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The History and
Orientation of
the Fire Service
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Objectives
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Describe changes in the fire dept. from the colonial days to the present.
Describe the four basic principles of organization of the fire dept.
Define the chain of command as it applies to a fire department.
List the different types of fire dept. companies and describe their
functions.
Describe the roles of fire fighters within the fire department.
Describe the fire department’s regulations, policies, and standard
operating guidelines, and how they apply to the fire fighter.
Locate information in departmental documents and standard operating
guidelines.
Define the roles and responsibilities of Fire Fighter I and Fire Fighter II.
List five guidelines for successful fire fighter training.
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Introduction
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Becoming a fire fighter is not easy.
Fire fighters are challenged both
physically and mentally.
Fire fighter training will expand your
understanding of fire suppression.
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Fire Service in the United States
• About 1.1 million fire
fighters
• Approximately 30,000
fire departments
• 75% of career fire
fighters serve
communities of 25,000
or larger
• Half of volunteers serve
rural areas of
population 2,500 or
smaller
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History of the Fire Service
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Romans created first fire department, the
Familia Publica.
First paid department in the U.S. was
Boston (established in 1679).
Ben Franklin started the first volunteer
department in the U.S. in Philadelphia in
1735.
Citizens kept fire buckets to assist with fire
suppression.
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The Great Chicago Fire
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Began October 8, 1871
Burned for three days
Damage totals:
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2,000 acres burned
17,000 homes destroyed
$200 million in damage
300 dead
90,000 homeless
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The Peshtigo Fire
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Flash forest fire occurred at same time
as the Great Chicago Fire
– “Tornado of fire” 1,000' high and five miles wide
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Deadliest fire in U.S. history
– 2,200 dead
– 2,400 square miles of forest land burned
– Several small communities destroyed
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Fire Equipment
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Colonial fire fighters had buckets and fire
hooks.
• Hand-powered pumpers developed in 1720
• Steam-powered pumpers developed in 1829
• Present-day equipment:
– Single apparatus used for several purposes
• Fire hydrants developed in 1817
• First public call boxes developed in 1860
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Communications
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Fire wardens and night watchmen used during
colonial period
Telegraph alarm systems developed in late 1800s
Present day:
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Hardwired and cellular telephones
Computer-aided dispatch facilities
Fireground communications
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Early days: Chief’s trumpet
(bugles), now a symbol of
authority
Present: Two-way radios
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Building Codes
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History of Building Codes
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Present codes address construction materials and
“built-in” protection
Codes and standards are written by national
organizations.
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Egyptians used codes to prevent collapse
Colonial communities had few codes
Early construction in U.S. was primarily wood
Boston required non-combustible roofs (1678)
NFPA
Volunteer committees research and develop proposals.
Most codes today are consensus documents.
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Paying for Fire Service
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In early times, insurance companies
paid fire departments for service.
Career departments are generally
funded through local tax funds.
Volunteer departments are funded by:
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Donations
Tax dollars
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Training and Education
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Originally, little was required beyond
muscular strength and endurance.
Requirements have increased as fire
suppression has become more
complicated and technical.
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Organization of the Fire Service
• Source of authority
– Local governments
– Sometimes from state and federal governments
• Fire chief accountable to the governing
body
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Basic Principles of Organization
(1 of 2)
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Unity of command
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Each fire fighter answers to only one supervisor
Establishes a direct route of responsibility
Span of control
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Number of people one person can supervise effectively
• Division of labor
– Organizing an incident by breaking down overall strategy
– Makes individual responsible for completing the assigned task
– Prevents duplicate job assignments
• Discipline
– Guidelines that a department establishes for fire fighters
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Basic Principles of Organization
(2 of 2)
The organization of a typical fire department.
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Chain of Command (1 of 2)
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Structure for managing the
department and the
fireground operations
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Ranks may vary by
department, but the concept
is the same
• Used to implement
department policies
• Ensures that a given task is
carried out in a uniform
manner
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Chain of Command (2 of 2)
• Lieutenant
– Responsible for a single company on a single shift
• Captain
– Responsible for company on his/her shift and for coordinating
company’s activities with other shifts
• Battalion chief
– Coordinates activities of several companies in a defined geographic
area
• Assistant or division chief
– In charge of a functional area within the department
• Chief of the department
– Overall responsibility for administration and operations of the
department
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Company Types (1 of 2)
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Engine
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Secures water source,
deploys handlines, conducts
search-and-rescue
operations, and puts water on
the fire
• Truck
– Specializes in forcible entry,
ventilation, roof operations,
search-and-rescue operations
above the fire, and deployment
of ground ladders.
