Fire Department Company Officer (3rd Edition) Complete List of Terms

Administrative Law Rules and regulations adopted by government agencies to implement the laws that these agencies are charged with enforcing.

Affirmative Action Administrative law adopted by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to implement the requirements of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Affirmative action programs are designed to make a special effort to identify, hire, and promote special populations where the current labor force in a jurisdiction or labor market is not representative of the overall population.

American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Voluntary standards-setting organization that examines and certifies existing standards and creates new standards for a wide variety of materials, products, processes, and procedures.

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Voluntary standards-setting organization that sets standards for systems, materials, and services.

Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) 1990 federal law intended to eliminate discrimination against people with permanent disabilities.

Assembly Components fitted together to make a complete machine, structure, or unit.

Autocratic Leadership Leadership style in which the leader makes decisions independently of others, informing others only after the decision has been made.

Automatic Sprinkler System System of pipes, discharge nozzles, and control valves designed to automatically activate during a fire and discharge water or foam to control or extinguish the fire. Also called Sprinkler System.

Base Radio Fixed (non-mobile) radio at a central location.

Bureaucratic Leadership Leadership style in which the leader has a low degree of concern for workers and production.

Capital Budget Budget intended to fund large, one time expenditures such as those for fire stations, fire apparatus, or major pieces of equipment.

Carbon Dioxide System Extinguishing system that uses carbon dioxide as the primary extinguishing agent; designed primarily to protect confined spaces because the gaseous agent is easily dispersed by wind.

Case Law Laws based on judicial interpretations and decisions rather than created by legislation.

Citizens Band (CB) Radio Low-power radio transceiver which operates on frequencies authorized by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for public use with no license requirement.

Civil Liability Legal responsibility for fulfilling a specified duty or behaving with due regard for the rights and safety of others. Coercive Power Power to punish or impose sanctions on those who fail to behave in a prescribed manner.

Command Act of directing, ordering, and/or controlling resources by virtue of explicit legal, agency, or delegated authority.

Common Law Law not created by legislative action but based on certain commonly held customs, traditions, and beliefs within a particular culture.

Communication Exchange of ideas and information that conveys an intended meaning in a form that is understood.

Confinement Fire fighting operations required to prevent fire from extending from the area of origin to other uninvolved areas within the property of origin.

Constitutional Law Law based on the constitution; all state/provincial laws must be consistent with the respective federal constitution.

Control Zones System of barriers surrounding designated areas at emergency scenes intended to limit the number of persons exposed to the hazard, and to facilitate its mitigation. At a major incident there will be three zones - restricted (hot), limited access (warm), and support (cold).

Corrective Maintenance Maintenance or repairs that are performed as a result of a breakdown or mechanical failure; reactive in nature.

Council of American Building Officials (CABO) Umbrella organization for BOCA (Building Officials and Code Administrators), ICBO (International Conference of Building Officials), and SBCCI (Southern Building Code Congress International).

County Political subdivision of a state, province, or territory for administrative purposes and public safety. Also known as Parish.

Criminal Law Law intended to protect society by identifying certain conduct as criminal and by specifying the sanctions to be imposed on those who engage in criminal activity.

Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) Counseling designed to minimize the effects of psychological/ emotional trauma on those at fire and rescue incidents who were directly involved with victims suffering from particularly gruesome or horrific injuries.

Crowd Control Limiting access to an emergency scene by curious spectators and other non-emergency personnel.

Defensive Mode Deployment of resources to limit the growth of an emergency incident rather than mitigating it.

Delegation Providing subordinates with the authority, direction, and resources needed to complete an assignment.

Democratic Leadership Leadership style in which the leader is team-oriented and gives authority to the group; the group makes suggestions and decisions; also called participative leadership. Directive Authoritative instrument or order issued by a superior officer.

Direct Order Command or assignment to a subordinate that specifies the desired behavior or outcome.

Discipline To maintain order through training and/ or the threat or imposition of sanctions; setting the limits or boundaries for expected performance and enforcing them.

Division of Labor Breaking down an assignment into its constituent parts in order to equalize the workload and increase efficiency.

Dry Chemical Systems Extinguishing system that uses dry chemical powder as the primary extinguishing agent; often used to protect areas containing volatile flammable liquids.

Dual Issue Leadership Leadership style in which the leader has a high degree of concern for both workers and production.

Egress Place or means of exiting a structure.

Evacuation Process of leaving or being removed from a potentially hazardous location.

Expert Power Sufficiently strong perception that a leader's expertise, knowledge, and abilities will produce a desirable outcome so others willingly follow that leader.

