Firefighter Skills Chapter 1 - Chain of Command Terminology

Question 1

Lieutenant

Answer 1

-Responsible for a single fire company on a single shift.

Question 2

Captain

Answer 2

-Responsible not only for managing a fire company on their shift, but also for coordinating the company’s activities with other shifts.

Question 3

Battalion Chief

Answer 3

-Responsible for coordinating the activities of several fire companies in a defined geographic area such as a station or district.

Question 4

Assistant/Division Chiefs

Answer 4

-Usually in charge of a functional area, such as training, within the department.

Question 5

Chief of The Department

Answer 5

-Overall responsibility for the administration and operations of the department.

Question 6

Discipline

Answer 6

• Set of guidelines established for firefighters.

- Regulations, policies, and procedures (SOPs and SOGs) are all forms of discipline.

Question 7

Division of Labor

Answer 7

• A way of organizing an incident by breaking down the overall strategy into a series of smaller tasks.
• Ex: Engine companies and truck companies perform different functions to accomplish an overall goal.

Question 8

Unity of Command

Answer 8

• The idea that each fire fighter answers to only one supervisor, each supervisor answers to only one boss, and so on.
• Designed to avoid confusion and conflicting orders.

Question 9

Span of Control

Answer 9

• The number of people whom one person can supervise effectively.
• Usually no more than 5 people, but dynamic.