Chapter 1 Flashcards
Assistant Chief
A midlevel chief who often has a functional area of responsibility, such as training, and answers directly to the fire chief
Battalion Chief
Usually the first level of fire chief, often in charge of calls and supervising multiple stations within a city, and usually in charge of single-alarm working fires
Chain of Command
The superior-subordinate authority relationship that starts at the top of the organization hierarchy and extends to the lowest levels
Consensus Document
A code or standard developed through agreement between people representing different organizations and interests. NFPA codes are consensus documents.
Controlling
Restraining, regulating, governing, counter-acting, or overpowering
Decision Making
The process of identifying problems and opportunities and resolving them
Discipline
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 firefighters to work within
Division of Labor
The production process in which each worker repeats one step over and over, achieving greater efficiencies in the use of time and knowledge; also the formal assignment of authority and responsibility to job holders
Fire Chief
The highest ranking officer in charge of a fire department
Fire Mark
Historically, an identifying symbol on a building to let firefighters know that the building was insured by a company that would pay them for extinguishing the fire
Incident Command System (ICS)
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. AKA Incident Management System (IMS)
Leadership
A complex process by which a person influences others to accomplish a mission, task, or objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent.
Managing Fire Officer
Fire Officer II. In this role, the officer is encouraged to acquire the appropriate levels of training, experience, self-development, and education to prepare for the Chief Fire Officer designation
Organizing
Putting resources together into an orderly, functional, structured whole
Planning
Developing a scheme, program or method that is worked out beforehand to accomplish an objective
Policies
Formal statements that provide guidelines for present and future actions
Rules and Regulations
Directives developed by various government organizations to implement a law that has been passed by a government body
Span of Control
The maximum number of personnel or activities that can be effectively controlled by one individual (usually 3-7)
Supervising Fire Officer
Fire Officer I, Officer is encouraged to acquire the appropriate levels of training, experience, self-development and education to prepare for the Chief designation
Unity of Command
The management concept that a subordinate should have only one direct supervisor, and that a decision can be traced back through subordinates to the manager who originated it.
NFPA 1021
Professional qualification standards for Fire Officers
Concept
At the Fire Officer I level, the emphasis is placed on accomplishing the department’s goals and objectives by working through subordinates to achieve the desired results
Concept
The officer is a part of management and is responsible for the conduct of others. The officer has to apply policies, procedures, and rules to subordinates and to different situations
Concept
The chain of command creates a structure for managing the fire department as well as for directive fire-ground operations
4 Management principles of most fire departments
- Unity of Command
- Span of Control
- Division of labor
- Discipline
4 functions of managing
- Planning
- Organizing
- Leading
- Controlling
Concept
Fire Officers must thoroughly know the department’s regulations, policies, and SOP’s
Concept
A rigid command and control process remains essential when operating at emergency scenes. Away from emergencies however, departments are using the concepts of employee empowerment, decentralized decision making, and delegation
Concept
Flashover and structural collapse are the primary causes of death for firefighters within a burning structure
