1 The History and Orientation of the Fire Service

1 Fire Department Governance (1 of 3) Regulations –Detailed rules that implement a law passed by a governmental body Policies –Outline what is expected in stated conditions –Issued by a department to provide guidelines for its actions

1 Fire Department Governance (2 of 3) SOPs –Provide specific information on actions that should be taken to accomplish a task –Ensure that all members perform a task in the same manner –Provide a uniform way to deal with situations –May also be called standard operating guidelines (SOGs)

1 Fire Department Governance (3 of 3)

1 Organization of the Fire Service Source of authority –Local governments –Sometimes from state and federal governments Fire chief accountable to the governing body

1 Company Types (1 of 3) Engine

1 Company Types (2 of 3) Truck –Specializes in forcible entry, ventilation, roof operations, search and rescue, and deployment of ground ladders Rescue –Rescue victims from confined spaces, trenches, and high angles

1 Company Types (3 of 3) Wildland/brush –Four-wheel drive vehicles Hazardous materials –Scenes involving spilled or leaking hazardous materials EMS –Assists in transporting to medical facilities

1 Other Views of Organization Staffing –Department must have sufficient trained personnel available Function –Bureau or office –Apparatus type Geography

1 Chain of Command (1 of 4) Structure for managing the department and the fire-ground operations Ranks may vary by department, but the concept is the same

1 Chain of Command (2 of 4) Lieutenant –Single company on a single shift Captain –Company on shift and for coordinating company’s activities with other shifts Battalion chief –Coordinates activities of several companies in a defined geographic area

1 Chain of Command (3 of 4) Assistant or division chief –In charge of a functional area within the department Chief of the department –Overall responsibility for administration and operations of the department

1 Chain of Command (4 of 4) Used to implement department policies Ensures that a given task is carried out in a uniform manner

1 Basic Principles of Organization (1 of 3) Discipline Division of labor –Organizing an incident by breaking down overall strategy –Makes individual responsible for completing the assigned task –Prevents duplicate job assignments

1 Basic Principles of Organization (2 of 3) The organization of a typical fire department

1 Basic Principles of Organization (3 of 3) Unity of command –Each fire fighter answers to only one supervisor. –Establishes a direct route of responsibility Span of control –Number of people one person can supervise effectively