Textbook/Other Materials

Supplementary reading:
NFPA 1021, Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications, 2003 edition, available from NFPA at www.nfpa.org.

Instructor materials:
Teaching Outline and PowerPoint: Rev. 7/2005

Course Description/Objectives

Description:
This course is designed for the fire officer who is ready to assume more of a leadership role by moving into the middle management level of his/her department. This course expands on the knowledge base attained in Fire Officer I by revisiting some of the same subjects and adding additional material including management, government structure, and department budget planning and management.

Goals:
The purpose of this course is to specify, in terms of performance objectives, the minimum requirements for professional service as a fire officer. This course shall cover the requirements for the Fire Officer II level of progression.

Objectives:
After completion of the Fire Officer II course, the candidate must be able to perform the following job performance requirements:

• Initiate actions to maximize member performance and/or to correct unacceptable performance, given human resource policies and procedures, so that member and/or unit performance improves or the issue is referred to the next level of supervision.
• Evaluate job performance of assigned members so that each member’s performance is evaluated accurately and reported according to human resource policies and procedures.
• Delivery of public education program as it relates to the target audience.
• Prepare recommendations for changes to an existing policy or procedure in need of change, so that the recommendations identify the problem and propose a solution.
• Prepare a budget request, given a need and budget forms, so that the request is in the proper format and is supported with data.
• Prepare a news release, given an event or topic, so that the information is accurate and formatted correctly.
• Prepare a concise report for transmittal to a supervisor, given fire department records and a specific request for details such as trends, variances, or other related topics.
• Describe the procedures for conducting fire inspections, so that all hazards including hazardous materials are identified, appropriate forms are completed and appropriate action is initiated.
• Determine the point of origin and preliminary cause of a fire, given a fire scene, photographs, diagrams, pertinent data and/or sketches, to determine if arson is suspected.
• Produce operational plans, given a hazardous materials incident and other emergency requiring multi-unit operations, so that required resources, their assignments, and safety considerations for successful control of the incident are identified.
• Analyze a member’s accident, injury or health exposure history, given the case study, so that a report is prepared for a supervisor and includes action taken and recommendations given.

Please note: Test questions are taken from the instructor's lecture AND the assigned reading. While some questions from the assigned reading may not be covered during class due to time constraints, students are responsible for knowing and understanding ALL information assigned in the syllabus.

Instructional methods: Classroom instruction

Course Schedule

 (Tentative, subject to change depending on the progress of the class)

Tuesday:
Government Structure – Chapter 8; Public Education – Chapter 10; Budgeting, Chapter 12

Wednesday:
Budgeting – Chapter 12; Media Relations – Chapter 14; Fire and Life
Safety/Inspections – Chapter 15

Thursday:
Fire and Life Safety Inspection – Chapter 15; Investigations – Chapter 16; Emergency Service Delivery – Chapter 20; Safety – Chapter 22

Friday:
Safety – Chapter 22; Information Management – Workbook – Review; Exam

Course Policies

Tardiness:
Students must adhere to class schedules. Students are required to be punctual for all classes and class activities. Classes will begin promptly at the scheduled time unless specific instructions are given otherwise.

Class participation:
This course will involve discussion, questions and answers on the materials, and case study. Class participation is expected from all students.

Safety:
Safety of the students is top priority to the Alabama Fire College. Students must adhere to safety regulations while attending a class on or off the Fire College campus.  At the Fire College campus, safety instructions are posted in every classroom, as well as escape routes and tornado actions.

Academic misconduct:
Academic misconduct or dishonesty such as cheating and plagiarism is not permitted in class. Suspected cases of academic misconduct will be reported to the Executive Director. Conduct detrimental to the fire service on or off campus will not be tolerated.  We will investigate any complaints, and if the complaint is valid the student will be dismissed and his/her agency will be notified.

Grading:
Letter grades are assigned according to the following system for all certification courses for which students have registered.
A – Excellent (90-100)
B – Good (80-89)
C – Average (70-79)
Satisfactory grades for certification are A, B, or C. A mark of AU is assigned for course work performed as an audit.

Certification:
There will be an examination for state certification provided by the Alabama Fire College and Personnel Standards Commission. An overall score of 70% is required to the successful completion of this examination. Re-tests may be taken after 30 days and within 12 months of the date of course completion. The Alabama Fire College and Personnel Standards Commission is accredited by the National Professional Qualifications System (NPQS). The Executive Director has generously decided to fund national registration and certification for all successful students, so each student will automatically receive certification from the NPQS upon successful completion of the course and exam. 

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