Company Officer Flashcards
___ are the first line supervisors responsible for the performance and safety of assigned personnel in an emergency service organization.
Company officers
The NFPA defines a ____ as an individual responsible for overseeing the performance or activity of other members.
supervisor
In nearly every case, the ____ is one of the first persons on the scene and is likely to be the last to leave.
company officer
In most departments, companies spend less than ____ percent of their time dealing with emergencies.
10
Regardless of the activity, the company officer is expected to PLAN, MANAGE, and LEAD the company.
True
____ others and ensuring everyone goes home is the company officer’s principal job.
Leading
The ___ has one of the most demanding jobs in the organization.
company officer
____ others is the company officers principal job.
Leading
The officer’s primary job is to ____.
lead
____ are the backbone of the service delivery system.
Firefighters
The Fire Service Organization: From TOP to BOTTOM:
Chief
Senior Staff
COMPANY OFFICER
Firefighters
The company officer is expected to manage ____, ____, ____, and ____ at the company level.
resources
people
time
money
To the fire chief and other senior officers, the ____ represents the company.
company officer
Service delivery is the sole reason these (FD) organizations exist.
True
Most of the organization’s service delivery or customer service is delivered by personnel at the ____ level.
company
FDs should be sure that their personnel are professionals. This can be accomplished through ____, _____, and ____.
certification
experience
education
For the most part, fire protections is a LOCAL problem.
True
There are approximately ___ NFPA codes and standards dealing with every aspect of fire protection.
300
A significant step in the certification process occurred when the Joint Council established the ______ in 1972.
National Professional Qualifications System
NFPA’s codes and standards are the result of more than ___ committees consisting of more than 5,000 individuals who serve voluntarily.
200
How many of the NFPA documents deal with the qualifications of those who serve in the fire service?
10
NFPA published the first national standard for fire service officers in ____.
1976
NFPA 1021, Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications, outlines the requirements for fire officers at four levels.
True
Fire Officer I, focuses on the needs of the _____ supervisor, clearly including company officers.
first-line
Fire Officer II, focuses on the _____ aspects of the company officer’s job and help prepare individuals to move into staff positions.
management
Fire Officer III, focuses mostly with _____ and _____.
admin and management
At the top of the officer certification ladder, the requirements for Fire Officer IV satisfy the needs of ____ and _____.
senior staff
chief officers
The present version of NFPA ____, Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications, outlines the requirements for fire officers at four levels of competency.
1021
Professional development is a SHARED responsibility.
True
The INDIVIDUAL’S RESPONSIBILITIES include ____ and ____ which bring Individual Growth.
Motivation
Preparation
The DEPARTMENT’S RESPONSIBILITIES include ___ and ___ which brings Organizational Growth.
Opportunity
Environment
Most of the requirements focus on administration, management, and supervisory issues.
True
Professionalism encompasses A, B, C, D, and E, which are:
Attitude Behavior Communication Demeanor Ethics
The successful company officer is a ____ for others.
role model
Good communication skills are essential in both you WORK and you PERSONAL life.
True
According to NFPA 1021, good oral and written communications skills are a prerequisite for most of the certification requirements for Fire Officer ____.
I
Formal communications are conducted according to established standards.
True
Formal communications transmit ____ information
official
The 5 elements of the communication model:
- Sender
- Message
- Medium
- Receiver
- Feedback
The final step in the communication process is called ____.
feedback
____ communications are simpler and more spontaneous.
Informal
Written communications can be either ____ or ____.
formal or informal
When we need to communicate across the organization, we usually use a more ____ communications style.
informal
The communications model consists of:
- Sender
- Message
- Receiver
- Feedback
The ____ is the most commonly used method of personal communications.
spoke word
Signs are a form of communications.
True
Oral communication can be one way or two way.
True
The third form of communications is communicating without words, sometimes referred to as _____.
body language
Of all communication forms listed, ___ communication is easiest, most commonly used, and effective.
oral
Face-to-face contact allows the feedback process to work at its best.
True
Any obstacle in the communication process is called a ____.
barrier
There are several types of barriers:
- Big words
- Technical Terms
- Boredom
- Confusion
- Monotone
Walls, distance, and background noise are examples of ____ barriers.
physical
___ barriers act as filters in nearly all of our interactions with others.
Personal
___ barriers arise from language problems.
Semantic
There are more than ____ words in common use that have more than 20 meanings.
500
Overcoming communications barriers can be achieved by being adaptive to the audience, by having a specific purpose, and by staying focused, brief, and clear.
True
As pertaining to the communications process, ___ may be the most important part for the company officer.
listening
Alert facial expression and good posture indicate a good ____.
listener
Dr. Steven Covey’s fifth principle in his book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, is “_______”.
“Seek first to understand before being understood.”
When you are actively listening, three important things happen:
- You actually hear what is being said
- ou are more likely to remember what was said
- You show respect for the sender
____ is an active process that requires considerable effort.
Listening
Remember to make your communications a two way process.
