Fire Officer Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5 INDIVIDUAL EXPOSURE HISTORY AND MEDICAL RECORDS
(cont.) - Return-to-duty medical evaluations-after being on light duty or limited duty - Exposure reports - Retirement medical assessment
CHAPTER 5 RECOMMENDING POLICIES AND POLICY CHANGES
(cont.) 3. Safety and mission within organizational cultures are imbalanced. 4. The voices (and actions)of safety leadership and either subconsciously muffled or consciously subdued. 5. The lessons from behavioral safety science have not been embraced by fire service leaders, much less blended into everyday operations.
CHAPTER 5 LOCAL GOVERNMENT SOURCES
(cont.) A fire tax district is created to provide fire protection within a designated area. A special fire protection tax is charged to properties within that service area, in addition to any other county or municipal taxes.
CHAPTER 5 IMPLEMENTING POLICIES
(cont.) Company officers should share changes and show ownership. This communicates buy-in and expressed value to the organization. The fire officer should require that all fire fighters read the policy and sign of that they understand it. This practice helps ensure accountability.
CHAPTER 5 RECOMMENDING POLICIES AND POLICY CHANGES
(cont.) Debriefings should capitalize on the positives, identify shortcomings, discuss strategies for improvement, and allow participants an opportunity to see and hear the incident through different sets of eyes and ears. One effective technique is to discuss the situation with other fire officers initially to determine how widespread the perceived problem is.
CHAPTER 5 THE BUDGET CYCLE
(cont.) Every fire department has a budget that defines the funds that are available to operate the organization for 1 year.
CHAPTER 5 THE BUDGET CYCLE
(cont.) Fire apparatus, powered ambulance stretchers, and SCBA's are examples of a Capital budget item as they last more than 1 year. Annual budgets sometimes apply to a fiscal year, such as the year starting on July 1 and ending on June 30 of the following year.
CHAPTER 5 HUMAN RESOURCES
(cont.) Following areas should be closely examined by the fire officer: Employee behavior Family medical leave act (FMLA) Grievance or problems-solving procedure Transfers
CHAPTER 5 VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS
(cont.) In some areas, local tax revenues are allocated to the volunteer companies. Their relationship with a local jurisdiction may be defined through a memorandum of understanding, a contract for services, or a regional association of independent volunteer fire departments.
CHAPTER 5 PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND JUSTIFICATION
(cont.) It is a challenge to get new capital equipment using existing funding. The justification will have to vividly describe the value of the purchase in terms of quality of service or improve capacity of service.
CHAPTER 5 RECOMMENDING POLICIES AND POLICY CHANGES
(cont.) Once evidence supporting the existence of a wide spread problem has been obtained, the conflict resolution model (CRM) should be used to develop and choose the best alternative. The problem should be carefully outlined, along with the proposed policy change that will resolve it. The benefits of the solution should be identified, as should any potential negative effects and the means by which they will be addressed.
CHAPTER 5 RECOMMENDING POLICIES AND POLICY CHANGES
(cont.) Once written the fire officer should approach his or her supervisor if they have not been part of the development. The policy should be presented to the appropriate officer whose scope is to oversee the area affected by the policy. It is critical to get the agreement of this fire officer, because without it the policy will likely not be implemented.
CHAPTER 5 POSITIVE AND CORRECTIVE DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS
(cont.) Positive discipline is based on encouraging and reinforcing appropriate behavior and desirable performance. Positive discipline should be used before corrective discipline is applied. Corrective discipline is based on punishing inappropriate behavior or unacceptable performance.
CHAPTER 5 POSITIVE AND CORRECTIVE DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS
(cont.) Progressive discipline refers to starting out to correct a problem with positive discipline and then increasing the intensity of the discipline if the individual fails to respond to the positive form, perhaps by using mild corrective discipline. Some actions or behaviors are so unacceptable that they must result in immediate corrective discipline.
CHAPTER 5 HUMAN RESOURCES
(cont.) Promotions Code of conduct Leave management Payroll Benefit administration Retirement
CHAPTER 5 INCIDENT REPORTS
(cont.) Rescue of occupant that would receive award High profile activity May have contributed to death or serious injury Activity that created a liability Activity that initiated a internal investigation
CHAPTER 5 VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS
(cont.) Tax revenues support the entire operation of some volunteer fire departments, whereas others supplement their tax allocation with fund raising activities. Volunteer organizations use a wide variety of fund raising methods. Direct fund-raising often includes door-to-door solicitations or direct mail campaigns.
