Fire Fighters and the Fire Officer 3. 3 The Fire Officer’s Supervisor (1 of 2) Every fire officer has a supervisor. Keep your supervisor informed. Make

Fire Fighters

and the Fire Officer

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The Fire Officer’s Supervisor (1 of 2)

• Every fire officer has a supervisor.• Keep your supervisor informed.• Make appropriate decisions at your level

of responsibility.• Consult with your supervisor before

making major disciplinary actions or policy changes.

• No supervisor likes surprises.

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The Fire Officer’s Supervisor(2 of 2)

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Integrity (1 of 2)

• Refers to complex system of inherent attributes that determine moral and ethical actions and reactions

• Fire officer should “walk the talk” and demonstrate behaviors he or she says are important.

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Integrity (2 of 2)

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Ethical Behavior

• The fire officer demonstrates ethical behavior.

• Makes decisions and models behavior consistent with department’s:– Core values– Mission statement– Value statements

• IAFC provides an example of a code of ethics.

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Workplace Diversity (1 of 7)

• Diversity means the workforce should reflect the community it serves.

• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guides recruitment, hiring, and promotion to achieve diversity.

• Actionable items are employee behaviors that require immediate corrective action.

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• Hostile workplace and sexual harassment:– 1993 amendment of 1980 EEOC sexual

harassment guidelines applies to hostile workplace complaints.

– Verbal and physical conduct of a sexual nature is harassment when:

• The employee is made to feel that he or she has to endure such treatment in order to remain employed.

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– Sexual harassment (continued):• Whether or not the employee submits or rejects

such treatment is used when making employment decisions.

• The employee’s work performance is affected.

• An intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment is present.

– A hostile work environment involves subjecting an employee to discrimination in the workplace.

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• Handling harassment or hostile workplace complaints:– Employees can file a complaint with

federal or municipality’s EEOC office or with the fire department.

– Fire officer should know the department’s procedure for handling complaints.

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• Handling harassment or hostile workplace complaints (continued):– Keep an open mind.

– Treat the person who files the complaint with respect and compassion.

– Do not blame the person filing the complaint.

– Do not retaliate against the person filing the complaint.

– Follow established procedures.

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• Handling harassment or hostile workplace complaints (continued):– Interview the people involved.– Look for corroboration or contradiction.– Keep it confidential.– Write it all down.– Cooperate with government agencies.

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The Fire Station as a “Business Work Location” (1 of 5)

• Fire officer needs to consider the fire station as a business work location.

• Necessary to maintain a professional work environment

• Educate employees on workplace rules and regulations.

• Promote the use of “on duty speech.”

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• Be the designated adult (model appropriate behavior).

• Identify and correct unacceptable behavior.

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• A company-level officer should walk the fire station at various times during the workday.– Not to catch someone doing something wrong– Rather, to make sure everything is functioning

properly

• Having a reputation that you know what is going on helps encourage appropriate workplace behaviors.

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Summary (1 of 3)

• Fire officer is responsible for accounting for people and resources at a fire station and work location.

• Transitioning from fire fighter to fire officer changes how individual relates to formal fire department organization and the role played with fellow fire fighters.

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Summary (2 of 3)

• Fire officer has larger sphere of responsibility when supervising a work group than as a fire fighter.

• “Walk the talk.”

• Supervisors must be consulted and kept informed.

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Summary (3 of 3)

• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

• Follow local procedures when encountering harassment or hostile workplace complaints.

• “On duty speech”

Understanding People:

Management Concepts

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Objectives

• Understand principles of supervision and basic human resource management.

• Coordinate the completion of assigned tasks and projects.

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Introduction to Management Concepts (1 of 2)

• Management is the science of using available resources to achieve results.

• A fire officer is a manager given responsibility to direct and supervise a group of fire fighters, apparatus, and other resources to achieve outcomes.

• Desirable outcomes begin with protecting people and property.

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Introduction to Management Concepts (2 of 2)

• Additional desirable outcomes include ensuring that work is performed:– Safely– Efficiently– Promptly– Following rules, regulations, and

procedures

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Managing People (1 of 3)

• Most fire officers will find that managing people is their greatest challenge.

