Fort Blackmore Volunteer Fire Department, Inc.
S
. O. G.’sChapter Navigation : Click TOC - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20
Standard Operating Guidelines
Chapter 4: Duties of Officers & Firefighters
Working Copy | Revised August, 2007
S. O. G.’s
Duties of Officers/FFs
The Duties of Officers and Firefighters are many and varied. It is not the intention of this SOG to list, rank, and describe all the duties of fire department members. However, this SOG will try to give priority to what needs to be done and what should be done on the fire scene, at training, and off-duty.
Officers’ Duties {White Hat Duties}
Duties of the Chief Officer
|
The Chief, as stated in the Operations Section of Chapter One, is the head of the Line Officers. He is usually thought of as the authority on Fire Department Operations. However, because of the nature of a volunteer fire department, the Chief relies on all Officers and Firefighters to help fight fire in the best way possible. He is not to be thought of as the ultimate authority in firefighting, but as the focal point to which all officers and firefighters look for organizing, fighting fire, maintaining trucks and firefighter readiness, and as the go-between for board business and firefighters. Since all firefighters fight fire in one fashion or another, the Chief is the catalyst by which the fire department acts. Here are some other functions that the Chief should try to address. The Chief may attempt to accomplish all or some of these functions; or, the Chief may delegate his authority to other officers and firefighters. The Chief may or may not be on-scene; however, the Chief is held responsible for all actions taken by the Fire Department. Incident Commander Public Relations Supervision of FD record keeping Overseer of Equipment Purchasing |
|
Overseer of Truck Performance |
|
Overseer of Equipment Maintenance and Repair |
|
Overseer of Training |
|
Overseer of Safety Officer |
|
Overseer of Proper Conduct on the Fire Ground/Training/Public Events |
|
Overseer of Truck Maintenance/Service |
|
Representative of the Fire Department to the Board of FBVFD |
|
Chairperson of the Fort Blackmore VFD Board of Directors |
|
Representative of the Fire Department to the Scott County Firefighters’ Association |
|
Representative of the Fire Department to Scott County Board of Supervisors |
|
Overseer of Bill Payments, in conjunction with the Board and Treasurer |
|
Overseer of OSHA and NFPA requirements |
|
Overseer of Fire Line Safety |
|
Overseer of Truck Driver Readiness and their understanding of Emergency Vehicle Operations |
|
Overseer of Firefighter Wellbeing on the fire line/training |
|
Overseer of Junior Firefighter Wellbeing on the fire line/training |
|
Overseer of Recruitment and Retention Program |
|
Other |
Assistant Chief’s Duties
The Assistant Chief, as stated in the Operations Section of Chapter One, backs up the Chief in all matters. The Chief may delegate his authority to his Assistant Chief. The Chief will act as IC unless he wishes to fight fire or is not present on the fire ground; he will make the Assistant Chief, or some other officer, the IC. Other duties of the Assistant Chief are suggested:
1st Captain’s Duties
The 1st Captain’s duties are similar in nature to the Assistant Chief. He may act as the IC if he is the first on the scene. It is customary for the IC to be the highest-ranking fire department officer or firefighter. An Incident Commander does not have to give up his duties if a higher-ranking officer arrives on scene, but it is customary for the higher-ranking officer to be IC. Sometimes the higher-ranking officer will have more fire line experience and his abilities/knowledge will be more correctly used on the fire line or on an attack team. The duties of a 1st Captain are not all listed here.
2nd Captain’s Duties
The 2nd Captain’s duties are duplicates of the 1st Captain. He may be required to be IC. He may be asked to fight fire. Hopefully, his knowledge of fire fighting is what made him 2nd Captain. He will be valuable on the fire line, on an attack team, as a pump operator, or whatever the IC requires him to be. He will be invaluable as the eye-and-ears of the Chief on the fire line. The duties of a 2nd Captain are not all listed here.
Lieutenant’s Duties
The Lieutenant is 5th in Command. He may be the first to arrive on-scene or the last. He may be asked to be the Incident Commander, or he may be placed on an attack team. He may run a truck, run traffic, do HAZMAT work, or be safety officer. All officers should be able to manage these fire-fighting necessities. The duties of a Lieutenant are not all listed here.
Rescue Sergeant’s Duties
The Rescue Sergeant is 6th in Command. He/she is appointed by the Chief Officer during Elections. The Rescue Sergeant may be the first to arrive on-scene or the last. He/she may be asked to be the Incident Commander, or he may be placed on an attack team. If so trained, he/she may run a truck, run traffic, do HAZMAT work, AIC for Rescue, Rescue Coordinator with other Rescue Departments, or be safety officer. All officers should be able to manage these fire-fighting necessities. The duties of a Lieutenant are not all listed here.
Duties of Persons assigned by the Board
Truck Maintenance Person’s Duties
Consult Chapter 8 of this SOG for more information on Truck Maintenance.
It is important for the Truck Maintenance Person to have good communication with the Chief and other officers. In turn, the officers and firefighters of the department should keep the Truck Maint. Person aware of problems with the Trucks. These duties should be attempted by the Truck Maint. Person:
The Truck Maintenance Person should try to keep a list of what needs to be worked on, and whether it is of a priority nature or if the repair can wait a while
The Truck Maintenance Person should try to maintain some sort of records that show when the vehicle was worked on and what was worked on
The Truck Maintenance Person should keep the trucks inspected
Building Maintenance Person’s Duties
Consult Chapter 8 of this SOG for more information on Maintenance.
It is important for the Building Maintenance Person to have good communication with the Chief and other officers. In turn, the officers and firefighters of the department should keep the Bld. Maint. Person aware of problems with the Trucks. These duties should be attempted by the Bld. Maint. Person:
The Building Maintenance Person should try to keep a list of what needs to be worked on, and whether it is of a priority nature or if the repair can wait a while
The Building Maintenance Person should try to maintain some sort of records that show when the vehicle was worked on and what was worked on
The Building Maintenance Person should keep the trucks inspected
Training Officer’s Duties
For more information on the Training Officer, consult Chapter 9 of this SOG.
The Training Officer is responsible, along with all officers, for the training of firefighters. The Training Officer should consult other Fire Departments for their ideas on training and fire attack. He/she should begin to read NFPA material on fire attack. Anyone who fights fire, whether it is the lowliest firefighter all the way to the Chief, should have a reasonably good knowledge of how to fight fire, to know the behavior of fire, and the dangers involved. The Training Officer should always stress safety, and stress the fact that fire fighting is a dangerous past time. He should remind all firefighters that they should not fight fire if:
The Training Officer should attempt to train his department to be as "professional looking" as possible while training and while on the fire ground. He/she should attempt to:
Attempt to have a good working knowledge of fire behavior and firefighting tactics
Attempt to have a good working knowledge of EMS related tactics and procedures, including Vehicle Rescue
Firefighter and Junior Firefighter Duties
Firefighters’ Duties
If an officer/firefighter feels there is too much danger, and feels the firefighter is not equipped to handle this danger, the firefighter may be asked to step away from the fire scene, or placed with the truck operator. Things that may be too dangerous are:
Junior Firefighter’s Duties
For more information of Junior Firefighters, consult Ch. 12 of this SOG. Junior Firefighters are expect to:
Last Updated on 08/07/2007
Contact: FBVFD, Inc., P.O. Box 69, Fort Blackmore VA 24250 | 276-995-2035
WebMaster: J. Currier [responsible for content]