Exposure (1) Adjacent structure or separate part of the fireground to which a fire could spread. (2) People, property, systems, or natural features that are or may be exposed to the harmful effects of a hazardous materials release.

Extinguish To put out a fire completely.

Factory Mutual System (FM) Fire research and testing laboratory that provides loss control information for the Factory Mutual System members and others who may find it useful.

Fast Attack When the first-arriving unit at a fire initiates a quick offensive attack on the fire.

Foam System Extinguishing system that uses a foam such as aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) as the primary extinguishing agent; usually installed in areas where there is a risk of flammable liquid fires starting.

Fuel Loading Amount of fuel present expressed quantitatively in terms of weight of fuel per unit area; may be available fuel (consumable fuel) or total fuel and is usually calculated in dry weight.

Functional Supervision Organizational principle that allows workers to report to more than one supervisor without violating the unity of command principle; workers report to their primary supervisor for most of their activities but report to a second supervisor for activities that relate to an assigned function only, and both supervisors coordinate closely. Global Positioning System (GPS) System for determining position on the earth's surface by calculating the difference in time for the signal from a number of satellites to reach a GPS receiver on the ground.

Halogenated Agent System Extinguishing system that uses a halogenated gas as the primary extinguishing agent; usually installed to protect highly sensitive electronic equipment.

Identification Power That which stems from the human tendency to follow or mimic those who are admired or respected.

Incident Action Plan Written or unwritten plan for the disposition of an incident; contains the overall strategic goals and tactical objectives and support requirements for a given operational period. When written, the plan may have a number of forms as attachments.

Incident Command System (IAP) System by which facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures, and communications are organized to operate within a common organizational structure designed to aid in the management of resources at emergency incidents.

Indirect Attack Directing fire streams toward the ceiling of a room or building in order to generate a large amount of steam. Converting the water to steam absorbs the heat of the fire and cools the area sufficiently for firefighters to safely enter and make a direct attack on the fire.

Industrial Fire Department Fire prevention/suppression force that operates within the confines of a given plant or industrial complex; usually trained to deal with the hazards associated with the particular industrial operations conducted in the facility.

Isolate (1) To set apart. (2) Second of three steps (locate, isolate, mitigate) in one way of sizing up an emergency situation.

Judicial System System of courts set up to interpret and administer the laws and regulations.

Jurisdiction (1) Legal authority to operate or function. (2) Boundaries of a legally constituted entity.

Legitimate Power That which stems from any or all of three sources: shared values, acceptance of social structure, or the sanctions of a legitimizing agent.

Line Item Budget Budget that details the department's proposed expenditures line by line; the most common type of fire department budget.

Local Alarm System Fire alarm system designed to alert the occupants of the existence of a fire so that they can safely exit the building and call the fire department.

Management by Objectives Planning and control device used to organize resources and motivate personnel toward the fulfillment of specified objectives.

Middle-of-the-Road Leadership Leadership style characterized by a moderate degree of concern for both production and workers. Military Fire Department Fire prevention/suppression unit operated by the Department of Defense; jurisdiction is usually limited to the confines of a military base or installation.

Mitigate (1) To make less severe or intense. (2) Third of three steps (locate, isolate, mitigate) in one way of sizing up an emergency situation.

Mixed Occupancy Where two or more types or classes of occupancy exist in the same building or structure. Separate requirements are often impractical so the most restrictive fire and life safety requirements apply.

Mutual Aid Prearranged plan or contract whereby separate fire protection agencies assist each other on a reciprocal basis.

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Nonprofit educational and technical association devoted to protecting life and property from fire by developing fire protection standards and educating the public.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) U.S. government agency that helps ensure the safety of the workplace and associated equipment by conducting investigations and making recommendations.

Negligence Conduct that fails to meet the standard of care required by the law or that would be expected of a reasonable and prudent person under like circumstances.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) U.S. federal agency that develops and enforces standards and regulations for safety in the workplace.

Offensive Mode (Offensive Attack) Aggressive fire attack that is intended to control or extinguish a fire before it spreads to other uninvolved property.

Operating Budget Budget intended to fund the day-to-day operations of the department or agency; usually includes the costs of salaries and benefits, utility bills, fuel, and preventive maintenance.

Outside Aid Assistance from agencies, industries, or fire departments that are not part of the agency having jurisdiction over the incident.

Overhaul Searching for and extinguishing any hidden or remaining fires once the main body of fire has been extinguished.

Paid-On-Call System in which firefighters or emergency personnel are paid on an hourly or per-call basis.

Performance Budget Form of program budgeting in which the cost of each unit of performance (fire call, EMS call, code enforcement inspection, plan review, etc.) is identified, and total funding is based on projected performance levels.

