Quartermaster - Fire & OEM

Port Houston offers competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and a diverse, inclusive work environment. Joining our team means embarking on a fulfilling career path with opportunities for growth and impact.

About the Role

The Quartermaster serves as the logistics and resource management lead for Port Houston’s Fire Department and Office of Emergency Management (OEM). This position is responsible for ensuring operational readiness through the procurement, inventory management, maintenance, distribution, and lifecycle management of emergency response equipment, personal protective equipment (PPE), vehicles, communications assets, and emergency supplies. The role supports daily operations, emergency incidents, disaster response, continuity planning, and homeland security initiatives.

In alignment with NFPA 1201, 1851, and 1970, fire departments are required to maintain systems for inventory control, equipment tracking, and maintenance documentation. Additional NFPA standards govern PPE, SCBA, and apparatus, requiring structured inspection, maintenance, and lifecycle management programs. The Texas Commission on Fire Protection mandates that all protective equipment be properly maintained and compliant with applicable standards, reinforcing the need for centralized oversight.

Operations within the Port of Houston include marine firefighting, fireboat response, petrochemical risk, and hazardous materials incidents. These missions rely on specialized equipment such as fireboat systems, foam operations, hazmat detection equipment, and marine PPE. Ensuring readiness of these assets requires dedicated oversight by this position.

Responsibilities

• PPE Program Oversight
  • Serve as designated PPC Manager and maintain TFCP compliance
  • Maintain PPE policies and records
  • Track gear issuance by employee
  • Coordinate inspections, repairs, cleaning, and retirement
  • Verify certification and compliance labeling
  • Conduct annual compliance audits
• Assist the Office of Emergency Management with assets and equipment as needed, including deploying resources and attending outreach events with equipment
• Schedule and work with outside vendors such as testing hose, ladders, pumps, SCBA, and hydraulic tools
• Provide recommendations on new equipment and gear
• Emergency Preparedness & Incident Support
  • Serve as Logistics Unit Leader during emergencies and special events
  • Coordinate resource requests during incidents utilizing the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Incident Command System (ICS)
  • Support activation of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
  • Ensure emergency response personnel have necessary equipment, fuel, food, shelter, and support resources during prolonged incidents
• SCBA / Respiratory Protection
  • Track SCBA assets and cylinders
  • Coordinate hydrostatic testing and annual flow tests
  • Maintain facepiece inventories
  • Manage breathing air quality testing and compressor logs
  • Recall / repair management
• Logistics & Asset Readiness
  • Apparatus equipment accountability
  • Fireboat readiness inventories
  • Foam inventory and suppression agent management
  • Hazmat cache management
  • Procurement support
  • PSTrax asset management systems
  • Hazardous materials response equipment
  • Emergency communications equipment
  • Specialized OEM response equipment
• Act in accordance with Port Houston core values (respect, excellence, accountability, diligence, and you)
• Perform other duties as required

Requirements

• High School diploma or GED required
• Associate’s degree in Emergency Management or Fire Science preferred
• 5+ years of related firefighting experience required
• Two years of logistics, data entry, or closely related experience

Qualifications

• Knowledge of NFPA standards: 10, 17, 232, 1801, 1851, 1852, 1858, 1911, 1912, 1931, 1932, 1936, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1971, 1981, 1983, 1989
• Valid Class B Texas Driver License
• NIMS 300 & 400 preferred
• A Transportation Worker Identification (TWIC) must be obtained within 30 days of appointment and maintained for the duration of employment

Certifications

Required within one year of hire:

• FEMA IS-100
• FEMA IS-200
• FEMA IS-700
• FEMA IS-800

Skills

• Ethics and Integrity
• Organization and Time Management
• Performance Management and Accountability
• Change Leadership
• Communication (written and oral)
• Relationship Building and Collaboration

Work Environment

This is a hybrid position, operating in office, warehouse, and emergency environments. The work site location is the Port Coordination Center. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate, but due to an open office environment, noise level may occasionally be high.