Chapter 1-4

5 E’s of community risk reduction

Education, enforcement, engineering, economic incentives, and emergency response.

aerial fire apparatus / ladder truck

A vehicle equipped with an aerial ladder, elevating platform, or water tower that is designed and equipped to support firefighters and rescue operations by positioning personnel, handling materials, providing continuous egress, or discharging water at positions and elevated from ground.

airport firefighter

The Firefighter II who has demonstrated the skills and knowledge necessary to function as an integral member of an aircraft rescue and fire fighting team.

authority having jurisdiction (AHJ)

An organization, office, or individual responsible for enforcing the requirements of a code or standard or for approving equipment, materials, an installation, or a procedure.

building code

A regulation that specifies how structures are designed, constructed, and remodeled so that buildings are safe for people who live and work in them.

chain of command

A rank-based, hierarchical structure that creates an orderly line of authority.

chief’s trumpet

An obsolete amplification device that was a precursor to a bullhorn and that enabled a chief officer to give orders to firefighters during an emergency

code

A standard that is an extensive compilation of provisions covering broad subject matter or that is suitable for adoption into law independent of other codes and standards.

community risk reduction (CRR)

A process to identify and prioritize local risks, followed by the integrated and strategic investment of resources to reduce their occurrence and impact.

engine company

A piece of fire apparatus along with firefighters that have the primary responsibility to deliver a fire stream or streams to extinguish the fire in coordination with ventilation (truck company) and rescue operations.

fire code

the code that specifies practices and procedures to prevent fires, prevent fires that start from spreading by suppressing them and blocking them, and protect lives in the event of a fire by specifying how occupants will be evacuated.

fire hook

a tool used to pull down burning structures.

fire inspector

an individual who conducts fire code inspections and applies codes and standards.

fireplug

a plug installed to control water accessed from wooden pipes, but today is slang for fire hydrant.

fire suppression

the activities involved in controlling and extinguishing fires.

governance

the framework and procedures for managing and operating an organization

incident commander (IC)

the individual responsible for all incident activities, including the development of strategies and tactics and the ordering and release of resources.

incident safety officer (ISO)

a member of the command staff responsible for monitoring and assessing safety Hazards and unsafe situations and for developing measures for ensures personnel safety.

initial attack apparatus / quick attack apparatus

fire apparatus with a fire pump of at least 250 gpm capacity, water tank, and hose body, whose primary purpose is to initiate a fire suppression attack on structural, vehicular, or vegetation fires and to support associated fire department operations.

international code council (ICC)

an international association that creates standards and codes for buildings.

international fire service accreditation congress (IFSAC)

a national organization that accredits or recognizes emergency service certification systems.

mobile water supply apparatus / tanker / tender / water tender

a vehicle designed primarily or transporting water to fire emergency scenes to be applied by other vehicles or pumping equipment.

national fire protection association (NFPA)

nonprofit association that develops and maintains nationally recognized minimum consensus standards and fire codes for fire safety and handling hazardous materials.

pumper / engine

fire apparatus with a permanently mounted fire pump of at least 750 gpm capacity water tank, and a hose body whose primary purpose is to control structural and associated fires.

quint apparatus / quint

fire apparatus with a permanently mounted fire pump, a water tank, a hose storage area, an aerial device or elevating platform with a permanently mounted waterway, and a complement of ground ladders.

regulation

a rule or directive made and maintained by an authority.

standard operating guidelines (SOGs)

written organizational directives that establish or prescribe specific operational or administrative methods to be followed routinely, which can be varied due to operational need in the performance of designated operations or actions.

standard operating procedures (SOPs)

written organizational directives that establish or prescribe specific operational or administrative methods to be followed routinely fore the performance of designated operations or actions

telecommunicater

an individual whose primary responsibility is to receive, process, or disseminate information of a public safety nature via telecommunication devices. Also called dispatcher.

code of federal regulations (CFR)

a collection of permanent rules published in the federal register by the executive departments and agencies of the U.S. federal government. Its 50 titles represent broad areas of interest that are governed by federal regulation. Each volume of the CFR is updated annually.

critical incident stress debriefing (CISD)

a post-incident meeting designed to assist rescue personnel in dealing with psychological trauma as the result of an emergency.

critical incident stress management (CISM)

a program designed to reduce acute and chronic effects of stress related to job functions

employee assistance programs (EAPs)

an employer-sponsored service designed for personal or family problems, including mental health, substance abuse, various addictions, marital problems, parenting problems, emotional problems, or financial or legal concerns

freelancing

the dangerous practice of acting independently of command instructions

occupational safety and health administration (OSHA)

the U.S. federal agency that regulates worker safety and, in some cases, responders safety. OSHA is part of the U.S. Department of Labor

personal accountability report (PAR)

periodic reports verifying the status of responders assigned to an incident or planned event

personnel accountability system

a system that readily identifies both the location and function of all members operating at an incident scene

response

immediate and ongoing activities, tasks, programs, and systems to manage the effects of an incident that threaten life, property, operations, or the environment

air-purifying respirator (APR)

a respirator that removes specific air contaminants by passing ambient air through one or more air purification components

atmosphere-supplying respirator (ASR)

a respirator that supplies the respirator user with breathing air from a source independent of the ambient atmosphere and includes self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and supplied-air respirators

bib

the lower part of the protective hood that is part of the structural firefighting ensemble

breathing air cylinder

the pressure vessel or vessels that are an integral part of the SCBA and that contain the breathing gas supply; can be configured as a single cylinder or other pressure vessel or as multiple cylinders or pressure vessels

closed-circuit self-contained breathing apparatus (closed-circuit SCBA) / rebreather

a recirculation-type SCBA in which the exhaled gas is rebreathed by the wearer after the carbon dioxide has been removed from the exhalation- gas and the oxygen content within the system has been restored from sources such as compressed breathing air, chemical oxygen, liquid oxygen, or compressed gaseous oxygen

drag rescue device (DRD)

a fabric handle integrated just below the collar at the back of the protective coat that a rescuer can grab to drag an incapacitated firefighter to safety

dual-path pressure reducer

a feature that automatically provides a backup method for air to be supplied to the regulator of an SCBA if the primary passage malfunctions

emergency breathing safety system (EBSS

A device on an SCBA that allows users to share their available air supply in an emergency situation

end-of-service-time-indicator (EOSTI)

a warning device on an SCBA that alerts the users to share their available air supply is being utilized