True
One of the company officer’s many jobs is to facilitate the communications process.
True
One way to improve your communications skills is to watch yourself on ____.
videotape
Most of the significant recommendations and requests you submit are WRITTEN.
True
Principles of Effective Writing:
C.O.M.B.E.S
- Consider the reader
- Emphasis
- Brevity
- Simplicity
- Objectivity
- Mechanical accuracy
Brevity does not mean too short; it just means NOT too long
True
For the numbers one through nine, you spell out the word. Starting at ___, you use the digits.
10
Capitals, in writing, are usually used when referring to a specific individual, place, or thing.
True
_____ may be the most important part of writing.
Organization
When you write, think about the one sentence you would keep if you were allowed to keep only one.
True
Good proofreading requires a slow, deliberate reading.
True
____ is fundamentally different from paper-based communication because of its speed and broadcasting ability.
Another difference between e-mail and older media is that what the sender sees when composing a message might not look like what the reader sees.
True
Try to include a ____ Message in the interview with the press.
Safety
The first ____ to arrive at the scene of any emergency, is most likely the best informed individual available.
company officer
The most important take away point when dealing with the media is to :
follow your department’s guidelines
To be successful, the news release should be no more than ____ page and should be sent so that the information can be processed and published in time to benefit the public.
one
The first paragraph should be a ____ of what the news release is all about.
summary
The _____ is a vital link in the emergency communications process.
Dispatcher
Responding to an emergency scene, one of the very first actions needed is a good ____, an accurate description of what is going on.
size-up
Good ____ are a critical part of effective emergency activities.
communications
We can say that ____ is the act of guiding the human and physical resources of an organization to attain the organization’s objectives.
management
____ includes determining what needs to be done and the accomplishment of the task itself.
Management
One of first contributors towards the science of management was ____.
Henry Fayol
Fayol also noted that management activities increase as one moves up in rank in an organization.
True
The need for management skills _____ as one moves up the organizational ladder.
INCREASE
____ is called the “Father of Professional Management”
Fayol
In the fire service, the first-line supervisors are the COMPANY OFFICERS.
True
Fayol’s five basic functions are:
- Planning
- Organizing
- Commanding
- Coordinating
- Controlling
Management activities can be divided into FIVE discrete components:
- Planning
- Organizing
- Commanding
- Coordinating
- Controlling
Any activity should start with PLANNING.
True
Planning can be divided into THREE areas:
- Short range planning
- Mid range planning
- Long range planning
____ planning looks at the rest of the today, tomorrow, and the rest of the year.
Short range
____ planning reaches out from 1 year to 5 years.
Mid range
____ planning looks at the needs of the organization beyond 5 years.
Long range
The process of ___ is the breaking down of large tasks into manageable activities.
organizing
The second function of management is called _____.
organizing
_____ is the third management function.
Commanding
_____ means that you exercise your delegated authority to get things accomplished.
Commanding
The fourth management function is _____.
coordinating
Effective managers are constantly finding ways to do MORE for LESS.
TRUE
Things that can be coordinated:
-The resources of:
Station
Department
Community
____ is the fifth and final item of Fayol’s list.
Controlling
____ is monitoring our progress.
Controlling
For company officers, the greatest resource is your _____
teammates
____ allows you to measure the effectiveness of your efforts, to help you maintain your goals, to seek new ways to improve, to increase production, and to help plan for future undertakings.
Controlling
The principle of _____ suggests that management control is greatly increased and corrective action greatly expedited when you concentrate on the exceptions to expected results.
exception
Management control is GREATLY expedited and increases when managers concentrate on the exceptions to expected results.
True
Taylor’s focus was on the FIRST LINE MANAGER and the efficiency of the WORKER.
True
____ is called the “Father of Scientific Management.”
Fredrick Taylor
Maslow recognized that the very first of the needs are the BASIC ____ NEEDS.
physiological
____ is credited with inventing a concept known as management by objectives.
Peter Drucker
_____ introduced the now well known concept of Theory X and Theory Y.
Douglas McGregor
William G. Ouchi, developed a concept he called ______.
Theory Z
Professor Ouchi focused on WORKER’S NEEDS.
True
With Theory Z, the focus is on the ____ rather than the work itself.
employees
W. Edwards Deming’s ideas are referred to as ______
Total Quality Management (TQM)
Theory X:
- People dislike work
- People work only for money
Theory Y:
- People want to feel important
- People want to be recognized
Theory Z:
- People want to contribute and be part of the process
- People represent unlimited potential
To be successful, TQM must put the focus on the CUSTOMER’S needs.
True
In TQM ____ is essential.
teamwork
“The One Minute Manager” was written by _____.
Kenneth Blanchard
In the book, “The One Minute Manager” it states to find someone doing something right and give this person recognition.
True
A measurement of a good leader is ability to develop other leaders, NOT followers.
