Ch9 Outline

Chapter 9

The Fire Officer II as a Manager

Lecture

I. Introduction

The Fire Officer II classification begins with meeting all of the requirements for Fire Officer I as defined in NFPA 1021.
The scope of responsibility for the Fire Officer II is wider than the Fire Officer I.
Fire Officer II identifies issues and develops plans that a Fire Officer I implements.
Fire Officer II creates professional development plans for each Fire Officer I and fire fighter that reports to the Fire Officer II.

II. Requirements for Fire Officer II

The requirements for Fire Officer II begin with meeting all of the requirements for Fire Officer I as defined in NFPA 1021.
As for Fire Officer I, duties can be divided into three activity types:
1. Administrative
2. Nonemergency
3. Emergency
Administrative
1. Evaluating a subordinate’s job performance
2. Correcting unacceptable performance
3. Completing formal performance appraisals on each member
4. Developing a project or divisional budget, including purchasing, soliciting/awarding bids
5. Preparing news releases and other reports to supervisors
Nonemergency
1. Conducting inspections to identify hazards and address fire code violations
2. Reviewing accident, injury, and exposure reports to identify unsafe work environments or behaviors
3. Taking approved action to prevent reoccurrence of an accident, injury, or exposure
4. Developing a preincident plan for a large complex or property
5. Developing policies and procedures appropriate for this level of supervision
6. Analyzing reports and data to identify problems, trends, or conditions that require corrective action
7. Developing and implementing the required actions
Emergency
1. Supervising a multiunit emergency operation using the ICS
2. Developing an operational plan to deploy resources to mitigate the incident safely
3. Determining the area of origin and preliminary cause of a fire
4. Developing and performing a postincident analysis of a multicompany operation
The IAFC calls the Fire Officer II level a managing fire officer.
1. This textbook calls Fire Officer II a captain.

III. Additional Roles and Responsibilities for Fire Officer II

The captain has a complex role as a supervisor and manager.
As a manager, the captain develops or implements a strategy to accomplish a goal or mission.
1. This occurs by managing lieutenants who are directly supervising work teams performing task-level activities.
2. The fire service may also expect the captain to directly supervise a small group of fire fighters engaged in task-level activities.
A Fire Officer II has the same roles and responsibilities as a Fire Officer I, along with the following additional items:
1. Supervises and directs the activities of a multiunit station
2. Completes employee performance appraisals
3. Creates a professional development plan for members of the organization
4. Leads water rescue, hazardous materials, or other special teams as assigned
5. Ensures the safe and proper use of equipment, clothing, and protective gear, and enforces departmental policies
6. Participates in the formulation or evaluation of departmental or agency policies as assigned, implements new or revised policies, and encourages team efforts of fire personnel
7. Participates in the formulation of the departmental budget and makes purchases within it
8. Develops emergency incident operational plans requiring multiunit operations
9. Prepares written reports so major causes of local service demand are identified for various planning areas within the service area of the organization
Fire Officer III and IV require additional training and responsibilities.

IV. Authorization to Function as a Fire Department

The type of fire department organization varies by how it is organized.
City
County
Town
Fire district
Regional organization
State or federal fire department
Volunteer fire department
Industrial fire department
Fire brigade
State Police Powers
Each state has the authority to govern matters related to the welfare and safety of the residents.
1. Covers all powers not specifically delegated by the Constitution to the US government
State activities include:
1. Adoption of fire and building codes
2. Identification of who will enforce code compliance
3. Firefighting services
Although the authority for a fire department to carry out its responsibilities comes from the state, it is sometimes more closely defined or described in local law.
States differ on how they delegate responsibility for fire protection.
1. In some states, there are differences based on community resources.
Administrative Law
Most states and local governments have developed a body of statutes that provides a series of rules that govern how a state agency operates and how it promulgates rules.
The elected officials of a state or local jurisdiction enact basic government policies, and then administrative agencies create rules to implement the details of these policies.

