, 300, 400, 700, 800. Possession of, or ability to obtain, a valid Colorado Driver's License.


Preferred

College degree or additional education preferred. Previous experience in wildland or structure fire suppression, search and rescue, and hazardous materials awareness or operations is preferred.


Strongly Preferred Core Certifications & Training:

These are considered essential or strongly preferred for anyone regularly acting as IC:

• Advanced command training, such as:
  • All-Hazards Incident Commander (AHIMT)
  • All-Hazards Planning/Operations Section Chief (if IC duties rotate)

Search & Rescue-Specific Training Preferred

• NASAR SARTECH II or I (or equivalent state SAR technician level)
• Inland Search Planning Course (Coast Guard)
• Managing Land Search Operations (MLSO) or "Search Management."
• Wide Area Search
• Technical rescue fundamentals (rope, swift water, confined space) depending on jurisdiction
• Previous experience with off-highway mechanized vehicles (UTV, ATV, Snowmobiles)

Medical Qualifications Preferred

• EMR or higher

Communication & Coordination

• Proficiency with interoperable radio systems & resource tracking tools.

Field Experience Preferred:

An effective SAR IC must have a strong operational background:

• 3-5+ years of SAR, Law Enforcement, Fire, EMS, or other type of first responder field operations experience
• Documented leadership roles during missions:
  • Team lead, strike team leader, operations lead, or deputy IC
• Experience coordinating multi-agency responses:
  • Sheriff's Office, fire, EMS, air resources, ground teams, volunteers
• Familiarity with lost person behavior, map/compass, GPS, and topographic navigation
• Experience operating in challenging environments (night, weather, terrain)

Highly Desirable Critical Knowledge Areas:

Someone taking command of SAR incidents needs advanced competency in:

• Incident Action Planning (IAP development, objectives, strategies)
• Risk management (LCES, dynamic risk analysis)
• Resource ordering and tracking
• Operational periods & briefing cycles
• Search theory (POA, POD, search tactics, containment strategies)
• Local terrain, weather patterns, and common hazards
• Legal authority of SAR under the sheriff or agency having jurisdiction
• SARTopo (CalTopo) experience

Essential Skills & Abilities:

These are the leadership and operational qualities that make an IC effective:

Leadership & Command

• Calm decision-making under pressure
• Ability to synthesize rapidly changing information
• Accountability and clarity during chaotic events
• Strong communication with both volunteers and sworn personnel

Operational Judgement

• Ability to manage high-consequence situations with limited information
• Confidence in developing search strategies and pivoting when necessary
• Understanding when to escalate, call mutual aid, or deploy specialty teams

Interpersonal & Coordination Skills

• Skilled at multi-agency collaboration
• Ability to diplomatically work with volunteers, law enforcement, fire, EMS, and families of missing persons
• Clear, consistent briefing and documentation

Recommended Administrative & Program Management:

Because this is a coordinator-level position, beyond field IC duties, the role often includes:

• Writing and maintaining SAR plans, SOPs, and deployment protocols
• Running training programs and exercises
• Managing equipment and response readiness
• Managing budgets and grants
• Maintaining mission logs, after-action reports, and performance documentation
• Ensuring compliance with state SAR statutes and agency policies

Recommended Personal Attributes:

These are often unofficial, but agencies highly value them:

• Adaptability - SAR missions evolve constantly
• Empathy - critical when working with families of the missing
• High attention to detail - for documentation, tracking clues, and safety
• Composure - able to handle emotional cases (children, suicides, medical emergencies)

Physical Requirements:

Appropriate voice skills to be clearly understood on the telephone, radio, and in public contacts; may be required to talk extensively on the phone or radio. Must also have acceptable hearing to hear well on the telephone, radio, and in public contacts.
Must pass the current NWCG red card physical fitness test for the Moderate Level: A 2-mile walk carrying 25 pounds in 30 minutes.
Must have acceptable eyesight, correctable to 20/20, to perform search and rescue responsibilities; drive a vehicle in all conditions, and perform equipment maintenance duties.
May be required to sit, stand, or walk for extended periods. May be required to run for short distances. Must be able to engage in physically strenuous activities, including search and rescue in all types of terrain, in dangerous situations, and during all kinds of weather.
Must have fine and gross motor skills and use of fingers, hands, and arms to operate equipment and motor vehicles.
May be required to climb ladders, work in confined spaces, and work in hazardous areas.
May be subjected to caustic, flammable, or hazardous materials.
Must be able to work in inclement weather conditions.
Must be capable of working under stressful situations.
Must have good cognitive skills and awareness of work accuracy.
Supplemental Information
The Boulder County Sheriff's Office- Emergency Services Unit
Who We Are:
Unit Description

The Emergency Services Unit (ESU) is part of the Operations Division of the Boulder County Sheriff's Office under the Special Operations section. ESU addresses the Sheriff's statutory responsibilities outside the typical law enforcement arena. Those areas include Search and Rescue, Hazmat, and other emergency services field work. The Emergency Services Unit Coordinator's position is hands-on and constantly changing. ESU currently comprises five professionals whose primary responsibility is to provide tools and skills for all-hazards emergency situations through field response to incidents.
The primary role of ESU is on-scene Incident Command for search and rescue/hazmat incidents. The ESU also supports response for weather events, spring water flow/flood recommendations/predictions, wildland fire, and other natural and human-caused catastrophes. This is a 24/7/365 responsibility. The information below is representative of our previous six-year call load:
2019: 198

2020: 256

2021: 247

2022: 254

2023:

210

2024:

211

2025:

215

The on-call requirement for the ESU position is the most demanding aspect of the job. With a current staff of five, the ESU Coordinators are required to take "on-call" after work hours, numerous times per week, including nights, days, weekends, and holidays. A coordinator can expect to be the primary on call ~6 days per month. The on-call Emergency Services Duty Officer (ESDO) must respond within 5 minutes of the incident page. In specific incidents, such as complex rescues or search calls, more than one coordinator may need to assist. In addition, the coordinator must reside in proximity to Boulder County to coordinate and assume Incident Command promptly.
Areas of Work:
Search and Rescue /Hazmat Incident Command

ESU will send one coordinator to most incidents. The coordinator is responsible for Incident Command (as defined by FEMA) and oversees all Section Chiefs for the incident. These incidents include:

• Rock climbing accidents (injuries)
• Stuck climbers and hikers
• Missing persons mountainous and urban)
• Swift water, open water, and dive rescue
• Avalanche/landslide rescue
• Downed aircraft accidents and searches
• Wildland fire - law branch
• Backcountry major accident
• Mine and cave rescue
• Hazmat incidents
• Flood rescue

Related skill sets which the coordinators possess for Incident Command

• A working knowledge and comprehensive understanding of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the Incident Command System (ICS). The coordinator will direct the development of Incident Action Plans (IAPs) for ongoing incidents.
• Knowledge/experience in mountain and urban search and rescue techniques.
• A comprehensive understanding of all rescue resources, including air, land, and water, available to the Sheriff's Office, when and how to order them for incidents.
• Ability to analyze search calls according to best known practices.
• Computer mapping (Sartopo and Field Maps)
• Accurately update associated databases, write press releases, and incident reports
• Emergency vehicle driving

Projects

Outside of incident response, ESU is responsible for numerous projects such as:

• Working as liaisons to maintain good working relationships, promote sound planning, and assist with conflict resolution among the emergency service provider agencies within Boulder County.
• Assisting in major event planning and incident management, including: Flood detection/warning, spring water flow monitoring, avalanche and winter storm monitoring, search and rescue, hazardous materials response, mass casualty incidents, and representation at a variety of meetings.
• Enhancing the Boulder County Sheriff's Office relations with county fire protection districts/departments, ambulance service providers, city, county, state, and National Park rangers, United States Forest Service (USFS) personnel, and is the liaison for the BCSO contracted emergency rescue agencies.
• Administers and maintains the snowmobile, ATV, and UTV programs.
• Maintains the County Mass Casualty trailer and an incident support trailer.
• Administering ambulance contracts.
• Write and administer grants such as BSAR.
  • Assist the Boulder County Hazmat Team Advisory Committee.
  • Administer the Active 911 app for the Sheriff's Office.
  • Work on issues associated with rescue concerns at the local and regional levels.
  • Work on projects associated with the Boulder County Fire Fighters' Association and the Boulder Valley Fire Consortium.
  • Build mapping capability for the Sheriff's Office, including Field Maps and SarTopo.
  • Maintain and deploy the Starlink system.
  • Work with volunteer and paid rescue and fire agencies to build the wide area search capabilities for the County.
  • Develop and implement "Emergency Services Topics" training programs for the Sheriff's Office.
  • Develop and participate in tabletop and field exercises.
  • May be reassigned in the case of an emergency.

Related skill sets which coordinators possess for project management

• Accomplish assigned tasks during stressful situations.
• Project management skills, such as the ability to design programs and envision end states.
• Communicate tactfully, diplomatically, and effectively with the public, coworkers, and partner agencies.
• Effective time management skills.
• Effective planning skills - both short and long term.
• Ability to work without direct supervision for both day-to-day operations and emergency incidents.
• Demonstrate a thorough understanding of modern emergency service principles, strategies, tactics, methods, procedures, and management. This includes hazardous materials, incident management, and search and rescue.
• Must possess above-average writing skills.
• Communicate effectively in public forums.

Office of Disaster Management/ Emergency Operations Center

ESU Coordinators support the Office of Disaster Management in the following:

• Active members of the MACS group and fulfilling the role in Emergency Support Function (ESF) 9 - Search and Rescue, ESF 10 - Hazmat, and ESF 13 - Public Safety.
• May be the liaison for an incident/event to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
• Develops/facilitates, writes, and implements annexes to the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).
• Assists with the work of the Local Emergency Planning Committee.

As well as offering competitive pay and a caring work environment, Boulder County offers employees an array of benefits. For all FTE and Term employees, we provide:

• Outstanding options of comprehensive health plans that include vision and dental coverage. Information can be found
• Additional Benefits can be found
  • Including:
    • Family-forming benefits- infertility treatment, adoption and surrogacy reimbursements
    • 12 weeks Paid Caregiver leave
    • Breast feeding friendly-work environment
    • Sick child care, an infants-at-work policy
    • Access to LifeMart discount hub, including discounts on childcare centers, event tickets, travel and more!
    • Access to a nationally-recognized wellness program
    • Employee Assistance Program
    • PERA 401k
    • Social Security retirement plans
    • Additional Life and Disability Insurance
    • Critical Illness and Accidental Insurance
    • County-paid tuition assistance
    • Eligible for PSLF-
    • Free EcoPass
    • Hospital Indemnity
    • ID Theft Protection
    • Pet Insurance
    • 8 Hours of Paid Public Service Leave
• Generous paid time off
  • Holidays
    • New Year's Day January 1
    • Martin Luther King's Birthday January
    • Presidents' Day February
    • Memorial Day May
    • Juneteenth June 19
    • Independence Day July 4
    • Labor Day September
    • Indigenous People's Day
    • General Election Day November (first Tuesday after the first Monday, even years)
    • Veterans' Day November 11
    • Thanksgiving Day November
    • Friday after Thanksgiving*
    • Christmas Eve- ½ day (full day off depends on day of the week)
    • Christmas Day December 25
    • New Year's Eve- ½ day (full day off depends on day of the week)
  • Vacation**
    • 80-hour bank of vacation at the time of hire
    • Eight hours of vacation per month for the first year of continuous service, then accrue twelve hours of vacation per month after the first year of continuous service.
  • Medical**
    • Eight hours of medical leave for each month employed.
• PERA- The County and all employees pay into both Social Security and PERA
  • Employer contribution to Social Security: 7.65% of salary
  • Employer contribution to PERA (Local Government Division- most county employees: 14.76%

