Fire Investigation For The Company Officer

As firefighters, even how we answer the phone or the door makes a first and lasting impression on the public and the community we serve. Author Jason Hoevelmann fills in the gaps that may exist in fire service teaching to better prepare you for a lifetime of the greatest job on earth. The New Company Officer tackles the not-so-obvious challenges you will face during your fire service career. Discover: Why do firefighters make bad decisions on the job and off duty? How can firefighters deal with their own problems and their challenges as firefighters? How can you enrich our own career and help your fellow firefighters improve, grow, and advance their own career? The New Company Officer strives to make a big impact on your department and your success. “We do an excellent job pulling hose and throwing ladders,” Hoevelmann writes, “but how do we deal with people every day?” Some of the goals book will help you to achieve are to: be prepared, set expectations, follow through, serve, listen, be humble, be a leader, make no excuses, do your best, and do what others won’t do. What you will learn: How to handle difficult colleagues How to create company drills that keep your firefighters proficient How to delegate and lead by example

Fire Investigation for the Company Officer is intended to supplement the approach to the challenges and problems faced by company commanders on the fireground. Many fire department company officers lack training in the science of fire investigation and a successful fire investigation often depends on the initial actions of the engine or truck company commander. This book provides company officers with tools to preserve a fire scene and conduct a preliminary investigation as to the cause of the fire and possibly identifying witnesses, victims and even suspects. It will also make a great text for teaching fire investigation classes. Recognizing the cause and origin of any fire is a complicated undertaking that should be approached in a systematic and scientific manner, and that depends on good training and good methods. Fire Investigation for the Company Officer is intended to provide that training to current fire department officers and those wishing to become fire department officers.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) And The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) are pleased to bring you the Second Edition of Fire Officer: Principles and Practice, a modern integrated teaching and learning system For The Fire Officer I and II levels. Fire officers need to know how to make the transition from fire fighter to leader. Fire Officer: Principles and Practice, Second Edition is designed to help fire fighters make a smooth transition to fire officer. Covering the entire scope of NFPA 1021, Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications, 2009 Edition, Fire Officer combines current content with dynamic features and interactive technology to better support instructors and help prepare future fire officers for any situation that may arise. Safety is Principle! the Second Edition features a laser-like focus on fire fighter safety. Reducing fire fighter injuries and deaths requires the dedicated efforts of every fire fighter, fire officer, fire department, And The entire fire community working together. it is with this goal in mind that we have integrated the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives developed by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation into the text. Likewise, In each of the chapters, actual National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System cases are discussed to drive home safety And The lessons learned from those incidents. Some of the guiding principles added To The new edition include: Description of the “Everybody Goes Home” And The National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System, including over a dozen company officer near-miss examples throughout the text. Description of the IAFC/IAFF Firefighter Safety and Deployment Study. The latest fire fighter death and injury issues as reported by the NFPA® National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, IAFC, and IAFF, including results of a thirty-year retrospective study. Changes in fire-ground accountability and rapid intervention practices. Results of National Institute of Standards and Technology research on wind-driven fires, thermal imaging cameras, and fire dynamics as related to fire fighter survival. The latest developments in crew resource management. The Second Edition also reflects the latest developments in: Building a personal development plan through education, training, self-development, and experience, including a description of the Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE) program. The impact of blogs, video sharing, and social networks. How to budget for a grant. Changes in the National Response Framework and National Incident Management System. Additional items related to fire fighter safety and health are included. Click here to view a sample chapter from Fire Officer: Principles and Practice, Second Edition .

Establishing a strong foundation in management and leadership principles is critical to becoming an effective company officer and leader. Company Officer for Fire and Emergency Services is both a valuable resource to current company officers, and a preparation tool for aspiring ones. It provides a comprehensive overview of the roles and responsibilities of company officers within contemporary fire and emergency services organizations. The book also includes questions and projects to assist candidates in preparing for the knowledge and skills competencies outlined for Fire Officer I and Fire Officer II in NFPA 1021, Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications. Learn how to lead fire and emergency services organizations effectively, efficiently, and safely with this resource.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) And The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) are pleased to bring you the Second Edition of Fire Officer: Principles and Practice, a modern integrated teaching and learning system For The Fire Officer I and II levels. Fire officers need to know how to make the transition from fire fighter to leader. Fire Officer: Principles and Practice, Second Edition is designed to help fire fighters make a smooth transition to fire officer. Covering the entire scope of NFPA 1021, Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications, 2009 Edition, Fire Officer combines current content with dynamic features and interactive technology to better support instructors and help prepare future fire officers for any situation that may arise. Safety is Principle! the Second Edition features a laser-like focus on fire fighter safety. Reducing fire fighter injuries and deaths requires the dedicated efforts of every fire fighter, fire officer, fire department, And The entire fire community working together. it is with this goal in mind that we have integrated the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives developed by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation into the text. Likewise, In each of the chapters, actual National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System cases are discussed to drive home safety And The lessons learned from those incidents. Some of the guiding principles added To The new edition include: Description of the “Everybody Goes Home” And The National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System, including over a dozen company officer near-miss examples throughout the text. Description of the IAFC/IAFF Firefighter Safety and Deployment Study. The latest fire fighter death and injury issues as reported by the NFPA® National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, IAFC, and IAFF, including results of a thirty-year retrospective study. Changes in fire-ground accountability and rapid intervention practices. Results of National Institute of Standards and Technology research on wind-driven fires, thermal imaging cameras, and fire dynamics as related to fire fighter survival. The latest developments in crew resource management. The Second Edition also reflects the latest developments in: Building a personal development plan through education, training, self-development, and experience, including a description of the Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE) program. The impact of blogs, video sharing, and social networks. How to budget for a grant. Changes in the National Response Framework and National Incident Management System. Additional items related to fire fighter safety and health are included. Click here to view a sample chapter from Fire Officer: Principles and Practice, Second Edition .