Performance Evaluation Evaluation of an individual's job performance as measured against one or more objective performance criteria.

Perimeter Control Establishing and maintaining control of the outer edge or boundary of an incident scene. Personnel Record Account of an individual employee's work history; includes personal data (name, address, date of employment, job classification, etc.) citations, commendations, promotions, performance evaluations, letters of reprimand or other disciplinary documentation, and medical history.

Plan of Operations Clearly identified strategic goal and the tactical objectives necessary to achieve that goal. Included are assignments, authority, responsibility, and safety considerations.

Preventive Maintenance Routine maintenance performed according to a schedule; designed to prevent breakdowns or malfunctions, not to repair or replace damaged or worn-out components.

Program Budget Budgetary system in which each major program (administration, suppression, prevention, EMS, training, etc.) is funded independently of the other departmental programs. The overall department budget is a composite of the individual program budgets.

Reasonable Accommodation Legal requirement (under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964) that employers make reasonable adjustments to an employee's work schedule or other job requirements to accommodate employee differences such as religion, gender, and/or physical or mental disability.

Reward Power Based on the subordinate's perception of the leader's ability to grant rewards such as salary increases, promotions, and bigger budgets.

Scene Assessment Initial observation and evaluation of an emergency scene; related more to incident stabilization than to problem mitigation.

Scene Management Those elements of incident management that include keeping those not involved in the incident from entering unsafe areas and protecting those in potentially unsafe areas through evacuation or sheltering in place.

Sexual Harassment Unwanted and unwelcome sexual behavior toward a worker by someone who has the power to reward or punish the worker.

Shelter in Place Locating those at risk from a rapidly approaching hazard (fire, hazardous gas cloud, etc.) inside a structure that can protect them from the hazard until it passes.

Single-Issue Leadership Leadership style that is characterized by an overriding concern for either production or people.

Span of Control Number of subordinates that one individual can effectively supervise. This number ranges from three to seven individuals or functions, with five generally established as optimum.

Statutory Law Law promulgated by legislative action.

Theory X Style of leadership in which the leader believes that the average worker prefers to be directed and will avoid responsibility due to a general lack of ambition. Theory Y Style of leadership in which the leader believes that the average worker enjoys work, performs well with minimal supervision, will both seek and accept responsibility if given the opportunity, and will subscribe to organizational objectives if he associates those objectives with direct rewards.

Theory Z Management style based on the belief that involved workers are the key to increased productivity and that there is a mutual loyalty between the company and the workers that often translates into lifetime employment and a close relationship between work and social life.

Title VII Part of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, or gender.

Tort Liability Liability for a civil wrong or injury; non-criminal acts or failures to act that result in physical and/or monetary damages.

Traffic Control Important function of scene management that helps to control scene access and vehicular traffic in and out of the area. This function is generally handled by law enforcement personnel.

Training Supervised activity that helps workers develop and maintain required skills; also called Drilling.

Type 1 Construction That which has structural members, including walls, columns, beams, floors, and roofs, made of noncombustible or limited combustible materials; also known as fire-resistive construction.

Type 2 Construction Similar to Type I except that the degree of fire resistance is lower; also known as noncombustible or limited combustible construction.

Type 3 Construction That which has exterior walls and structural members made of noncombustible or limited combustible materials, but with interior structural members (walls, columns, beams, floors, and roofs) completely or partially constructed of wood; commonly referred to as ordinary construction.

Type 4 Construction Heavy timber construction with exterior and interior walls and their associated structural members that are of noncombustible or limited combustible materials.

Type 5 Construction That which has exterior walls, bearing walls, floors, roofs, and supports made completely or partially of wood or other approved materials of smaller dimension than those used for Type IV construction; also called wood frame construction.

Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) Independent fire research and testing laboratory.

Unified Command In the Incident Command System, a shared command role that allows all agencies with responsibility for the incident, either geographical or functional, to manage the incident by establishing a common set of incident objectives and strategies. There is a single incident command post and a single operations chief at any given time.

Unity of Command Organizational principle in which workers report to only one supervisor in order to eliminate conflicting orders and the confusion that would result. Wet Chemical System Extinguishing system that uses a wet chemical solution as the primary extinguishing agent; usually installed in range hoods and associated ducting where grease may accumulate.

Zero-Base Budget Budgetary system in which each department, function, or program theoretically terminates with the budget and must justify its existence in order to receive funding in the new budget.

Zoning Commission Division of local government that is responsible for managing land use by dividing the area within the jurisdiction into zones in which only certain uses (residential, commercial, manufacturing, etc.) are allowed.