Mgr, Emergency Svcs & Studio Fire Chief

Global Emergency Preparedness & Response (GEPR) builds organizational resilience by enabling The Walt Disney Company’s business segments to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies and crises. GEPR establishes global frameworks, standards, and tools that support consistent crisis management capabilities while empowering lines of business to execute response activities aligned to their operational realities. The team partners closely with Global Security, HR, Safety, Technology, Legal, Communications, and business segment leaders to strengthen preparedness, improve response coordination, and embed a culture of readiness across a complex, global enterprise.

Within GEPR, the Walt Disney Studios Fire Department is a private fire department dedicated to supporting The Walt Disney Company’s properties in the Los Angeles Area. Based at the Burbank studio lot and supporting additional Company properties, including the Glendale Campus and Prospect Studios, the department is responsible for fire prevention, fire and life-safety programs, fire code compliance for properties and TV/Film productions, fire protection system oversight, alarm response and investigation, emergency response coordination, and operational. The department collaborates closely with the Burbank, Glendale, and Los Angeles Fire Departments to support fire and life-safety objectives and ensure a coordinated response to emergencies affecting Disney properties. In limited circumstances, Fire Department personnel may take immediate action to investigate, contain, or extinguish incipient-stage fires when it is safe to do so.

What you will do as a Manager in Emergency Services…

• Provide strategic leadership, direction, and oversight for all Studio Fire Department operations, including fire prevention, life safety, departmental policy development, emergency response planning, training programs, staffing, budget planning, and operational readiness.

• Lead and develop a team of Fire Captains and Volunteer Fire Department personnel by establishing and/or implementing established performance expectations, training standards, operational procedures, and workforce development programs.

• Lead fire and life-safety initiatives across supported Disney properties, providing oversight of fire prevention activities, inspections, fire protection system testing, impairment management, emergency preparedness, hazard mitigation efforts, and regulatory compliance programs while partnering closely with Corporate Risk Management and other stakeholders to maintain a safe and compliant operating environment.

• Oversee departmental emergency response preparedness and operational readiness, ensuring personnel, apparatus, equipment, supplies, facilities, and response capabilities are maintained in a constant state of readiness to support business operations and emergency response needs.

• Direct the administration, governance, training, operational standards, and continuous improvement of the Volunteer Fire Department program, ensuring instructor cadre adherence to established training curricula, qualification requirements, polices, and safety standards.

• Provide executive leadership and oversight for the Unified Incident Command Team (UICT) program across supported properties, including governance of program standards, operating procedures, onboarding, training, exercises, activations, after-action reviews, and continuous capability improvement efforts.

• Serve as the senior fire and life-safety advisor to business leaders, production partners, facilities teams, security leadership, risk management partners, and other stakeholders on matters related to emergency preparedness, fire protection, regulatory compliance, and operational risk.

• Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with municipal fire departments, emergency management agencies, regulatory authorities, production partners, and internal stakeholders to strengthen emergency preparedness, coordinated response capabilities, and organizational resilience.

• Partner with Risk Management, Corporate Real Estate, Global Security, Facilities, and business stakeholders to develop and implement strategies that enhance fire and life safety preparedness activities, fire protection, emergency preparedness, and business continuity objectives across supported properties.

• Establish fire department staffing models and operational coverage strategies to support the Studio Lot and other supported Disney properties, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and operational risk considerations.

• Oversee the planning, coordination, execution, and evaluation of evacuation drills, emergency exercises, alarm investigations, and incident reviews to identify trends, improve preparedness, and strengthen organizational response capabilities.

• Serve as an on-call senior leader and incident commander for significant fire, life-safety, or emergency events, coordinating response activities and providing executive-level decision support when incidents impact Company properties or operations.

• Support Global Emergency Preparedness & Response (GEPR) programs and initiatives through participation in emergency preparedness planning, exercises, incident management activities, response and recovery operations, and enterprise preparedness programs.

• In limited circumstances, personally support emergency response operations, including fire investigation, hazard mitigation, incident assessment, and the safe management of incipient-stage fire events when operationally necessary and consistent with department training, policies, and capabilities.

• Participate in other duties as assigned by the Senior Manager or Director, Global Emergency Preparedness & Response.

You will need these skills to be successful in the role…

• +15 years of experience in fire service management is required.

• Ability to support emergency response operations, including fire investigation, hazard mitigation, incident assessment, and limited fire suppression activities when operationally necessary, while wearing Fire Department Personal Protective Equipment, including Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus.

• Demonstrate proficiency in computer skills, particularly with Windows-based applications within Microsoft Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint.

• Adept at formulating training plans and executing competency assessments.

• Possession of a valid California Driver's License.

• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple operational, administrative, compliance, and emergency response priorities across a fire service organization.

• Experience developing, implementing, or overseeing incident command, emergency management, or emergency response team programs, including training, exercises, activations, and after-action improvement processes.

• Demonstrated ability to build relationships and effectively communicate with executive leadership, regulatory agencies, emergency response partners, and cross-functional business stakeholders.

• Experience supervising, coaching, and developing fire service personnel, including career staff, volunteers, and training instructors.

• Skilled in developing and managing departmental inventory and budget requests.

• Ability to properly utilize fire department personal protective gear, including turnouts.

• Qualified to take and successfully pass a respiratory fit test for the use of a self-contained breathing apparatus mask.

• California State Fire Marshal Fire Fighter I Certification or equivalent.

• California State Fire Marshal Fire Fighter II Certification or equivalent.

• California State Fire Marshal Prevention 1A and 1B Certification or equivalent.

• California State Fire Marshal Fire Officer 1 or equivalent.

• California State Fire Marshal Fire Safety Officer certification, obtainable within one year of hire.

• Maintain current certification in American Red Cross CPR/AED/First Aid.

It would be a plus if you had these skills…

• Knowledge of the Motion Picture/Television industry.

• Knowledge and ability to manage the department's Unified Incident Command Team.

• Experience in fire department management, emergency management, and disaster preparedness.

• Experience working within a mutual-aid framework alongside municipal fire departments.

• Advanced degree and/or additional certifications

Education is important to us, here is what we are looking for…

• Associate's degree in Fire Technology and/or equivalent experience

Disney offers a rewards package to help you live your best life. This includes health and savings benefits, educational opportunities, and special extras that only Disney can provide. Learn more about our benefits and perks at https://jobs.disneycareers.com/benefits.

#DisneySecurity #twdcmedia #corp_media

The hiring range for this position in Burbank, CA is $115,500 to $154,800 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.