Scott Thompson, author of The Functional Fire Company, says the functional fire company concept was not created but realized: “I realized, after many attempts at trying to view success in the organization from the top down, that it wasn’t possible. Real indicators of success in the fire service come from the bottom up. A fire department’s success is best judged at the company level.” “Many leaders and senior members have been taught the how but not the why, and they don’t understand the reasons for doing what they do,” Thompson says. “Because firefighting is such a technical activity, we must ensure that we are explaining why we do things while we demonstrate the how. It is essential that we develop critical thinking for solving fire suppression, rescue, and EMS problems.” WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: “Chief Scott Thompson combines his decades of experience and years of observation with today’s leadership skills and provides a path for the successful fire department to follow. The Functional Fire Company will take you step by step from being an ordinary fire department to one which defines excellence. --Rick Lasky, Fire Chief (ret.) Texas “I found both motivation and a guide to implementation in this book. Chief Thompson has provided a deep resource for all ranks from creating culture to setting up training structure. I highly recommend this book to anyone with aspirations of making an organizational impact.” --Brian Brush “Chief Thompson has spent his entire career focusing on training and organizational effectiveness. The Functional Fire Company is his life’s work wrapped up into a playbook which offers insight into how to make your organization perform at maximum proficiency. Experience, perspective and a never quit mentality are evident as Chief Thompson provides a unique view to solving problems in the modern-day fire service.” --Terry McGrath, Assistant Chief, Lewisville (TX) Fire Department “This book offers a living, breathing example that Chief Thompson’s principles truly work. I hope you get as much value from this book as we have received from Chief Thompson’s lessons, and that you take what you learn back to your organization.” --Garrett Rice, The Colony Fire Department (TX) Battalion Chief, A Shift

This innovative new textbook from an experienced public safety official, fire marshal, instructor, and career and volunteer fire fighter, presents a concise and comprehensive look at the full spectrum of fire investigation for first responders. The text meets and exceeds the National Fire Academy's Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE) course objectives and requirements for Fire Investigator I (C0283). It enables fire fighters and fire officers to assist assigned fire investigators, to the fullest extent possible, with thorough discussions of important topics such as the legal system and spoliation, as well as evidence identification, collection, documentation, and preservation. The author emphasizes the role of the fire investigator in prevention, encouraging first responders to consider themselves seekers of truth who use real-world tools such as the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) to make their communities safer. This textbook includes: Case Studies--Each chapter begins with a case study written by a subject matter expert with deep expertise in fire investigations and prevention. Each case study highlights actual events and lessons learned to emphasize the first responder's role in fire investigation. Key Features--The organization of each chapter is optimized with helpful features such as Learning Objectives, Case Studies, Boxed Tips, Summaries, Key Terms, Review Questions, and Discussion Questions designed to provoke thoughtful consideration and generate classroom debate. An emphasis on practical application and knowledge, including full-color photos and illustrations that illuminate critical components of investigation such as building construction, fire protection systems, burn and smoke patterns, and vehicle fires.

Fire Investigation is a practical guide on the basics of fire investigation, with emphasis on ascertaining the cause of fire. Three items that constitute an acceptable cause of fire are highlighted: the source of ignition; the material first ignited; and the defect, act or omission which led to the source of ignition and the material first ignited creating a fire. This book is comprised of 11 chapters and begins with a discussion on sources of ignition and materials first ignited, paying particular attention to three temperature thresholds of combustible substances: flash-point temperature, fire-point temperature, and self-ignition temperature. Examples of sources of ignition are given, including ashes, soot, gas, and naked or open flame. Subsequent chapters deal with the reasons, motives, and methods of arson, as well as timing devices that may be used by arsonists; fire and non-fire explosions; variables that must be taken into account when trying to determine the rate of growth of a fire; and fatality occurring in a fire. The use of photographs and drawings in fire investigation is also considered, along with collection of samples and physical evidence from a fire scene and gathering of information through interviews. The final chapter presents abridged case histories of the six categories of arson. This monograph is written for students, fire officers and investigators, police officers, insurance investigators, and loss adjusters.