Fire Mark
Distinctive metal marker once produced by insurance companies for identifying their policyholders buildings.
Life Safety
Joint consideration of the life and physical well being of individuals, both civilians and firefighters.
Emergency Operations
Activities involved in responding to the scene of an incident and performing assigned duties in order to mitigate the emergency.
Chain of Command
1). Order of rank and authority in the fire service. 2). The proper sequence of information and command flow as described in the incident command system.
Discipline
Setting the limits or boundaries for expected performance and enforcing them.
Division of labor
Process of dividing large jobs into small jobs to make them more manageable.
Engine Company
Deploys hose line for fire attack and exposure protection
Truck Company
Performs forcible entry, search and rescue, ventilation, salvage and overhaul, utility control, provides access to upper levels of a structure.
Rescue Company
Searches for and removes victims from areas of danger or entrapment and may perform technical rescues.
Brush Company
Extinguishes wild land fires and protects structures in the wild land / urban interface
Hazardous materials company
Responds to and mitigates hazardous materials incidents.
Special Rescue Company
Responds to and performs technical rescues.
Procedure
Written communication closely related to a policy. Detailed plan of action, described in steps to be followed in carrying out tasks.
Policy
A guide to decision making within an organization. General, non-specific, defining boundaries within administration expects department personnel to act.
Directive
Task assignment not based on policies or procedures. They are not mandatory to follow and are thought of more as suggestions or requests.
Order
Task or assignment based on policy and procedure. Compliance is mandatory.
Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
Predetermined plan for a situation, Both emergency and non-emergency situation. Providing a standard set of actions this is the basis of every incident action plan (IAP). AKA: Standard Operating Guidelines (SOG), or General Operating Guidelines (GOG).
Five major areas withing the NIMS-Incident Command system.
Command, Operations, Planning, Logistics, Finance/Administration.
Command
Includes incident commander, Safety officer (SO), Liaison Officer (LNO), Public Information Officer (PIO),
IC is ultimately responsible for all incident activities, and oversees the development and implementation of the incident action plan (IAP).
Operations
Responsible for all activities focused on reducing the immediate hazard, saving lives, and property. Directs tactical operations to meet the strategic goals and objectives specific to the IAP.
Planning
Responsible for the collection, documentation, Evaluation, and dissemination of incident situation information. Also tracks status of all assigned resources.
Logistics
Responsible for all support requirements needed to facilitate the IAP. Supplies, Food, Medical Support, Ground support vehicles and transport.
Finance/Administration
Established when the agencies involved require finance and administrative support services. Generally only assigned on large scale incidents.
ICS Terms: Assigned
Resources currently committed to an assignment
ICS Terms: Available
Resources that have checked in at the incident and are not currently assigned
ICS Terms: Branch
Organizational level between divisions/groups. Used to ease difficulties on large scale incidents, reducing span of control to manageable levels. Example: Fire Branch, EMS Branch, Law Enforcement Branch, HAZ Mat Branch
ICS Terms: Command
Function of directing ordering and controlling resources by virtue of explicit legal agency delegated authority.
ICS Terms: Command Post
Location from which all incident operations are directed. Only ONE command post per incident. All agency representatives are located here.
ICS Terms: Division
Geographic designation assigning responsibility for all operations withing the defined area. Assigned Clockwise around a fire or Exterior of the building, and are designated alphabetically. Interior divisions are defined by the level they are working on,
ICS Terms: Group
Designation assigned by function (Forcible entry, Salvage, Ventilation)
ICS Terms: Incident Action Plan (IAP)
Written or unwritten plan for managing the emergency. A plan is to be formulated for every incident. The plan identifies specific goals and tactical objectives that must be achieved to eliminate the problem.
ICS Terms: Incident Commander (IC)
The officer at the top of the incident chain of command. Ultimately responsible for everything that takes place at the emergency scene. Responsible for planning, approving, and coordinating IAP and directing all incident resources to meet stated IAP objec
ICS Terms: Out of Service
Resources not available for assignment
ICS Terms: Resources
All personnel and major pieces of apparatus on scene or en route. Status is maintained on all in service resources so that assignments can be given out, not repeated, or assigned to an out of service resource.
ICS Terms: Resource Status
Resources assigned to a particular incident are in one of 3 modes. Assigned, Available, or Out of service.
ICS Terms: Single Resource
Individual personnel or an equipment item and its operators required to use them.
ICS Terms: Strike Team
Set number or resources of the same kind and type with an established minimum number of personnel.
ICS Terms: Strategic Mode
Determines the positions for companies operating on scene. Divided into 2 basic modes: Offensive and Defensive.
ICS Terms: Supervisor
Someone in command of a division or a group.
ICS Terms: Task Force
Any combination of resources assembled in support of a specific mission or operational need.
What are the 4 categories of fire departments?
Volunteer, Paid on Call, Career, Combination.
What is the mission of the fire service?
To save lives and protect property.