Chapter 12

Question 1

Qualities such as leadership, management skills, decision making, and ability to communicate are necessary at both levels, but may require greater depth of understanding or have different applications for company officers at level II.

Answer 1

1

Question 2

Level II company officers will lead supervisors. They will manage higher level leadership issues, and they will be responsible for managing a larger sphere of influence.

Answer 2

2

Question 3

To assist with handling inquiries and establishing strategic partnerships, company officers should be familiar with how strategic partnerships affect the delivery of safety, injury, and fire prevention education programs.

Answer 3

3

Question 4

Company officer IIs may conduct preliminary investigations to determine a fire’s origin and cause.

Answer 4

4

Question 5

The level II fire officer must be familiar with the jurisdiction’s health and safety policies, potential risks and hazards that result from unsafe practices, and methods for mitigating such risks and hazards.

Answer 5

5

Question 6

An important challenge many fire officers face is managing change in the unit or organization.

Answer 6

6

Question 7

To successfully manage change, the company officer must know the forces that generate change and the change process itself.

Answer 7

7

Question 8

It is likely that the company officer will be the individual who implements change at the operational level.

Answer 8

8

Question 9

The company officer must always maintain a positive posture toward the change, even when the officer does not necessarily agree with it.

Answer 9

9

Question 10

Knowing the types of change and how to overcome resistance to change, implementing the change process, and using a follow up plan can lead to successful change management.

Answer 10

10

Question 11

Problem solving may be part of the process for initiating and managing issues relating to change.

Answer 11

11

Question 12

The ability to influence change is one of the most important skills for a company officer to master.

Answer 12

12

Question 13

A good company officer will be able to lower resistance to change by building momentum with personnel who are leaders with their respective peer groups.

Answer 13

13

Question 14

Change can originate from two forces: Internal and External

Answer 14

14

Question 15

Internal forces originate within the unit/organization and include changes that are created by the delegation of responsibility, periodic reviews, organizational restructuring, and realignment of duties and tasks.

Answer 15

15

Question 16

Internal forces may be driven by external forces that originate from political decisions, economic trends, community service demands, changes in technology, and changes in the demographics of the community, among others.

Answer 16

16

Question 17

Support for change must be present at the top levels of an organization in order for it to be successful, but those that the change affects must take ownership through involvement and commitment.

Answer 17

17

Question 18

Consistent communication on the change process helps eliminate fear and can move the change process forward in a positive manner.

Answer 18

18

Question 19

The types of change that an organization may have to undergo include: strategic, structure, technology, people.

Answer 19

19

Question 20

Strategic - affecting the organization’s short or long range plan.

Answer 20

20

Question 21

Structure - affecting the organization’s design

Answer 21

21

Question 22

Technology - Addition of new equipment, apparatus, communication systems, extinguishing agents, or computerization.

Answer 22

22

Question 23

People - affecting skills, performances, attitudes, behaviors, or cultures of the workforce to meet the force of change.

Answer 23

23

Question 24

Research indicates that organizational change can fail when employees resist it.

Answer 24

24

Question 25

When company officers recognize the resistance to change and take steps to reduce it, they can increase the opportunity for success in the process.

Answer 25

25

Question 26

When company officers assume the role of a change agent, they influence or cause change.

Answer 26

26

Question 27

A change agent is a person who leads a change project or initiative.

Answer 27

27

Question 28

Because bringing about change can be time consuming and involve complex issues and barriers, the change agent must have commitment and persistance.

Answer 28

28

Question 29

In order to affect change, the officer must understand small group relations and interaction.

Answer 29

29

Question 30

To combat change induced stress, the officer must have skills that will reduce or eliminate stress.

Answer 30

30

Question 31

Interpersonal skills are essential and the officer must be able to communicate effectively with individuals and groups.

Answer 31

31

Question 32

The officer must be able to sell the change to the organization and the community.

Answer 32

32

Question 33

The officer must have time management skills and the ability to prioritize the project.

Answer 33

33

Question 34

Even though change can come from both internal and external sources, establishing and following a specific change process benefits the organization.