• Rescue
– Rescues victims from fires,
confined spaces, trenches, and
high-angle situations
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Company Types (2 of 2)
• Wildland brush
– Dispatched to wildland and brush fires that larger
engines cannot reach
• Hazardous materials
– Responds to and controls scenes involving spilled
or leaking hazardous materials
• EMS
– Respond to and assist in transporting victims to
medical facilities
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Other Views of Organization
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Function
– Bureau or office
– Apparatus type
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Geography
– Departments and stations are responsible for
distinct geographic areas
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Staffing
– Department must have sufficient trained
personnel available
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General Roles within the Department
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Fire fighter
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Driver/operator
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Company officer
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Safety officer
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Training officer
• Incident Commander
• Fire marshal/
inspector/investigator
• Fire and life safety
education specialist
• 9-1-1 dispatcher/
telecommunicator
• Apparatus maintenance
personnel
• Fire police
• Information
management
• Public information
officer
• Fire protection engineer
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Specialized Response Roles
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• SCUBA dive rescue
technician
• EMS personnel
Aircraft/crash
rescue fire fighter
Hazardous
materials
technician
Technical rescue
technician
– EMT-Basic
– EMT-Intermediate
– EMT-Paramedic
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Regulations, Policies, and SOGs
• Regulations
– Detailed rules that implement a law passed by a governmental
body
• Policies
– Outline what is expected in stated conditions
– Issued by a department to provide guidelines for its actions
• SOGs:
– Provide specific information on actions that should be taken to
accomplish a task
– Ensure that all members perform a task in the same manner
– Provide a uniform way to deal with situations
– May also be called standard operating procedures (SOPs)
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Working with Other
Organizations
• Fire departments need to interact with
other organizations in the community.
– Law enforcement
– EMS
– The military
• Incident Management System (IMS)
– Unified command system
– Means to control multiple agencies at an incident
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Roles and Responsibilities of the Fire Fighter I
(1 of 2)
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Don and doff personal protective equipment properly.
Hoist hand tools using appropriate ropes and knots.
Understand and correctly apply appropriate communication
protocols.
Use SCBA.
Respond on apparatus to an emergency scene.
Force entry into a structure.
Exit a hazardous area safely as a team.
Set up ground ladders safely and correctly.
Attack a passenger vehicle fire, an exterior Class A fire, and an
interior structure fire.
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Roles and Responsibilities of the Fire Fighter I (2 of 2)
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Conduct search and rescue in a structure.
Perform ventilation of an involved structure.
Overhaul a fire scene.
Conserve property with salvage tools and equipment.
Connect a fire department engine to a water supply.
Extinguish Class A, B, C, and D fires.
Illuminate an emergency scene.
Turn off utilities.
Perform fire safety surveys.
Clean and maintain equipment.
Present fire safety information to station visitors,
community groups, or schools.
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Roles and Responsibilities of
the Fire Fighter II
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Coordinate an interior attack line team.
Extinguish an ignitable liquid fire.
Control a flammable gas cylinder fire.
Protect evidence of fire cause and origin.
Assess and disentangle victims from motor vehicle
accidents.
Assist special rescue team operations.
Perform annual service tests on fire hose.
Test the operability of and flow from a fire hydrant.
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Fire Fighter Guidelines
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Be safe.
Follow orders.
Work as a team.
Think!
Follow the Golden Rule.
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Summary
• The fire service traces its roots back to Roman times.
• The U.S. fire service goes back to the colonial days. Most
departments employ a chain of command.
• Regulations, policies, and SOGs provide uniformity and consistent
performance.
• Fire departments need to work with other organizations to get the
job done.
• Remember the five guidelines:
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Be safe.
Follow orders.
Work as a team.
Think!
Follow the Golden Rule.
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