Chapter 1 Flashcards
How were the first firefighters paid?
Insurance companies
Where was the first recorded major fire in the New World? What year?
Jamestown 1608
What was banned in the city of Boston in the year 1631? Why was this banned?
Thatched roofs and wooden chimneys to prevent the outbreaks of fires
What year did Boston purchase its first fire engine?
1653
What year did Boston form the first-ever paid fire company?
1678
Where was the first fire organization formed in North America?
New Amsterdam (later known as New York)
What title did Peter Stuyvesant give to the group of men who acted as fire wardens?
Surveyors of Buildings
What year was the New Amsterdam Fire Company formed?
1658
After being encouraged by the success of Boston’s fire company, what year did the citizens of Philadelphia form a fire society?
1735
What year did New York form its own volunteer fire department?
1737
What were the hand-operated pumps replaced by in the mid-1800s?
Horse-drawn steam pumpers
What changed by the end of the 19th century during the Industrial Revolution?
Iron structures were replaced by steel (which was lighter and stronger). Steel-frame buildings known as skyscrapers could now reach ten to twenty stories.
What was formed in 1896 to develop consensus-based codes and standards intended to ensure fire and life safety?
the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
Which NFPA was the first published standard? This regulated the design and installation of fire protection sprinkler systems in structures.
NFPA 13
What is the obsolete term for resistance to fire?
Fireproof
What is hardware that is mounted on exit doors in public buildings that unlock from the inside? This hardware enables doors to be opened when pressure is applied to the release mechanism
Panic Hardware
What is the ability of two of more systems to exchange information and use the information that has been exchanged?
Interoperability
What was authorized by the Fire Research and Safety Act of 1968?
The National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control (NCFPC)
What is the purpose of the National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control? (NFCPC)
to determine how to reduce fire loss in America
What was developed in an attempt to better integrate fire departments into the communities they serve as well as address concerns about the lack of minorities in the ranks?
Community-based fire protection programs
What is the shared assumptions, beliefs, and values of a group or organization?
Culture
What is specialized or technical language of a trade, profession, or similar group?
Jargon
What is the fire service sometimes referred to? It is referred to as this because it contains characteristics including a chain of command, ranks to define positions, uniforms, badges, symbols of rank, and an emphasis on teamwork.
Paramilitary organization
What are the 8 cultural strengths displayed by fire departments?
Integrity, Moral Character, Work Ethic, Pride, Courage, Loyalty, Respect, Compassion
What does the AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction) determine?
The AHJ determines what services are needed to protect its citizens and establishes the fire services to meet that need
What is the mission of the fire service?
The mission of the fire service is to save lives and protect property and the environment from fires and other hazardous situations.
What is an all-hazard concept approach?
a coordinated approach to a wide variety of incidents; all responders use a similar, coordinated approach with a common set of authorities, protections, and resources. Examples of all-hazard approach range from fire suppression, EMS, hazardous materials mitigation, community risk reduction, etc.
What is the organizational rank/pyramid/hierarchy of the fire department? (starting from the top)
Fire Chief Deputy Chief Assistant Chief Battalion Chief Captains Lieutenants Driver/Operators FF's/EMT's
What are the two type of fire ad emergency services organizations?
Public and Private
What is the difference between public and private organizations?
Public: Funded by the community through taxes, fees, grants, fund-raisers, donations, and contracts. The community may be a municipality, county, district, or other area as defined by the AHJ
Private: Raise money through contracts, billing, and revenue provided by their parent organization. Typically provide services to a single company, facility, or municipality.
What is the difference between career and volunteer firefighters?
Career firefighters work a required schedule and receive pay and benefits for their work. Volunteer firefighters do not work from a set schedule but must respond to all incidents to which they are called.
What are the two personnel groups of volunteer/career departments?
Line and Staff
What is the difference between line functions and staff functions?
Line personnel provides EMS to external customers (the public). Staff personnel provides administrative and logistical support for internal customers (line personnel) in areas such as finance maintenance and training.
What is the basic unit of fire fighting operations?
a company
What is a fire fighting company composed of?
A company officer, a driver/operator or engineer, FF, and/or EMT. Actual staffing is determined by the AHJ.