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The History and Orientation of the Fire Service

1 Objectives (1 of 4)

• Describe changes in the fire department from the colonial days to the present. • Describe the four basic principles of organization of the fire department.

• Define the chain of command as it applies to a fire department.

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1 Objectives (2 of 4)

• List the different types of fire department companies and describe their functions.

• Describe the roles of fire fighters within the fire department.

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Objectives (3 of 4)

• Describe the fire department’s regulations, policies, and standard operating procedures, and how they apply to the fire fighter.

• Locate information in departmental documents and standard operating procedures.

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Objectives (4 of 4)

• Define the roles and responsibilities of Fire Fighter I and Fire Fighter II.

• List five guidelines for successful fire fighter training.

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Introduction

• • • Becoming a fire fighter is not easy.

Fire fighters are challenged both physically and mentally.

Fire fighter training will expand your understanding of fire suppression.

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1 Fire Service in the United States

• About 1.1 million fire fighters • Approximately 30,000 fire departments • 75% of career fire fighters serve communities of 25,000 or larger • Half of volunteers serve rural areas of population 2,500 or smaller 7

1 Fire Statistics for the United States

• • 401,000 residential fires in 2002 – Average of 46 per hour 2,695 residential fire fatalities in 2002 – Average of one every 195 minutes 8

1 History of the Fire Service

• • • • Romans created first fire department, the

Familia Publica

.

First paid department in the U.S. was Boston (established in 1679).

Ben Franklin started the first volunteer department in the U.S. in Philadelphia in 1735.

Citizens kept fire buckets to assist with fire suppression.

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The Great Chicago Fire

• • • Began October 8, 1871 Burned for three days – – – – – Damage totals: 2,000 acres burned 17,000 homes destroyed $200 million in damage 300 dead 90,000 homeless 10

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1 The Peshtigo Fire

• • Flash forest fire occurred at same time as the Great Chicago Fire – “Tornado of fire” 1,000' high and five miles wide Deadliest fire in U.S. history – 2,200 dead – 2,400 square miles of forest land burned – Several small communities destroyed 11

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 12

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

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1 Communications (1 of 2)

• • • Fire wardens and night watchmen used during colonial period Telegraph alarm systems developed in late 1800s – – Present day: Hardwired and cellular telephones Computer-aided dispatch facilities 14

Communications (2 of 2)

• Fireground – communications Early days: Chief’s trumpet (bugles), now a symbol of authority – Present: Two-way radios

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Building Codes (1 of 2)

• – – – – – History of Building Codes Egyptians used codes to prevent collapse Colonial communities had few codes Early construction in U.S. was primarily wood Boston required non-combustible roofs (1678) Present codes address construction materials and “built-in” protection

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Building Codes (2 of 2)

• • • – Codes and standards are written by national organizations.

NFPA Volunteer committees research and develop proposals.

Most codes today are consensus documents.

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Paying for Fire Service

• • • In early times, insurance companies paid fire departments for service.

Career departments are generally funded through local tax funds.

– – Volunteer departments are funded by: Donations Tax dollars

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Training and Education

• • Originally, little was required beyond muscular strength and endurance.

Requirements have increased as fire suppression has become more complicated and technical.

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1 Organization of the Fire Service

• Source of authority – Local governments – Sometimes from state and federal governments • Fire chief accountable to the governing body 20

1 Basic Principles of Organization (1 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 21

1 Basic Principles of Organization (2 of 3)

The organization of a typical fire department.

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1 Basic Principles of Organization (3 of 3)

• Division of labor – Organizing an incident by breaking down overall strategy – Makes individual responsible for completing the assigned task – Prevents duplicate job assignments • Discipline – Guidelines that a department establishes for fire fighters 23

Chain of Command (1 of 4)

• • Structure for managing the department and the fireground operations Ranks may vary by department, but the concept is the same 24

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1 Chain of Command (2 of 4)

• Lieutenant – Responsible for a single company on a single shift • Captain – Responsible for company on his/her shift and for coordinating company’s activities with other shifts • Battalion chief – Coordinates activities of several companies in a defined geographic area 25

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

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1 Chain of Command (4 of 4)

• Used to implement department policies • Ensures that a given task is carried out in a uniform manner 27

Company Types (1 of 3)

• Engine – Secures water source, deploys handlines, conducts search-and-rescue operations, and puts water on the fire

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Company Types (2 of 3)

• Truck – Specializes in forcible entry, ventilation, roof operations, search-and rescue operations above the fire, and deployment of ground ladders.