• Workers get the job done.

• Managers direct and coordinate workers’ efforts.– Providing them with necessary tools and

resources– Ensuring that outcomes meet standards

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• Human resource management is built from two schools of thought:– Scientific management– Humanistic management

• Each school developed theories on managing people.

• Fire officer can consider the theories as tools in his or her management toolbox.

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Scientific Management

• The Industrial Revolution created large factories and the need for management.

• An engineering approach was taken.

• Fredrick Winslow Taylor published The Principles of Scientific Management in 1911.– “Time and motion studies”

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Taylor’s Four Principles of Scientific Management

• Replace “rule-of-thumb” work methods with scientific study.

• Scientifically select, train, and develop each worker.

• Cooperate with workers to ensure methods are being followed.

• Division of work: managers think, workers work.

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Humanistic Management (1 of 2)

• Scientific management considered people as cogs in a production line.

• Humanistic management shifted focus to pay attention to workers and production conditions.

• Hawthorne effect: people being studied may improve their performance simply because of attention they receive.

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Humanistic Management (2 of 2)

• Two important theorists for humanistic management:– Douglas McGregor– Abraham H. Maslow

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McGregor: Theory X and Theory Y (1 of 3)

• Theory X manager believes people do not like to work.– They need to be closely watched and controlled.

• Theory Y manager believes people like to work.– They need to be encouraged, not controlled.

• Both theories can be seen in practice today.• Theory Y is the prevailing trend.

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• Fire Officer’s challenge is to steer efforts of the workforce in the right direction.

• Fire officer can often use Theory Y effectively.

• Fire officer requires Theory X:– At a fire or other high-risk activity

– When taking control of a workplace conflict

– Near the end of a series of disciplinary measures

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Maslow: Hierarchy of Needs (1 of 10)

• Human needs are arranged like a ladder or human pyramid.

• The goal is to progress up the five rungs of the ladder.

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• Level one: physiological needs– Air– Water– Food– Shelter

• Making a fire company work without rest and rehydration will fail to meet these needs.

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• Level two: safety, security, and order

• For a fire officer:– Safety refers to safe leadership and

procedures.– Security refers to fire fighter job security.– Order could be a factor when

reorganization occurs.

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• Level three: social needs and affection– Related to belonging to a group and

feeling acceptance by the group– Fire fighters wear their company patches

proudly.– Fire fighters often engage in social and

recreational activities with co-workers.

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• Level four: esteem and status

• For a fire fighter, indicators include:– Promotions and special awards– Gold badges– Take-home fire department vehicles– Membership in an elite unit

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• Level five: self-actualization

• During a peak experience, a person feels:– Whole

– Alive

– Self-sufficient, yet connected to the world

– Aware of truth, justice, harmony, goodness

• Self-actualizing people have many such experiences.

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Blake and Mouton’s Managerial Grid (1 of 2)

• Assumes decisions and actions are based on:– Concern for people

– Concern for results

• Based on a survey document, a manager’s level of concern in each area is plotted on an X–Y chart, or “grid.”

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Blake and Mouton’s Managerial Grid (2 of 2)

• Five managerial styles are based on a person’s position on the grid:– Indifferent: evade and elude– Controlling: direct and dominate– Accommodating: yield and comply– Status quo: balance and compromise– Sound: contribute and commit

• The “sound” model is preferred for a fire officer.

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Applying Human Resource Management Principles (1 of 2)

• Much of a fire officer’s time is spent dealing with subordinates.

• Fire officer must understand human resource management.

• Human resource management includes:– Human resources planning– Employee (labor) relations

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Applying Human Resource Management Principles (2 of 2)

• Human resource management (continued):– Staffing– Human resource development– Performance management– Compensation and benefits– Employee health, safety, and security

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Mission Statement

• The fire officer must know and understand fire department’s mission.

• Frequently expressed through a written mission statement

• Designed to guide the actions of all employees

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Getting Assignments Completed (1 of 3)

• Effective use of time is a challenge for the fire officer.

