FO1 Exam Flashcards
According to NFPA Standard 1021, how many levels of Fire Officer are there?
Four (4)
What level of Fire Officer is generally associated with supervising a single fire company or apparatus?
Fire Officer 1
What is the lowest level of Fire Officer that could be a in a chief position?
3
What level of fire officer is generally associated as being the senior non-chief fire officer in a department?
2
At the fire officer I level, the emphasis is on accomplishing the departments goals and objectives by working through __________ to achieve the desired results.
subordinates
Within the NFPA requirements for fire officer 1, are there any requirements for certification as an instructor?
Yes, NFPA Instructor I
What term does the International Association of Fire Chiefs use for Fire Officer 1?
supervising fire officer
Historically, how did the American fire service originate?
Communities of civilian volunteers
According to the NFPA what percentage of the American fire service are volunteers?
72%
What type of fire department uses full time career personnel along with volunteer or paid on call personnel to staff the department?
combination
Although there are four common forms of staffing fire department organizations, most discussions divide firefighters into what two categories?
Paid and volunteer
What type of organizations do private industries or non-government organizations use to provide fire protection to factories, processing plants, and large private facilities?
fire brigades
In 1871 two major American fires occurred which would change the way the country viewed and responded to fire. What was one of those fires?
The Great Chicago Fire
Historically, what did it mean if a house had a fire mark on it?
The house was covered by insurance.
When steam powered fire engines were introduced in the 1800’s, what was the reaction of many volunteer firefighters?
They were threatened by them and resisted their use.
What devices introduced in the 1850’s enabled citizens to send a coded telegraph signal to the fire department dispatch center?
Public call boxes.
What were building codes originally developed to prevent?
Building collapse
Which industry played a major role in the development of the first model building codes?
Insurance industry
With the invention of technical firefighting equipment, what is the most important resource on scene?
firefighters
Firefighters typically report to a company officer which is invested with a rank, what is one of those ranks?
Captain
Of the following chief officer titles, which is the lowest rank?
Battalion Chief
What level of administrative chief fire officer is responsible for managing the activities of several fire companies within a defined geographic area, usually in more than one fire station?
Battalion Chief
The fire chief has the ultimate operational responsibility in a fire department. Who has the ultimate administrative responsibility?
Fire Chief
What condition could ensue if not for the principle of unity of command?
FF’s could receive multiple possibly conflicting orders from different officers.
Most experts believe that span of control should extend to no more than a certain number of people. What is that number?
5
With____________, the specific assignment of a task to an individual makes that person responsible for completing the task and prevents duplication of job assignments.
Division of labor
What is the term for the set of guidelines that the department establishes for FF’s?
discipline?
Which if the following is NOT a method of looking at the organization of a fire department?
hazards
Which of the four functions of management deals with developing a scheme, program, or method that is worked out beforehand to accomplish an objective?
planning
Which of the four functions of management does the fire officer use to take the available people, equipment, structure, and time, and develop the into an orderly, functional, and structural unit?
organizing
Which of the four functions of management means guiding or directing in a course of action to include motivating, guiding, training, and directing employees?
Leading
Which of the four functions of management is used when a fire officer considers the impact on the budget before making purchases?
controlling
What type of organizational document is developed to provide definite guidelines for present and future actions?
policy
What type of organizational document establishes or prescribes specific operational or administrative methods to be followed routinely for the performance of designated operations or actions?
SOP
What are the primary causes of death to FF’s operating in a burning structure?
Flashover and structural collapse.
Looking beyond the physical attributes of individuals and matching the individuals strengths with the organizations needs in order for the organization, the individual, and the officer to be most successful is a must for the fire officer to maintain___________?
cultural diversity
What type of organizational document is developed by various government or government-authorized organizations to implement a law that has been passed by a government body?
regulation
What type of information is included in the first part of a “beginning of shift report”
staffing
The “beginning of shift report” is normally due to the battalion chief within what amount of time after the start of shift?
15 minutes
What roles did the participants in the administrative fire officer survey favor between themselves, their fire officers, and the running of fire stations?
Chiefs will be available for consultations, but the fire officers will run their stations.
The formal fire department organization considers a fire officer to be the representative of whom?
fire chief
What is one of the recommendations for helping fire officers develop technical competencies within their companies?
Use problem solving scenarios.
When officers are preparing to present a class on a topic, what/whom should they consult first?
their personal training library
What is the primary purpose of having an accurate “beginning of shift report”?