CHAPTER 5 THE BUDGET CYCLE
(cont.) The operating budget is an estimate of the income and expenditures of the jurisdiction. The capital budget is an allocation of money for the acquisition or maintenance of fixed assets such as land, buildings, and durable equipment.
CHAPTER 5 IMPLEMENTING POLICIES
(cont.) When a new or amended policy is distributed, the fire officer should make sure that is it communicated to the subordinates. They should be discussed at the beginning of each work shift.
CHAPTER 5 LOWER REVENUE OPTIONS
(cont.) 1. Defer scheduled expenditures, such as apparatus replacement and station maintenance. 2. Privatize or contract out elements of the service provided by the fire department. 3. Regionalize or consolidate services 4. Reduce the workforce 5. Reduce the size of the department
CHAPTER 5 THE BUDGET CYCLE
A budget is an itemized summary of estimated or intended revenues and expenditures. Revenues are the income of an organizations from all sources. Expenditure is the money spent for goods or services.
CHAPTER 5 EMPLOYEE DOCUMENTATION AND RECORD KEEPING
A secure, accessible, and protected records management system is essential so that the buisness of the jurisdiction can be legally and effectively completed. Every year, more than 50 jurisdictions experience a ransomware attack.
CHAPTER 5 INFREQUENT REPORTS
A supervisors report is required by state worker's compensation agencies whenever an employee in injured. The supervisor's first report of any injury must be submitted within 24-72 hours of the incident or in line with company policy, after conducting an investigation into the fact.
CHAPTER 5 TOTAL COST OF PROJECT
Adding a resource will generate additional cost beyond the initial purchase. These will be added to the operating budget as maintenance cost, energy costs, and other items, like an annual license or maintenance fee.
CHAPTER 5 RECRUIT PROBATIONARY PERIOD
Although negative feedback should be issued to an individual in private, the fire officer must correct unsafe conditions as soon as they are noticed.
CHAPTER 5 FIRE OFFICER TIPS
Always use a standardized format or a template for report writing.
CHAPTER 5 CORRECTIVE DISCIPLINE ORAL REPRIMAND, WARNING, OR ADMONISHMENT
An oral reprimand, warning, or admonishment is the first level of corrective discipline, considered "informal" by many organizations. Informal discipline stays with the fire officer and does not become part of the employee's official record.
CHAPTER 5 REAL ESTATE AND PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT
As a corporation, some fire departments have invested in real estate to generate revenue for the fire department operations. Others have developed a financial portfolio that provides interest income to the department.
CHAPTER 5 REDUCE THE SIZE OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT
Closing a fire station or eliminating a fire company often creates a significant and high profile political issue that mobilizes the citizens as well as the fire fighters.
CHAPTER 5 DEFER SCHEDULED EXPENDITURES
Deferring scheduled expenditures means delaying the purchase of replacement fire apparatus or other expensive equipment.
CHAPTER 5 POSITIVE AND CORRECTIVE DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS
Discipline is a moral, mental, and physical state in which all ranks respond to the will of the leader. Within the fire department, discipline is divided into positive and negative or corrective sides.
CHAPTER 5 POSITIVE DISCIPLINE
Due to the nature of firefighting work, outstanding performance is recognized through the use of awards, ribbons, and bonuses.
CHAPTER EMPOWERMENT
Empowerment is one of the most effective strategies within the realm of positive discipline.
CHAPTER 5 INVENTORY
Every capital item, from the fire station to the industrial dryer, needs to be documented. The document includes information on acquisition, purchase price, model number, amount purchased, and serial number. Levels of inventory of expendable items must be established at both the fire department and the fire station level.
CHAPTER 5 INCIDENT REPORTS
Fire officer should anticipate need to provide expanded incident report for the following types: First arriving with a civilian injury or fatality Crime scene or investigation
CHAPTER 5 STARTING THE EVALUATION PROCESS WITH A NEW FIRE FIGHTER
Fire officers have a special responsibility when starting an evaluation process with a probationary fire fighter, because the fire officer is helping to shape that individual's fire department career.
CHAPTER 5 INCIDENT REPORTS
Generally, the first arriving fire officer (or the IC) completes an NFIRS report for each response, including a narrative description of the situation and the action that was taken. The full incident report includes a supplementary report from the officer in charge of each additional unit that responded.
CHAPTER 5 RECOMMENDING POLICIES AND POLICY CHANGES
In the challenge of implementing the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation's Life Safety Initiatives, Bill Manning describes five disconnects: 1. Culture change is viewed by some as a threat. 2. Bad (unsafe) behaviors and attitudes are allowed to leach into what the membership see as part of "Tradition"
CHAPTER 5 RECRUIT PROBATIONARY PERIOD
In volunteer fire departments, it is common for different individuals to certify that a probationary fire fighter has met the requirements for different components of the program. One officer should be specifically assigned to oversee the progress of each individual probationary member, thereby ensuring that the overall program requirements are being accomplished successfully.