• There are a great number of demands on company’s time, including:– Public education

– Inspections

– Training and education

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• Demands on company’s time (continued):– Cleaning the station– Doing paperwork– Maintaining the apparatus– Responding to calls

• Some activities are known months in advance.

• Other activities require an immediate response of the crew.

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• Fire officer must determine: – Activities to be completed

– When they must be completed

– How long they will take

• Then the fire officer can prioritize.

• A monthly calendar and daily file can help.

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Summary (1 of 3)

• Scientific management breaks down work tasks into constituent elements.

• Taylor’s four principles of scientific management

• McGregor: Theory X and Theory Y

• Supervisor’s role in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

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Summary (2 of 3)

• Managing fire fighters requires physical, financial, human, and time resources.

• Human resource planning is the process of having the right number of people in the right place at the right time.

• The fire officer’s ability to utilize the human resources that are assigned is essential.

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Summary (3 of 3)

• Direct supervision requires the fire officer to directly observe the actions of the crew.

• One of the greatest demands on the fire officer is the effective use of time.

Safety and Risk

Management

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Objectives

• Define incident safety officer.

• Describe safety policies and procedures and basic workplace safety.

• Describe the components of an infectious disease control program.

• Describe procedures for conducting an accident investigation and safety policies and procedures.

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Skills Objectives

• Identify safety hazards.

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Introduction to Safety (1 of 2)

• Fire department operations often include high-risk situations.

• Fire officer is responsible for ensuring that every fire fighter completes every incident without serious injury, disability, or death.– “Everyone goes home” at end of workday.

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Introduction to Safety (2 of 2)

• The fire officer: – Identifies hazards and mitigates

dangerous conditions– Identifies and corrects behaviors that

could lead to injuries or death– Sets a good example

• Safe practices must be the only acceptable behavior.

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Fire Fighter Death and Injury Trends

• Fire officer develops incident action plan.– Addresses and minimizes chances of

harm

• Prevention depends on ability to break cascade of events leading to serious injury or death.

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Everyone Goes Home (1 of 3)

• Program developed by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF).

• To prevent line-of-duty death and injuries

• 16 initiatives

• Key elements:– Working in teams at emergency incidents

– Fire officer accountability for members under their supervision

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• Key elements (continued):– Operating within parameters of incident action

plan

– Operating under direction of incident commander

– Reliable two-way communications through the chain of command

– Maintaining safe exit paths

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• Key elements (continued):– Use of rapid intervention crews

– Monitoring of air supplies

– Watching for indications of impending building collapse

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National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System

• Web-based system from International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC)– www.firefighternearmiss.com

• Based on Aviation Safety Reporting System

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Reducing Deaths from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (1 of 3)

• Heart attacks are the leading cause of death for fire fighters.– Particularly over the age of 49

• Regular physical examinations are important.

• Fire officers should look for indications that a member is in poor health or unfit for duty.

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• Lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of a fatal heart attack:– Stop smoking.– Lower high blood pressure.– Reduce high cholesterol.– Maintain a healthy weight.– Manage diabetes.

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Reducing Deaths from Motor Vehicle Collisions (1 of 2)

• Collisions account for the largest percentage of traumatic fire fighter deaths.– 40 percent die in personal vehicles.– More than three-fourths not wearing a seat

belt.– Excessive speed and operator error are

frequent causes.

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Reducing Deaths from Motor Vehicle Collisions (2 of 2)

• The fire officer is responsible for ensuring that drivers consistently follow the rules of the road for emergency response.

• Driver minimum qualifications are established in NFPA 1002.

• Wearing seat belts could prevent 10 to 15 fatalities every year.

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Reducing Deaths from Fire Suppression Operations (1 of 11)

• Asphyxiation and burns are the prime factors in deaths in burning buildings.– In spite of protective clothing and SCBA

• Standard operating procedures (SOPs) should be followed.

• Fire officer must be prepared for changing conditions and unanticipated hazards.

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• Maintain crew integrity at an emergency incident.– Know location and function of every crew

member at all times.– 82 percent of fatal fire suppression

incidents involve death of a single fire fighter.