Answer 34

34

Question 35

All company officers should know the implementation policy and process.

Answer 35

35

Question 36

Once the need for change has been recognized, resistance has been overcome, and an innovative solution has been agreed upon, it is time to implement the change.

Answer 36

36

Question 37

Because change is a continuing process, it must be monitored to determine the effectiveness of the new process or procedure.

Answer 37

37

Question 38

Change management models can help company officers better understand change and how it affects their organization.

Answer 38

38

Question 39

Company officers should take best practices and lessons learned from the fire service and other fields and apply models that meet their organizational needs.

Answer 39

39

Question 40

Change, whether minor or major, can be disruptive to an organization and company officers must make every attempt to facilitate change in a positive manner.

Answer 40

40

Question 41

The follow up program is a formal part of the process that continues to monitor the change’s effect.

Answer 41

41

Question 42

The follow up is applied to behavioral changes made by individuals as well as structural changes to the organization.

Answer 42

42

Question 43

The follow up program becomes part of the annual performance evaluation for personnel and the periodic review of programs, operations, or policies.

Answer 43

43

Question 44

The change process should be viewed as cyclical rather than linear.

Answer 44

44

Question 45

The follow up is the feedback that takes the results and loops them back to the first portion of the process, becoming the current level of performance.

Answer 45

45

Question 46

As first line supervisors, company officers monitor the change process as it affects the company personnel and operations.

Answer 46

46

Question 47

When feedback indicates that the process requires alteration, the company officer should inform the organization’s administration.

Answer 47

47

Question 48

Divide the change process into attainable segments and goals, and involve a diverse group of people to participate in the process.

Answer 48

48

Question 49

Gain support for the change from the key actors in the organization and community.

Answer 49

49

Question 50

Key actors within the organization and community must support any changes to be made.

Answer 50

50

Question 51

Communicate the vision to all members of the organization, customers, and community stakeholders.

Answer 51

51

Question 52

During the planning process, try to determine the arguments against the change and develop strategies to answer these arguments logically and factually.

Answer 52

52

Question 53

Take a proactive approach and never allow the arguments to become barriers to change.

Answer 53

53.

Question 54

Prematurely declaring that the goal has been met will reduce credibility and lessen the team’s enthusiasm and motivation.

Answer 54

54

Question 55

Implement the change and monitor the change’s results to ensure that it becomes permanent.

Answer 55

55

Question 56

NFPA 1021 standard for fire officer professional qualifications, item 5.1.1, general prerequisite knowledge, identifies those knowledge items that candidates should know prior to testing for fire officer level II.

Answer 56

56

Question 57

Most citizens have more direct contact with local government departments and divisions, to include fire and emergency services, than with any other level.

Answer 57

57

Question 58

NFPA 1021 requires company officers to understand how local governments enact laws and/or ordinances.

Answer 58

58

Question 59

In terms of emergency service issues, the local government will generally consider any information that the organization presents.

Answer 59

59

Question 60

The authority over the jurisdiction, such as the council or commission, enacts local legislation.

Answer 60

60

Question 61

A commonwealth is a state in which the government functions with the common consent of the people.

Answer 61

61

Question 62

Provincial governments have three branches that include a unicameral legislative assembly, an executive headed by a premier, and a court system.

Answer 62

62

Question 63

The Yukon territory’s political head is the leader of the majority party and carries the title of government leader.

Answer 63

63

Question 64

Canada’s legislature, called parliament, has two houses: the house of commons, and the senate.

Answer 64

64

Question 65

The most apparent differences between the U.S. and canadian federal governments exist in the executive branch.

Answer 65

65

Question 66

An appointed official called the Governor General represents the British sovereign in Canada.

Answer 66

66

Question 67

The true Chief executive of the canadian government is the Prime minister, who is assisted by a cabinet of ministers for various governmental functional areas.

Answer 67

67

Question 68

Company officers should be familiar with the interagency and intergovernmental agreements their organization may have with other agencies.

Answer 68

68

Question 69

Formal agreements between the fire and emergency services organization and various levels of government and agencies help ensure a coordinated response during a crisis.