• Rescue – Rescues victims from fires, confined spaces, trenches, and high-angle situations 29

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1 Company Types (3 of 3)

• Wildland brush – Dispatched to wildland and brush fires that larger engines cannot reach • Hazardous materials – Responds to and controls scenes involving spilled or leaking hazardous materials • EMS – Respond to and assist in transporting victims to medical facilities 30

Other Views of Organization 1

• • • Function – Bureau or office – Apparatus type Geography – Departments and stations are responsible for distinct geographic areas Staffing – Department must have sufficient trained personnel available 31

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1 General Roles within the Department (1 of 2)

Fire fighter Driver/operator Company officer Safety officer Training officer • Incident Commander • Fire marshal/ inspector/investigator • Fire and life safety education specialist 32

General Roles within the Department (2 of 2)

• 9-1-1 dispatcher/ telecommunicator • Apparatus maintenance personnel • Fire police • Information management • Public information officer • Fire protection engineer

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Specialized Response Roles 1

• • • Aircraft/crash rescue fire fighter Hazardous materials technician Technical rescue technician • SCUBA dive rescue technician • EMS personnel – EMT-Basic – EMT-Intermediate – EMT-Paramedic 34

Regulations, Policies, and SOPs (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

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1 Regulations, Policies, and SOPs (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) 36

Regulations, Policies, and SOPs (3 of 3)

A sample Standard Operating Procedure.

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Working with Other Organizations

• Fire departments need to interact with other organizations in the community.

– Law enforcement – EMS – The military • Incident Management System (IMS) – Unified command system – Means to control multiple agencies at an incident

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Roles and Responsibilities of the Fire Fighter I (1 of 5)

Don and doff personal protective equipment properly.

Hoist hand tools using appropriate ropes and knots.

Understand and correctly apply appropriate communication protocols.

Use SCBA.

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Roles and Responsibilities of the Fire Fighter I (2 of 5)

Respond on apparatus to an emergency scene.

Force entry into a structure.

Exit a hazardous area safely as a team.

Set up ground ladders safely and correctly.

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• • • •

Roles and Responsibilities of the Fire Fighter I (3 of 5)

Attack a passenger vehicle fire, an exterior Class A fire, and an interior structure fire.

Conduct search and rescue in a structure.

Perform ventilation of an involved structure.

Overhaul a fire scene.

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Roles and Responsibilities of the Fire Fighter I (4 of 5)

Conserve property with salvage tools and equipment.

Connect a fire department engine to a water supply.

Extinguish Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D fires.

Illuminate an emergency scene.

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Roles and Responsibilities of the Fire Fighter I (5 of 5)

Turn off utilities.

Perform fire safety surveys.

Clean and maintain equipment.

Present fire safety information to station visitors, community groups, or schools.

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Roles and Responsibilities of the Fire Fighter II (1 of 2)

Coordinate an interior attack line team.

Extinguish an ignitable liquid fire.

Control a flammable gas cylinder fire.

Protect evidence of fire cause and origin.

Assess and disentangle victims from motor vehicle accidents.

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Roles and Responsibilities of the Fire Fighter II (2 of 2)

Assist special rescue team operations.

Perform annual service tests on fire hose.

Test the operability of and flow from a fire hydrant.

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Fire Fighter Guidelines

• Be safe.

• Follow orders.

• Work as a team.

• Think!

• Follow the Golden Rule.

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Summary (1 of 3)

• The fire service traces its roots back to Roman times.

• The U.S. fire service goes back to the colonial days.

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1 Summary (2 of 3)

• Most departments employ a chain of command.

• Regulations, policies, and SOPs provide uniformity and consistent performance.

• Fire departments need to work with other organizations to get the job done.

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Summary (3 of 3)

• Remember the five guidelines: – Be safe.

– Follow orders.

– Work as a team.

– Think!

– Follow the Golden Rule.

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