V. Supervising Multiple Companies

The first-arriving officer at a fire incident assumes the role of IC.
The fire officer might also be assigned as:
1. A division/group/unit leader, supervising multiple units
2. A branch director within the ICS
In each of these situations, the officer serves as a relay point within the command structure.
1. Direction comes down from IC to individuals.
2. Information is transmitted upward from subordinates to officer.
Determining Task Assignments
1. Tactical priorities are subdivided into tasks and assigned to companies.
  1. During early incident stages, there are likely to be more tasks than companies available.
  2. IC makes assignments based on priorities and resources.
  3. Companies that have completed one task may be reassigned to another.
  4. SOPs often guide priority assignment decisions, as do staffing and equipment/apparatus.
  5. The normal function of the company should also be considered, when possible.
  6. Sometimes, however, the IC has to assign companies to perform tasks that might not fit their normal role, simply because of the importance of the task and the limited resources available.
2. Rescue priority
  1. Performing primary and secondary searches
  2. Raising ladders
  3. Removing trapped occupants
  4. Providing medical care and transport
  5. Establishing RIC
3. Exposure priority
  1. Establishing a water supply and setting up master streams for use on the fire building or on the exterior of the exposure
  2. Placing a handline on the unburned side of a firewall or in the cockloft of an exposure building
  3. Removing combustible material from the windows of the exposed buildings
4. Fire confinement
  1. Advancing handlines to the room of origin, into stairways, and into the attic or the floor above the fire
  2. Ventilation tasks
5. Fire extinguishing
  1. Establishing a water supply
  2. Advancing a handline to the seat of the fire
  3. Applying water or other extinguishing agents
6. Overhaul
  1. Pulling ceilings and walls in the burned areas
  2. Removing door and floor trim where charred
  3. Checking the attic and basement for extension
  4. Checking the floors above and below the fire
  5. Removing or wetting all burned material
7. Ventilation
  1. Vertical ventilation, horizontal ventilation, positive-pressure ventilation, negative-pressure ventilation, and natural ventilation
  2. Officer should indicate the location of entry points, the potential victims, and the location of the fire to ensure that proper techniques are used.
8. Salvage
  1. Throwing salvage covers over large, valuable items
  2. Removing lingering smoke
  3. Soaking up water from floors
  4. Deactivating sprinklers
  5. Removing important documents or memorabilia
Assigning Resources
The resources assigned to an incident vary greatly and are influenced by history, tradition, and budgets.
Some situations exceed the capabilities of any organization and require assistance from other agencies or jurisdictions.
1. First level of assistance is mutual aid.
2. Most fire departments also have working relationships with other local agencies.
When the need for resources exceeds the normal capabilities of the fire department and involves numerous other agencies, a fire officer may have to activate the local emergency plan.
1. Defines the responsibilities of each responding agency
2. Outlines basic steps taken for given situation
3. Every fire officer should be familiar with the local plan and the role of the fire department within it.
The method most commonly used by a fire officer to activate the local emergency plan is to notify the dispatch center.
1. Can activate local emergency plan or notify emergency management office
2. The emergency management office normally is responsible for maintaining and coordinating the plan, as well as facilitating the response to emergency situations.
The local emergency plan usually includes an evacuation component.
1. In many cases, the evacuation plan can be activated on a limited scale, without activating the overall local emergency plan.
2. Police department has primary responsibility for notifying people about evacuation/what to do.
  1. Public address feature on vehicle sirens
  2. Emergency broadcast system
  3. Reverse 911 telephone system
3. Red Cross may need to be contacted to establish emergency shelters.
4. Fire crews could be available to assist evacuating residents.
5. Mutual aid companies or other agencies could be needed to assist with evacuation.
Consider the nature of the event when establishing an evacuation area.
1. Is evacuation short- or long-term?
2. Is evacuation area small or large?
3. The fire officer should consult the Emergency Response Guidebook, the local hazardous materials team, or CHEMTREC for guidance in determining evacuation distances, based on the product, quantity, and environmental conditions.

