FT1 CH.2&10 // Roles, Organization & Management

1. What are some of the more important purposes that fire protection agencies have in common?

Fire Suppression

Fire Safety & Prevention

Fire Investigation 

Emergency Services

What is the term for the principle that a person can only report to one supervisor?

Unity Of Command

What is the term for the order of rank and authority that extends upward as well as downward in all levels of responsibility and communication?

Chain Of Command

Span of Control

Number of personnel one individual can effectively manage

What is the typical span of control for a fire incident, and what is the ideal range?

5 people with a range of 3-7

What is "division of labor" and why is it necessary?

Subdividing large jobs into smaller areas of responsibility

Why is a fire department organization patterned after the military?

Disciplined Workers

Ready to Follow Orders

How many platoons (shifts) do most paid municipal fire departments have?

3 Shifts

What is the term that refers to an organization's responsibility to provide the direction needed to satisfy the goals and objectives it has identified, yet may also mean punishment?

Discipline 

What is the necessity for firefighters to have proper discipline?

Follow order to get task done in complete and safe way

What is the necessity for firefighters to have obligation and application to duty?

Guardian of the public

What is the necessity for firefighters to have effective study habits and training?

Know your tools to perform to highest capabilities

What is the necessity for firefighters to have espirit de corps?

Think and speak high of your profession on and off the clock

What purposes are served by discipline, and how do the disciplinary procedures vary?

Maintain a working force

Positive, Negative, and Corrective

What are the differences between the three types of discipline?

Positive - Following the rules

Negative - failure to follow rules

Corrective - punishment action for failure to follow rules

What is the importance of the "Skelly Case" for civil service employees in California?

Has property interest in his/her employment

Is entitled to due process to protect that interest 

What are the four pre-removal safeguards as determined by the California Supreme Court?

1. Written notice of proposed action

2. The reasons therefore

3. A copy of the charges and the material upon which the action is based

4. The right to respond to authority imposing discipline 

What are the four pre-removal safeguards as determined by the California Supreme Court?

1. Written notice of proposed action

2. The reasons therefore

3. A copy of the charges and the material upon which the action is based

4. The right to respond to authority imposing discipline 

What are the three forms of local government?

Commission

Council (Board) Manager

Mayor/Council

In which local government structure do voters elect a board who will carry out the legislative and executive functions?

Commission

Who appoints department heads in a council (board) manager structure?

City Manager

In which local government structure do voters elect a mayor and council to govern the community?

Mayor/ Council 

In a Council-Manager government structure, is it the responsibility of the Mayor and City Council - or the City Manager - to evaluate public needs of the community, determine City policy and adopt an annual City budget?

Mayor & City Council 

In a Council-Manager government structure, is it the responsibility of the Mayor and City Council - or the City Manager - to ensure overall efficient and effective City services, implement City Policy, and prepare and analyze "policy" documents

City Manager

What are the four basic functions of management according to the P.O.L.E. principle?

P - Planning

O - Organizing

L - Leading

E - Evaluating

What are the primary functions of the fire service Line Organization?

Emergency Operations

Ordinary Support Activities 

What are the primary functions of the fire service Staff Organization?

Provides Assistance 

Administrative Technical Support to Fire Chief

What type of public fire department is a functional division of the lowest level of the local government?

Municipal Fire Department

What type of public fire department serves as a county fire department but is not directly related to a single county, parish, or borough?

Fire Protection District 

What type of private fire department is created to protect a particular type of property rather than relying on a public fire department?

Proprietary Fire Department

List five reasons why commercial and industrial facilities may prefer to maintain fire brigades or other emergency response teams?

1. Immediate response

2. Specialized knowledge

3. Compliance w/ regulatory requirements

4. Minimized downtime & damage

5. Support for employee safety & training

What type of private fire department provides structural fire protection on military installations, ARFF services, and/or specialized marine fire fighting services for vessels?

Contract Fire Department 

What type of private fire department provides services to consumers that were once considered government functions?

Private Fire Department

What are three factors that will determine the type of fire protection organization that will serve the community; which factor most influences this determination?

Population

Geography

Economic Resources

Name seven reasons why planning is important.

1. Saves time

2. Conserves people, money and other resources

3. Secures stability & adaptability

4. Controls/Diminishes severity of emergency 

5. Gains respect/confidence from public and fire department members

6. Decreases internal tensions and criticisms 

7. Secures long term success

What are the characteristics of fire service master plans?

Multi agency/jurisdictional agreements of all actions of everyone involved to obtain common good or end

Policy oriented, long range (10-20 years) and wide in scope

Community Fire Defense plan 

What type of plans are agreements with neighboring agencies to have equipment and personnel that are physically closest to an emergency respond without regard to normal boundary line of jurisdictions?

Automatic Aid Plans

What type of plans outline the areas of responsibilities and duties required of agencies anticipated to be participating in the handling of large scale incidents?

Disaster Plans

What type of plans are pre-agreed upon methods of requesting response and the level of response to be supplied to neighboring agencies to lend equipment and personnel in the event of an emergency that requires more resources to control than any single agency possesses?

Mutual Aid Plans

What is the name of the plan developed as a process of planning a fire attack from knowledge based upon previous experience/known conditions?

Pre-Fire Incident Plan

List five common reasons why fire departments enter into mutual aid agreements.

1. Allow sharing of limited or specialized resources by by jurisdictions within a region 

2. Address need for assistance beyond jurisdiction 

3. Address NFPA and ISO reccomendations

4. Quicker response times

5. Define response model for agencies within a jurisdiction 

List five common reasons why fire departments enter into automatic aid agreements.

1. Faster response time’

2. Resource sharing

3. Improved coverage during high call volume

4. Enhanced safety and efficiency 

5. Cost effective operations

What is a budget and what are the various steps involved in the budgetary process?

Comprehensive plan, expressed in financial terms

Objectives

Price

Where will funds come from?

How is the budget expenditure for an average municipality divided?

Public Safety Costs

Identify three sources of fire department revenue?

1. Property Tax

2. Sales Tax

3. Income Tax

What type of fire department relies on money allocated in the local government’s operating budget?

Public Fire Department

What type of fire department is financed by taxes or membership fees?

Volunteer Fire Department

What type of fire department provides fire services for profit?

Private Fire Department

What is a policy?

Guide to thinking or decision-making

What is a procedure?

Detailed guide to action 

What are standard operating procedures (SOPs)?

Standard methods or rules that a FD operates to carry out a routine function 

What is meant by a communication network?

A pattern of message flow or linkages of who actually speaks to whom in discussions

What are the three types of communication networks, which ones are more effective and why?

1. Hierarchical Network (Y)

2. Central Figure (Wheel)

3. Democratic/Participatory (All Channel)

In what forms of communicating information are directions given from a fire department organization?

Hierarchical “Y” Network 

Define "Rules and Regulations," and differentiate between the two terms.

Establishes parameters/guidelines 

Rules - Specific guidelines outlining requirements and prohibitions 

Regulations - Formal enforceable standards established by higher authority/ legal backing 

What are the five characteristics of Standard Operating Procedures?

1. Written

2. Official

3. Applied to all situations

4. Enforced

5. Integrated into the management model

What is meant by the terms: contract and MOU (Memorandum Of Understanding)?

Memorandum of understanding of wages, hours of work, probation, and other terms and conditions of employment 

What is a local ordinance

Locally enacted law that helps community regulate daily life and ensure safety