1. The History and Orientation of the Fire Service

2. 1
Objectives (1 of 4)
Describe changes in the fire department from the colonial days to the present.
Describe the four basic principles of organization of the fire department.
Define the chain of command as it applies to a fire department.

3. 1
Objectives (2 of 4)
List the different types of fire department companies and describe their functions.
Describe the roles of fire fighters within the fire department.

4. 1
Objectives (3 of 4)
Describe the fire department’s regulations, policies, and standard operating procedures, and how they apply to the fire fighter.
Locate information in departmental documents and standard operating procedures.

5. 1
Objectives (4 of 4)
Define the roles and responsibilities of Fire Fighter I and Fire Fighter II.
List five guidelines for successful fire fighter training.

6. Introduction Becoming a fire fighter is not easy.1
Introduction
Becoming a fire fighter is not easy.
Fire fighters are challenged both physically and mentally.
Fire fighter training will expand your understanding of fire suppression.

7. Fire Service in the United States1
Fire Service in the United States
About 1.1 million fire fighters
Approximately 30,000 fire departments
75% of career fire fighters serve communities of 25,000 or larger
Half of volunteers serve rural areas of population 2,500 or smaller

8. Fire Statistics for the United States1
Fire Statistics for the United States
401,000 residential fires in 2002
Average of 46 per hour
2,695 residential fire fatalities in 2002
Average of one every 195 minutes

9. History of the Fire Service1
History of the Fire Service
Romans created first fire department, the Familia Publica.
First paid department in the U.S. was Boston (established in 1679).
Ben Franklin started the first volunteer department in the U.S. in Philadelphia in 1735.
Citizens kept fire buckets to assist with fire suppression.

10. The Great Chicago Fire Began October 8, 1871 Burned for three days
Damage totals:
2,000 acres burned
17,000 homes destroyed
$200 million in damage
300 dead
90,000 homeless

11. 1
The Peshtigo Fire
Flash forest fire occurred at same time as the Great Chicago Fire
“Tornado of fire” 1,000' high and five miles wide
Deadliest fire in U.S. history
2,200 dead
2,400 square miles of forest land burned
Several small communities destroyed

12. 1
Fire Equipment (1 of 2)
Colonial fire fighters had buckets and fire hooks.
Hand-powered pumpers developed in 1720
Steam-powered pumpers developed in 1829

13. Fire Equipment (2 of 2) Present-day equipment:1
Fire Equipment (2 of 2)
Present-day equipment:
Single apparatus used for several purposes
Fire hydrants developed in 1817
First public call boxes developed in 1860

14. 1
Communications (1 of 2)
Fire wardens and night watchmen used during colonial period
Telegraph alarm systems developed in late 1800s
Present day:
Hardwired and cellular telephones
Computer-aided dispatch facilities

15. Communications (2 of 2) Fireground communications 1
Early days: Chief’s trumpet (bugles), now a symbol of authority
Present: Two-way radios

16. Building Codes (1 of 2) History of Building Codes 1
Egyptians used codes to prevent collapse
Colonial communities had few codes
Early construction in U.S. was primarily wood
Boston required non-combustible roofs (1678)
Present codes address construction materials and “built-in” protection

17. 1
Building Codes (2 of 2)
Codes and standards are written by national organizations.
NFPA
Volunteer committees research and develop proposals.
Most codes today are consensus documents.

18. Paying for Fire Service1
Paying for Fire Service
In early times, insurance companies paid fire departments for service.
Career departments are generally funded through local tax funds.
Volunteer departments are funded by:
Donations
Tax dollars

19. Training and Education1
Training and Education
Originally, little was required beyond muscular strength and endurance.
Requirements have increased as fire suppression has become more complicated and technical.

20. Organization of the Fire Service1
Organization of the Fire Service
Source of authority
Local governments
Sometimes from state and federal governments
Fire chief accountable to the governing body

21. Basic Principles of Organization (1 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

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

23. Basic Principles of Organization (3 of 3)1
Basic Principles of Organization (3 of 3)
Division of labor
Organizing an incident by breaking down overall strategy
Makes individual responsible for completing the assigned task
Prevents duplicate job assignments
Discipline
Guidelines that a department establishes for fire fighters

24. 1
Chain of Command (1 of 4)
Structure for managing the department and the fireground operations
Ranks may vary by department, but the concept is the same

25. Chain of Command (2 of 4) Lieutenant Captain Battalion chief 1
Responsible for a single company on a single shift
Captain
Responsible for company on his/her shift and for coordinating company’s activities with other shifts
Battalion chief
Coordinates activities of several companies in a defined geographic area

26. Chain of Command (3 of 4) Assistant or division chief1
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

27. Chain of Command (4 of 4) Used to implement department policies1
Chain of Command (4 of 4)
Used to implement department policies
Ensures that a given task is carried out in a uniform manner