CHAPTER 5 INCIDENT REPORTS
Incident report is required for every emergency response. The National Fire Incident Reporting System (NIFRS) is a nationwide database managed by the U.S. Fire Administration that collects data related to fires and other incidents.
CHAPTER 5 INFREQUENT REPORTS
Infrequent reports usually require a fire officer's personal attention to ensure that the information in the report is complete and concise.
CHAPTER 5 INDIVIDUAL EXPOSURE HISTORY AND MEDICAL RECORDS
Jurisdictions are required to maintain documentation of fire fighter exposures and medical records. They may include the following: - Pre-employment medical examination - Periodic medical evaluations
CHAPTER 5 WRITTEN REPORTS
Most fire departments also require company officers to maintain a company journal or log book. A fixture in fire stations since the 19th century, the company journal provides an extemporaneous record of all emergency, routine, and special activities that occur at the fire station.
CHAPTER 5 EMPLOYEE DOCUMENTATION AND RECORD KEEPING
Municipality personnel rules usually require that all of the official records or an employee's work history be secured in a central repository.
CHAPTER 5 POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION
This change could be the result of a citizen or employee complaints, or it could be an officer or fire fighter identified problem.
CHAPTER 5 THE BUDGET CYCLE Fire officer Tip
One of the best ways to ensure approval of a budget proposal is to identify a federal regulation, state law, or local ordinance that mandates equipment replacement or delivery of a program
CHAPTER 5 INDIVIDUAL EXPOSURE HISTORY AND MEDICAL RECORDS
PHI may only be shared for treatment, payment, or operational needs. Any other use requires written consent and authorization by the patient. This information can be shared by voice, paper, electronic, or telecommunications means. Jurisdiction-specific information is available through the HIPPA compliance officer.
CHAPTER 5 RECRUIT PROBATIONARY PERIOD
Performance evaluation should be a continual supervisory process, not a special event that is performed only when a scheduled rating has to be submitted. Feedback on individual performance is most effective when delivered as soon as possible after an action or incident. The fire fighter is intensely aware of the event and wants to know how well her or she performed.
CHAPTER 5 LOWER REVENUE OPTIONS
Planned expenditures must be balanced against anticipated revenues a year or more in advance. Six of the seven recessions that have occurred in the U.S. since 1969 lasted an average of 10.8 months. The most recent the "Great Recession" spanned from Dec. 2007-Jun. 2009.
CHAPTER 5 REGIONALIZE OR CONSOLIDATE SERVICES
Regional or consolidated fire departments are established to increase efficiency by reducing duplication in staff and services. Regionalization of specialized and infrequently used resources is a way of reducing expenditures.
CHAPTER 5 EVALUATION
Regular evaluations are performed to ensure that each fire fighter knows which type of performance is expected while on the job and where he or she stands in relation to those expectations. Most career fire departments require a supervisor to conduct an annual performance evaluation for each assigned employee.
CHAPTER 5 EMPLOYEE DOCUMENTATION AND RECORD KEEPING
Some fire departments maintain a second personnel file at fire headquarters. May include letters of commendation, transfer requests, protective clothing record, work history, copies of certs., other information that does not need to be kept in a secured file.
CHAPTER 5 INFORMAL WRITTEN REPRIMAND
Some fire departments require the fire officer to use a standard form when issuing an oral reprimand, warning, or admonishment. This type of form covers the details of the informal discipline and provides a space for the employee to respond to the reprimand.
CHAPTER 5 INCIDENT REPORTS
Some incidents require an expanded incident report narrative, in which all company members submit a narrative description of their observations and activities during an incident.
CHAPTER 5 REPORTING TYPES OF REPORTS
Some reports are prepared on a regular schedule, such as daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly. Some reports are presented orally, whereas others are prepared electronically and entered into a computer system. Some are formal, whereas others are informal.
CHAPTER 5 REDUCE THE WORKFORCE
Some times reducing the workforce is reducing administrative and support areas which has limited affects. One option is to maintain the same number of companies but to reduce staffing per vehicle. Also, you can limit the number of units in service. Some fire departments temporarily close fire companies for one day or work shift at a time, reassigning the fire fighters to fill vacancies in other fire stations.
CHAPTER 5 FIRE OFFICER TIP
Some type of activity should be scheduled every day, as skills have been seen shown to deteriorate if not used within 90 days of training.
