Chief Officer Flashcards
What does NFPA 1021 specify?
A series of skills to be acquired for rising through the fire officer ranks
NFPA 1021 stands for National Fire Protection Association Standard 1021.
How many levels of fire officer does NFPA 1021 define?
Four levels
The levels include Fire Officer I, Fire Officer II, Fire Officer III, and Fire Officer IV.
What is the role of Fire Officer I?
Generally supervises a single fire company or apparatus
Fire Officer I is often referred to as a lieutenant.
What is the role of Fire Officer II?
Generally the senior non-chief officer in a larger fire department
Fire Officer II is often referred to as a captain.
What responsibilities might a Fire Officer II have?
Supervisor of a multiunit fire station or in charge of a larger group performing specialized service or significant administrative section
Fire Officer II plays a crucial role in managing operations and personnel.
What are the upper levels of supervision and leadership in a fire department as per NFPA 1021?
Fire Officer III and Fire Officer IV
These roles involve higher levels of responsibility and leadership within the fire department.
What is the definition of leadership according to Kevin Kruse?
“Leadership is a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal.”
(Kruse 2013)
What does leadership stem from?
Leadership stems from social influence, not authority or power.
Does leadership require direct reports?
Leadership requires others, implying that they don’t need to be direct reports.
Are personality traits or titles mentioned in Kruse’s definition of leadership?
There is no mention of personality traits, attributes, or even a title; there are many styles and paths to effective leadership.
What is a requirement for leadership according to Kruse?
Leadership requires a goal; leaders do not influence without an intended outcome.
What does leadership involve?
Leadership involves the maximization of efforts.
What do successful leaders create?
Successful leaders create working environments that provide motivation, support, encouragement, praise, and course corrections.
What aspects do successful leaders improve?
Successful leaders improve both individual and team effectiveness.
What is structure in an organization?
A pattern of jobs and groups of jobs in an organization. Structure is an important component in individual and group behavior.
How can structure be described?
It can be considered a blueprint that indicates how people, jobs, tasks, responsibilities, and the like are grouped together.
What type of structure do most fire departments use?
Most fire departments are designed as a bureaucracy.
What is a bureaucracy?
An administrative group set in a hierarchy of authority.
What organizational model do many businesses use?
Many businesses use an organizational model that is more responsive to change and timely in initiating action. Known as an adhocracy-an organizational philosophy characterized by flexible, integrative behavior
What is an adhocracy?
An organizational philosophy characterized by flexible, integrative behavior.
What is structure in an organization?
A pattern of jobs and groups of jobs in an organization. Structure is an important component in individual and group behavior.
How can structure be described?
It can be considered a blueprint that indicates how people, jobs, tasks, responsibilities, and the like are grouped together.
What type of structure do most fire departments use?
Most fire departments are designed as a bureaucracy.
What is a bureaucracy?
An administrative group set in a hierarchy of authority.
What organizational model do many businesses use?
Many businesses use an organizational model that is more responsive to change and timely in initiating action.
What is an adhocracy?
An organizational philosophy characterized by flexible, integrative behavior.
What is a process?
Activities that breathe life into the structure of an organization.
What is behavior?
Behavior is how people act and interact.
What does behavior involve?
Behavior involves a multidisciplinary interaction among people and their organization.
What do effective leaders create?
Effective leaders create a climate that enables the organization to be successful and viable over the long term.
What do effective leaders empower personnel to do?
Effective leaders empower personnel to be productive and successful.
What is the goal of developing personnel according to effective leaders?
The goal is to develop personnel to take on greater responsibility.
What is Vision in an organizational context?
A collaborative effort between management and labor to envision where the organization will be in the future, possibly 5, 10, 15, or 20 years ahead.
What supports a department’s vision?
A strategic plan supports a department’s vision and outlines a timeline to accomplish tasks.
What is a key trait of an effective leader?
An effective leader keeps personnel focused on the bigger picture.
How does an effective leader manage individual efforts?
An effective leader redirects efforts as necessary to realign individual views with the department’s vision.
What is a key trait of an effective leader?
An effective leader keeps personnel focused on the bigger picture.
How does an effective leader manage individual efforts?
An effective leader redirects efforts as necessary to realign individual views with the department’s vision.
The reason an organization exists
Mission
What is the purpose of a mission statement?
A mission statement should capture the essence of the organization.
What qualities should a mission statement have?
It should be short and easy to remember.
What is the purpose of a mission statement?
