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Fire Officer Principles and Practices 4th JBL > Ch 5-6 > Flashcards

Ch 5-6 Flashcards

(100 cards)

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1
Q

What are the administrative activities outlined in NFPA 1021?

A

Implement/evaluate/change policies, manage budgets, monitor revenue, handle HR issues, maintain records.

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2
Q

Why is a fire officer well-positioned to recommend policy changes?

A

They have direct contact with fire fighters and citizens, seeing policy effectiveness firsthand.

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3
Q

What is a problem that may prompt a policy change?

A

A disparity between actual and desired states, e.g., non-standardized equipment locations.

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4
Q

What are Bill Manning’s five disconnects in policy change?

A

Culture threat, unsafe traditions, imbalanced safety/mission, subdued safety voices, ignored behavioral safety.

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5
Q

How should a fire officer recommend a policy change?

A

Identify problem, gather evidence, use conflict resolution model, write proposal, get supervisor approval.

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6
Q

What should a policy proposal include?

A

Problem outline, proposed change, resources needed, benefits, potential negative effects, and mitigation.

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7
Q

How is a policy proposal typically processed?

A

Submitted to supervisor, reviewed by senior staff, drafted, shared for comment, finalized by chief.

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8
Q

How should a fire officer communicate new policies?

A

Discuss at shift start, highlight changes, require read/sign-off, post on bulletin board, log in journal.

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9
Q

Why must fire officers follow policies?

A

To maintain order and credibility; non-compliance undermines policy importance.

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10
Q

How can a fire officer ensure policy compliance?

A

Evaluate actions, review violations, consider discipline for repeated or safety violations.

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11
Q

What is a budget?

A

An itemized summary of estimated revenues and expenditures for a fiscal year.

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12
Q

What are the six steps of the budget cycle?

A

Identify needs, prepare request, public review, adopt budget, administer budget, close-out year.

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13
Q

What is the difference between operating and capital budgets?

A

Operating covers annual expenses; capital funds fixed assets like apparatus or buildings.

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14
Q

What is a fiscal year example?

A

FY25 runs from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, with planning starting in 2023.

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15
Q

What is a base budget?

A

Funding to maintain current service levels, adjusted for inflation and salary increases.

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16
Q

What is a supplemental budget?

A

Proposed spending increases for additional services beyond the base budget.

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17
Q

What information is required on a capital budget request form?

A

Project type, priority, title, location, contact, description, cost, funding, operating cost impact.

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18
Q

How should a fire officer justify a replacement item?

A

Highlight reliability issues, repair costs, or health hazards, e.g., an old washer’s unavailability.

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19
Q

How can a new capital item be justified?

A

Describe improved service quality or capacity, e.g., faster extrication with a hydraulic rescue tool.

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20
Q

Where can purchase information for budget requests be found?

A

AHJ catalogs, state purchase agreements, or vendor quotes, per purchasing department rules.

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21
Q

What are common local government revenue sources?

A

Sales taxes, property taxes, income taxes, federal support, user fees, and service fees.

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22
Q

What is a fire tax district?

A

A special district charging property taxes to fund fire protection in a designated area.

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23
Q

How do volunteer fire departments raise funds?

A

Tax revenues, donations, subscriptions, events like bingo, or real estate/portfolio investments.

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24
Q

What are five options for budget reductions?

A

Defer expenditures, privatize services, regionalize services, reduce workforce, reduce department size.