*The District Attorney's Office observe Francis Xavier Cabrini Day on the first Monday in October and omit the Friday after Thanksgiving
**Vacation and Medical leave are based off of full time FTE accruals. Part-time FTE/term employees accrue leave based on the percentage of time they work.
01


It is important that you answer all questions below pertaining to previous life and employment history truthfully, even if previous experiences are not always favorable. Please indicate that you understand the following- I understand that in order for my application to be considered and for me advance through the hiring process, I must answer the following questions truthfully. Any discrepancies between the information that I provide on my application and future testing for this position may disqualify me from the hiring process:

• Yes
• No

02


Please list any and all aliases, maiden name, nicknames, other name changes.
03


List all residences in the last 10 years, beginning with your most recent address, including county of resident. List dates resided at each residence.
04


I acknowledge that in order to be considered for a position with the Boulder County Sheriff's Office I must list all places of employment for the last 15 years.

• Yes
• No

05


Have you ever been discharged (fired), asked to resign, furloughed, or put on inactive status for cause, or subjected to disciplinary action while employed? If so, state place of employment and circumstances.
06


Have you worked for the Boulder County Sheriff's Office previously? If so, state dates employed, position, and supervisor.
07


Have you served in the United States Armed Forces?

• Yes
• No

08


If YES to Military service, were you ever disciplined, arrested, or court marshaled? If so, please explain.
09


Are you now or have you ever been a member of any organization, association, movement, or group which advocates the overthrow of our constitutional form of government, or which has adopted the policy of advocating or approving the commission of acts of force or violence or which seeks to alter the form of government of the United States by unconstitutional means?

• Yes
• No

10


Are you now or have you even been a member of or associated with a group or organization that engages in illegal activities; and/or are you now or have you ever been associated with a group that advocates or engages in hatred, hostility, or violence towards people of a different race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, gender, age, or other protected categories?
11


Do you have any tattoos/scars/marks anywhere on your body that are associated with a group that advocates or engages in hatred, hostility, or violence towards people of a different race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, gender, age, or other protected category?
12


Litigation Information: Have you ever been the plaintiff of, or named in civil litigation, or received notice of claim or intent to be sued? If yes, please explain.
13


Please tell us about any prior drug usage (including marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms)- drugs used, how often, approximate last time used for each. Sharing this information will not preclude you from employment, however, it is information we need to evaluate your honesty and integrity as part of the hiring process.
14


Driver's License: List all states where you have been licensed to operate a motor vehicle. LIST YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE NUMBER.
15


Traffic summons/tickets: List any traffic tickets/summons or accidents, indicated date (to the best of your knowledge), Police or Military Agency, Location, and Disposition.
16


Criminal Offense Information: List any occurrence for which you were arrested, and/or detained by police, regardless of formality and punishment. List occurrences as an adult and as a juvenile. If none, list N/A
17


List any friends, relatives, or acquaintances employed by Boulder County Sheriff's Office and their relationship to you.
18


Were you referred to this position by a current BCSO employee, volunteer, or employee who is contracted to work for the BCSO? If so, what is their name?
19


Have you previously applied with the Boulder County Sheriff's Office? If yes, state for which position(s) applied and dates.
20


Do you have active applications with other law enforcement agencies? If yes, list agency, date, position applied for, and status (if known).
21


Notwithstanding the provisions of Colorado Constitutional Amendment 20, Medical Marijuana, and Amendment 64 legalizing the limited use of marijuana, or Colorado Revised Statute 12-170-103 (the use of "natural medicines," also known as psilocybin mushrooms, the use or non-duty related possession of marijuana or "natural medicines" (psilocybin mushrooms) by a Sheriff's Office employee is a violation of federal law, and is prohibited by policy. Do you agree that while employed for the Boulder County Sheriff, you will not partake of any marijuana related products containing THC or "natural medicines" (i.e. Psilocybin mushrooms)?

