Fire Officer, Principles and Practice Flashcards
Which NFPA Standard provides information for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications?
NFPA 1021
The NFPA Standard describes __ levels of fire officer.
4
Level of fire officer most often bestowed upon an individual who supervises a single fire suppression unit, or a small administrative group within the fire department?
Fire Officer I
Chief or one who holds a senior position in charge of a major component of the fire department.
Fire Officer IV
Level of fire officer generally refers to the senior non-chief officer in a larger fire department.
Fire Officer II
One who qualifies at the __ level might work as a battalion or district chief in a large fire department.
Fire Officer III
Supervisory duties of a Fire Officer I would include all of the following except -
Establishing the incident management system at a scene.
Which of the following would be an emergency duty of a Fire Officer II individual, but not of a Fire Officer I individual?
To determine the area of origin and preliminary cause of a fire.
Roles and responsibilities for Fire Officer I would include all of the following except -
Supervises and directs activities of a multi-unit station.
Fire departments that provide an incentive for fire fighters by paying them for each call they respond to, as well as each drill they attend are called -
Paid-On-Call.
A combination fire department utilizes -
Career firefighters and volunteer or paid-on-call personnel.
According to the NFPA how many firefighters are there in the United States?
1.2 million.
What percentage of firefighters in the United States are volunteer?
72%.
There are approximately __ fire departments in the United States.
30000
In 24 BC Augustus Caesar created what was probably the first fire department composed of 600 slaves who were stationed at various locations around the Roman Empire. This group of firefighters were known as -
Familia Publica.
The first volunteer fire department in the United States was established in which of the following cities?
Philadelphia.
Who was responsible for forming the first volunteer fire department in 1735?
Benjamin Franklin.
One of the first fire engines was imported from England and was donated to the Alexandria Fire Department in 1765 by -
George Washington.
In 1871 a fire, which was said to be started by a cow kicking over a lantern, significantly affected the development of both the fire service and fire codes, was started in which American city?
Chicago.
The first hand-powered pumpers were developed in 1720 in England by -
Richard Newsham.
Which fire fighter developed the first fire hydrants in New York City in 1817?
George Smith.
Public call boxes were first introduced in which American city during the 1850s?
Washington D.C.
Which technology has proliferated during the early 21st Century enabling ordinary citizens to report fires from almost anywhere at anytime?
Cellular phones.
The first building codes were developed in -
Ancient Egypt.
During colonial times insurance companies began paying fire companies to try to extinguish fires before they totally destroyed a home. Houses that had insurance were designated with what was called a -
Fire mark.
A special political subdivision that can be established by a state or county, with the single purpose of providing fire protection within a specific geographic location is called a -
Fire protection district.
The organizational structure of a fire department is called the -
Chain of command.
Firefighters usually report to -
A supervising officer who is responsible for a single fire company.
Who has overall responsibility for the administration and operations of a fire department?
Fire chief.
The chain of command is used to implement fire department -
?
Which of the following make up the basic principles of organization within a fire department?
(1) Unity of command. (2) Planning and pre-plans. (3) Span of control. (4) Division of labor. (5) Discipline.
1, 3, 4, 5.
A way of organizing an incident by breaking down the overall strategy into smaller tasks is known as -
Division of labor.
The theory that each firefighter answers to only one supervisor is known as -
Unity of command.
The maximum number of firefighters or activities that can effectively be controlled by a fire officer is known as -
Span of control.
A set of guidelines that a fire department establishes for firefighters is known as -
Discipline.
According to the principle of Span of Control, how many firefighters can a fire officer effectively control?
3 to 7.
Most experts believe that Span of Control should be limited to no more than -
5 firefighters.
What are the four functions of a fire officer as identified by Henri Fayol?
Planning, Organizing, Leading, Controlling.
Guiding or directing a course of action is -
Leading.
Developing a scheme, program or method that is worked out beforehand to accomplish a specific objective is known as -
Planning.
Putting together into an orderly, functional, structured whole is known as -
Organizing.
Restraining, regulating, governing, counteracting, or overpowering is known as -
Controlling.
__ are developed to provide definite guidelines for present and future actions.
Policies.
Requiring that all members wear seat belts when riding on apparatus would be an example of -
Rules and regulations.
Written organizational directives which establish or prescribe specific operational or administrative methods to be followed routinely would be an example of -
Standard operating procedures. (SOPs)
Specific step-by-step procedures that should be used, but can also allow an officer to deviate from this procedure would be known as -
Standard operating guidelines. (SOGs)
After September 11, 2001 the federal government reorganized emergency services resources into which of the following government organizations?
Department of Homeland Security.
The first documented fire in North America was in -
Jamestown, Virginia in 1607.
Before the advent of two-way radios how would the fire chief deliver his commands?
Shouting his commands through the chief’s trumpet.
In fire code development, volunteer committees of citizens and representatives from businesses, along with insurance companies, and government agencies explore and develop proposals that are debated and reviewed by various groups and compiled into what is called a(an) -
Consensus document.
In large organizations, a(an) __ is usually the officer in charge of a single-alarm, working fire.
Battalion chief.