CHAPTER 5 VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS
Some volunteer departments are operated by municipal governments and are completely supported by local tax revenues, with all the capital and operating expenses being handled by the jurisdiction. Other volunteer fire departments are organized as independent 501(c) nonprofit corporation.
CHAPTER 5 INCIDENT REPORTS
Sovick identifies characteristics of a good report: Accurate and specific Factual Objective Clear Complete Concise Well organized Grammatically correct Light on Abbreviations
CHAPTER 5 TRAINING AND CREDENTIAL RECORDS
State agencies and the Insurance Service Office (IS0) review the training records to confirm that the fire department is meeting its obligation and that individuals are appropriately trained. These records are also reviewed when examining a fire fighter injury, fire fighter death, or liability-incurring event.
CHAPTER 5 MORNING REPORT TO THE BATTALION CHIEF
This report is made by telephone, electronically as part of staffing software program, or on a simple form that is transmitted by fax or email. One purpose of the morning report it to identify any personnel or resources shortage as soon as possible.
CHAPTER 5 MONTHLY ACTIVITY AND TRAINING REPORT
This report typically includes the number of emergency responses, training activities, inspections, public education events, and station visits that were conducted during the previous month. Two other routine reports are: - Annual fire fighter appraisals - Fire safety inspection.
CHAPTER 5 INFORMAL WRITTEN REPRIMAND
This type of record is valued by the personnel office if the issue becomes a grievance or result in a civil service hearing.
CHAPTER 5 INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE
Various equipment at the fire station requires daily, weekly, or monthly documented inspection. These inspections create an up to date history of the vehicle or device and will be reviewed as part of the preventive maintenance process or during a fire fighter death or injury investigation.
CHAPTER 5 EVALUATION
Volunteer fire departments provide an equivalent form of periodic evaluations for each member by a higher ranking individual. Although they are usually less structured. The responsibilities of a supervisor are just as important in a volunteer fire department as in a full time career organization.
CHAPTER 5 LOWER REVENUE OPTIONS
When faced with declining revenues, fire departments have to make difficult choices. Five such options, provided in increasing order or difficulty, are the following:
CHAPTER 4 RECOMMENDING POLICIES AND POLICY CHANGES
With the recommendation of the appropriate officers the proposal is usually forwarded to the chief of the department for review. It goes through a review committee and then a draft policy is usually developed. It is distributed for review and comments. After the comment period, they are addressed and a final policy is signed by the chief officer.
CHAPTER 5 EVALUATION
The annual performance evaluation is a formal written documentation of the fire fighter's performance during the rating period. This record is important to both the fire fighter and management, but it cannot replace the ongoing supervisory actions that maintain and improve employee performance throughout the year.
CHAPTER 5 BASE AND SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGETS
The base budget is the level of funding that would be required to maintain all services at the currently authorized levels, including adjustments for inflation and salary increases. Proposed increases in spending to provide additional services are classified as supplemental budget requests.
CHAPTER 5 WRITTEN REPORTS
The company journal serves as a permanent reference that can be consulted to determine what happened at that fire station at any particular time and date, as well as who was involved. It is also a place to enter a record of any fire fighter injury, liability creating event, and special visitors to the station.
CHAPTER 5 INDIVIDUAL EXPOSURE HISTORY AND MEDICAL RECORDS
The company officer should encourage every fire fighter to diligently maintain a personal exposure log. The Federal Health Insurance and Accountability Act (HIPPA) was established in 1996. Protected health information (PHI)is considered to be individually identifiable information relating to the past, present, or future health status of an individual.
CHAPTER 5 PRIVATIZE OR CONTRACT OUT ELEMENTS OF THE SERVICE PROVIDED
The concept is that the cost to the municipality to provide the service should be lower because a private company can operate more efficiently than a local government agency. Trash pickup, vehicle fleet maintenance, and school bus operations are three examples of services that are often contracted out by local governments.
CHAPTER 5 RECRUIT PROBATIONARY PERIOD
The fire officer is responsible for evaluating each individual during the probationary period. The recruit fire fighter is expected to obtain experiences and demonstrate competencies related to the classified job description during the probationary period.
CHAPTER 5 POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION
The fire officer is responsible for subordinate compliance with existing policies and practices. The fire officer is in the best position to evaluate the effectiveness of existing policies and to recommend a revision of existing policies or development of new departmental policy.
