Chapter 3: Firefighters and the officer Flashcards
Actionable items
Employee behavior that requires an immediate corrective action by the supervisor; dozens of lawsuits have shown that failing to act in the face of such behavior will crate a liability and a loss for the department.
Administrative fire officer
IAFC description of a person who has worked as a managing officer for 3-5 years, is certified at the NFPA Fire Officer 3 level, and has accomplished formal education equivalent to a bachelor’s degree.
Diversity
A characteristic of a fire workforce that reflects differences in terms of age, cultural background, race, religion, sex, and sexual orientation. The workforce should reflect the community it serves.
Ethical behavior
Decisions and behavior demonstrated by a fire officer that are consistent with the department’s core values, mission statement, and value statements.
Four basic tasks that are considered vital for the new fire officer.
- Beginning of shift report
- Notifications
- Decision making
- Problem solving
The beginning of shift report
Fire officers should provide a prompt and accurate report to the battalion chief within the first 15min of reporting time. The report may be electronic, paper, or verbal, chiefs rely on this information to make staffing adjustments. The report provides the on duty staffing information, sick leave list, identifies any positions that need to be filled for that shift, the location and condition of all of the apparatus or rolling stock, and any must know information that will require immediate attention.
Notifications
Key notifications must be made promptly. Examples include any and all injury and infectious disease exposure reports, as well as any information the chief needs to know when it is current. Particularly before someone at a higher level calls to ask about the issue. Many chiefs call this the no surprises rule.
Decision making and problem solving.
Chiefs typically want new officers to make decisions within their scope of responsibility. Chiefs are available for consultation, but expect officers to run the fire stations. Officers should not complain about problems without proposing solutions.
The fire officer is considered to be
The fire chiefs representative at the work location.
The three distinct roles of the fire officer
Supervisor, commander, and trainer.
The role of supervisor
As the official representitive of the fire chief the officer will issue orders and directives and conduct business in a way that meets the chiefs objectives. The officer is expected to supervise the company in a manner consistent with the rules and regulations of the fire dept.
The role of commander
The officer is expected to exercise strong direct supervision over the company members. This will involve being the initial IC in a major emergency, in which case the officer must be clear, calm, and concise in radio transmissions. Developing a command presence.
The role of trainer
The fire officer has the responsibility of making sure the firefighter under his or her command are confident and competent in their skills.
James O Page’s three specific recommendations to assist fire officers in developing competencies within the company.
- Develop a personal library
- Know the neighborhood
- Use problem solving scenarios
Developing a personal library
- The library starts by creating a file, or binder with subject tabs that match the topic headings in NFPA 1001, come from the recruit school curricula, or represent a personal list of important topics.
- Every time the officer attends a training event, the notes from that session are placed in this file/binder.
- Leo D Stapleton advocates that officers maintain a personal journal where they record information about the incidents they run and the issues they handle.
- Obtain personal copies the textbooks used in your training and highlight, tab, and write in these books until they become your personal reference.