VI. Challenges for the Captain

The role of the managing fire officer has become more engaged over time when it comes to working with other organizations and groups.
Changes have created unprecedented challenges that will require changes in the structure, task, and mission of the fire department.
1. Demographic
2. Economic
3. Environmental
4. Community
Fire Fighter Emotional Health
1. The increased emergency service workload is taking a toll on fire fighters.
  1. Between 7%-37% of fire fighters meet criteria for PTSD.
  2. Number of fire fighter suicides is rising.
Supervision and Motivation
1. The paramilitary structure of the fire department was established in the 1860s, when cities were replacing independent volunteer companies with municipal fire departments based on the Civil War military deployment model.
  1. Rigid command and control process remains essential at emergency scenes.
2. However, departments are increasingly implementing the following to engage fire fighters:
  1. Employee empowerment
  2. Decentralized decision making
  3. Delegation
3. This “all-hazards” approach is especially important when considering:
  1. Nonfire incidents
  2. A crumbling built environment
  3. Homeland security
  4. Cultural diversity
  5. Ethics
Increase in Non-fire Incidents
1. Firefighting is actually one of the activities least frequently performed by fire companies.
  1. Only 4% of workload
  2. Of the runs requiring fire suppression tasks, almost half are for structure fires.
2. EMS calls are now most frequent activity.
  1. Account for 64% of responses
  2. Increase has exceeded growth in demographics.
  3. Number of EMS calls increases even though population decreases.
  4. In some fire departments, EMS calls represent more than 80 percent of a fire company’s response workload.
3. Activated fire protection system alarms are the second most common reason for fire service response.
  1. Faulty alarm systems
  2. Good intensions
  3. False calls
4. The company officer must work to remain vigilant in events that result in no service in most of the responses, with an occasional incipient fire or an inferno occurring in fewer than 1 out of 100 activated fire alarm responses.
5. Investigating an odor, a hazardous condition, or other service call is the third most common response reason.
  1. Fire fighters encounter many opportunities to be creative problem solvers and deliver outstanding customer service during these events.
Deterioration of the Built Environment
1. Although the number of structure fires continues to decline, the vast majority of fire fighter injuries still occur while fighting structural fires.
  1. Flashover and structural collapse are primary causes of noncardiac death in a burning structure.
  2. Decades of deferred maintenance and repair make structures unstable and dangerous.
2. Century-old buildings, even those that appear sturdy, may have many worn-out or rusted-out building components.
  1. Fire escapes may be pulling out of walls.
  2. Structural components may be crumbling.
  3. Modern-day renovations may compromise structural elements without fire code inspection.
Catastrophic Weather Events
1. Extreme weather events have increased in frequency over the past decades.
  1. Annual civilian deaths from flooding have doubled since 2004.
  2. While the number of wildfires has remained steady since 1985, the size and intensity of each fire has dramatically increased.
  3. FEMA reports from past 40 years show four times as many counties were hit with disaster-scale events between 1997 and 2016 than 1976 and 1996.
  4. From 2014 to 2018, the United States has averaged 13 disasters per year requiring a billion dollars or more in FEMA disaster relief.
Diversity
1. The composition of the fire service began to change in the 1960s.
  1. Focused on assimilation – women and minorities either assimilated into existing culture or they left.
  2. Inclusion remains a challenge for non-white and non-male fire fighters.
2. Reframing the professional prototype of what it means to be a fire fighter to emphasize the importance of legitimate, stereotypically feminine traits, like compassion, has promising effects on creating a more inclusive environment for women.
3. Integration of diverse employees is far from complete.
  1. Many departments continue to struggle.
  2. Fire officer must look beyond physical attributes to match individual strengths with the needs of the organization.

