Chapter 6: Administrative Functions Flashcards by Bo Woodard

The groups of people the fire and emergency service organizations serve are often referred to as ________?

Customers

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The customer service concept is valuable to any organization. In the private sector, the bottom line is the profit or loss of the business. In emergency services organizations, customer satisfaction and the value you bring to the ______ is the bottom line

Community

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Who makes up the “customer base” for fire and emergency services?

Internal
External
Stakeholder

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What member of the “customer base” provides the majority of the funds need to operate the fire organization?

External customers

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What are the “wants” of internal customers or members of the fire organization?

Fair compensation
	Reasonable benefits
	Position security
	Rewarding experiences
	Safe working environments
	Ethical leadership
	Dignity
	Feeling of being integral part of department

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What satisfies most of the tangible needs of career and combination organizations?

Labor/management agreement and/or civil service process

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What are the basic needs of external customers?

Protection of lives and property from fire and other hazards

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What are the three characteristics of the negative side effects of the passive method of information gathering?

Reactive
Crisis oriented
Biased

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What method of information-gathering is used when the organization simply waits for a customer to express a specific need, want or desire?

Passive

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What method of information-gathering is used when a organization takes initiative and seeks information on a regular basis?

Active

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What are the three sources of information an organization uses for information gathering methods?

Meetings
Informal Interviews
Surveys

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An active approach of information-gathering can be accomplished through periodic meetings, surveys, and informal interviews, each of these ways is based on the concept of what?

Feedback

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Listening to _______ is a primary method for determining the needs, wants, and desires of any of the three groups of customers

Feedback

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What are three sources of information for information gathering methods?

Formal or periodic meetings
Informal interviews
Surveys

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What is the beginning of the customer service process?

Gathering information on customer needs/wants/desires

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How does an organization determine the success or failure of any change in service?

Monitors the outcome of the change

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What is the term for a guide to organizational decision-making?

Policy

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Organizational policies originate with ______ management and are disseminated to lower levels for implementation

Top management

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_______ are created when formal written guidelines or criteria are needed for the operation of the organization

Policies

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The company officer’s duty regarding policies is to understand and apply them _____ and _______

Fairly and consistently

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A policy _____ determines if current policies are effective and enforceable or if the lack of polices caused problems

Analysis

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When does a policy analysis often occur?

When an organization is experiencing internal difficulty

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A _____ details in writing the steps to follow in conducting organizational policy for some specific, recurring problem or situation

Procedure

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What are the seven indications that a policy or procedure needs to be revised?

Internal/external customer complaints
Increase in policy or procedure infractions
Injuries or property loss due to a failure of the policy or procedure
Change in the resources used to accomplish the task
Change in the problem that the policy or procedure was intended to solve
New technology
Legal mandates

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______ and ________ can be used interchangeably depending upon the organization and are based upon the authority delegated to the company officer

Orders and directives

What are common revenue sources that fund an organizations budget?

``` Taxes Fees Fundraising events Private and corporate donations Government subsidies and grants ```

Public organizations have how many types of budgets?

What are the two types of budgets for public organizations?

Capital and Operating

________ budgets deal with projected major purchases

Capital

________ budgets deal with recurring expenses of day to day operation

Operating

Who is the first level of supervision in an organization?

Company officer

A capital budget includes projected major purchases — items that cost more than a certain specified amount of money and are expected to last more than __ year (usually __ or more years)

1 year | Usually 3 or more years

What is the largest single item in the operating budget of most career organizations?

Personnel costs— salaries and benefits

Personnel costs are sometimes called what?

Personnel services

Personnel costs may represent as much as ___% of the operating budget

90%

Non cash (fringe) benefits cost some jurisdictions an amount equal to ___ percent of a person’s base salary

50%

What is step 6 of the budget process?

Revise

What is step 1 of the budget process?

Plan

What is step 5 of the budget process?

Evaluate

What is step 2 of the budget process?

Prepare

What is step 4 of the budget process?

Monitor

What is step 3 of the budget process?

Implement

Which step of the budget process includes justifications, internal and external reviews?

Step 2 prepare

What are the steps of a budget process?