Ensure adequate staffing
What is one of the four basic tasks expected of a good fire officer, as reported by the administrative fire officers study?
notifications
FF’s have four major changes in their relationship to the formal fire department organization during their careers. What is one of those changes?
first promotion to chief offcer
When an officer tells subordinates that he does not agree with unpopular orders, but the orders have to be enforced anyway, what is the result?
The officers authority and supervisory ability is undermined.
What is one of the three recommended activities for fire officers to work effectively with their supervisors?
Keep your supervisor informed.
If fire officers have the authority to solve a given problem that has come up, what should they do about involving their supervisors first?
Nothing, they should go ahead and make a decision.
Fire officers should consult their supervisors if they are going to make a decision that
goes beyond their scope of authority.
It is said that fire officers should “walk the talk”. What does that mean?
They should demonstrate the behaviors they say are important.
What kind of behavior can be described as consistent with the departments core values, mission statement, and value statements?
ethical behavior
According to Annex A of NFPA 1021 , public safety personnel must make choices based on the
maximum benefit to the citizens and community.
Fire officers should act as if someone is always ________when they are out of the station.
documenting their actions
The equal employment opportunity Act of 1972 includes almost all public and private employers with a minimum number of employees. What is the number?
15
How does diversity affect fire departments?
Their goal should be to reflect the diversity of the community in their workforce.
There are several things a department might do as part of compliance with a consent decree. What is one such thing?
Engage in community outreach.
According to the 1993 amended EEOC guidelines, under what circumstances, if any, are employers liable for the acts of those that work for them?
any time they knew, or should have known, about the behavior and did nothing about it.
According to the International Association of Fire Chiefs, a person who worked as a managing fire officer for 3-5 years, is certified at the NFPA Fire Officer 3 level, and has accomplished a formal education equivalent to a bachelors degree, is known as a
administrative fire officer
According to James Page, there are three distinct roles a company officer performs as part of his duties. Which of the following is NOT one of those roles?
friend
What can a fire officer do to improve his effectiveness in handling an unpopular order?
determine the history behind the order
What is one of the higher profile roles a fire officer can perform?
Functioning as incident commander
_________is the complex system of inherent attributes that determine a persons moral and ethical actions and reactions.
Integrity
What agency enforces the federal laws establishing the civil rights of Americans?
EEOC
FF’s who want to initiate a harassment complaint have three methods for doing so. At what level must they first make contact?
It is their choice.
Who must take corrective action if an investigation confirms a harassment complaint has merit?
The fire chief
What is one method of fostering the concept of appropriate workplace behavior?
FF’s develop their own set of rules.
What branch of management includes the setting of compensation and benefits?
Human resources
Management is the science of using _________ to achieve __________.
available resources/desired results
Human resource management is built from two generalized schools of management thought. What is one of those schools?
scientific
One of Taylors four principles was to replace “rule of thumb” work methods with _________.
methods based on scientific studies of the tasks
What type of study was used to greatly improve performance in the FF combat challenge?
time and motion
Taylor’s unflattering characterization of workers viewed them s “cheap, stupid” and _________.
interchangeable
What does a Theory X manager believe?
That people do not like to work.
A Theory Y manager believes that people need to be ________, not _________.
ecnouraged, controlled
What is one specific situation in which fire officers must behave as Theory X managers?
when operating at a fire
What type of management techniques are appropriate in an involuntary work performance meeting with a subordinate?
Theory X
In the context of having their security threatened, FF’s may do what is necessary to survive. In that situation how will they feel, typically, about advancing the objectives of the fire department or their officers?
Not highly motivated.
What is the fifth level of Maslows hierarchy of needs?
self actualization
The Blake and Mouton Managerial Grid style that represents the lowest level of concern for both results and people is called________.
indifferent
What does the accommodating person demonstrate, according to the Blake and Mouton Managerial Grid?
low concern for results, high concern for people
In the Blake and Mouton Managerial Grid, __________ sees a high level of concern for either people or results as too extreme and tries to moderate both in the workplace.
status quo
The sound attitude believes in “whats right” rather than __________.
Who’s right.
Employee relations include all activities designed to __________.
maintain a rapport with employees.
There are many ways to shrink a fire departments labor supply. What is one of the methods preferred by most fire departments?
attrition
What is the pay system called in which fire fighters are typically paid a base amount and then receive additional compensation for a good performance?
Merit-based.
