Chapter 1: Introduction to the Fire Service and Firefighter Safety Flashcards
what is a Fire service mission
determines what services are needed to protect its citizens and establishes the fire service to meet that need
- Missions vary among departments
- Usually mandated by a law or ordinance enacted by the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ)
what is THE fire service mission
to save lives and to protect property and the environment from fires and other hazardous situations
how is the fire service mission accomplished
o Done through an all-hazard concept which include
Community risk reduction (fire prevention and public education)
Fire suppression
Fire cause determination
EMS
Technical rescue services
Hazardous material mitigation
Airport and or seaport protection
Emergency management services
- Fire mission statement
part of departments rules and regulations
o Should be posted in every facility
who establishes the manner in which the fire service is organized
- Responsibility of AHJ
- Organization of a fire service includes:
o Type of department
o Number of facilities and locations
o Types and number of apparatus
o Number of personnel
o Organizational hierarchy
o Functions and responsibilities for specific jobs and ranks
o Minimum training and certification level requirements to attain those ranks
what are Organizational Structure and principles used for
- Establish the foundation for how the organization will function and operate to achieve its mission
- Scalar
most common fire department organizational structure
o Defined as having a series of steps
-information and decisions are made high and sent low
o Fire chief
o Deputy chief
o Assistant chief
o Battalion chief
o Captains
o Lieutenants
o Driver/operators
o Firefighters/emts
organizational principles include:
-chain of command
-unity of command
-span of control
-discipline
-division of labour
Chain of command:
the formal line of authority, responsibility, and communication within an organization.
Adhering to the chain of command helps ensure unity of command within an organization
Unity of command
each employee reports directly to just one supervisor
Span of control
the maximum number of subordinates or functions that any one supervisor can control. The number is typically 3-7 with 5 considered the optimum
discipline:
refers to an organizations responsibility to provide leadership and an individual’s responsibility to follow orders.
Administered through rules, regulations, and policies that define acceptable performance and expected outcome.
Division of labour:
the process of dividing large jobs into smaller jobs to make them more manageable, equalize work loads, and increase efficiency.
why is division of labour necessary in the fire service
To assign responsibility
To assign specific and clear-cut tasks
To prevent duplication of effort
Types of Fire Departments
public or private
career or volunteer
Public services are funded by
the community through taxes, fees, grants, fundraisers, donations and contracts
Private services raise are funded by
raise money through contracts, billing for services, and revenue provided by their parent organization
Career departments
employ full time, career firefighters and other personnel to provide necessary services
o Continually staffed
volunteer departments
not continuously staffed but instead volunteer firefighters respond to emergencies when necessary
o Some are publicly funded: The town provides the facility and equipment + maintenance
o Some rely on other funding sources such as fundraising, billing customers
Combination department
staffed by a mixture of career and volunteer firefighters
o Called a composite department in Canada
o May contain both government and civilian personnel
The basic unit of firefighting operations
fire company
company:
consists of an apparatus, firefighters and is led by a company officer
Battalion or Response District:
multiple companies within a response area
General types of companies
engine
truck
rescue
brush
hazardous material
EMS
aircraft rescue
Engine company
performs fire suppression duties at structure, vehicle, wildland and other types of fires.
o Additional duties might include search and rescue, extrication, ventilation and emergency medical care
o Assigned to a pumping apparatus
Truck (ladder) company
performs forcible entry, search and rescue, ventilation, salvage, overhaul and utilities control
o Provides access to upper level structures
o May also provide elevated water streams, extrication, and emergency medical care
Rescue company:
searches for and removes victims from areas of danger or entrapment.
o May be specially trained to perform technical rescues and may serve as a rapid intervention crew (RIC)
Brush company:
extinguishes ground cover or grass fires and protect structures in areas close to fields and woodlands
Hazardous materials company
mitigates hazardous materials incidents
Aircraft rescue and firefighting company
performs rescue and fire suppression activities involving aircraft accidents
In some volunteer and almost all career personnel are divided into two groups:
line personnel
staff personnel
Line personnel
deliver emergency services to the public
Staff personnel
provide administrative and logistical support for line personnel in areas such as finance, maintenance and training
what does NFPA 1001 standard establish
establishes basic criteria for 2 levels: Fire Fighter I and Fire Fighter II
Trained in fire suppression, search and rescue, extrication, ventilation, salvage, overhaul, and EMS
Difference between firefighter I and II
o Difference between firefighter I and II is that II is trained to coordinate I and II personnel while working under the supervision of a company officer
Fire apparatus driver/operator
Trained to drive fire apparatus to and from scenes
o Must be able to operate fire-apparatus pumps and ariel devices and are responsible for servicing and maintaining the apparatus
Hazardous material technician:
certified to mitigate hazardous materials and chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or explosives (CBRNE)
Rescue technician:
certified to perform rescues in specialty areas such as high angle(rope), trench, structural collapse, confined space, vehicle/machinery, water, ice and cave/mine rescues
Airport firefighter:
trained in airport operations and ARFF
Wildland firefighter:
personnel trained to extinguish fires in outdoor vegetation including wildland/urban interface
types of officers
-company officers
-fire department incident safety officer
-Fire department health and safety officers
-Fistic/battalion chiefs
-Assistant/deputy chiefs
-Fire marshals
-Fire chief
Company officers
supervise a fire company in the station and at fires and other emergencies
o May also supervise a group of fire companies within their response area
Fire department incident safety officers
person who moniters operational safety at emergency incidents
o Task may be assigned to any qualified fire officer at incident
Fire department health and safety officers:
monitors department health and safety program
Fistic/battalion chiefs:
supervise a group of fire companies and stations
o May also manage units responsible for logistics, fire prevention, training, planning or other functions
Assistant/deputy chiefs:
manage a variety of upper level functions such as emergency operations, administration, fire prevention, or training
Fire marshals
manage the fire prevention, plans review, and investigation division
o May hold chief officer rank
o Fire investigators and fire inspectors often hold the title as well