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25
How can apparatus life be extended?
Rehabilitate rigs (e.g., Los Angeles SLEP) or use smaller vehicles for EMS responses.
26
What is privatization in fire departments?
Contracting out services like paramedic training or apparatus maintenance for cost efficiency.
27
What is an example of regionalized services?
MABAS, providing shared hazmat, rescue, and underwater teams across multiple states.
28
What are human resources department functions?
Hiring, discipline, FMLA, payroll, retirement, compliance with state/federal laws.
29
What is the fire officer’s role in human resources?
Follow procedures for behavior, grievances, transfers, promotions, leave, payroll, benefits.
30
Why are performance evaluations important?
To set expectations, guide development, and motivate fire fighters to perform at high levels.
31
How should a fire officer evaluate a probationary fire fighter?
Assess skills against job description, provide feedback, set specific performance expectations.
32
What is positive discipline?
Encouraging and reinforcing appropriate behavior and desirable performance.
33
What is corrective discipline?
Punishing inappropriate behavior or unacceptable performance, e.g., oral reprimand.
34
What is an oral reprimand?
An informal corrective discipline action, not part of the official record, given by the fire officer.
35
Where are official employee records kept?
In a secured central repository, per municipal personnel rules.
36
What are features of an effective records management system?
Preserves information, meets legal retention, archives vital data, resists destruction/theft.
37
Why is inventory documentation important?
To track capital items’ acquisition, cost, and status, especially for grant-funded equipment.
38
What equipment requires documented inspections?
SCBA, biomedical devices, PPE, fire hoses, apparatus, per regulatory requirements.
39
What is preventive maintenance?
Scheduled maintenance to reduce wear on equipment, vehicles, or facilities.
40
What is corrective maintenance?
Repairs to keep items operational, e.g., replacing a pumper’s blown engine.
41
Why are training records reviewed?
To confirm compliance with accreditation, state, or ISO standards, and for liability investigations.
42
What medical records must be maintained for fire fighters?
Pre-employment exams, periodic evaluations, exposure reports, return-to-duty assessments.
43
What is HIPAA’s role in fire departments?
Protects patient health information; limits sharing to treatment, payment, or operational needs.
44
What is the purpose of a company journal?
To record emergency, routine, and special activities, injuries, and visitors at the fire station.
45
What is a morning report to the battalion chief?
A daily report identifying personnel or resource shortages, sent by phone, fax, or email.
46
What is the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS)?
A U.S. Fire Administration database collecting fire and incident data nationwide.
47
When is an expanded incident report required?
For fatalities, rescues, arson, high-profile incidents, or activities causing injury/liability.
48
What are characteristics of a good incident report?
Accurate, factual, objective, clear, complete, concise, organized, grammatically correct.
49
What are examples of infrequent reports?
Injury reports, citizen complaints, vehicle accident reports, equipment evaluations.
50
What software tools do fire officers use for reporting?
Word processors (e.g., Microsoft Word), spreadsheets (e.g., Excel), presentation software (e.g., PowerPoint).
51
What is a preincident plan according to NFPA 1620?
A document with data to manage emergencies, protecting occupants, responders, property, and the environment.
52
What are the six considerations for a preincident plan per NFPA 1620?
Physical/site, occupancy, water supply/protection systems, special considerations, emergency operations, documentation.
53
What is included in physical and site considerations?
Plot/floor plans, building size, construction, utilities, access routes, security, and environmental impacts.
54
What are occupancy considerations in a preincident plan?
Evacuation or protect-in-place plans, occupant numbers, ages, conditions, and exit locations.
55
How are water supply and fire protection systems documented?
Hydrant locations, flow rates, fire department connections, sprinklers, standpipes, and smoke management systems.
56
What are special hazards in a preincident plan?
Flammable liquids, explosives, toxic agents, radioactive materials, and reactive chemicals.
57
What are emergency operation considerations?
Incident action plan prioritizing life safety, stabilization, property conservation, and command post location.
58
What is a plot plan?
A representation of a structure’s exterior, showing access, doors, utilities, and hazards.
59
What is a floor plan?
A drawing of a building’s interior, showing rooms, hallways, stairwells, and hazardous material storage.
60
How should preincident plans be documented?
In a standardized format with address, occupancy, construction, water flow, resources, and hazards, often electronically.
61
What is a high-value property?
A structure with high replacement value items, e.g., data processing or fine arts centers.