True
Fire chiefs do most of their managing from their ____, not from the middle of the street.
desks
____ is the active part of making an organization run and includes planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating, and controlling.
Management
_____ is how tasks are assigned.
Procedure
Comparing Organizational Values: TRADITIONAL
- Focused on FUNCTION
- CENTRALIZED decision making
- TALL structure, many layers
- DISTINCTION between line and staff
- NARROW job definitions
- Heavy reliance on RULES
- VERTICAL communications
- Emphasis on INDIVIDUALS
- STABILITY
Comparing Organizational Values: MODERN
- Focused on PROCESS
- DECENTRALIZED decision making
- FLAT structure, few layers
- Both JOINED as teams
- WIDE ranging job descriptions
- Heavy reliance on INNOVATION
- HORIZONTAL communications
- CHANGE
Fire departments are organizations, and their ability to perform as such is a reflection on how well they are ____.
managed
A complete set of ____ is the best method for departments to “operationalize” other organizational documents.
SOPs
Normally, the ISO evaluation is conducted every ___ years.
5
ISO: A rating of 1 through 8 indicates that there is some sort of recognized FD, that the nearest engine company is fewer than ___ miles travel distance from any protected proterty and that there is either an adequate fire hydrant within _____ feet or other water supply resource.
5
1,000
ISO: A class 9 rating is similar to a rating of 1 through 8 but it lacks an adequate ____.
water supply
ISO: A class 10 rating indicates that there is essentially no _____.
fire protection
ISO: Receiving and handling of fire alarms is ___ percent of the total score.
10
ISO: Fire department resources is ___ percent of the total score.
50
ISO: Community’s water supply is ___ percent of the total score.
40
Better fire protection leads to lower insurance costs.
True
NFPA ___ standard for CAREER fire departments response times.
1710
NFPA ___ standard for VOLUNTEER fire departments response times.
1720
___ is process by which an agency or institution evaluates and recognizes a course of study.
Accreditation
He said that for organizations to be effective, the manager in one section should be able to communicate with the manager in another section, without having to go all the way to the top of the organizatinal structure. The shorter path is called ______.
Fayol’s bridge
___ have a direct impact on the management of the fire service, from the chief to the company officer.
Ethics
Information relationships and effective delegation within organization facilitate crossing the organizational lines to get things done. This concept is known as _____.
Fayol’s bridge
___ often begin where laws leave off.
Ethics
Remember that personal life and professional life are equal and should be interchangeable.
True
____ declare the vision for the organization.
Mission statements
____ are the larger, strategic statements that may take several years to accomplish.
Goals
____ are usually an element within a goal and represent the efforts of a shorter period.
Objectives
Goals and Objectives help us to identify where we are going and help us measure progress as we make the trip.
True
Setting personal goals: Do something each day to make this place better is an example of _____.
goal
Setting personal goals: Make each day productive is an example of an ____.
objective
The ____ is a recognized standard that identifies the fundamentals of projeft management across a wide range of responsibilities and projects, including the automotive, construction, and engineering industries.
Project Management Body of Knowlege (PMBOK Guide)
The five processes the PMBOK Guide identifies are:
- Initiating
- Planning
- Executing
- Controlling and Monitoring
- Closing
___ should always start with a clear understanding of the goals and objectives.
Planning
A ____ is a written formal set of goals that convey the mission of the oraganization, the company, or the individual.
business plan
The most important part of any business plan is that it puts down on paper where you want to be in 1 , 3 , or 5 years from now.
True
Characteristics of a good plan:
- A clearly defined goal
- A logical set of objectives
- A list of resources needed
- A method to measure progress
___ involves the integration of human and physical resources, money, and time.
Organizing
____ is a process of entrusting some of our work to others.
Delegation
In delegation process, two things happen:
- The supervisor assigns duties to the subordinate.
2. The subordinate takes on an obligation or responsibilty to pefrom these duties.
To be effective, delegation of the duty and aceptance of the obligation for the job should be coupled with the ___ to do the job.
authority
With the exeption of a few specifically indentified tasks, most of your duties as the company officer can be _____
delegated
Barriers To Delegation:
- I can do it myself better
- It will take time to train someone
- I am not sure that anyone else can do this
- I REALLY CANNOT TAKE A CHANCE on this project
- I think my boss would want me to do this myself
Effective management of any organization involves the ability to ____ certain tasks.
delegate
The IAFF has more than ____ affiliates in the United States.
2,700
Most grievances are resolved at the first step which involves:
filing a complaint with a supervisor
A ___ shop usually results from an agreement between their union and the employer that requires prospective emplyees to become members of the union prior to being hired.
closed
A ___ shop usually results from an agrement between the employer and the union that requires membership within a specified period of being hired.
union
An ____ shop union membership not required but payment of union dues mandatory
agency
The ____ shop, employees are free to decide if they will join the union.
open
Contracts usually run from __ to __ years.
1 to 5