VII. Working with Other Organizations

To fulfill its mission, a fire department must often interact with other organizations.
1. Fire officers frequently have to request assistance from and then interact with other agencies.
2. Conversely, other public safety agencies are entering areas that were once the sole domain of the fire department.
3. To manage this kind of change effectively, a fire officer must:
  1. Understand the roles played by other agencies
  2. Recognize how they interact with the fire department
4. Federal, state, and local response plans identify which organizations are responsible for each area of the incident.
  1. For a local incident, the local fire service is often given primary responsibility for search, rescue, and fire extinguishment.
  2. Law enforcement is given responsibility for criminal investigation and scene security.
  3. The Office of Emergency Management is responsible for evacuation notification.
  4. American Red Cross may be responsible for establishing evacuation shelters.
5. As incidents grow:
  1. The FBI may take a lead role in an investigation.
  2. FEMA may be responsible for incident coordination.
6. Fire officers must also be aware that some individuals and organizations wish to create chaos and harm emergency service workers.
  1. The fire officer must be vigilant for threats to fire fighters and the department.

VIII. Legislative Framework for Collective Bargaining

Collective bargaining is the process in which individuals (through their unions) negotiate contracts with their employers in order to determine terms of employment.
1. Terms include:
  1. Salary
  2. Benefits
  3. Leave
  4. Hours
  5. Job health and safety policies
2. This process is regulated by complex legislation.
  1. Federal legislation establishes a basic framework that applies to all workers.
  2. States have discretionary powers to adopt labor laws and regulations that do not violate the federal requirements.
3. The application of this basic model to governmental employees is much more complex.
  1. Some of the federal labor laws do not apply to:
    1. Federal government employees
    2. State government employees
    3. Employees of local government agencies within the states
4. Four major pieces of federal legislation have established the groundwork for the present collective bargaining system.
  1. Before these, each labor case was decided by a local judge.
  2. Like most federal legislation, each act was designed to address a specific aspect of collective bargaining or to correct a problem.
  3. Each subsequent act built on the earlier legislation.
5. Fire fighters employed by local government agencies are subject to state law that can require, permit, or prohibit collective bargaining for local public employees.
Norris-LaGuardia Act of 1932
An employee cannot be forced into a contract by an employer as part of obtaining and keeping a job.
1. Yellow dog contracts prohibited workers from joining unions.
This act made it almost impossible for an employer to obtain an injunction to prevent a strike.
Section 7a of the NIRA guaranteed unions the right to collective bargaining as part of an effort to keep wages at a level that would maintain the purchasing power of the worker.
1. After NIRA passed, workers flocked to join AFL and CIO.
2. The Supreme Court struck down the NIRA as unconstitutional in 1935.
Wagner-Connery Act of 1935
1. When the NIRA was overturned, employers were free to use unfair labor practices in the management of their employees.
  1. Led to Great Strike Wave, 1935-1936
  2. In response to the ongoing labor unrest, Senator Robert Wagner of New York introduced the Wagner-Connery Act.
2. The Wagner-Connery Act established the procedures that are commonly called collective bargaining.
  1. Forms the basis of formal labor relations
  2. Grants workers the right to decide by majority vote which organizations will represent them at the bargaining table
  3. Also requires management to bargain with elected representatives
  4. Outlaws yellow dog contracts
  5. Established National Labor Relations Board
3. Five types of illegal, unfair labor practices:
  1. Interfering with employees in a union
  2. Stopping a union from forming and collecting money
  3. Not hiring union members
  4. Firing union members
  5. Refusing to bargain with the union
4. The Wagner-Connery Act resulted in some unions becoming extremely powerful.
Taft-Hartley Labor Act of 1947
1. Passed by Congress over President Truman’s veto
2. Designed to modify the Wagner-Connery Act and swing the pendulum back toward the middle by reducing the power of unions
3. Spelled out specific penalties for violation of the Act
4. Gave workers the right to refrain from joining a union
5. Applied the unfair labor practice provisions to unions as well as to employers
  1. Prohibited a union from forcing management to fire antiunion or nonunion workers
6. Unions were required to engage in good faith bargaining.
7. A 60-day “cooling off” period was created.
8. Regulated many of the unions’ internal activities
9. Strikes during a national emergency
  1. In the event that an imminent strike could affect a major part of an industry and imperil the health and safety of the nation, the president is granted certain powers to help settle the dispute.
    1. Order employees back to work
    2. Compel arbitration
    3. Provide economic/judicial/political pressure to resolve dispute
Landrum-Griggin Act of 1959
1. After AFL and CIO merged in 1955, hearings revealed evidence of crime and corruption in some unions.
  1. Passed at height of furor
2. Also known as Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act
3. Established bill of rights for members of labor organizations
4. Required that unions file annual report with government listing organizational and member assets
5. Mandates:
  1. Minimum election requirements
  2. Duties and responsibilities of union officials and officers
6. Amended portions of the Taft-Hartley Labor Act
Collective Bargaining for Federal Employees
1. Collective bargaining rights for public employees have traditionally lagged behind those in the private sector.
2. Federal legislation passed in 1912 prohibits federal employees from striking.
  1. Federal legislation during the 1950s and 1960s, however, allowed unions to grow in the public sector.
  2. President John F. Kennedy issued Executive Order #10988 in 1963, which granted federal employees the right to bargain collectively under restricted rules.
  3. Richard Nixon further expanded these rights and established Federal Labor Relations Council.
State Labor Laws
1. Each state determines whether:
  1. It will engage in collective bargaining with state government employees
  2. Local government jurisdictions within the state may engage in collective bargaining with their employees.
2. Some states:
  1. Require municipal governments to bargain collectively with fire fighters’ unions
  2. Permit collective bargaining
  3. Limit or prohibit collective bargaining
3. Strikes by state employees are illegal in all but 10 states, and many states also prohibit local government employees from striking.
  1. Forty percent of local governments have forbidden employee strikes.
4. Fire fighters have the right to bargain collectively in half of the states.
  1. Those states authorize municipalities to:
    1. Recognize a local fire fighter labor organization as the bargaining unit
    2. Enter into a binding contract
  2. The remaining states place restrictions on bargaining with fire fighters.
5. Right to Work
  1. Under the Taft-Hartley Labor Act, workers have the right to refrain from joining a union.
  2. In 2019, right-to-work laws were in effect in 29 states.
  3. In those states, a worker cannot be compelled, as a condition of employment, to join or pay dues to a labor union.
    1. The same states tend to limit or restrict collective bargaining for local government employees.
6. The purpose of the original right-to-work legislation in 1947 was to prohibit the practice of closed shops, in which a worker must be a member of a particular union to work for the company.
  1. Proponents of the open shop statute believe that the practice eliminates union collusion and exclusionary practices, which are now deemed illegal, and protects an individual’s right to refrain from joining an organization.
  2. Opponents of open shops express the opinion that right-to-work statutes reduce a union’s bargaining power and place an unfair burden on the union members. A worker who chooses not to join the union is afforded the same benefits as union members but without paying dues.
    1. However, an individual who chooses not to join a union can still be compelled to pay a share of the cost of the union’s representation in collective bargaining.
7. Right-to-work laws remain a source of controversy among labor organizations.
  1. Workers entering the labor market should be aware of the prevailing labor laws that pertain to them.