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• Follow requirements for operating in immediately dangerous to life and health (IDLH) environment.– Designated officer-in-charge– Two-in, two-out rule

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• Rapid intervention crew (RIC):– Related to two-in, two-out rule– Personal accountability system tracks all

fire fighters at an incident.

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• Self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA): – Rated time is based on individual at rest,

not firefighting.– Some departments are replacing 30-

minute with 45- or 60-minute rated tanks.– Low-pressure warning devices

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• Teams and tools:– Two-person minimum for interior work

teams– Full PPE, including SCBA and Personal

Alert Safety System (PASS)– At least one radio per team– Thermal imaging device

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© Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Courtesy of MIEMSS.

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• Fire officer must maintain situation awareness:– Stay oriented.– Make observations.– Provide and receive regular updates.– Listen to fire-ground radio.– Continually assess risk/benefit model.– Do not lose track of larger situation.

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• Risk/benefit analysis:– Based on hazard and situation

assessment– Saving lives is the priority, including the

lives of fire fighters.– Pre-incident plan is used.– Current conditions are observed.

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Incident Safety Officer (1 of 5)

• Key component of incident management system

• Incident command system (ICS) is used.

• Incident safety officer reports to incident commander.

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• Incident safety officer:– Monitors scene– Identifies and report hazards– If necessary, takes immediate steps to

stop unsafe actions– Generally gives quick verbal information to

incident commander at command post

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• Qualifications are outlined in NFPA 1521.

• Requires knowledge of:– Safety and health hazards– Building construction– Local fire department personnel

accountability system– Incident scene rehabilitation

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• Assistant incident safety officers at large or complex incidents

• Rehabilitation is the process of providing rest, rehydration, nourishment, and medical evaluation.

• Incident safety officer sees that incident scene rehabilitation is established.

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Creating and Maintaining a Safe Work Environment (1 of 2)

• For every fire fighter death, there are nearly 1000 fire fighter injuries.

• Safety programs must address preventing injuries as well as preventing fatalities.

• Safety policies and procedures must be followed.

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Creating and Maintaining a Safe Work Environment (2 of 2)

• Emergency incident injury prevention: – Physical fitness– Personal protective equipment

• Fire station safety:– Clothing– Housekeeping– Lifting techniques

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Infection Control (1 of 2)

• Every fire department should have an infection control program.– Should meet NFPA 1581

• After exposure, immediately wash exposed area with soap and running water.– Waterless soap, antiseptic wipes, and

alcohol are substitutes.

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Infection Control (2 of 2)

• Notify an infection control officer within 2 hours of an exposure incident.– Data becomes part of member’s

confidential health database.– Department maintains data for analysis

that does not include people’s names.

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Accident Investigation and Documentation (1 of 3)

• Fire department health and safety officer is charged with investigations of accidents.

• Accidents are any unexpected events that interrupt or interfere with fire department operations.– Personal injuries– Property damage

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• Initial investigation is often delegated to local fire officer.

• Full investigation might be conducted on minor accidents.– Examples: simple ankle sprain, broken

pike pile, dented rear step on apparatus

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• Three phases:– Identification and collection of physical

evidence– Interviewing witnesses– Written documentation phase

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Postincident Analysis

• Based on written report of incident safety officer

• The real value is the learning process resulting from the information obtained.

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Summary (1 of 2)

• Of the 100 fire fighters who die each year, about 40 percent die of heart attacks, and over 20 percent die in motor vehicle crashes.

• 10 to 15 deaths could be avoided each year by wearing seatbelts.

• Almost one-third of fire fighters who die in a motor vehicle crash are ejected from the vehicle.

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Summary (2 of 2)

• Fire officer responsibilities for safety

• A fire officer may be required to function as incident safety officer.

• Accident investigations take place for all occupational injuries, illnesses, exposures, fatalities, or other hazardous conditions.

Documents

Fire Fighters and the Fire Officer 3. 3 The Fire Officer’s Supervisor (1 of 2) Every fire officer has a supervisor. Keep your supervisor informed. Make