Officer Requirements

[battalionchief1]

Looking for some input as to what other departments as doing as far as officer requirements, I know in some places it the member who buys the most beer (which might not be a bad thing) however we are a small volunteer department and just trying to set some standards.

[Adam07003]

In our EMS department, its done by a vote. It's open to any member. But... like I said, its a vote. Generally NOBODY wants to do it. We're a small squad with a high call volume (we just did our 2,000th call this weekend... and thats only the volly hours frmo 6pm-6am, we don't count our daytime EMS numbers, those are over 3,000 i think so far alone). and it can be demanding. We have problems filling shifgts and the captain always gets stuck with it.

But generally the members who have been here a few years and who are knowledgeable and dedicated will get voted. One of our old captains is taking the position this year since nobody else wants to.

[THEFIRENUT]

Looking for some input as to what other departments as doing as far as officer requirements, I know in some places it the member who buys the most beer (which might not be a bad thing) however we are a small volunteer department and just trying to set some standards.

Some of the requirements that I have seen are: FF I, FF II and Fire Officer I. Some require that you move up from Driver Operator. A lot of it depends on what training that is offered in-house or at least nearby.

In the systems that I have seen, the best one (that is in a small rural dept.) is the chief picks the officers from the members who have the best knowlege and can do the best job. This is usually from members that have been there the longest, but not always. Usually, the chief is voted in by it's members or city officials.

It is best for your officers to have proper training( i.e. Fire Officer, building construction and Fireground Tactics to name a few), but in small departments it is hard for them to take these courses.

I don't believe in voting for officers. Most of the time this leads to favoritism and not the most qualified.

[Adam07003]

Yeah thats right... the dept im trying to join here says if i ever want to be an officer, I have to have FF1, so thats a requirement.

[275fbvfd]

in our dept, anyone can run for officer, and its put to vote. But at the same time, the chief, asst. chief, and current officers can delete someone from running if it is deemed they do not have the training or experience needed to perform officer duties.

most of our officers are at least basic volunteer certified, level 2 instructor ( as we train with our mut. aid companies on a regular basis) and must be 21 ( as per dept regs. to drive duty officer vehicle ) every now and then rules can be bent, i was placed as captain at the age of 20 when another officer left the department. i spent 2 years as captain.

for our luitenants, its actually harder to be a Lt. than a captain, generally because new recruits and other FF's want to be command but not have other responsibilities I.E. truck maintenance, medical supply officer. etc.
our Lt' s must pass a written exam, a written scenario, and an oral scenario with other line officers as judges. the top 2 get Lt. for a " probie " type period to make sure they can run scenes, and act as officers on scenes.

eventually our officers will have to take a test before they are able to be voted as a captain.



there are some depts around ours that do base officers on good ole boy status, and its scary, one of the local depts goes solely on time spent in the dept and not on training, experience or anything else.

[dneptun81]

The first dept I was on the officer requirements were all subject to whomever was under the Chief's desk, but here's the gist:

"Black Shield" trainee;

"Red Shield" been on dept for at least one year must pass FD's own FFI test or have IL FFII;

"Engineer" had been a "Red Shield for a minimum of 1 year and completed required 6 week classroom instruction and pump testing provided by the Dept.;

"First Engineer" been an engineer for a while and still shows up to calls;

"Captain" used to have to be an EMT-B and had to have been an "Engineer" doesn't have to be an EMT anymore;

2nd Asst., 1st Asst., and Dept. Chief in that order.

Every year the FF association would vote on the officers. Of course nobody wanted to vote out any of the line officers, but even if they did the appointing of the officers was the ultimate responcibility of the Dept. Trustees.

The dept that I recently joined seems to have eliminated the "Good ol' boy system" by allowing anyone to apply for any open officer position by submitting a resume for review. The resumes were then made annonymous (names blacked out) and reviewed by the current line officers and trustees. Appointments were "made based on qualifications."

Neither system is perfect. Didn't really matter who the officers were, you knew who to look for if everything came crashing down and it was asses to elbows.

[NmktCapt]

Some of our basic requirements

For Lt & Captain, FFII, 1st Responder or above, certain amount of time on the dept, oral board which makes a recommendation to the Chief, Chief makes final decision.

Chief positions, FFII, EMT, time on dept, Chief's interview and decide.

[MarionMedic]

1 Chief = Three years with Department. Certified Firefighter. Elected by members. Approved by Board of Aldermen. Must complete online course "Fire Service Supervision".

1 Assistant Chief = Three years Experience in Firefighting, Certified Firefighter, Elected by Members. Must complete online course "Fire Service Supervision".

2 Captains = One Year Fire Experience. Certified Firefighter. Appointed by Chief. (Better meet with approval of Members) Must complete online course "Fire Service Supervision".