IX. Organizing Fire Fighters into Labor Unions

Labor–management relationships are present in every work environment that includes an employer and employees.
The career fire fighter’s work environment at the start of the 20th century was grim.
1. New York City fire fighters worked “continuous duty,” 151 hours per week, with just 3 hours off each day to go home for meals.
2. San Francisco fire fighters received one day off after five consecutive 24-hour duty periods.
3. Individual local unions could not organize to form regional or national labor organizations.
  1. This prohibition lasted until the Clayton Act was passed in 1914.
Federal Labor-Management Conflicts
1. Two notable strikes involving federal government employees marked the beginning and the end of a significant era in the evolution of labor–management relations:
  1. The postal service workers’ strike of 1970
  2. The air traffic controllers’ strike of 1981
Postal Workers’ Strike: 1970
1. In 1970, U.S. postal workers initiated an illegal strike.
  1. Postmaster general was legislatively restricted from negotiating.
  2. However, negotiations were conducted, and a settlement was reached.
  3. The striking postal workers were reinstated without penalty, and the negotiated wage increases were adopted.
  4. Subsequently, Congress recognized the postal workers’ union for the purposes of collective bargaining.
  5. This set the tone for future civil service strikes.
PATCO Air Traffic Controllers’ Strike: 1981
1. PATCO went on strike after reaching an impasse in contract negotiations with the Federal Aviation Administration.
2. When the PATCO workers failed to report to work as ordered, Reagan fired every striking member and decertified the union.
  1. Military air traffic controllers were brought in as temporary replacements.
  2. Air traffic volume was reduced for 18 months while the Federal Aviation Administration hired and trained replacement workers.
  3. None of the PATCO strikers were hired back, and union officials were subject to years of aggressive litigation.
3. The frequency of public-sector strikes in the United States decreased significantly over the following two decades.

