Chapter 1 - Introduction to the fire officer Flashcards
What is the first step in a progressive sequence and is generally associated with an officer supervising a single fire company or apparatus?
Fire officer I
Generally refers to the senior non-chief officer level in a larger fire department. An officer at this level could be the overall supervisor of a multiple unit fire station?
Fire officer II
Generally referred to a chief officer position. An individual who is qualified at this level, might work as a battalion or district chief in a large department and possibly as a deputy or assistant chief in a smaller organization.
Fire officer III
Personnel at this level tends to be fire chiefs or whole senior positions in charge of a major component of the fire department
Fire officer IV
Where did the foundation of company officer practice come from?
World War II combat experience
Departments that provide an incentive for firefighters by paying them for each response to an alarm?
Paid on call
As of 2012, how many firefighters are working in the United States?
1.1 million
What is the percentage of full-time career firefighters and the percentage that are (volunteers,paid on call, and part time ) firefighters?
31% full-time career paid
69% volunteer/part time/paid on call
3 to 4 career firefighters work in communities with populations of ……… or more
25,000
Most volunteer firefighters work and fire departments that protect small rural communities with populations less than ……..
2,500
Where and when was the first document on fire in North America?
Jamestown Virginia
1607
In 1630, Boston Massachusetts, established the first fire regulations in North America when it banned ………?
Wood chimneys
and
thatched roofs
Where and when was the first volunteer fire company established under the leadership of Benjamin Franklin?
The union fire company
Philadelphia
1735
What was the date of the great Chicago fire that burned through the city for three days?
October 8, 1871
Not as widely publicized, what is the deadliest fire in United States history?
Peshtigo firestorm
Richard Newsham developed these in 1720 in London England?
Hand powered Pumpers
What year did steam powered Pumpers become developed?
1829
Insurance companies marked the homes of their policyholders with a ………. That show the name or logo of the insurance company.
Plaque or fire Mark
Who organized the first fire insurance company in United States?
Benjamin Franklin
What civilization developed the first municipal water systems, just as they had developed the first fire companies?
24 BC
Augustus Caesar
The Romans
George Smith, a fire fighter in New York City developed the first fire hydrant in what year?
1817
In Washington DC in the 1850s, the introduction of ………was a major advancement in the fire service?
Public call boxes
In Canada, as of 2007, an estimated ……..% of the 42,753 fires occurred in residences.
There were …….. civilian fire deaths
69%
224
In 1678, Boston required that …….. be used for all roofs?
Tile or slate
Who is the fire chief usually accountable to?
The leader of the governing body, such as the city Council, the County commission, the mayor, or the city manager.
Who is usually the officer in charge of a single alarm working fire?
Battalion chief
The management concept that each fire fighter answers to only one supervisor, and each supervisor answers to only one boss.
This offers a direct route of responsibility from the fire chief to the fire fighter
Unity of command
Refers to the maximum number of personnel or activities that can be effectively controlled by one individual.
Span of control
(3-7)
A way of organizing an incident by breaking down the overall strategy into smaller tasks.
Specific assignment of a task to an individual makes that person responsible for completing the task and prevents duplication of job assignments
Division of labor
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.
SOP’s, SOG’s, policies, and procedures are all forms of this because they outlined how things are to be done, and usually how far a person can go without requesting further guidance.
Discipline
Henri Fayol published the ……… textbook in 1916, that describes the four functions of management.
General and industrial management
English translation Constance Storrs 1949
The four functions of management are………..?