CHAPTER 5 IMPLEMENTING POLICIES
The fire officer must take responsibility for ensuring that the fire fighters are informed about the policy and that they full understand it. The fire officer must also ensure that he or she follows all policies. Failure of the officer to follow all policies undermines their importance, and fire fighters will develop the attitude that they can choose which policies they will follow.
CHAPTER 5 POSITIVE DISCIPLINE
The fire officer should demonstrate a personal commitment to the department's goals, objectives, programs, rules, and regulations by participating in all of the activities that are expected of fire fighters, such as physical fitness training and regular company drills. Fire fighters can gauge an officer's level of commitment by observing his or her own self-discipline.
CHAPTER 5 PURCHASE INFORMATION
The fire officer should meet with the purchasing officials to understand the process and the terminology used in budget requests. The fire officer may be required to get a quote from a vendor for the capital item. Sometimes the AHJ has a purchase agreement with a vendor. For more common items, the officer may have to get a quote from three different vendors.
CHAPTER 5 LOWER REVENUE OPTIONS
The first six, the economy sprang back within a year, restoring municipal revenue within 2 years. As the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics noted in its report The recession of 2007-2009, however 3 years after the most recent recession, many parts of the U.S. economy had not show signs or recovery.
CHAPTER 5 LOCAL GOVERNMENT SOURCES
The mix of revenues available to local governments varies considerably because state governments set the rules for local governments. Some funds are restricted and can be used only for certain purposes.
CHAPTER 5 POSITIVE DISCIPLINE
The officer sets the stage for positive discipline by setting clear expectations and by "walking the talk." Fire officers are working supervisors; that is, they supervise while directly participating in fire fighting activities and performing nonemergency duties.
CHAPTER 5 USING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
The physical resources available within a fire station for reporting purposes typically include a computer, printer, and network connection. Two types of software systems are found on the computer: Operating systems Applications
CHAPTER 5 PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND JUSTIFICATION
The process of getting a budget request approved will require accurately answering the question: "What happens if we do not purchase the item or do the construction, painting, or remodeling?" There are always more requests than available resources, so the decision makers have to triage the requests.
CHAPTER 5 HUMAN RESOURCES
The proper administration of the Human Resources function is one of the most important and sensitive areas of jurisdictional management. HR include hiring, coordinating discipline; and managing Family medical leave act (FMLA), disability, payroll, and retirement services. Behind the fire department's rules and regulations, this is the second most important obligation of a first line supervisor.
CHAPTER 5 INCIDENT REPORTS
The report should include observations made en route to incident, clear mental image of the situation and actions taken, it may include pertinent negatives. A poorly written report hurts your credibility by making you appear less competent and professional.
CHAPTER 5 REVENUE SOURCES
The revenue stream depends on the type of organization that operates the fire department and the formal relationship between the organization and the local community. Most municipal fire departments operate as components of local governments, such as towns, cities and counties. A fire district is a separate local government unit that is specifically organized to collect taxes that support fir protection.
CHAPTER 5 LOCAL GOVERNMENT SOURCES
The top three local tax revenue sources represent about half of the total revenues collected by local governments. - General sales and gross receipts taxes - Property taxes - Individual income taxes
CHAPTER 5 BINGO AND OTHER ACTIVITIES
These activities are state or regionally regulated, with specific procedures for conducting the games and handling the money. Many of these fund-raises are major events in the community, creating goodwill and strong citizen awareness and support.
CHAPTER 5 EMPLOYEE DOCUMENTATION AND RECORD KEEPING
They include: - Hiring packet - Tax withholding I-9 status - Benefits - Personnel actions (changes in rank and pay) - Evaluation reports (probationary, annual, and special) - Grievances - Formal Discipline
CHAPTER 5 INFREQUENT REPORTS
A chronological statement of events is a detailed account of activities, such as a narrative report of the actions taken at an incident or accident, and this should be included in the supervisor's report. Emotional statement, opinions, and hearsay have no place in a formal report that will remain on permanent record and potentially be subject to subpoena as a public record.
CHAPTER 5 POSITIVE DISCIPLINE
Positive discipline toward motivating individuals and groups to meet or exceed expectations. A fire officer provides positive discipline by identifying weaknesses, setting goals and objectives to improve performance, and providing the capability to meet those targets.
CHAPTER 5 INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE
Preventative maintenance is performed to reduce the wear and tear on devices, vehicles, and facilities, usually on a predetermined schedule. Corrective maintenance is repairs done to keep the item, vehicle, or fixed facility operational.
CHAPTER 5 RECOMMENDING POLICIES AND POLICY CHANGES
To recommend a new policy or a change to an old policy successfully, the fire officer should carefully identify the problem and develop documentation to support the need for a change.