In the context of human resources, what does the “F” in FLSA stand for?
Fair
According to the textbook, what will be the fire officers greater challenge?
managing people
According to Taylor, ____________ calls for optimizing the ways tasks are performed and simplifying the jobs so workers could be trained to to perform a specialized sequence of motions in the one “best” way.
scientific management
How did Taylor determine the optimal way to perform a job?
time and motion studies
The ________ school developed by Mayo shifted the focus to pay more attention to the working conditions that would make them more productive.
humanistic management
According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the most basic human needs, at the bottom of the ladder, are known as_____________.
Physiological needs
What does the controlling person demonstrate, according to the Blake and Mouton Managerial Grid?
high concern for results, low concern for people
Which of the following behavior models established by Blake and Mouton is the preferred behavior for Fire Officers to have?
sound
What is the term used for the process of attracting, selecting, and maintaining an adequate supply of labor?
staffing
What is the term used for the process of setting performance standards and evaluating performance against those standards?
performance management
What is the pay system called in which firefighters are typically paid a base amount and then receive additional compensation for any skills they FF can demonstrate?
skil-based
What is one of the best tools used to improve time efficiency?
delegation
What is an MOU most similar to?
a labor contract
What is described as “ a negotiated legal agreement between the labor organization and the local jurisdiction”?
a labor contract
_______ is a method whereby representatives of employees (unions) and employers determine the conditions of employment through direct negotiation.
Collective bargaining.
What task force developed a standardized physical ability test that is validated as an assessment of a FF candidates physical ability to perform the critical tasks of a FF?
Fire Service Joint Labor-Management Wellness-Fitness Task Force.
At what point in the grievance process can an employee contact a union representative to discuss an issue?
Anytime
The range, scope, and tasks of a fire officers supervisory activities are defined by three primary components-two of which are: 1) the local labor contract, and 2)the fire departments rules, regulations, and procedures. What is the third component?
the municipalities personnel regulations
Are strikes by state or municipal workers legal?
No, in most places they are illegal.
What is one complaint by unions about open shops?
Nonunion members benefit from the efforts of the union.
In the early days how many hours did the New York FF’s work in a week?
151
Why do many states prohibit FF’s from walking out on strike?
because of the severity of impact to public safety
Many of the early FF labor actions in the United States were over the establishment of a new system. What system?
the two platoon system
What important vote did the IAFF pass in 1968?
to eliminate their 50 year old no strike clause in their constitution.
Who is the union member appointed or elected to be the first line of labor representation at the workplace?
Shop Steward
A(n) _________ occurs when the parties involved in a stroke reach a deadlock during negotiations.
impasse
What has been used in place of strikes to influence public opinion in favor of the wants of FF’s during labor disputes?
Picketing
What program was developed in 1999 to assist todays fire chiefs and union presidents in fostering cooperative and collaborative labor-management relationships?
The IAFC/IAFF Labor Management Initiative.
Who is generally the first point of contact between the workers and the fire department organization?
fire officer
Step _______ initiates the formal part of the grievance procedure.
Two
How many days is a supervisor given to reply to a written grievance?
10 Days
According to NFPA 1521, what is the minimum level of fire officer required to be a safety officer?
Fire Officer 1
FF’s should be medically examined periodically as long as they are engaged in performing emergency duties, with an emphasis on identifying risk factors that could lead to ________.
Heart attack
What does the “I” stand for in CISM?
incident
What is one rule that could prevent 10-15 FF deaths per year if complied with everytime?
FF must be seated and wear seat belts in transit.
What does the “I” stand for in IDLH?
immediately
What is one rule that pertains to IDLH conditions?
two-in, two-out
How many fully equipped personnel must there be at a minimum in an RIC?
two
How are the air time ratings for an SCBA determined?
They are based on the air consumption of an individual at rest.
What can a fire officer develop to address and minimize the chances of harm by identifying and controlling the factors that lead to FF injury or death?
Incident Action Plan
Which level of the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS) is the most difficult to analyze?
HFACS 4
What NFPA standard covers health related fitness programs for FD members?
NFPA 1583
NFPA requires _______ to track identity, assignment, and location of all FF’s operating at an incident scene?
A personnel accountability system.
What is the minimum number of FF’s required for an interior operation?
Two
What is one of the most important reason for establishing and maintaining an effective command structure at every incident?
situational awareness
What situation justifies exposing FF’s to a high level of risk?