28. Company Types (1 of 3) Engine 1
Secures water source, deploys handlines, conducts search-and-rescue operations, and puts water on the fire

29. Company Types (2 of 3) Truck Rescue 1
Specializes in forcible entry, ventilation, roof operations, search-and-rescue operations above the fire, and deployment of ground ladders.
Rescue
Rescues victims from fires, confined spaces, trenches, and high-angle situations

30. Company Types (3 of 3) Wildland brush Hazardous materials EMS 1
Dispatched to wildland and brush fires that larger engines cannot reach
Hazardous materials
Responds to and controls scenes involving spilled or leaking hazardous materials
EMS
Respond to and assist in transporting victims to medical facilities

31. Other Views of Organization1
Other Views of Organization
Function
Bureau or office
Apparatus type
Geography
Departments and stations are responsible for distinct geographic areas
Staffing
Department must have sufficient trained personnel available

32. General Roles within the Department (1 of 2)
Fire fighter
Driver/operator
Company officer
Safety officer
Training officer
Incident Commander
Fire marshal/ inspector/investigator
Fire and life safety education specialist

33. General Roles within the Department (2 of 2)1
General Roles within the Department (2 of 2)
9-1-1 dispatcher/ telecommunicator
Apparatus maintenance personnel
Fire police
Information management
Public information officer
Fire protection engineer

34. Specialized Response Roles1
Specialized Response Roles
Aircraft/crash rescue fire fighter
Hazardous materials technician
Technical rescue technician
SCUBA dive rescue technician
EMS personnel
EMT-Basic
EMT-Intermediate
EMT-Paramedic

35. Regulations, Policies, and SOPs (1 of 3)
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

36. Regulations, Policies, and SOPs (2 of 3)1
Regulations, Policies, and SOPs (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)

37. Regulations, Policies, and SOPs (3 of 3)1
Regulations, Policies, and SOPs (3 of 3)
A sample Standard Operating Procedure.

38. Working with Other Organizations1
Working with Other Organizations
Fire departments need to interact with other organizations in the community.
Law enforcement
EMS
The military
Incident Management System (IMS)
Unified command system
Means to control multiple agencies at an incident

39. Roles and Responsibilities of the Fire Fighter I (1 of 5)
Don and doff personal protective equipment properly.
Hoist hand tools using appropriate ropes and knots.
Understand and correctly apply appropriate communication protocols.
Use SCBA.

40. Roles and Responsibilities of the Fire Fighter I (2 of 5)1
Roles and Responsibilities of the Fire Fighter I (2 of 5)
Respond on apparatus to an emergency scene.
Force entry into a structure.
Exit a hazardous area safely as a team.
Set up ground ladders safely and correctly.

41. Roles and Responsibilities of the Fire Fighter I (3 of 5)1
Roles and Responsibilities of the Fire Fighter I (3 of 5)
Attack a passenger vehicle fire, an exterior Class A fire, and an interior structure fire.
Conduct search and rescue in a structure.
Perform ventilation of an involved structure.
Overhaul a fire scene.

42. Roles and Responsibilities of the Fire Fighter I (4 of 5)1
Roles and Responsibilities of the Fire Fighter I (4 of 5)
Conserve property with salvage tools and equipment.
Connect a fire department engine to a water supply.
Extinguish Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D fires.
Illuminate an emergency scene.

43. Roles and Responsibilities of the Fire Fighter I (5 of 5)1
Roles and Responsibilities of the Fire Fighter I (5 of 5)
Turn off utilities.
Perform fire safety surveys.
Clean and maintain equipment.
Present fire safety information to station visitors, community groups, or schools.

44. Roles and Responsibilities of the Fire Fighter II (1 of 2)
Coordinate an interior attack line team.
Extinguish an ignitable liquid fire.
Control a flammable gas cylinder fire.
Protect evidence of fire cause and origin.
Assess and disentangle victims from motor vehicle accidents.

45. Roles and Responsibilities of the Fire Fighter II (2 of 2)1
Roles and Responsibilities of the Fire Fighter II (2 of 2)
Assist special rescue team operations.
Perform annual service tests on fire hose.
Test the operability of and flow from a fire hydrant.

46. Fire Fighter Guidelines1
Fire Fighter Guidelines
Be safe.
Follow orders.
Work as a team.
Think!
Follow the Golden Rule.

47. 1
Summary (1 of 3)
The fire service traces its roots back to Roman times.
The U.S. fire service goes back to the colonial days.

48. Summary (2 of 3) Most departments employ a chain of command.1
Summary (2 of 3)
Most departments employ a chain of command.
Regulations, policies, and SOPs provide uniformity and consistent performance.
Fire departments need to work with other organizations to get the job done.

49. Summary (3 of 3) Remember the five guidelines: Be safe. Follow orders.1
Summary (3 of 3)
Remember the five guidelines:
Be safe.
Follow orders.
Work as a team.
Think!
Follow the Golden Rule.