4 Lieutennants = Recommended by Captains and Appointed by Chief. Certified Firefighter. Appointed by Chief. (Better meet with approval of Members) Must complete online course "Fire Service Supervision". Usually are the Safety Officer, Training officer, or Engineers.

You can skip a rank.

[Bones42]

All members must have FF1.

First & Second Lieutenant
-Must have at least two years in the company and three years experience as a Fire Fighter.
-Must have New Jersey Fire Fighter Level 1 Certificate issued by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Division of Fire Safety.
-Must have passed Pump School.
-Must have an I.M.S. Level 1 Certificate issued by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Division of Fire Safety.
-Must be FAST Level II certified.

Captain:
-Must have served as 1st & 2nd Lt. for at least one year respectively.
-Must have at least three years in the company and five years experience as a Fire Fighter.
-Must have New Jersey Fire Fighter Level 1 Certificate issued by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Division of Fire Safety.
-Must be approved operator as per the Driver/Operator Standard Operating Guideline.
-Must have an I.M.S. Level 1 Certificate issued by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Division of Fire Safety.
-Must be FAST Level II certified.

Deputy Chief:
-Must have served as Captain for at least one year.
-Must have at least five years in the company and six years experience as a Fire Fighter.
-Must have New Jersey Fire Fighter Level 1 Certificate issued by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Division of Fire Safety.
-Must be approved operator as per the Driver/Operator Standard Operating Guideline.
-Must have an I.M.S. Level 1 Certificate issued by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Division of Fire Safety.
-Must be FAST Level II certified.

Safety Officer
-Must have at least two years in the department as a Fire Fighter.
-Must have New Jersey Fire Fighter Level 1 Certificate issued by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Division of Fire Safety.
-Must have an I.M.S. Level 1 Certificate issued by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Division of Fire Safety.
-Must have passed a Safety Officers Training class or its equivalent.
-Must be FAST Level II certified.

Assistant Chief
-Must have served as Deputy Chief for at least one year.
-Must have at least six years in the department and seven years experience as a Fire Fighter.
-Must have New Jersey Fire Fighter Level 1 Certificate issued by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Division of Fire Safety.
-Must be approved operator as per the Driver/Operator Standard Operating Guideline.
-Must have an I.M.S. Level 1 Certificate issued by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Division of Fire Safety.
-Must be FAST Level II certified.

Department Chief
-Must have served as Assistant Chief for at least one year.
-Must have at least seven years in the department and eight years experience as a Fire Fighter.
-Must have New Jersey Fire Fighter Level 1 Certificate issued by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Division of Fire Safety.
-Must be approved operator as per the Driver/Operator Standard Operating Guideline.
-Must have an I.M.S. Level 1 Certificate issued by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Division of Fire Safety.
-Must be FAST Level II certified.

[Firescueguy]

During my time, I have seen varying degrees of officer qualifications depending on the particular dept. The dept. I started out in as a junior FF ran a tight ship - you wanted to be an officer, one of the key things was that you had to be a qualified chauffeur of EVERY piece of apparatus in the firehouse (5 engines - all 80's vintage ALF's, the ladder tower, heavy rescue, "stumpjumper"...ex-GI brush truck). Fast forward 15 years to another dept. I know of and two of the three truck company officers were not qualified to drive ANY apparatus in their respective firehouse (engine, tower, brush truck, even the ambulance).

Requirements will vary according to your dept's make-up (call stats, experience levels, etc.) but my thought is that as a "boss", you are a teacher (like it or not) as well as a leader. How can you have people who are not trained to the highest qualifications as leaders/teachers (I've heard this argument among EMS also - how can you have an EMT as a chief telling a paramedic what to do when they don't share even levels of training???).
I believe that as a minimum, FF I if not FF II should be the absolute basic level of training - the guy with FF II, instructor certs and training in various specialty disciplines (tech rescue, RIT/FAST, haz-mat etc.) is really the guy who you would prefer as a leader/teacher (provided he knows how to manage people...some of the best members can be the worst officers because their people skills suck). Again, you as a leader will be a teacher so we need the knowledgeable guys up front leading the way.

Now I know some will argue that there are younger guys who have all the certs and not that much experience which is a very true statement. Experience certainly is the best teacher (a book or hands-on class can only teach so much, the "real world" is the real classroom). What we need is a balance of the experience coupled with the technical knowledge...depending on your call volume (which may limit practical experience), you may need to blend a little bit of the old with a little bit of the new...maybe that 25 y/o officer with all those certs and 6 or 7 years of experience is a good officer candidate...provided he knows enough to ask the 15-20 yr. experienced member for his advice when the going gets tough.

The days of electing officers who are most popular, buy the most beer (what a qualification for an officer) or who have the dirtiest gear should be over (not that they are but they should). Today's emergency responses call for an educated, experienced officer to know when to run in & when to "get outta dodge".