Realistic chance of saving a life.
Who can the incident commander give the authority to immediately suspend or alter activities on an incident scene?
Safety Officer
_________is the process of providing rest, rehydration, nourishment, and medical evaluation to members who are involved in strenuous or extended duration incident scene operations.
Rehabilitation
Who determined when it is safe to reduce the level of PPE at an incident scene?
incident commander and safety officer
What NFPA standard covers the infection control program?
NFPA 1581
Who determines fitness for duty status after reviewing documentation of a members exposure?
FD Physician
Which of the following is NOT a phase of an accident investigation?
employee administrative action
In addition to meeting regulatory requirements, how can records of accidents be used?
Identifying trends
What is one method of identifying unsafe conditions that occurred during an incident?
post-incident analysis
What federal directive mandates incident management training?
HSPD-5
Training is defined as the process of achieving proficiency through instruction and _______.
hands on practice.
Most state fire service professional certification systems are based on _________.
NFPA standards
Who determines whether or not to award accreditation to a given agency?
a group of impartial experts
______ is the process of imparting knowledge or skill through systematic instruction.
Education
What does NBFSPQ do
accredits fire service certification systems
A formal training program includes both skills practice and what else?
classroom time
The practice of having multiple companies that might respond together do pre-incident planning together in their response area is viewed as____________.
An excellent method of improving coordination between companies.
What is the first step of the four step method of instruction?
preparation
Who determines a need for focused training?
An officer or the department.
The objective of presentation is to introduce the students to the subject matter, explain the importance of the topic, and ____________.
create interest in the presentation
Is there any relationship between the number of senses engaged in a lesson and the students retention of the material?
Yes, the more there better.
When students attempt to perform new tasks under instructor supervision, when is success attained?
When they can perform the task safely without instructor input.
Is end-of-class testing written or practical?
It can be either.
Fire officers should avoid spending longer than _______ on any one lecture or presentation, as adult learners tend to let their attention drift after that.
15-20 minutes
When providing training, fire officers act in another role besides instructor. What other role?
Coach
Psychomotor skills falls into one of four categories. What is one of them?
Initial
To require a FF to perform with a rusty skill set in an emergency situation is considered to be ________.
Dangerous
What agency mandates early blood borne pathogens training in the fire service?
OSHA
OSHA requires that anyone who uses an SCBA in work assignments must be trained in it’s use and ________.
fit tested in it.
How can fire officers know all they should in order to safely conduct live fire training?
There is an NFPA standard which address that specifically.
________ is a method of directing, instructing, and training a person or group of people with the aim to achieve some goal or develop specific skills.
Coaching
What city began the first organized instruction of fire officers in 1869?
New York City
What trend was started when the NFPA helped standardize FF training by publishing the inaugural edition of NFPA 1001 “Standard for FF Professional Qualifications” in 1974?
consensus standards
What agency provides accreditation to certificate issuing entities and also accredits fire related degree programs at the college and university levels?
International Fire Service Accreditation Congress
A near miss, fire ground problem, or performance deficiency are all indicators of a need for _________.
Additional training
According to the Conscious Competence Learning Matrix developed by Dr. Thomas Gordon in the 1970’s what is the highest level of competence a FF may display?
Level 4
What is the third step of the four step method of instruction?
Application
________ is a developmental relationship in which a more experienced person helps a less experienced person by providing a deliberate, learning environment through instructing, coaching, providing experiences, modeling, and advising.
Mentorship
On a live fire training evolution, each handline is required to flow a minimum of how many GPM?
95gpm
What is the first step when developing a specific training program that is not already an existing program or lesson plan?
Assess the need.
The specific behavior to perform, the conditions in which it must be performed, and the performance measure are all part of what?
an objective statement.
Which of the following is minimum level of training to become a supervisory fire officer?
FO1
Which of the following is the minimum level of training to become a managing fire officer?
FO2
What program is designed to deal with issues such as substance abuse, emotional or mental health issues, marital and family difficulties, or other difficulties that affect job performance?
Employee assistance program
A fire officer notices a FF has been absent from work numerous times, is irritable, and moody. What may be affecting the FF’s performance?
stress
Who can enter a FF into the EAP?
employee
When, relative to the annual evaluation, should FF’s who are not meeting expectations know there is a problem?
10 weeks before the evaluation is due.
In the fire service, discipline divides into what two sides?
Positive and negative.
Normally, how long is an informal written reprimand active?
1 year
