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Chapter notes fire officer handbook
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New technology, building inspections, leadership, and administrative duties are just a few of the challenges presented to new company officers in the fire service, stated Turner (2014, para. 1). As the fire service continues to evolve so too must the duties of the first line supervisors. Yet, where does an aspiring crew chief begin his journey to become a better leader, and company officer? In Turner’s (2014) article “Preparing for the Role of Company Officer”, many core values have been presented to help further prepare junior officers in their advancement through the fire service. Let us look further into some of the core principles that are discussed. Understanding Your Department Turner (2014) stated that first line supervisors should …show more content…
Officers already holding the position should mentor those who are up for promotion showing them day to day tasks and assignments that are expected to be supervised by them specified Turner (2014, para. 3). This mode of instruction would be very beneficial to firefighters progressing through the ranks, because it allows them to actually see, and utilize programs for time keeping, and tracking training. Furthermore, this practical application will allow them to become more efficient when using the department’s data bases. Many times it is not knowing the answer, but where to find the information. Therefore, by being exposed to programs already in use, will allow for less apprehension when engaging them …show more content…
Turner (2014) referenced “National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1021, Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications, provides the standard for fire officer professional qualifications. Fire officer training varies among fire departments according to the requirements of the jurisdiction” (para. 7). I completely concur with the above statement. Why would you want to waste time, money, and resources on training you wouldn’t apply? For example, would you spend hours of training in the ARFF category is you did not work in or around an airport? The officer candidate should concentrate on hazards and situations in his region. This familiarization would allow the officer to be more comfortable when operating in these scenarios. Thus, by becoming accustomed to certain circumstances that they may encounter this will in turn help his/her crew operate more efficiently. I strongly believe that the first line supervisor sets the pace and tone of the emergency. This will then be reflected in the atmosphere on scene. When someone is confident and knowledgeable it can be contagious on the fire
By nature, the civil service hiring process gives no preference to candidates who have received training in their prospective field. No matter what a candidate’s level of fire training, they will be required, upon hire, to attend the Ohio Fire Academy to obtain (or re-obtain) their 240-hour State Of Ohio firefighting certification. This means that fire science students aspiring to join CFD will duplicate their efforts. With over 6,000 applicants in 2011 the odds of obtaining a position at CFD seem slim. The odds of obtaining a position at Columbus Fire might seem unrealistic to some, but I believe that my research will show that there are plenty of reasons why so many people want to work for Columbus Fire.
An effective mission statement at a fire department can be incredibly influential on the morale of the personnel—which as a result, can dramatically improve the performance of personnel when put into practice. Furthermore, because of the importance of a fire department’s mission statement, there should be a considerable amount of thought put into the drafting of one; and one of the most vital parts of an effective mission statement is to make sure that it can be put into practice. With that being said, the mission statement at my fire department is “One Team, One Group, One Fight”.
"NFPA 1710: Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments, 2010 Edition." National Fire Protection Association. N.p., 1 Jan. 2010. Web. .
"NFPA 1710: Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments, 2010 Edition." National Fire Protection Association. N.p., 1 Jan. 2010. Web. 25 Mar. 2014. .
The Goldwater-Nichols act of 1986 redirected the nation’s focus on producing quality joint staff officers. Since the signing of that act, the Department of Defense has made significant improvements identifying the core qualities that make up an effective joint staff officer. In 2006 the Joint Staff Training Division (J7) conducted a survey to determine the basic characteristics common among the most effective joint staff officers. Over 1550 senior joint service leaders concluded that there are 15 core competencies that define an effective joint staff officer. From those 15 core competencies, three characteristics standout as essential elements of a staff officer on an executive level joint staff: exhibits the ability to solve complex problems, builds effective teams, and has a desire for life long learning. The following is a deeper analysis into how these three characteristics make an effective joint staff leader.
TRAINING: We must be proficient and cross-trained in our job assignments. If we train like we operate; then we will operate like we train. Communication is crucial to a successful unit; all hands must be part of the team and share new ideas on how to make our unit a safe and effective Coast Guard small boat station.
“Before new chiefs can set a path for a new vision, they must have a clear understanding of the past. A police department’s organizational culture is a deeply ingrained, personal aspect of its functioning that must not be trivialized. Years of hard work and dedication by scores of individuals went into the creation of that culture, and it must be respected. However, if the culture is no longer in step with the expectations of the community, then changes must be made. Changes for the future must be carefully crafted to achieve the desired goal without disregarding the past. New chiefs can best accomplish this task by first listening to the variety of individuals that represent the stakeholders for their departments. Gaining input is important to obtaining an understanding of the values and expecta...
