2 Organizational Structure

Question 1

Fire departments follow basic principals of organizational structure, those include

Answer 1

Scalar structure
Line and staff personnel
Decision making authority
Unity of command
Span of control
Division of labor

Question 2

Scalar structure

Answer 2

Uninterrupted series of steps or chain of command

Question 3

Authority

Answer 3

Refers to the legal ability of an individual to make and implement decisions for which the individual is held accountable. Empowered duties of an official to perform certain tasks

Question 4

Two decision making models

Answer 4

Centralized authority

Decentralized authority

Question 5

Centralized authority

Answer 5

Decisions made by one person at the top, works well in very small organizations like individual fire company.

Question 6

Accountability for decisions is almost always

Answer 6

Centralized

Question 7

Decentralized

Answer 7

Depictions made at lower level (delegation of authority) should be delegated to lowest level possible

Question 8

In decentralized model, decision making authority is limited to

Answer 8

Only those tasks over which personnel have been given authority.

Question 9

Delegation is the process of

Answer 9

Providing subordinates with the authority, direction and resources needed to complete an assignment.

Question 10

Concerns about delegating a task can be alleviated through

Answer 10

Training program that builds knowledge, skills, abilities, trust.

Question 11

When assigning a task the officer must ensure the employee is

Answer 11

Capable of doing the job

Question 12

Unity of command states that each subordinate must only have

Answer 12

One supervisor

Question 13

Problems with following more than one supervisor

Answer 13

Last order completed when first isn’t
Tasks done poorly while trying to do both
Employee plays supervisors against each other, not knowing what employee is doing
Employee is frustrated with conflicting tasks and gives up

Question 14

Sidestepping

Answer 14

Process of going around a link in the chain of command to deal with an issue.

Question 15

Sidestepping can be destructive to

Answer 15

Organizational unity and cohesiveness.

Question 16

Side stepping is acceptable when

Answer 16

The immediate supervisor does not solve the problem or is part of the problem, use skip level notification

Question 17

Skip level notification

Answer 17

Notifying ones supervisor that they wish to take a problem to the supervisor’s supervisor.

Question 18

To reduce side stepping, officers should

Answer 18

Be available to listen to their subordinates problems
Listen to problems sincerely
Take action and notify employee of your actions
Take a problem to the next level in command chain it unable to be solved.

Question 19

Functional supervision

Answer 19

Reporting to two supervisors, a different one than usual for a specific task. All things pertaining to that take fall to that supervisor

Question 20

Sop and sog are used to

Answer 20

Define organizational policy and describe behavioral and performance expectations of employees

Question 21

Span of control refers to

Answer 21

The number of subordinates reporting to one supervisor

Question 22

Optimum number of subordinates for span of control

Answer 22

5

Question 23

Effective span of control may need to be reduced when

Answer 23

The task being completed is dangerous or life threatening

Question 24

The primary means of categorizing public fire and emergency services is by

Answer 24

The jurisdiction the organization serves

Question 25

Municipal

Answer 25

Functional division of the lowest level of local government

Question 26

Second level of local government

Answer 26

County

Question 27

Generally state emergency fire suppression companies are organized for

Answer 27

Forest, wildland, and urban interface fires

Question 28

Example of non emergent state fire

Answer 28

Fire Marshall

Question 29

Private emergency services generally fall into three categories

Answer 29

Industrial fire brigades
For profit fire and emergency services organization
Private non profit for and emergency services

Question 30

Outside aid generally involves payment for

Answer 30

Services provided by the outside authority