Just my 2 cents...Stay Safe...

P.S. - Bones, gotta say I'm impressed with your officer's qualifications...from
reading your posts about how your dept. operates, it seems like
you guys run a pretty tight ship...

[prfd1145]

in our department it goes
Experiance and training....

[Bones42]

Firescueguy, thanks. I'd like to say it was always this way, but that would be a lie. Getting ourselves "organized" started about 15 years ago and it was a long process. A few enemies made, a few lost members, etc. At this time, we're better off for it. What the heck, we're only 121 years old and still learning.

[ChiefDog]

Try this. I was searching the subject the other day and found this. Job descriptions which include requirements.

http://www.firecenter.mnscu.edu/Hand...dbookIndex.htm

[joshball]

Copied directly from our SOG's
TITLE: Officer Qualifications CODE: 05-017


LIEUTENANT
1. 2 years service with Zoneton Fire
2. NFA Leadership I
3. Structural Fire Tactics Class (2)
4. Certified on all apparatus
5. In compliance with percentages
6. 400 Hour Firefighter
7. Supervisor Training
8. WMD/ Terrorism Awareness

CAPTAIN
1. 4 years service with Zoneton Fire
2. 2 years as Lieutenant with Zoneton Fire
3. NFA Leadership II
4. Specialty Training (i.e. Haz Mat Tech)
5. NIMS class
6. Command Competency
7. In compliance with percentages

BATTALION CHIEF
1. 6 years service with Zoneton Fire
2. 2 years as Captain
3. Personnel Management class
4. Additional specialty (i.e. low angle rope)
5. In compliance with percentages
6. Qualified in Assignment (i.e. Ops, Safety, Med)

ASSISTANT CHIEF
1. 8 years with Zoneton Fire
2. 2 years as Battalion Chief
3. Minimum of 4 years line off. Experience
4. Managing Major Fires
5. Command Officers Boot Camp
6. Handling the Media
7. In compliance with all percentages

• If chosen for promotion you must meet the full requirements in 1-year period or surrender your position.

** Fire Chief or his designee MAY GRANT an exemption of the Qualifications and Training Standards to a line officer under REASONABLE CIRCUMSTANCES only when the COMMAND STAFF are in agreement of the exemption

[CVFC2045]

They have to have a pulse, breathing is optional! If they breathe too much they may say NO! This is not a joke. It is the only organization that I have belonged to that places people in the asst. Chief’s spot that will not go to training and will not come to meetings!

KML
CVFC

[FF12DH]

CVF, I feel your pain. My current dept. has several officers who have completed nothing more than the old 39 hour essentials of firefighting class, some have not been to a department training in years. The few members/officers who have a clue what they are doing are harrassed and alienated if they ever speak their minds and/or try to get the dept. to train more, or consider getting in compliance with OSHA, NFPA etc... Its sad that the majority of the dept. is content with this. I have decided that remaining is probably a dangerous situation and will over ride my desire to help my community. I may be resigning shortly. When priority #1 is having a "cool" light bar and a title of Chief, safety, training and community service end up at the bottom of the list.

[Holyfield911]

Lieutenants: FF2, Hazmat Ops, Active member (10% calls -- we do appx 550 a year), pump operator (in-house course comparable to our state course).

Chief, D/C, A/C: 2 yrs as LT

Voted by the general membership, must win with simple majority. Voting members must have 10% of calls and 3 meetings to vote for operational officers.

[hsvfdsta4]

We require simple things like...

EMS Officer...
Must have EMT certification
Must know every rig in the station top to bottom

Training officer...
Must have EMT, FF1 and preferably FF2
Must know every rig in the station top to bottom

Company Officer- Asst. Chief
Must be at least FF1 certified
Must know every rig in the station top to bottom

Chief
Must be at least FF1 certified with and EMT certification.

We just voted that the chief had to have and EMT certification to have that position. Most of the guys that are a CO or higher have been on the department 10+ years and know more than the guys that have some of these certs, but they finally decided that the Chief must have an EMT cert.

[loxfire16]

Chief - 2 years as Active Firefighter. Held another fire ground rank (i.e. Lt.) Elected.

Asst. Chief - 2 years as Active Firefighter. Elected.

Captain - 2 years as Active Firefighter. Elected.

Lt. (2 or as needed) - 1 year as Active Firefighter. Elected.

All firefighters must complete a Firefighter Preformance Evaluation based on department training standards before being considered an Active Firefighter. Basically a Vol. 160hr. Cert.

[lafire501]

My station is FF2,and fire officer1 for LT's. FF2, fire officer2, and RT. Asst. Chief is FF2,fire officer2, RT, insuctor 2.