X. Labor Actions in the Fire Service

The fire service has experienced many adverse labor actions in response to poor labor–management relations.
Strikes are among the most drastic.
1. Its impact is often felt beyond the parties that are directly involved in the relationship.
2. In the public sector, the safety and the welfare of the general public may be directly affected by major labor actions.
3. The potential impact of a strike on public safety is so severe that many states prohibit fire fighters from walking out.
4. The IAFF included a no-strike clause in their charter from 1930 to 1968.
5. Nevertheless, in three periods during the 20th century, municipal fire fighters did go on strike in various U.S. cities.
As paid fire departments were established, fraternal or benevolent fire fighter support organizations gradually became political advocates for the workers and began to define the labor–management relationship.
Striking for Better Working Conditions: 1918-1921
1. The 1918–1921 strikes occurred during a period of economic instability following World War I.
2. Most of the fire fighter strikes were efforts to:
  1. Establish a two-platoon system
  2. Obtain more pay
  3. Gain the right to form a recognized labor organization
3. Organized labor reached a turning point in 1919.
  1. Fire fighters in Memphis, Tennessee, threatened to strike in 1918 and succeeded in obtaining a two-platoon work schedule.
  2. Many IAFF local unions were able to gain a two-platoon schedule and/or a pay raise by threatening to strike.
4. Today, most municipal fire fighters work between 42 and 56 hours per week.
  1. The workweek for most federal and military fire fighters still exceeds 60 hours.
Striking to Preserve Wages and Staffing: 1931-1933
1. After the Great Depression, local governments reduced wages, initiated furloughs, and reduced workforce size.
  1. In Seattle, fire fighters had to take two 25-day furloughs in 1933.
  2. Several fire fighter strikes between 1931 and 1933 occurred in reaction to wage reductions and elimination of fire fighter jobs.
2. Organized labor and fire fighter strikes during this time seem to have accomplished the IAFF’s mission of improving working conditions.
  1. Approximately half of the strikes resulted in partial or complete victory by labor.
Staffing, Wages, and Contracts: 1973-1980
1. Most recent series of fire fighter strikes
2. The IAFF voted to eliminate the 50-year-old no-strike clause in its constitution in 1968.
3. Most of the ensuing strikes occurred after labor and management reached an impasse while negotiating a new contract.
  1. None of the strikes resulted in a net gain for organized labor.
4. In the 1970s, local governments were facing another recession that hit hard at their finances.
  1. Many fire fighters were laid off.
Negative Impacts of Strikes
1. There have been fewer fire fighter strikes in the United States and Canada since the 1980s.
  1. Negative public reaction
  2. Political response of changing legislation
  3. Lasting legacy of lost trust
2. Measures such as picketing and alternative pressure tactics that maintain emergency services have been used to influence public opinion in several fire departments.
3. Strikes have occurred more recently among other industrialized nations.
  1. Military personnel have been called on to fill in for fire fighters.
The Wisconsin Challenge
1. Wisconsin was the first state to allow public employees bargain with their employers in 1959.
2. In 2011, the newly elected Governor Scott Walker repealed most labor laws in the state.
3. Wisconsin became a right-to-work state, one of five states added since 2012.