Staffing issues affect all fire departments whether they are career, combination, or volunteer. However what time period is particularly challenging for volunteer organizations?
Daytime hours.
According to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) actual firefighting accounts for less than __ of the response workload of firefighters.
10%.
Which type of call has become the most frequent activity of firefighters, accounting for 55% of a fire company’s responses?
EMS calls.
Activated fire protection alarms represent the second most common response, and represent __ of the responses.
20%.
With activated fire protection system alarms what is the ratio of real fires in relation to false alarms?
1 : 100.
Investigating oders, hazardous conditions, or other services represents the third most common response and makes up about __ of all calls.
13%.
Although the number of structure fires is on the decline, the number of firefighter deaths is increasing. What is the primary cause of death within burning structures?
Flashover and structural collapse.
Prior to the Civil War, most governmental jobs were awarded according to the -
Spoils system.
In most fire departments completion of a promotional examination process creates an eligibility list that lasts -
2 to 6 years.
On a “Highly Qualified” list -
All firefighters on the list are equally qualified.
Highly Qualified, Qualified, and Not Qualified are all examples of which type of promotional list?
Banded.
On which promotional list is the highest scoring candidate rank Number 1?
Rank ordered.
Some fire departments require a set time to pass between a formal disciplinary action and consideration for an officer promotion. Which of the following best represents that time limit?
?
A narrative that summarizes the scope of a job and provides examples of the typical tasks that a firefighter holding the job would be expected to perform is called the -
Job description.
A technical worksheet to quantify the KSA of every classified municipal job is called the -
Class specification.
Which type of examinations are widely used in the promotional process of the fire service?
Multiple-choice exams.
Up to __ of the promotional test will focus on the technical aspects of a supervising fire officer.
70%.
A managing fire officer exam usually includes __ technical questions and __ management and administration questions.
Fewer, more.
Which of the following is a common assessment center event, where the fire officer candidate must deal with a stack of correspondences, and related items that have accumulated on a fire officer’s desk?
In-basket exercise.
The first key point of an interpersonal interaction assessment is -
Maintain control of the interview.
A valuable tool in studying for a promotional examination is to create a -
Personal study journal.
The most successful candidate in a role-playing exercise is the one who -
Acts naturally.
A series of simulated exercises used to evaluate a candidate’s competence in performing the actual tasks associated in performing a job best describes which of the following?
Assessment center.
A typical “In-Basket” exercise includes all but which of the following?
An unlimited time period to accomplish tasks.
Which of the following would be considered the first step in handling an “In-basket” exercise?
Review.
Emergency incident simulations fall into one of four formats. The first format, the fire officer candidate is provided information concerning an emergency incident. The candidate then must explain the actions that would be taken, and also describe what factors would be considered in making those decisions. This is called the -
Data dump question.
An exercise designed to test a candidate’s ability to perform effectively as a supervisor is called a -
Interpersonal interaction exercise.
A metropolitan (metro-sized) fire department is a department with more than __ fully paid firefighters.
400
List four basic tasks that are considered vital in order to be a good fire officer.
Beginning of shift report, Notifications, Decision making, Problem solving.
When should the beginning of shift report be faxed to the battalion chief?
Within 15 minutes of the reporting time.
The first part of a beginning of shift report -
Provides the on-duty staffing information and sick leave list.
Battalion Chief Kevin says that hard decisions regarding issues that arise within a fire company should be made by battalion chiefs.
Battalion Chief Brett says that hard decisions regarding issues that arise within a fire company should be made by the company’s fire officer.
Battalion Chief Jim says that company officers often complain about problems without ever offering any solutions.
Who is correct?
Both Battalion Chiefs Brett and Jim
Who is directly responsible for the supervision, performance, and safety of a crew of firefighters?
The Company-level Officer.
The formal fire department organization considers a fire officer to be the -
Fire chief’s representative at the work location.
In his book, “Effective Company Command”, James O. Page divided company officer’s duties into three roles, which include all but which of the following?
Leader.
What should the company officer do if he/she is told to issue and enforce an unpopular order or directive?
Carry out the order.
A fire officer can improve his or her effectiveness in handling an unpopular order by -
Determining the story or history behind the order.
At an emergency scene the fire officer -
Must function as a commander and exercise strong direct supervision.
A fire officer establishing command upon arriving at an emergency scene should have -
?
Who has the responsibility to ensure that fire fighters working at a fire scene are confident and competent in their skills?
The fire officer.
In a municipal fire department the Fire Officer’s supervisor would likely be all, but which of the following?
Deputy Chief.
Fire Officer Brett says that every fire officer has an obligation to keep their supervisor informed and to make appropriate decisions at his level of responsibility.
Fire Officer Liz says that every fire officer should consult with her supervisor before making major disciplinary actions or policy changes.
Who is correct?
Both are correct.
If a fire officer has the authority to solve a problem he/she should -
Solve the problem.
Decision making and personal behavior that are consistent with the department’s core values, mission statement, and value statements is known as -
Ethical behavior.
The complex system of inherent attributes that determine a person’s moral and ethical actions and reactions, including the quality of being honest is known as -
Integrity.
Which NFPA Standard is the Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications?
