1 The History and Orientation of the Fire Service

1 Objectives State the Mission of the fire service. Describe the organization of a fire department. Explain what a fire department’s regulations, policies, and standard operating procedures, are and explain how they apply to the fire fighter. Discuss the general roles of other agencies as they relate to the departments.

1 Objectives Discuss the mounting and dismounting procedures for riding fire apparatus. List the types of personal protective equipment used while riding on fire apparatus.

1 Introduction Training to become a fire fighter is not easy. Fire fighters are challenged both physically and mentally. Fire fighter training will expand your understanding of fire suppression.

1 Fire Fighter Guidelines Be safe. Follow orders. Work as a team. Think! Follow the golden rule.

1 Roles and Responsibilities of the Fire Fighter I (5 of 5) Perform fire safety surveys. Clean and maintain equipment. Present fire safety information to station visitors, community groups, or schools.

1 General Roles Within the Department Fire fighter Company officer Instructors Incident Commander Fire marshal/inspector/investigator Fire Prevention Officers Engineers

1 Specialized Response Roles Hazardous materials technician Technical rescue technician SCUBA dive rescue technician EMS personnel EMT-Basic, Intermediate, and Paramedic

1 Working with Other Organizations (1 of 2) Fire departments need to interact with other organizations in the community. –Law enforcement –EMS –The military –Other state agencies

1 Working with Other Organizations (2 of 2) Incident command system (ICS) –Unified command system –Controls multiple agencies at an incident

1 Fire Department Governance (1 of 3) Regulations –Detailed rules that implement a law passed by a governmental body Policies –Outline what is expected in stated conditions –Issued by a department to provide guidelines for its actions

1 Fire Department Governance (2 of 3) SOPs –Provide specific information on actions that should be taken to accomplish a task –Ensure that all members perform a task in the same manner –Provide a uniform way to deal with situations –May also be called standard operating guidelines (SOGs)

1 Fire Department Governance (3 of 3)

1 Organization of the Fire Service Source of authority –Local governments –Sometimes from state and federal governments Fire chief accountable to the governing body

1 Company Types (1 of 3) Engine

1 Company Types (2 of 3) Truck –Specializes in forcible entry, ventilation, roof operations, search and rescue, and deployment of ground ladders Rescue –Rescue victims from confined spaces, trenches, and high angles

1 Company Types (3 of 3) Wildland/brush –Four-wheel drive vehicles Hazardous materials –Scenes involving spilled or leaking hazardous materials EMS –Assists in transporting to medical facilities

1 Chain of Command (1 of 4) Structure for managing the department and the fire-ground operations Ranks may vary by department, but the concept is the same

1 Chain of Command (2 of 4) Lieutenant –Single company on a single shift Captain –Company on shift and for coordinating company’s activities with other shifts Battalion chief –Coordinates activities of several companies in a defined geographic area

1 Chain of Command (3 of 4) Assistant or division chief –In charge of a functional area within the department Chief of the department –Overall responsibility for administration and operations of the department

1 Chain of Command (4 of 4) Used to implement department policies Ensures that a given task is carried out in a uniform manner

1 Basic Principles of Organization (1 of 3) Discipline Division of labor –Organizing an incident by breaking down overall strategy –Makes individual responsible for completing the assigned task –Prevents duplicate job assignments

1 Basic Principles of Organization (2 of 3) The organization of a typical fire department

1 Basic Principles of Organization (3 of 3) Unity of command –Each fire fighter answers to only one supervisor. –Establishes a direct route of responsibility Span of control –Number of people one person can supervise effectively

1 History of the Fire Service Romans created first fire department, the Familia Publica 2 nd Century A.D. –First paid department in the United States was Boston (established in 1679) –Ben Franklin started the first volunteer department in the United States in Philadelphia in –Citizens kept fire buckets to assist with fire suppression.

1 The Great Chicago Fire Began October 8, 1871 Burned for three days Damage totals: –$200 million in damage –300 dead –90,000 homeless

1 Fire Equipment (1 of 2) Colonial fire fighters had buckets and fire hooks. Hand-powered pumpers developed in 1720 Steam-powered pumpers developed in 1829, not used by FFs until 1860’s Steam Engines gone by 1925, replaced with motorized apparatus.

1 Fire Equipment (2 of 2) Present-day equipment –Single apparatus used for several purposes Fire hydrants developed in 1817 First public call boxes developed in 1860

1 Communications (2 of 2) Fire-ground communications –Early days: Chief’s trumpet (bugles), now a symbol of authority –Present: Two-way radios

1 Paying for Fire Service In early times, insurance companies paid fire departments for service. Career departments are generally funded through local tax funds.

1 Fire Service in the United States About 1.1 million fire fighters 75% of career fire fighters serve communities of 25,000 or larger. Half of volunteers serve rural areas of population 2500 or smaller. Approximately 30,000 fire departments

1 Summary (1 of 3) Remember the five guidelines: –Be safe. –Follow orders. –Work as a team. –Think! –Follow the golden rule.

1 Summary (2 of 3) Fire departments need to work with other organizations to get the job done. Most departments employ a chain of command. Regulations, policies, and SOPs provide uniformity and consistent performance.

1 Summary (3 of 3) The fire service traces its roots back to Roman times. The U.S. fire service goes back to the colonial days.