XI. The Growth of IAFF as a Political Influence

The economic turmoil and wage reductions that occurred in the 1990s were as severe as those in the 1930s; however, this time, organized labor worked to elect political candidates who were supportive of labor to local and national political offices.
Fire fighters are particularly respected in political circles for the efforts they can put behind a political candidate who supports the objectives of the IAFF or a particular local union.
The creation in 1978 of FIREPAC, the IAFF’s political action committee, was a natural progression of the labor organization’s activity as a major influence in improving fire fighters’ work environment.
Funded by donations from individual IAFF members, FIREPAC promotes the legislative and political interests of the IAFF to:
1. Educate members of Congress about issues important to fire fighters and EMS personnel
2. Elect supportive candidates to office
Using money and off-duty fire fighters to assist political candidates or causes may appear unseemly.
1. However, fire service must be fully engaged in the political process.

XII. Summary

The fire department uses a paramilitary style of leadership. Most fire departments are structured on the basis of four management principles:
1. Unity of command
2. Span of control
3. Division of labor
4. Discipline
There are several different ways to look at the organization of a fire department—for example, in terms of function, geography, or staffing.
The four functions of managing are planning, organizing, leading, and controlling.
Fire officers must thoroughly know the department’s regulations, policies, and standard operating procedures. This knowledge is essential to ensure a safe and harmonious working environment.
Ethical choices are based on a value system. The officer has to consider each situation, often subconsciously, and make a decision based on his or her values.
The administrative duties of the Fire Officer II include evaluating a subordinate’s job performance, correcting unacceptable performance, and completing formal performance appraisals on each member.
Other duties of a Fire Officer II include developing a project or divisional budget, including the related activities of purchasing, soliciting, and rewarding bids, and preparing news releases and other reports to supervisors.
The fire department is part of the structure of its community. To fulfill its mission, the fire department must often interact with other organizations. The managing fire officer is more engaged in working with other organizations and groups.
A rigid command and control process remains essential when operating at emergency scenes. Away from emergencies, however, departments are using the concepts of employee empowerment, decentralized decision making, and delegation.
Firefighting is one of the activities least frequently performed by fire companies; it accounts for only 5 percent of the response workload.
Flashover and structural collapse are the primary causes of death for fire fighters within a burning structure.
As community expectations change, fire departments are providing a wider variety of services, often as a part of a multiagency effort.
The fire officer of the future must look beyond the physical attributes of individuals and match each individual’s strengths with the organization’s needs for the organization, the individual, and the officer to be successful.
Four major pieces of federal legislation have established the groundwork for the rules and regulations of the present collective bargaining system:
1. The Norris-LaGuardia Act of 1932 made yellow dog contracts unenforceable.
2. The Wagner-Connery Act of 1935 established the National Labor Relations Board and the procedures commonly called collective bargaining.
3. The Taft-Hartley Labor Act of 1947 established good faith bargaining and a 60-day “cooling off” period.
4. The Landrum-Griffin Act established a bill of rights for members of labor organizations.
Federal legislation passed in 1912 prohibits federal employees from striking.
Each state determines whether it will engage in collective bargaining with state government employees and whether local government jurisdictions within the state may engage in collective bargaining with their employees.
Regardless of time, statutory environment, or work culture, labor–management relationships have been present in every work environment that includes an employer and employees.
Although a strike is precipitated by a conflict between labor and management, the impact of a strike is often felt beyond the parties that are directly involved in the relationship.
From 1918 to 1921, fire fighter strikes focused on better working conditions.
Between 1931 and 1933, fire fighter strikes focused on preserving wages and staffing.
Fire fighter strikes between 1973 and 1980 focused on staffing, wages, and contracts.
The negative public reaction to strikes, the political response of changing legislation, and the lasting legacy of lost trust have caused fire fighter strikes to be viewed as counterproductive.
Fire fighters are particularly respected in political circles for the efforts they can put behind a political candidate who supports the objectives of the IAFF or a particular local union.
New fire research challenges many strategy and tactic traditions with the fire service.