NFPA 1021
What does IAFC stand for?
International Association of Fire Chiefs.
Which piece of legislation provides additional compensatory and punitive damages in cases of intentional discrimination under Title VII?
The Civil Rights Act of 1991.
Which of the following, when applied to fire departments means that the work force should reflect the community it serves.
Diversity.
An employee behavior(s) that requires an immediate corrective action by a supervisor is known as an -
Actionable item.
A firefighter’s use of derogatory or racist terms about people from other ethnicities or genders -
Requires immediate corrective action by the supervisor.
The unwanted, uninvited, and unwelcome attention and intimacy in a nonreciprocal relationship is known as -
Sexual harrassment.
Which of the following would be an essential component of sexual harrassment?
Abuse of power.
Firefighters who want to initiate a harassment complaint have all but which of the following methods?
They can go to the Press.
Which of the following is the most common reason that local governments are found liable during sexual harrassment cases?
Failure to investigate the complaint.
All sexual harassment complaints should be -
Kept confidential.
What is meant by “On duty speech?”
To establish a workplace environment where certain behaviors and certain words are not used.
What is the second most important issue noted by administrative fire officers?
The need to make prompt notifications.
How would you characterize a type of sexual harassment in which a supervisor specifically promises a work-related benefit in return for a sexual favor?
Quid pro quo.
The civil rights of Americans are established by the federal government, and are enforced by the -
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
The science of using available resources to achieve desired results is known as -
Management.
Most fire officers will find that their greatest challenge has to do with -
Managing people.
Human resource management is built from which of the following generalized schools of management thought?
?
Which of the following individuals developed the general school of management called Scientific Management?
Frederick Winslow Taylor.
Scientific Management is based on which of the following?
?
The basic concepts of Scientific Management include which of the following?
Much of the autonomy is taken away. Skills are converted into simplified jobs that can be performed by unskilled workers.
Which of the following would NOT be considered one of the four principles of Scientific Management?
Divide the work in such a way that managers do approximately 1/3 the work than those workers actually performing the tasks, thus leaving them more time to plan future projects.
What was the method the Los Angeles City Fire Department used that enabled them to justify retaining five fire fighters on single-unit engine companies?
Measure of Effectiveness System.
Who developed the Theory X and Theory Y models?
Douglas McGregor.
Fire Officer Bob says that a Theory Y manager believes that people do like to work and they need encouragement, not be controlled.
Fire Officer Bill says that a Theory X manager believes that people don’t like to work and need to be closely watched and controlled.
Fire Officer Brad says that a Theory Y manager believes that people like to work only if they are closely watched and controlled.
Who is correct?
Fire Officer Bob and Bill.
In most cases a fire officer behaves as a Theory Y manager towards those who work under him. In which of the following situations is it necessary for the fire officer to behave as a Theory X manager.
?
Who saw human needs arranged like a ladder or pyramid?
Abraham H. Maslow.
The lowest level of Maslow’s ladder includes which of the following?
Physiological Needs.
The highest level of Maslow’s ladder includes which of the following?
Self-Actualization
The Grid Theory assumes that -
Every decision and every action taken in the workplace is driven by people’s values, attitudes, and beliefs.
Blake and Mouton describe five behavioral models based upon a person’s position on the Managerial Grid. Which model would fit a person who demonstrates a high concern for results, along with a low concern for others?
Controlling - Direct and Dominate.
Blake and Mouton describe five behavioral models based upon a person’s position on the Managerial Grid. Which model would fit a person who sees no contradiction in demonstrating a high concern for both people and results at the same time?
Contribute and Commit.
Blake and Mouton describe five behavioral models based upon a person’s position on the Managerial Grid. Which model would fit a person who represents the stereotypical image of a person working in a bureaucratic government agency?
Indifferent - Evade and Elude.
Human resource planning is -
The process of having the right number of firefighters in the right place at the right time, who can accomplish tasks effectively and efficiently.
In attempting to reduce their work force, most fire departments have opted to use -
Attrition and layoffs.
Performance management is -
The process of setting performance standards and evaluating performance against these standards.
Fire fighters who are being paid more of a salary because they have Paramedic or Hazardous Materials Technician certifications are being paid on which system of pay?
Skill-based pay.
A formal document that outlines the basic reason for the organization and how it sees itself is known as the Fire Department -
Mission Statement.
One of the greatest demands on the fire officer is the effective use of time. One of the best tools to improve efficiency is -
Through delegation.
What is the first step in the seven steps of delegation?
Define your desired results.
A fire fighter who has received an outstanding evaluation and has received a bonus of 5% the normal annual pay would be an example of which system of pay?
Merit-based pay.
Blake and Mouton describe five behavioral models based upon a person’s position on the Managerial Grid. Which model would fit a person who demonstrates a low concern for results with a high concern for people?
Accommodating - Yield and Comply.
Blake and Mouton describe five behavioral models based upon a person’s position on the Managerial Grid. Which model would fit a person who believes there is an inherent contradiction between two concerns, but does not value one concern over another?
Status Quo - Balance and Compromise.
Who is responsible for ensuring that every fire fighter survives every incident without injury?
The fire officer.
