1. Introduction to the Fire Officer1
Introduction to the Fire Officer

2. Welcome and Introduction
Name
Department
Current rank
Certifications currently held
Number of years in fire service
Full time job

3. Bill Manis Cell 374-0432 Email bmanis1110@gmail.com
35 years in public safety
EMS
Fire
Fire/EMS Instructor
Coroner

4. Course info Hand outs Assignments Class participation Exams
Cell Phones

5. Objectives (1 of 2)
Describe the roles and responsibilities of the Fire Officer I.
Describe the roles and responsibilities of the Fire Officer II.
Describe the fire service in the United States.
Describe fire department organization.

6. Objectives (2 of 2) Describe the functions of management.
Describe rules and regulations, policies, and standard operating procedures.
Describe working with other organizations.
Describe the challenges for the twenty-first century fire officer.

7. Introduction
Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications, NFPA 1021:
Four levels of Fire Officer: I, II, III, and IV
Progressive sequence

8. Fire Officer I (1 of 7) Supervises:
A single fire suppression unit
A small administrative group within a fire department
Achieves goals by working through subordinates
Must be able to prioritize multiple demands

9. Fire Officer I (2 of 7) Administrative duties: Record keeping
Managing projects
Preparing budget requests
Station maintenance requisitions
Preliminary accident investigations

10. Fire Officer I (3 of 7) Supervisory duties: Making work assignments
Ensuring health and safety procedures are followed
Developing pre-incident plans
Providing company-level training

11. Fire Officer I (4 of 7) Supervisory duties (continued):
Delivering public education programs
Responding to community inquiries

12. Fire Officer I (5 of 7) Emergency duties:
Supervising group of fire fighters
Functioning as initial arriving officer at emergency scene
Performing scene size-up
Establishing incident management system
Developing and implementing incident action plan

13. Fire Officer I (6 of 7) Emergency duties (continued):
Deploying resources
Maintaining personnel accountability
Conducting preliminary investigation
Securing the scene to preserve evidence
Conducting postincident analysis

14. Fire Officer I (7 of 7)
Candidates are also required to meet Fire Fighter II requirements.
Different term used by International Association of Fire Chiefs:
Supervising Fire Officer

15. Roles and Responsibilities of a Fire Officer
Differ from those for a fire fighter
Understanding new roles is essential for success.

16. Roles and Responsibilities for Fire Officer I (1 of 5)
Supervises and directs activities of single unit
Instructs members on operating procedures
Responds to alarms for:
Fires
Vehicle extractions
Hazardous materials incidents
Emergency medical incidents

17. Roles and Responsibilities for Fire Officer I (2 of 5)
Assumes command of emergency scenes
Administers emergency medical first aid and CPR
Oversees maintenance and inspections of apparatus
Receives direction and instruction from fire captain and battalion chief

18. Roles and Responsibilities for Fire Officer I (3 of 5)
Provides training on apparatus operations
Evaluates performance
Reads and applies procedures and technical manuals
Completes or maintains records
Prepares necessary reports

19. Roles and Responsibilities for Fire Officer I (4 of 5)
Performs prefire planning activities
Conducts occupancy inspections
Determines cause and preliminary origin of fire
Conducts public education programs and fire station tours
Assists in fire safety inspections

20. Roles and Responsibilities for Fire Officer I (5 of 5)
Participates in and oversees equipment inspection and testing
Works directly in firefighting activities
Takes action on maintenance needs of equipment, buildings, grounds
Supervises and performs maintenance and cleaning work

21. Fire Service in the United States (1 of 5)
Originated as communities of citizens who responded to fires:
Civic duty
No compensation

22. Fire Service in the United States (2 of 5)
Today, there are different approaches:
Volunteer departments without pay
Volunteer departments paid by response
Combination career and paid-on-call personnel
Career departments with full-time paid personnel

23. Fire Service in the United States (3 of 5)
28 percent of U.S. fire fighters are full-time.
72 percent are volunteers.
30,185 fire departments in the United States

24. Fire Service in the United States (4 of 5)
First organized volunteer fire company was established in Philadelphia by Benjamin Franklin in 1735.
Two major fires in 1871:
Chicago fire (300 fatalities)
Peshtigo, Wisconsin fire (over 2200 fatalities)