A mission statement should capture the essence of the organization.
What qualities should a mission statement have?
It should be short and easy to remember.
Provide the purpose toward which an organization strives
Goals
The tasks that must be accomplished if an organization is to meet its goals and fulfill its mission
Objectives
What is the most basic organizational principle for a fire department?
The division of work among the operating units and their individual members.
How does the organization of fire departments vary?
The organization of fire departments varies depending on the size and population of the communities they serve.
What is the concept of unity of command?
Unity of command refers to the principle that each employee should report to only one manager to avoid confusion and ensure clear direction.
What is the concept of span of control?
Span of control is the number of subordinates a manager can effectively oversee.
How do unity of command and span of control assist leaders?
They facilitate communication, direction, and understanding within an organization.
What is the concept of unity of command?
Unity of command refers to the principle that each employee should report to only one manager to avoid confusion and ensure clear direction.
What is the concept of span of control?
Span of control is the number of subordinates a manager can effectively oversee.
How do unity of command and span of control assist leaders?
They facilitate communication, direction, and understanding within an organization.
What is organizational culture?
Organizational culture is the beliefs, values, and norms shared by the members of an organization.
How is organizational culture often established?
It is often rooted in the traditional history of the department and passed down by senior members of the organization.
How does organizational culture relate to organizational structure?
Organizational culture exists parallel to—never as part of—the official organizational structure.
What are common elements of organizational culture?
Common elements include shared meanings, perceptions, behavioral codes, prescriptions and preferences, basic values, myths, legends, heroes and heroines, emblems, and rituals.
What are shared meanings in organizational culture?
Shared meanings refer to the common interpretation of events.
What do perceptions in organizational culture signify?
Perceptions are agreed-on views of how the work environment and the world work.
What are behavioral codes?
Behavioral codes are culturally accepted behaviors.
What do prescriptions and preferences include?
Prescriptions and preferences include documents like the firefighter training manual, my department’s way, and my captain’s way.
What are basic values in organizational culture?
Basic values are the accepted mentality and importance of safety concerns.
What role do myths, legends, heroes, and heroines play in organizational culture?
They contribute to the narrative and identity of the organization.
What are emblems in organizational culture?
Emblems are symbols that represent the organization and its values.
What are rituals in organizational culture?
Rituals are established practices that reinforce the culture within the organization.
Who is responsible for creating a culture of safety within a department?
Everyone is responsible, not just the chief officer.
What is the difference between talking about safety practices and creating a safety culture?
Creating a safety culture involves actual implementation and institutionalization of safety practices.
What do true leaders owe to their firefighters and their families?
They owe the creation and maintenance of a safety culture.
What is the fire service equivalent of globalization?
Regionalization.
What does regionalization in the fire service involve?
It ranges from the sharing of specific services or facilities to consolidation of fire departments across regions.
What has driven regionalization in the fire service?
Interests in more efficient, less costly operations.
What concept is much of the cost of an emergency response organization built into?
The ‘worst case scenario’ concept.
What is an example of flexibility in fire service organizations?
The development and adoption of the NIMS incident command systems.
What can a leadership plan for the fire service be developed from?
A leadership plan for the fire service can be developed by combining various aspects of different leadership theories.
What should a leadership plan for the fire service typify?
A leadership plan for the fire service should typify leadership demands.
What is people-oriented leadership?
People-oriented leadership shows a greater concern for the employees than the task that needs to be accomplished.
What is task-oriented leadership?
Task-oriented leadership is more focused on the accomplishment of the task at hand than the individual assigned to accomplish the task.
What must effective leaders rely on during firefighting operations?
Effective leaders must rely on those people who trust them to work diligently within the pressure-cooker environment of the fire-ground operation.
What is the root of a leader’s success in firefighting?
The leader’s ability to inspire people to labor on his or her behalf lies at the root of any success he or she will have.
What is a key cause of real failure in leadership?
The inability to make decisions.
Indecisiveness leads to poor outcomes.
What is the consequence of indecisiveness in leadership?
It sets members down the path of doing whatever they want.
This can lead to a lack of direction and cohesion.
What is delegation in leadership?
Delegation is a necessary part of leadership.
How are good leaders judged?
Good leaders are judged not on what they do but on how well the team performs.
What is delegation in a leadership context?
Delegation reaffirms the leader’s belief in their member’s abilities and allows the members to develop on their own career path.
Why is communication important in delegation?
Communication is vital to a successful outcome in all cases of delegation.
