Chapter 7 Administration of the Fire Department 1-

Introduction The fire chief must balance the needs of the community and the department with the resources available Personnel must be properly led and supported in performing their functions Administrative staff perform their duties to ensure that the personnel of the department are trained, equipped, and supplied with the necessary support services 1-

Six Principles and Chain of Command Learning Objectives 1, 4, and 5 Six Principles and Chain of Command Fire Department Organizational Chart PRINCIPLES OF COMMAND Are general guidelines Department should serve the needs of its jurisdiction Used in both emergency and non-emergency organizations Divided into six areas

Six Principles and Chain of Command Learning Objectives 1, 4, and 5 Six Principles and Chain of Command Fire Department Organizational Chart UNITY OF COMMAND Each person has one boss Everyone has a clear understanding of who is the supervisor NIMS is based on unity of command structure Violation of unity of command leads to confusion

Six Principles and Chain of Command Learning Objectives 1, 4, and 5 Six Principles and Chain of Command Fire Department Organizational Chart CHAIN OF COMMAND Formal path of communication though the organization Communication flows from top up and bottom down Cannot be violated unless extreme circumstances

Six Principles and Chain of Command Learning Objectives 1, 4, and 5 Six Principles and Chain of Command Fire Department Organizational Chart SPAN OF CONTROL Can effectively only supervise a certain number of personnel Effective span is considered three to seven Decisions dispersed through chain of command Prevents information overload

Six Principles and Chain of Command Learning Objectives 1, 4, and 5 Six Principles and Chain of Command Fire Department Organizational Chart DIVISION OF LABOR Work divided into specific areas Apply most appropriate resources Determine responsibility for completion Base on area, skill, and complexity Avoids duplication of effort

Six Principles and Chain of Command Learning Objectives 1, 4, and 5 Six Principles and Chain of Command Fire Department Organizational Chart DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY Manager must delegate authority to subordinates Supervisor must ensure proper training received Responsibility is still manager’s Person assuming responsibility must ensure the function is going to be performed

Six Principles and Chain of Command Learning Objectives 1, 4, and 5 Six Principles and Chain of Command Fire Department Organizational Chart EXCEPTION PRINCIPLE Person delegating authority wants to be informed of situations of major importance Certain situations arise that the supervisor needs to know about Personnel matters, major incidents, or incidents involving major expense to the department

Six Components of the Management Cycle Learning Objective 2 Six Components of the Management Cycle MANAGEMENT CYCLE Problem-solving process to accomplish goals and objectives Objectives must be specific, measurable, attainable, Realistic, and timely

Six Components of the Management Cycle Learning Objective 2 Six Components of the Management Cycle PLANNING Determining objectives and how to achieve them Requires the use of policies Course or method of action Procedures Particular way of accomplishing something

Six Components of the Management Cycle Learning Objective 2 Six Components of the Management Cycle ORGANIZING Done after planning Managers bring together essential resources Framework is chain of command and table of organization Manager determines if positions can be filled

Six Components of the Management Cycle Learning Objective 2 Six Components of the Management Cycle STAFFING The assignment of resources to the needs Determine adequate staffing Large departments may have rapid intervention teams Effective fire prevention requires enough personnel assigned to that function

Six Components of the Management Cycle Learning Objective 2 Six Components of the Management Cycle DIRECTING Guiding and supervising efforts Accomplished through: Rules Standard operating procedures Job descriptions Assigned duties

Six Components of the Management Cycle Learning Objective 2 Six Components of the Management Cycle CONTROLLING Determining if organization is working toward goals Discrepancies require corrective actions Largest control is the annual budget Financial officer will keep fire chief up to date on yearly budget

Six Components of the Management Cycle Learning Objective 2 Six Components of the Management Cycle EVALUATING Determining whether goals and objectives are being met Must be measurable and attainable Evaluation is both internal and external Must be carried out objectively Is an ongoing process

Four Methods of Communication Learning Objective 3 Four Methods of Communication FOUR BASIC METHODS Face to face Most likely to be understood Radio/telephone Written Electronic

Identify Different Fire Department Types Learning Objective 6 Identify Different Fire Department Types FIRE DEPARTMENT TYPES Type depends on needs and resources Vary in size Increase in size, and increase in complexity More than 30,000 fire departments across the United States involving 1.2 million firefighters

Identify Different Fire Department Types Learning Objective 6 Identify Different Fire Department Types VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS First departments in the U.S. Preliminary first step in fire service Common paid position in a volunteer department is a driver Not predetermined how many personnel will arrive at the scene

Identify Different Fire Department Types Learning Objective 6 Identify Different Fire Department Types COMBINATION FIRE DEPARTMENT Large part of staff is paid Volunteers cover station when crew is on assignment Concept provides a force of reserves Reserves gain training Department gains personnel

Identify Different Fire Department Types Learning Objective 6 Identify Different Fire Department Types PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT Police and fire departments are under same department head Personnel are cross trained Increased productivity

Identify Different Fire Department Types Learning Objective 6 Identify Different Fire Department Types CAREER FIRE DEPARTMENTS All personnel are paid a salary Too large to be performed by volunteers Jurisdiction has control over personnel Requires expert management Policies and goals

Identify Different Fire Department Types Learning Objective 6 Identify Different Fire Department Types INDUSTRIAL FIRE BRIGADES Manufacturing, refinery, or other location Personnel hired by the company CONTRACT FIRE PROTECTION SERVICE Private-sector companies Service by contract or subscription

Ranks and Their General Responsibilities Learning Objective 7 Ranks and Their General Responsibilities LAYERS OF MANAGEMENT Deputy chief Battalion or district chief Company officer

Learning Objective 8 Customer Service, One Department Concept, Team Building, and Incident Effectiveness FIRE CHIEF ATTRIBUTES Educated in public or fire administration Advanced education, master’s degree preferred Ability to communicate Needs to be a diplomat Interpret wishes of governing body

ONE DEPARTMENT CONCEPT Learning Objective 8 Customer Service, One Department Concept, Team Building, and Incident Effectiveness CUSTOMER SERVICE Public is the customer Customer’s needs must be met ONE DEPARTMENT CONCEPT Standardization Same procedures throughout the jurisdiction

INCIDENT EFFECTIVENESS Learning Objective 8 Customer Service, One Department Concept, Team Building, and Incident Effectiveness TEAM BUILDING Willing to work together Each shift able to support the other INCIDENT EFFECTIVENESS Ability to function quickly and efficiently

Summary We have looked at the importance of administration at all levels in accomplishing the mission of the fire department Administration is made up of people performing according to widely accepted concepts and standards Depending on the size of the department and its needs, the organization of the administration can vary widely The most important point is that without the support of administrative staff, the line would not function 1-