25. Fire Service in the United States (5 of 5)
© Chicago Historical Society #ICHi02808

26. Fire Equipment A progression: Development of municipal water systems:
Buckets
Hand-powered pumpers
Steam-powered pumpers
Machine-powered pumpers
Modern fire apparatus
Development of municipal water systems:
Fireplugs that tapped into them

27. Communications (1 of 3) Progression: Fire warden or night watchman
Public call boxes
More immediate and effective communications systems

28. Communications (2 of 3) Chief’s trumpet:
Formerly used for chief officer to shout commands
Became a symbol of authority

29. Courtesy of the FASNY Fire Museum of Firefighting, Hudson, New York
Communications (3 of 3)
Courtesy of the FASNY Fire Museum of Firefighting, Hudson, New York

30. Building Codes (1 of 2) Few building codes existed in colonial times.
Boston required “tyle” or slate for roofs in 1678.
When British burned Washington, D.C., in 1814, building wooden houses became prohibited.

31. Building Codes (2 of 2)
Today, model codes are written by national organizations such as the NFPA.
Citizens, businesses, insurance companies, and the government develop proposals.
Final result is a consensus document.

32. Paying for Fire Service (1 of 2)
Donations or subscriptions in early days:
Many volunteer departments still rely on them.
Fire insurance companies:
Earlier, houses that had insurance had a fire mark.

33. Paying for Fire Service (2 of 2)
© fotofacade.com/Alamy Images

34. Training and Education
The first fire fighters simply required strength and endurance.
With more complex equipment, formal training and good judgment became more important.
Most important resources on the fire scene remain the knowledgeable, well-trained, physically capable fire fighters.

35. Fire Department Organization (1 of 2)
Governments are charged with protecting public welfare.
Fire service usually draws authority from:
Town
City
County
Township
Special fire district

36. Fire Department Organization (2 of 2)
Fire chief is accountable to governing body.
Some volunteer departments are independent of any local government body.

37. Chain of Command (1 of 2)

38. Chain of Command (2 of 2) Creates structure for:
Managing the department
Directing fire-ground operations
Ranks vary by department, but concept is generally the same.

39. Basic Principles of Organization
Paramilitary style of leadership
Structured based on four principles:
Unity of command
Span of control
Division of labor
Discipline

40. Unity of Command (1 of 2)
Each fire fighter answers to only one supervisor.
Each supervisor answers to only one boss.
Direct route of responsibility from chief to fire fighter

41. Unity of Command (2 of 2)

42. Span of Control
Maximum number of personnel or activities one individual can control:
Usually three to seven

43. Division of Labor Way of organizing an incident
Breaks down overall strategy into smaller tasks

44. Discipline Department establishes guidelines for fire fighters.
Discipline includes:
Orders from superior officers
Standard operating procedures
Policies

45. Other Views of Organization
Function:
Engine companies, hazardous materials squads
Geography:
Each department is responsible for a specific geographic area.
Staffing:
Affects all fire departments

46. The Functions of Management
Planning
Organizing
Leading
Controlling

47. Rules and Regulations Fire officers must know them thoroughly.
Developed by government or government-authorized organizations
No room for latitude or discretion
One example is wearing a seat belt when riding in a vehicle.

48. Policies Provide guidelines for present and future actions.
Often require judgment on best course of action within policy
One example is maintaining station sidewalk safety in winter.

49. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
Routine methods to follow for designated operations or actions
Developed within the fire department
One example is the step-by-step process for vertical ventilation.

50. Working with Other Organizations
Fire departments often interact with other organizations.
Emergency medical service providers
Law enforcement officials
At the scene, all work together to solve problems.

51. Twenty-First Century Fire Officer Challenges (1 of 6)
Concepts of employee empowerment and decentralized decision making
Explosion of nonfire incidents:
EMS calls
Activated fire protection system alarms
Investigating odors or possible hazards

52. Twenty-First Century Fire Officer Challenges (2 of 6)
Deterioration, or crumbling, of built environment:
In 1900s, fire fighters died mostly from smoke inhalation.
In 2000s, fire fighters die mainly by flashover or structural collapse.