62
What is a high-risk property?
A structure with potential for catastrophic loss, e.g., hospitals or nuclear power plants.
63
What is the catastrophic theory of reform?
Fire code changes driven by disasters, e.g., Cocoanut Grove or Station Nightclub fires.
64
What is the difference between a building code and a fire code?
Building code applies to new construction; fire code applies to existing buildings and fire risks.
65
What is an authority having jurisdiction (AHJ)?
An entity responsible for enforcing codes or approving equipment, materials, or procedures.
66
What is a model code?
A consensus-developed code by organizations like NFPA, adopted with or without amendments.
67
What is adoption by reference?
Adopting a model code by citing it in an ordinance, e.g., NFPA 1, Fire Code.
68
What is adoption by transcription?
Publishing the entire model code text within the adopting ordinance.
69
What are mini/max codes?
State codes that local jurisdictions cannot amend to be more restrictive.
70
What is NFPA 101?
Life Safety Code, detailing means of egress for occupant protection in new/existing buildings.
71
What are retroactive code requirements?
New codes applied to existing buildings, e.g., sprinklers in casinos post-MGM Grand fire.
72
What are the two primary built-in fire protection methods?
Compartmentation (passive) and automatic sprinklers (active).
73
What are common fire protection code violations?
Blocked connections, improper storage, items on sprinklers, insufficient clearance, incorrect sprinkler coverage.
74
What are types of automatic sprinkler systems?
Wet-pipe, dry-pipe, deluge, preaction, and foam-based systems.
75
What is a wet-pipe sprinkler system?
Pipes filled with water, discharging immediately when a sprinkler opens, requiring less maintenance.
76
What is a dry-pipe sprinkler system?
Pipes filled with air/nitrogen, used in freezing areas, requiring higher maintenance.
77
What is a deluge sprinkler system?
Open sprinklers discharging large water volumes for fast fires, e.g., in ordnance plants.
78
What is a Class I standpipe system?
2½-inch (65-mm) couplings for fire department use with large hose streams.
79
What is a Class III standpipe system?
Both 1½-inch (38-mm) and 2½-inch (65-mm) connections for occupants and fire department.
80
What is a fire pump’s role?
Increases water pressure in sprinkler/standpipe systems, starting automatically when pressure drops.
81
What are special extinguishing systems?
Carbon dioxide, dry/wet chemical, Halon/clean agent, and foam systems.
82
What is a carbon dioxide system?
Discharges CO2 to displace oxygen, requiring SCBA use, per NFPA 12.
83
Why was Halon phased out?
It depletes the ozone layer; clean agents per NFPA 2001 replaced it for electronics protection.
84
What is a fire alarm system?
Devices (e.g., smoke detectors, manual boxes) that monitor and notify of fire with audible/visual signals.
85
What is the purpose of a fire code compliance inspection?
To ensure properties meet fire code, checking housekeeping and fire protection systems.
86
What is the scope of a fire officer’s inspection authority?
Varies by jurisdiction; may include full enforcement, specific occupancies, or recommendations only.
87
How should a fire company conduct an inspection?
Review codes, exterior walk-around, interior bottom-to-top, meet representative, write report.
88
What should an inspection/correction report include?
Clear description of violations, code sections, correction timeline, and owner signature.
89
What are general inspection requirements?
Check exits, fire protection systems, extinguishers, hazardous storage, and emergency plans.
90
What are access and egress inspection items?
Unobstructed exit paths, proper storage, no locked/blocked exits.
91
What are exit sign and emergency lighting checks?
Ensure signs are lit, emergency lights function, and monthly check documentation exists.
92
What are special hazards in inspections?
Industrial processes or materials requiring permits, e.g., fireworks warehouses.
93
What are assembly occupancy inspection concerns?
Overcrowding, blocked exits, flame-resistant decor, proper hood/duct systems.
94
What are educational occupancy concerns?
Blocked exits, maintained fire systems, safe cooking/science/shop areas, practiced evacuation plans.
95
What are mercantile occupancy concerns?
Blocked exits/aisles, poor housekeeping, covered sprinklers, flammable material storage.
96
What is the plain view doctrine in fire investigations?
Allows seizure of evidence in plain view during legal fire scene access without a warrant.
97
What did Michigan v. Tyler (1978) establish?
No warrant needed for fire cause investigation while on scene; plain view evidence is admissible.
98
When is a fire investigator needed?
For suspected arson, fatalities, serious injuries, large-loss fires, or unclear causes.
99
What is the chain of custody?
Securing and documenting evidence from fire scene to courtroom to ensure validity.
100
How should a fire officer protect evidence?
Limit scene access, use barrier tape, post guards, avoid excessive overhaul, cover small evidence.

Fire Officer Principles and Practices 4th JBL (7 decks)

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