Answer 69

69

Question 70

NIMS-based ICS for Unified Command should be used as the model for response management in the area contingency plans to ensure an effective response.

Answer 70

70

Question 71

Fire and emergency services organizations may enter into aid agreements with other agencies to provide additional resources to the fire and emergency services organization.

Answer 71

71

Question 72

An interagency aid agreement may be a simple function of the local government and not require a written document to verify it, although a document may aid in establishing command and control detail.

Answer 72

72

Question 73

The U.S. National Response Plan was created to integrate federal government prevention, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation plans into one all discipline, all hazard approach to domestic incident management.

Answer 73

73

Question 74

The NRP and NIMS provide the framework and processes to integrate all the capabilities and resources of the jurisdictions, disciplines, and levels of government and the private sector into a cohesive, unified, and coordinated approach to domestic incident management.

Answer 74

74

Question 75

While representing the fire and emergency services organization, the company officer must keep the organization’s interests in mind while also considering the community’s best interests.

Answer 75

75

Question 76

Like the company officer I, the company officer II must interact personally with superiors, peers, and subordinates to accomplish organizational goals and tasks.

Answer 76

76

Question 77

Good communication skills are vital to developing interpersonal relationships and maintaining good community relations, as well as relations with other organizations and agencies.

Answer 77

77

Question 78

Good communication skills are necessary for company officers at all levels.

Answer 78

78

Question 79

CO II candidates should evaluate and improve their interpersonal, oral, written, and emergency scene communications skills as part of their advancement training.

Answer 79

79

Question 80

Departments use data processing and computer systems to follow accidents trends, track data, and compile reports.

Answer 80

80

Question 81

When supplying the facts relating to an incident, company officers are being interviewed, and they should avoid straying into speculation or expressing opinions.

Answer 81

81

Question 82

Executive summaries are usually provided to supervisors or administrative bodies by the authors of the original reports and attached to the fronts of reports or papers.

Answer 82

82

Question 83

An executive summary ensures that the essential information contained in the report is read.

Answer 83

83

Question 84

An executive summary is basically the main topic statement of the report followed by bullets denoting the main points.

Answer 84

84

Question 85

The conclusion of the summary is the recommendation or suggested action found in the paper or report.

Answer 85

85

Question 86

An executive summary may also be an analysis of a technical report by a reviewer other than the original author.

Answer 86

86

Question 87

Proper risk assessment also considers the frequency of the risks becoming hazards.

Answer 87

87

Question 88

Determining frequency is based upon collected data.

Answer 88

88

Question 89

Collecting data is a good place to begin identifying risks in the community.

Answer 89

89

Question 90

Company officer II’s may be tasked with supervising multi-unit implementation of community risk reduction programs.

Answer 90

90

Question 91

Education aims to reduce fire and other risks that lead to deaths and injuries in the community by informing the public about potential hazards and how to prevent or mitigate them.

Answer 91

91

Question 92

All firefighters are part of the fire and life safety educational delivery system.

Answer 92

92

Question 93

Engineering provides solutions to prevent the risk or reduce the harm once the risk happens.

Answer 93

93

Question 94

Engineering based strategies do not depend primarily on human factors; they are built into the environment.

Answer 94

94

Question 95

Enforcement refers to codes, ordinances, and public policies that reduce risk for the community and have the force of law.

Answer 95

95

Question 96

Economic incentives encourage individuals and the community to implement risk reduction practices through positive or negative financial outcomes.

Answer 96

96

Question 97

Economic incentives to motivate behavioral change can be positive, such as coupons and rebates, or negative, such as fees, fines and penalties for noncompliance.

Answer 97

97

Question 98

Emergency response is a mitigation strategy in which first responders intervene during emergencies to lessen or prevent loss.

Answer 98

98

Question 99

Communities should ensure that emergency response services have the resources they need to effectively serve the community.

Answer 99

99

Question 100

Community risk reduction strategies are often called the five E’s.

Answer 100

100

Question 101

Taken together, the five E’s provide a comprehensive plan for building good CRR plans and programs.

Answer 101

101