53. Twenty-First Century Fire Officer Challenges (3 of 6)
Protecting the homeland:
Fire officers are part of the first line of protection.
Evolving responsibility
“White powder” and “suspicious package” incidents
Active shooter events
Interaction with other agencies

54. Twenty-First Century Fire Officer Challenges (4 of 6)
Cultural diversity:
Men
Women
Caucasians
Hispanics
African Americans

55. Twenty-First Century Fire Officer Challenges (5 of 6)
Cultural diversity (continued):
Asian Americans
Native Americans
Others
Each bring strengths and unique perspectives.
Integration is far from complete.

56. Twenty-First Century Fire Officer Challenges (6 of 6)
Ethics:
Codes of ethics
Rewarding ethical behavior
Training
Three questions to ask about a decision:
What would my parents and friends say if they knew?
Would I mind if the paper ran it as a headline story?
How does it make me feel about myself?

57. Summary (1 of 4) Major Fire Officer I responsibilities:
Supervising a single unit
Conducting crew training
Conducting prefire plans
Presenting public education presentations

58. Summary (2 of 4)
Historical events have shaped the fire service of today.
A chain of command is followed.

59. Summary (3 of 4) Military organizational concepts:
Unity of command
Division of labor
Span of control
Discipline
Management includes planning, organizing, leading, and controlling.

60. Summary (4 of 4)
Rules, policies, and standard operating procedures are followed.
Twenty-first century challenges

61. Skills Objectives (2 of 2)
Demonstrate making a decision consistent with the department’s core values, mission statement, and value statements given an ethical dilemma.
Conduct an initial interview and notifications consistent with the department’s policy, rules, and regulations given a harassment or hostile workplace complaint.

62. Skills Objectives (1 of 2)
Function as a newly assigned fire officer, and with a description of a fire station, work group, and schedule, prepare a beginning of shift report or activity plan.
Function as a fire officer and demonstrate the effective issuing of an unpopular order to a fire company.

63. Fire Fighters and the Fire Officer3
Fire Fighters and the Fire Officer

64. Objectives (1 of 2) Describe the fire officer’s vital tasks.
Describe a typical fire station workday.
Describe the transition from a fire fighter to a fire officer.
Describe the activities a fire officer performs to maintain an effective working relationship with his or her supervisor.

65. Objectives (2 of 2) Describe integrity and ethical behavior.
Describe how to maintain workplace diversity.
Describe the concept of the fire station as a business work location.

66. Skills Objectives (1 of 2)
Function as a newly assigned fire officer, and with a description of a fire station, work group, and schedule, prepare a beginning of shift report or activity plan.
Function as a fire officer and demonstrate the effective issuing of an unpopular order to a fire company.

67. Skills Objectives (2 of 2)
Demonstrate making a decision consistent with the department’s core values, mission statement, and value statements given an ethical dilemma.
Conduct an initial interview and notifications consistent with the department’s policy, rules, and regulations given a harassment or hostile workplace complaint.

68. Introduction to the Fire Officer’s Job (1 of 2)
A fire officer is responsible for managing a work unit within the fire department.
Much of what a fire officer does are routine administrative activities related to the work group.
A fire officer ensures that the work unit will be prepared when it is needed.

69. Introduction to the Fire Officer’s Job (2 of 2)
Includes managing personnel, resources, and programs
Supervising and managing fire officers usually report to an administrative fire officer.
Or to fire chief or deputy chief in smaller organizations

70. The Fire Officer’s Tasks
Four basic vital tasks:
The beginning of shift report
Notifications
Decision making
Problem solving

71. The Beginning of Shift Report (1 of 4)
Prompt and accurate report at start of workday
Provided from each work location to battalion or district chief
Electronic, paper, or verbal
Chiefs rely on this information to adjust staff at beginning of shift.

