Data & Performance Analyst Intern (Sparks Fire Department, Pack Intern, Spring '27)

**This internship is hosted by the City of Sparks Fire Department and sponsored by the Nevada Career Studio and ASUN. 

Students are highly encouraged to complete a 15 minute drop-in or schedule an in-person or virtual 30-minute appointment with a Career Mentor BEFORE submitting an application. Resumes and cover letters that do not meet NCS best practices will not be included in applicant packages to employers. 

After the application period closes in Handshake, the NCS Internships Team reviews the applicants and sends eligible students' applicant packages to employers for them to reach out to conduct interviews and make the final intern selection. Employers will contact students directly if they are interested in moving forward with them as a candidate. 

City of Sparks Fire Department 

About the City of Sparks Fire Department: 

The City of Sparks is a growing community in northern Nevada, located in the Truckee Meadows along the eastern base of the Sierra Nevada. Known as part of the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area, Sparks provides a wide range of municipal services to residents, businesses, and visitors throughout the community. 

The City of Sparks operates under a council-manager form of government, with the Mayor and City Council providing policy direction and the City Manager overseeing the City's day-to-day operations. The City Council serves as the City's legislative and policy-making body, addressing community priorities, major projects, infrastructure, land use, finances, and strategic planning. 

The City provides a broad range of municipal services, including public safety, community development and planning, streets and infrastructure, parks and recreation, wastewater and stormwater services, and general government functions. Public safety services include the Sparks Police Department and the Sparks Fire Department. 

The Sparks Fire Department provides fire and emergency services to the community, including fire suppression, emergency medical response, fire prevention, and related public safety services. The department also works with regional partners to provide coordinated emergency services throughout the Truckee Meadows.  

The City of Sparks continues to focus on public safety, responsible growth, infrastructure, community development, and effective delivery of municipal services. Through collaboration with regional partners, including the City of Reno and Washoe County, the City and Sparks Fire Department work to provide coordinated services and support a safe and thriving community. 

Internship Description: 

Under general direction, the internship position is designed to provide practical experience in data organization, analysis, reporting, and data visualization within a fire department environment. 

Under the guidance and direction of the Division Chief of Training and Administration and fire department staff, the intern will assist with a project to develop and improve an internal Fire Statistics Dashboard. The dashboard will provide department personnel with an organized and easy-to-understand way to review fire department activity, response data, call volume, and other operational statistics. 

This position is intended for an individual who is interested in learning how data is collected, organized, analyzed, and presented to support fire department operations and administrative decision-making. The intern will receive direction and support throughout the project. 

Duties/Responsibilities: 

• The primary assignment will be to work with fire department staff on the development of an internal Fire Statistics Dashboard. The intern will assist with organizing existing data, identifying information needed for the dashboard, reviewing data for accuracy, and helping create easy-to-understand charts, graphs, tables, and filters within the Power BI system. 
• The dashboard may allow users to filter information by battalion, station, apparatus, month, quarter, year, emergent or non-emergency response, mutual aid given and received, automatic aid given and received, enhanced aid given and received, ALS and BLS calls, ALS and BLS transports, and false alarms. 
• The dashboard may also include information related to total call volume, call volume by incident type, call volume by time of day and day of week, turnout time, travel time, Effective Response Force, unit utilization, response benchmarks, water-on-fire times, under-control times, fire loss/property loss, acres affected, civilian injuries and deaths, and firefighter injuries and deaths. 

The intern's role will be primarily supportive and developmental, with assignments and responsibilities adjusted based on the intern's experience, skill level, and progress throughout the internship. 

• Provide general clerical and administrative support to department staff. 
• Answer telephone calls and direct calls to the appropriate staff member. 
• Receive visitors and direct them to the appropriate department personnel. 
• Sort, distribute, scan, copy, and file documents. 
• Organize and maintain paper and electronic files. 
• Perform routine data entry and update information in spreadsheets and databases. 
• Assist with maintaining department records and supporting documentation. 
• Receive, organize, label, and stock supplies. 
• Assist department staff with routine inventory counts. 
• Update inventory records and spreadsheets using information provided by department staff. 
• Assist with preparing supplies and materials for distribution. 
• Help organize and maintain storage and warehouse areas. 
• Assist with receiving deliveries and organizing related documentation.
• Verify received items against provided documentation and report discrepancies to department staff. 
• Prepare basic spreadsheets, lists, and reports using information provided by department personnel. 
• Organize and maintain routine records related to supplies, equipment, and administrative activities. 
• Assist with scanning, filing, and organizing purchasing, delivery, and inventory documentation. 
• Perform other routine administrative and logistical support duties as assigned. 

Goals and Expectations of the Intern: 

• Complete 120 hours of work as an intern (8-15 hours per week, 15 weeks total) 
• The intern will be expected to demonstrate professionalism, dependability, and discretion while working within the Sparks Fire Department. Because the intern may be exposed to sensitive department information and public safety-related projects, maintaining confidentiality and exercising good judgment will be important throughout the internship. 
• During the internship, the intern will work fire department staff to assist with the development of an internal Fire Statistics Dashboard. The intern will gain practical experience by helping collect, organize, review, and prepare department data for use in the dashboard. 
• The intern should communicate effectively with department staff, ask questions when clarification or additional direction is needed, and demonstrate a willingness to learn and take initiative. By the end of the internship, the intern should have developed a basic understanding of how fire department data is collected, organized, reviewed, and presented. The intern should demonstrate growth in data organization, basic analytical skills, data visualization, attention to detail, communication, and professional workplace practices. The intern's work will contribute to the development of an internal Fire Statistics Dashboard that can assist Sparks Fire Department personnel in reviewing department activity and identifying operational trends. 

Required Qualifications: 

• Must be a degree-seeking undergraduate student at the University of Nevada, Reno during the Spring ‘27 semester 
• December ‘26 or earlier graduates are not eligible for the Pack Internship Grant Program
• Reliable, professional, and able to handle sensitive or confidential information with discretion 
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail 
• Basic research, writing, and critical-thinking skills 
• Comfortable working with information, data, and standard office tools 
• Basic proficiency with spreadsheets, word processing, and other common office applications 
• Clear and effective written and verbal communication skills 
• Able to work independently and effectively as part of a team 
• Willingness to learn and take direction from department staff 
• Ability to manage multiple routine tasks and meet established deadlines 

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Coursework or interest in public administration, political science, criminal justice, public policy, data analytics, or a related field 
• Familiarity with local government, public safety, or municipal operations 
• Experience preparing written materials such as reports, summaries, presentations, or other professional documents 
• Interest in public service with a practical, problem-solving approach 
• Demonstrates initiative, curiosity, and a willingness to identify opportunities for improvement 
• Familiarity with DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) or similar data-analysis languages is preferred. 
• Familiarity with Power BI or other data visualization tools. 
• Basic understanding of database concepts, data structures, or programming logic. 
• Interest in developing skills in data analytics, dashboard development, and data visualization. 
• Previous experience working with datasets, reports, or statistical information is desirable but not required. 

Desired Schedule for Intern:  

Applicants should generally be available to work Tuesday through Thursday between 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Scheduling is flexible around class commitments and will be coordinated with the supervisor. Occasional adjustments to the schedule may be requested to accommodate specific department meetings, events, or other business needs, with advance notice. 

PIGP internships require interns to complete 120 hours during their internship. It is the intern’s responsibility to ensure this requirement is met.