``` Planning Preparing Implementing Monitoring Evaluating Revising ```

What are the five sources of information used for planning budgets for the next fiscal year?

``` Tax projections Expected grants and subsidies Expected fees for services Bond sales Funds from other sources ```

What are the three different categories of spending?

Fixed cost Discretionary Emergency

What is the basis for information used in justifying a budget request?

Through research | Internal records

What documentation is used to prepare the budget?

Research | Internal records

Who performs the internal review of the budget process?

``` Organizations administrator or Chief/manager of the department or Staffs of both organizations ```

What is the final review that the budget process receives?

External review

After the internal review of the budget process who is the budget request submitted to?

Governing body for external review

After the internal review of the budget process the budget is incorporated into what document?

Combined budget request for entire parent organization

What are six causes for a budget to be revised during the budget cycle?

``` Decrease in revenue Increase in operating costs Underestimation of actual costs Increase in service requirements Change in labor/management agreement Unforeseen or catastrophic occurrence ```

What is the term for the systematic control of an organizations records to ensure quick access to information?

Records management

Fire and emergency services organizations primarily maintain what types of records?

``` Budget Inventory Maintenance (preventive and corrective) Activity Personnel ```

What are the categories of personnel records?

``` Training Performance Attendance Hazmat Medical exposures Medical ```

What items are included in inventory and fixed assets records?

``` Materials Equipment Facilities Land Apparatus in the possession of the organization ```

What part of the organization generally maintains inventory and fixed-assets records?

Administration or logistics branch

What are the two categories of maintenance records?

Preventive | Corrective

______ maintenance is performed to prevent damage, reduce wear, and extend the use life of an item, vehicle, or facility

Preventive maintenance

_______ maintenance is always possible due to an unforeseen event

Corrective maintenance

What individual maintains and analyzes maintenance records?

Logistics chief/manager

Deciding to repair or replace an item is based on what two components of that item?

Maintenance record | Life expectancy

What type of records are the basis for planning and justifying budget requests?

Activity records

Activity records can also be called what?

Incident reports

Activity records include information about what five activities?

``` Emergency and nonemergency response Inspections Investigations Training Communications ```

Activity records are maintained at what levels of an organization?

Company District/battalion Administrative

All personnel records are confidential with the exception of?

Attendance (Daily personnel roster) and similar documents

Personnel records are maintained at what levels of an organization?

``` Company District or Battalion Administrative office Medical or Safety officer’s office Jurisdictions HR office ```

What type of record provides historical documentation of all events, incidents, and projects that members of the organization participated in during a specific time period?

Activity records

When a company officer documents company level training it should include what six items of information?

``` Topic of training session Time designated for training Date of training Location Participants Outcomes ```

Performance is documented and measured through ______________ evaluations

Personal-job performance

Are personal job performance evaluations public or private?

Private

Attendance records for all personnel are maintained to provide data for what two things?

Payroll | Benefit distribution

Overtime, vacation leave, compensatory time, duty exchanges, and sick leave benefits are based on the information that is included in what record or document?

Daily attendance records

What documents or examinations are included in an employees medical records?

``` Pre employment medical examination Periodic medical evaluations and examinations Post medical-leave examination Periodic medical evaluations Post termination medical examination ```

Exposures to patients with communicate diseases should be reported and organizations should keep these records for how many years?

30 years after employee retires

Medical records are kept on employees for how many years?

Duration of employment plus 30 years

What is the difference between internet and intranet?

Intranet is for organization only

What are the four internet specific concerns?

Sites that are inappropriate Accuracy of some of the information Data and email messages live forever Social media sites

What types of laws and acts define the type of records that are available tot he public and news media?

Open meeting laws | Open records acts

Incident reports or fire investigations are available to what civilians?

Those who were involved in the incident or own the property that was involved in the incident

What individual is the first level of supervision?

Company officer