72. The Beginning of Shift Report (2 of 4)

73. The Beginning of Shift Report (3 of 4)
First part of report provides on-duty staffing information and sick leave list.
Identifies positions that need to be filled for that day.
Also projects staffing for next day
Notes location and condition of all apparatus or rolling stock

74. The Beginning of Shift Report (4 of 4)

75. Notifications Fire officer must make prompt notifications.
Covers information such as:
Injury and infectious disease exposure reports
Any information the chief needs to know about when it is current
Anything someone at a higher level may call to inquire about (the “no surprises” rule)

76. Decision Making and Problem Solving (1 of 2)
Chiefs are available for consultation, but want officers to run the fire stations.
Chiefs prefer officers who complain about problems to also propose solutions to them.
Best solutions consider how solution would impact rest of department.

77. Decision Making and Problem Solving (2 of 2)

78. Example of a Typical Fire Station Workday
Includes activities such as:
Line-up and equipment check
Cleaning
Physical training
Productivity activity
Study time
Special station activity by month or day of week

79. Typical Volunteer Duty Night
1700: Evening duty crew starts, equipment check
1800: Dinner, followed by kitchen clean-up
1930: Classroom session, skill drill, or community outreach activity
2130: Remove trash, tidy up

80. The Transition from Fire Fighter to Fire Officer (1 of 3)
Promotion from fire fighter or driver/operator to company-level officer is a large step.
Responsible for supervision, performance, and safety of fire fighters
Fire officer is the fire chief’s representative at the work location.
Behavior acceptable for a fire fighter may be unacceptable for a fire officer.

81. The Transition from Fire Fighter to Fire Officer (2 of 3)
Courtesy of Captain David Jackson, Saginaw Township Fire Department

82. The Transition from Fire Fighter to Fire Officer (3 of 3)
Promotion to chief officer rank changes an individual’s relationship to the organization and its members to an even greater degree.
Command officer has less of a hands-on role.
Typically responsible for several fire companies

83. Fire Officer as Supervisor-Commander-Trainer
In Effective Company Command, James O. Page divides the company officer’s duties into three distinct roles:
Supervisor
Commander
Trainer

84. Supervisor (1 of 2)
Fire officer functions as official representative of fire chief.
Issues orders and directives to meet chief’s objectives
Follows fire department rules and regulations
Unpopular orders must sometimes be issued and enforced.

85. Supervisor (2 of 2)

86. Commander (1 of 4)
At scene of emergency incident, fire officer functions as commander.
Exercises strong direct supervision over company members
May function as the initial incident commander

87. Commander (2 of 4)

88. Commander (3 of 4) Initial incident commander is a high-profile role.
Fire officer needs to be clear, calm, and concise in initial radio transmissions.
Developing a command presence is key part of mastering incident command.

89. Commander (4 of 4)

90. Trainer (1 of 10)
Fire officer is responsible for skill confidence and competence of fire fighters under his or her command.
Specialty assignments require specific training.
A particular response district may require a higher level of skill or knowledge.

91. Trainer (2 of 10)

92. Trainer (3 of 10)
Three recommendations to assist fire officers in training:
Develop a personal training library.
Know the neighborhood.
Use problem-solving scenarios.

93. Trainer (4 of 10) Developing a personal library:
Three-ring notebook with subject matter tabs
Tabs could be NFPA 1001 topic headings, from school curricula, or a personal list.
Includes notes from training events fire officer attends
Personal journal of incidents handled

94. Trainer (5 of 10)

95. Trainer (6 of 10)
Instead of a binder, a laptop computer, scanner, and digital camera can be used.
Fire officer should also obtain personal copies of textbooks and references used in fire fighter training and promotional examinations.
Highlight, tab, and write in this book to make it your own reference.

96. Trainer (7 of 10)

97. Trainer (8 of 10) Know the neighborhood.
Conduct roof through subbasement walkthroughs in each nonresidential structure.
Take pictures.
Aerial views are useful, as from Google Earth™.

98. © Joao Virissimo/ShutterStock, Inc.
Trainer (9 of 10)
© Joao Virissimo/ShutterStock, Inc.

99. Trainer (10 of 10) Use problem-solving scenarios.
Instead of reading code regulations, present fact-based situations.
Let company members use the code to solve the problem.
Same problem-solving approach can be used in review of pre-incident action plans.