- Planning
- Organizing
- Leading
- Controlling
Developing a scheme, program, or method that is worked out before hand to accomplish in objective
Planning
Putting resources together into an orderly, functional, structured whole
Organizing
Guiding or directing in a course of action
Leading
A complex process of influencing others to accomplish a task
Leadership
Restraining, regulating, governing, counteracting, or overpowering
Controlling
Directives developed by various government or government authorized organizations to implement a law that has been passed by a government body
Rules and regulations
Formal statements that provides guidelines for present and future actions. They often require personnel to make judgments
Policies
Written organizational directives that establish or describe specific operational or administrative methods to be followed routinely for the performance of designated operations or actions
Developed within the fire department and approved by the fire chief
Standard operating procedures
SOP’s
SOP’s provide a uniform way to deal with emergency situations enabling different ……… to work together smoothly, even if they have never worked together before.
Stations or companies
A system that defines the roles and responsibilities to be assumed by personnel and operating procedures to be used in the management and direction of emergency operations
Incident command system
(ICS)
The fire officer II Is expected to determine the ……. and …….. of a fire and develop and perform a post incident analysis of a multi company operation.
Area of origin
And
Preliminary cause
In this role, the company officer is encouraged to acquire the appropriate levels of training, experience, self development, and education throughout their professional journey to prepare for the chief fire officer designation.
Managing fire officer
IAFC identifies the Fire Officer II level as a ………
Managing fire officer
The para military structure of the fire department was established in the 1860s, when cities were replacing independent volunteer companies with municipal fire departments based on ……… model?
Civil war military deployment model
Based on data submitted to (NIFRS) fire fighting accounts for only ……….. of the response work load of firefighters.
5%
And occasional incipient fire or inferno occurs in fewer than ………. activated fire alarm responses?
1 out of 100
NFPA # for the professional qualification standards for fire officers
NFPA 1021
What are the leading causes of death for firefighters within a burning structure?
Flashover and structural collapse
And obsolete amplification device that enabled the chief officer to give orders to the firefighters during an emergency ;
precursor to the bullhorn and portable radio.
Chiefs trumpet
What position supervises a single fire suppression unit or a small administrative group within a fire department?
Fire officer I
How does a fire officer I accomplish the departments goals and objectives?
Working through subordinates to achieve desired results.
What year did the international Association of fire chiefs (IAFC) develop the officer development handbook?
2003
Around A.D. 60, Who were the group of 7000 free men responsible for fire fighting in the Roman empire?
The Corps of Virgiles
How many people were killed by the great Chicago fire of 1871?
Homeless?
300 dead
90,000 homeless
When were water distribution systems developed to support fire suppression efforts
1800’s
How would the chief shout commands prior to two-way radios becoming available?
Bugle or trumpet
Eventually becoming a symbol of authority in the fire service
In Washington DC, when were building codes first adopted, prohibiting the building of wooden houses?
1814, after the British troops burned Washington DC.
What symbol on homesteads indicated the homeowner had insurance that would pay the fire company for extinguishing the blaze?
Fire Mark
What is the most important resource on the fire scene?
Knowledgeable, well trained, physically capable fire fighter.
Who overseas the operation of a fire district?
A fire district board usually elected by voters in the district.
What is a special political subdivision that can be established by state or county, with the single purpose of providing fire protection within a defined geographic area?
Fire protection district
Who are responsible for managing the activities of several fire companies within a defined geographic area?
Battalion chiefs, or district chiefs
Fire personnel usually in charge of major functional areas, such as training, emergency operations, support services, and fire prevention within the department.
Division Chiefs, deputy chiefs, and or assistant Chiefs.
What are the four main principles of organization most fire departments are structured on?
- Unity of command
- Span of control
3. Division of labor - Discipline
Span of control should extend to no more than ________ people?
5
How long does short range planning extend up to?
1 year
How Long is medium range planning?
1-3 years
Long range planning covers events longer than ____ years in advance.
3 years
A complex process of influencing others to accomplish a task is?
The act of leadership
EMS calls are the most frequent responses by fire departments at what percent?
66%
What is the second most common reason for fire service responses?
Activated fire protection system alarms
What is the third most common reason for fire department response
Investigating an odor, a hazardous condition, or other service call
What are the primary causes of death within a burning structure
Flashover and structural collapse
