Chapter 1 Flashcards
A mid-level chief who often has a functional area of responsibility such as training and answers directly to the fire chief
Assistant or division chief
Usually the first level of fire chief. Also called district chief often in charge of running calls and supervising multiple stations
Battalion Chief
The superior-subordinate authority relationship that starts at the top of the organization hierarchy and extends to lowest levels.
Chain of command
An obsolete amplification device that enabled a chief officer to give orders to fire fighters during and emergency; a precursor to the bullhorn and portable radio
Chief’s Trumpet
A code or standard developed through agreement between people representing different organizations and interests. NFPA codes and standards examples are these.
Consensus document
Restraining regulating, governing, counter-acting or overpowering
Controlling
The process of identifying problems and opportunities and resolving them
Decision making
A moral, mental and physical state in which all ranks respond to the will of the leader. Also the guidelines that a department sets for fire fighters to work within
Discipline
The production process in which each worker repeats one step over and over, achieveing greater efficiencies in the use of time and knowledge; also the formal assignment of authority and responsibility to job holders
Division of labor
The highest ranking officer in charge of a fire department; the individual assiged to the responsibility for management and control of all matters and concerns peraining to the fire service organization
Fire Chief
Historically, an identifying symbol on a building to let fire fighters know that the building was insured by a company that would pay them for extinguishing the fire
Fire Mark
A system that defines the roles and responsibilities to be assumed by personnel and the operating procedures to be used in the management and direction of emergency operations; also referred to as an Incident Management System (IMS)
Incident Command System
Guiding or Directing in a course of action
Leadership
The description from the IAFC officer and Development Handbook for the tasks and expectations for a Fire Officer II.
Managing Fire Officer
Putting resources together into an orderly functional structured whole
Organizing
Developing a scheme, program or method that is worked out beforehand to accomplish and objective
Planning
Formal statements that provide guidelines for present and future actions. They often require personnel to make judgements.
Policies
Directives developed by various governments or government authorized organizations to implement a law that has been passed by a government body
Rules and Regulations
The maximum number of personnel or activities that can be effectively controlled by one individual… and what is the number?
Span of control
(usually 3-7). Most experts believe that Span of Control should extend to no more than Five people (depending on the assignment or task)
Written organizational directives that establish or prescribe specific operational or administrative methods to be followed routinely for the performance of designated operations or actions
Standard operating procedures (SOPs)
The description from the IAFC officer and Development Handbook for the tasks expectations of Fire Officer I.
Supervising Fire Officer
The management concept that subordinate should have only one direct supervisor, and that a decision can be traced back through subordinates to the manager who originated it
Unity of Command
NFPA that defines 4 levels of officer and what are they?
NFPA 1021
Fire Officer I: Single Fire Company
Fire Officer II: generally non-chief officer in charge of lager fire department; could be muli-company
Fire Officer III:Battalion or district chief
Fire Officer IV: Fire Chiefs
Fire officer one roles
administrative duties and supervisory fucntions related to small group of department functions
First documented fire in North America
Jamestown, Virgina 1607
First organized volunteer fire company
The Union Fire Company; established in Philadelphia in 1735 under Benjamin Franklin
Date and names of the 2 historic fires that started development of fire codes
Oct 8, 1871 Peshtigo Wisconsin (deadliest) Killing 2200-2500 with a fire tornado 1000 ft high Great Chicago fire 3 day long fire killing 300 and burning 17,000 homes
When and where were Fire insurance companies established?
England soon after the Great fire of London in 1666
Who created the first fire department and what was it called?
Augustus Caesar in 24 BC
Familia Publica composed of 600 slaves.
Who developed the first municipal water system?
The first fire hydrant?
The Romans
George Smith a NYC firefighter who realized a value would allow FFers to access the water system.
What percentage of firefighters are career, volunteers
69% volunteers
31% career
Who were early building codes written by?
Insurance industry
Where were the first building codes?
Ancient Egypt
What is the term for a department who pays it members for for individual calls that are made?
Paid on Call
NFPA 1021
NFPA 1021 defines four levels of fire officer
fire officer 1- single company officer
fire officer 2- multi-company officer in charge of division
fire officer 3- chief level officer
fire officer 4- fire chief
Who developed the first pumper in London?
Richard Newsham
Who were the first firefighters who adopted formal rank structure?
The Corps of Vigiles established by Emperor Nero, they were composed of 7000 free men and adopted formal rank structure of the Roman military
Where were the first fire regulations imposed in North America and what were they?
In Boston with the banning of wooden chimneys and Thatched roofs
What did George Washington do for the fire service?
He was a volunteer firefighter and imported a fire engine from England and donated it to the Alexandria Fire Department in 1765
In colonial time how were fire communications preformed?
How did Public Call Boxes work?
Fire wardens would patrol or sit in towers and ring church bells to alert the town
Public Call boxes started in DC in the 1850s and a box was associated with a code of bells so FFers would know what box to respond to and citizens would guide them from there.
What is the most important resource of the fire scene?
Knowledgeable well trained physically capable firefighters.
Where does the fire service draw its authority from?
The governing entity responsible for protecting the public from fire.
Federal and state governments also grant authority to the fire departments
A special political subdivision that can be established by a state or a county with the single purpose of providing fire protection within a defined geographic area
Fire protection district
What are the four management principles most fire departments are structured on?
Unity of Command
Span of Control
Division of Labor
Discipline
What are the two types of discipline?
Positive as when it defines appropriate actions
Corrective when it responds to inappropriate actions or behaviors
Who identified the four functions of management?
Henri Foyal
4 functions of Management
Planning
Organizing
Leading
Controlling
What are the (3) different ranges of planning that a fire
officer is responsible for
Short range planning - cover s developing a plan that extends up to a year
Medium range planning- covers planning that is 1-3 years in advance
Long range planning covers events longer than 3 years in advance.
Rules and regulations
Developed by various governments or government-authorized organization to implement a law that has been passed.
Rules and regulation do not leave room for latitude or discretion.
What is a way to judge a decision (ethics)? (3 questions)
Ask yourself :
- what would my parents and friends say if they knew
- would I mind if the paper ran it as a headline story?
- How does it make me feel about myself?
The duties of Fire Officer two can be subdivided into three categories…
- administrative
- nonemergency
- emergency actives
How does the IAFC identify the Fire Officers II?
As a Managing Fire Officer
While a rigid command control process is used on scene, how are are departments away from the accident scene?
Departments are using concepts of employee empowerment, decentralized decision making and delegation to fully engage firefighters in the required task to prepare and maintain readiness.
The NFAP notes that firefighting makes up only __ % of the total response workload based on NFIRS reporting.
What are the three main responses for fire departments?
5%
1. EMS calls make up 66% of fire department call and can be as much as 80% in some departments.
- Activated fire protection systems are the second most common reason for fire service response. Fires occur in about 1 out of 1000.
- Odor/hazardous condition is the third most common call type.
What is the primary cause of death within burning structures?
Flashover and structural collapse are the primary causes of death within a burning structure
Integration of women and minorities focused on Assimilation- making those who were different fit into the mold of the traditional fire service.
Cultural Diversity