• Yes
• No

22


List all high schools attended, dates attended and school address.
23


AUTHORIZATION FOR RELEASE OF INFORMATION: I hereby authorize the release of all information and records concerning myself to any agent of the Boulder County Sheriff's Office.The intent of this authorization is to give my consent for complete disclosure of information regarding my background, reputation, and character. This includes, but is not limited to: Records of educational institutions; military records; employment and pre-employment records; training records; financial or credit records; complaints or grievances filed by or against me; records of investigation, complaint, arrest, trial and/or convictions for alleged or actual violations of law; the results of polygraph examinations; records of civil complaints made by or against me; and verbal or written statements by any person; however personal or confidential they may appear to be. I respectfully request and direct you to release all such information upon the request of any representative of the Boulder County Sheriff's Office, regardless of any agreement to the contrary I may have previously made with you. I understand that the above information is for use by the Boulder County Sheriff's Office in conducting a background investigation to determine my suitability for employment, and will be kept confidential. I understand that all materials obtained become the property of the Boulder County Sheriff's Office and will not be released to me. In the event my application is disapproved, the specific reason therefore cannot be revealed to me.I understand that I have rights guaranteed by law to privacy with regards to the disclosure and access of records of information concerning me, and I voluntarily, knowingly, and willingly waive those rights with the understanding that information furnished will be used by the Boulder County Sheriff's Office in conjunction with employment procedures.For and in consideration of the acceptance and processing of my application for employment, I agree to hold the Boulder County Sheriff's Office, its agents, and employees harmless from any and all claims and liability associated with my application for employment or in any way connected with the decision whether or not to employ me with the Boulder County Sheriff's Office.I agree to indemnify and hold harmless any person or organization, and their agents and employees, to whom this request is presented, from and against all claims, damages, losses, and expenses, including reasonable attorney's fees, arising out of or by reason of complying with this request.A photocopy, fax, scanned, or electronic version of this release form will be valid as an original hereof, even though said photocopy does not contain my original signature.APPLICANT: Type your full name in the space provided. By doing so, you acknowledge that your typed name constitutes and electronic signature, which holds the same force as an original signature.
24


I affirm that the information contained in this application is true and correct to the best of my knowledge. I understand that withholding pertinent information or purposely falsifying information will be cause for refusing further consideration of my application. I also acknowledge that by submitting my application I am giving the Boulder County Sheriff's Office permission to investigate my background, including criminal history. I understand that my date of birth may be required to accurately conduct a criminal background investigation.

• Yes
• No

25


Why are you seeking a position with the Emergency Services Unit, and why do you feel qualified for the Emergency Services position for which you have applied? Please answer in <1000 words.
26


Please describe your experience as an incident commander on a Type IV incident (ICS/NIMS)? Please explain with examples.
27


Please describe your experience as an incident commander on a Type III incident (ICS/NIMS)? Please explain with examples.
28


The Emergency Services Unit liaisons with roughly 36 different emergency response agencies throughout the County on behalf of the Sheriff. These include volunteer and paid fire protection districts and volunteer search-and-rescue groups. Describe your experience in working with volunteer emergency response agencies.
29


On-Call: On-call is one of the most demanding duties of an Emergency Services Coordinator. If hired, the coordinator will be on call multiple times per week, including nights, days, weekends, and holidays. In addition, the coordinator must reside in proximity to Boulder County to coordinate incidents and assume incident command promptly. When the coordinators receive a call for service, they must be en route to the incident within 5 minutes. This is a job requirement. Do you have any obligations that would prohibit your availability to be on-call outside your regular work hours or the ability to live within the described area? Please answer "Yes" or "No" and explain your answer.
Required Question

Job Tags

Full time, Temporary work, Part time, Work at office, Local area, Shift work, Night shift,

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