Junior officers rank from Ensign to Lieutenant Commander, O-1 to O-4. Within the first 10 years of their career, junior officers will make thousands of decisions. Because of this, an important part of their duty is to understand that all of their decisions must be made with the highest level of integrity and ethics. Though some situ...
As a Marine, it is imperative to have leadership skills along with being capable of working with others. This book was written to enhance the reader’s mentality of how the Marines operate. It informs those who are looking into the service, and provides an in depth look into the trials and tribulations it has been through—as well as conquered. This book substantially explains the vigorous training platoon 3086 went through in order to earn the title of being a Marine.
Every year communities struggle each year around the nation with issues of life safety. In 2012, the nation’s fire departments responded to 31,854,000 responses that resulted in the deaths 0f 2,855 civilians and injuring 16,500 causing an estimated $12,427 million dollars in damage. (United States Fire Administration, 2014) These incidents put at risk 345,950 career and 783,300 volunteer firefighters that resulted in the deaths of 81 individuals (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2013) and nearly 70,000 reported injuries. ( Karter & Molis, 2013) These numbers represent incidents that are determined to be in the line of duty but do not take into consideration the long-term health risk issues that may develop. Evidence shows that he hazards associated with Fire and Emergency Services are consistent across the board whether paid or volunteer and jeopardize the lives and health of each individual, placing administrative and physical control measures reduces this risk to firefighter within an organization. While it is impossible to eliminate the hazards firefighters face, it is important to identify these hazards as the first step in reducing the potential for loss of life and wellbeing both physically and mentally.
As our forefathers before us stated, ‘‘No one is more professional than I. I am a Noncommissioned Officer, a leader of soldiers. As a Noncommissioned Officer, I realize that I am a member of a time honored corps, which is known as “The Backbone of the Army (“The NCO Creed writing by SFC Earle Brigham and Jimmie Jakes Sr”). These words to Noncommissioned Officer should inspire us to the fullest with pride, honor, and integrity. The NCO creed should mean much more than just words whenever we attend a NCO’s school. For most of us this is what our creed has become because we learn to narrate or recite. The military from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard has an overabundance of NCOs who fall under their pay grade of E-5, E-6 and etc. Yet somehow there still not enough leaders. I believe that the largest problem afflicting the military today is our lack of competent leaders, ineffective leader development, and how we influence our subordinates under us who are becoming leaders.
Looking back over 20 years of service and experience, I have determined that leadership has many attributes. Leadership is not simply “Influencing others to achieve a goal” like the definition the Coast Guard provides. Every leader wants to set and achieve goals for themselves, their subordinates, and the organization but leadership is much more than just achieving those goals. Leadership incorporates elements of respect, dependability, trust, service and empathy; when put together a leader can inspire others to accomplish nearly anything. I have encountered both a positive and negative characteristics to these traits, throughout my career, giving me learning moments for what I would like to be and what I don’t ever want to be.
Joe Lombardo of the Garden City Fire Department made it a point during fire school to emphasize that a good firefighter will always maintain a clear head even in the most harrowing of circumstances. This task may be difficult in situations where an enormous amount of information must be transmitted to effectively fight the fire. Recent innovations in fire scene communication technology have allowed for more information to be transferred to the appropriate firefighters before and during the initial attack. The following outline some of the more important innovations to fire communication technology:
Norris, Terrie S, CSP,A.R.M., C.P.S.I. (2011). Grow your leadership skills. Professional Safety, 56(8), 1. Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com/docview/904987990?accountid=12085
Leading through followership of mentors shows that above all, followership is more important than leadership. The lessons learned from role models ultimately sets not only the mentee on a path towards success, but the organization as well. In reference to being a professional Airman and a transformational leader as mentioned in paragraph two; traits, skills, and characteristics are passed down from the predecessor. The successor will then gain the courage it takes to stand up for what is right and speak on their mentors direction and adapt it as their own.16 The acquired knowledge through following mentors dynamically and effectively mold mentees into leaders, which in turn establishes confidence needed to master tasks and leadership when confronted with organizational challenges.17 Everyone faces challenges and is a subordinate to someone else.18 What a person experiences will be the cornerstone he or she refers to when leading subordinates.19 “After all, even the greatest of military leaders must start at the bottom. We must learn to follow before we can lead.”20