fire fighters and the fire officer 3. 3 the fire officer’s supervisor (1 of 2) every fire officer...
TRANSCRIPT
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 appropriate decisions at your level
of responsibility.• Consult with your supervisor before
making major disciplinary actions or policy changes.
• No supervisor likes surprises.
3
The Fire Officer’s Supervisor(2 of 2)
3
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.
3
Integrity (2 of 2)
3
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.
3
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.
3
Workplace Diversity (2 of 7)
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Workplace Diversity (3 of 7)
• 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.
3
Workplace Diversity (4 of 7)
– 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.
3
Workplace Diversity (5 of 7)
• 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.
3
Workplace Diversity (6 of 7)
• 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.
3
Workplace Diversity (7 of 7)
• 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.
3
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.”
3
The Fire Station as a “Business Work Location” (2 of 5)
• Be the designated adult (model appropriate behavior).
• Identify and correct unacceptable behavior.
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The Fire Station as a “Business Work Location” (3 of 5)
3
The Fire Station as a “Business Work Location” (4 of 5)
• 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.
3
The Fire Station as a “Business Work Location” (5 of 5)
3
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
4
3
Objectives
• Understand principles of supervision and basic human resource management.
• Coordinate the completion of assigned tasks and projects.
3
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.
3
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
3
Managing People (2 of 3)
• 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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Managing People (3 of 3)
3
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.
3
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.
3
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.
3
McGregor: Theory X and Theory Y (2 of 3)
• 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
3
McGregor: Theory X and Theory Y (3 of 3)
3
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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Maslow: Hierarchy of Needs (2 of 10)
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Maslow: Hierarchy of Needs (3 of 10)
• 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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Maslow: Hierarchy of Needs (4 of 10)
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Maslow: Hierarchy of Needs (5 of 10)
• 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.
3
Maslow: Hierarchy of Needs (6 of 10)
• 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.
3
Maslow: Hierarchy of Needs (7 of 10)
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Maslow: Hierarchy of Needs (8 of 10)
• 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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Maslow: Hierarchy of Needs (9 of 10)
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Maslow: Hierarchy of Needs (10 of 10)
• 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.
3
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.”
3
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
3
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
3
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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Getting Assignments Completed (2 of 3)
• 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.
3
Getting Assignments Completed (3 of 3)
• 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.
3
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.
3
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
6
3
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.
3
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.
3
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.
3
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.
3
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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Everyone Goes Home (2 of 3)
• 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
3
Everyone Goes Home (3 of 3)
• Key elements (continued):– Use of rapid intervention crews
– Monitoring of air supplies
– Watching for indications of impending building collapse
3
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
3
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.
3
Reducing Deaths from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (2 of 3)
• 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.
3
Reducing Deaths from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (3 of 3)
3
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.
3
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.
3
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.
3
Reducing Deaths from Fire Suppression Operations (2 of 11)
• 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.
3
Reducing Deaths from Fire Suppression Operations (3 of 11)
• 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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Reducing Deaths from Fire Suppression Operations (4 of 11)
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Reducing Deaths from Fire Suppression Operations (5 of 11)
• Rapid intervention crew (RIC):– Related to two-in, two-out rule– Personal accountability system tracks all
fire fighters at an incident.
3
Reducing Deaths from Fire Suppression Operations (6 of 11)
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Reducing Deaths from Fire Suppression Operations (7 of 11)
• 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
3
Reducing Deaths from Fire Suppression Operations (8 of 11)
• 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
3
Reducing Deaths from Fire Suppression Operations (9 of 11)
© Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Courtesy of MIEMSS.
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Reducing Deaths from Fire Suppression Operations (10 of 11)
• 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.
3
Reducing Deaths from Fire Suppression Operations (11 of 11)
• 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.
3
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.
3
Incident Safety Officer (2 of 5)
• 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
3
Incident Safety Officer (3 of 5)
• 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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Incident Safety Officer (4 of 5)
• 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.
3
Incident Safety Officer (5 of 5)
3
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.
3
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
3
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.
3
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.
3
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
3
Accident Investigation and Documentation (2 of 3)
• 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
3
Accident Investigation and Documentation (3 of 3)
• Three phases:– Identification and collection of physical
evidence– Interviewing witnesses– Written documentation phase
3
Postincident Analysis
• Based on written report of incident safety officer
• The real value is the learning process resulting from the information obtained.
3
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.