Chapter 1 Flashcards
Bucket brigade
People standing in line side by side from water source to the fire passing a bucket of water. The last person in line at fire would throw water onto fire.
Firefighters are not extraordinary people– they are ordinary people who…
Consciously put themselves in extraordinary situations.
When did firefighting tools, equipment, and methods begin to change in North America?
Industrial Revolution
Last quarter of 18th century
4 categories of public fire departments
Volunteer
Paid-on-call
Career
Combination of these
This type of dept greatly outnumbers career depts
Volunteer
Fundamental characteristics and behaviors of a firefighter
Integrity Moral character Work ethic A sense of personal pride Professional pride Courage
Peoples trust in firefighters is second only to ?
The trust in members of they’re own family
Fire departments exist to?
Intervene as quickly as possible in fires and other emerging situations.
Mission of the fire service
Save lives and protect property
Two programs fire depts use to prevent fires
- Fire prevention and code enforcement
- Public education
Priorities by which most fire departments operate
- Life safety
- Incident stabilization
- Property conservation
Highest priority in any emergency operation
Life safety
Most fires and other emergencies will continue to get worse until?
Someone usually the fire dept steps in to interrupt the growth of the situation
4 basic organizational principles
Unity of command
Span of control
Division of labor
Discipline
Unity of command
You only report to one supervisor.
Directly each subordinate reports to one boss.
Indirectly everyone reports to the fire chief through the chain of command
Chain of command
Represents line of authority and responsibility from the highest level of the dept to the lowest.
Span of control
Any officer can effectively supervise or manage only a certain number individuals or groups.
In fire service from 3-7 firefighters can be supervised by one officer
Division of labor
Process of dividing large jobs into small jobs to make them more manageable.
Division of labor is necessary in the fire service for the following reasons.
To assign responsibility
To prevent duplication of effort
To make specific and clear cut
assignments
Discipline
Setting the limits or boundaries for expected performance and enforcing them.
Refers to an organization’s responsibility to provide the direction needed to satisfy st intended goals and objectives and the individuals responsibility to follow the direction given.
The rules of the department must be ?
Clearly written and disseminated throughout the organization.
Highest and most positive form of discipline is?
Self-discipline
In a fire department, discipline is intended to do the following?
Educate Correct inappropriate behavior Provide positive motivation Ensure compliance with established rules, regulations, standards, and procedures. Provide direction
Standard operating unit of a fire dept?
Fire company Consisting of a; -company officer -driver/operator -one or more firefighters
