Week 9 Seminar

1. Personnel Week 9 Seminar

2. Objectives • The benefits of staffing fire prevention bureaus with uniform firefighters, civilian personnel, and a combination of both • The value of national certification for fire prevention Bureau staff • the NFPA professional qualification standards for fire prevention Bureau personnel • The term job performance requirement and the impact of JPRs on certification • Accreditation and certification as it applies to fire prevention Bureau personnel

3. Traditional Staffing • Uniformed firefighters • Opportunity for promotion • Individuals with demonstrated fire service background • Known record of work experience

4. Fire Prevention Duties • The skills needed to be a successful investigator, inspector, plans examiner, or public fire educator are not necessarily those that make a good firefighter. • Transfer to the bureau may require the acquisition of new skills

5. Light Duty Assignments • Some fire prevention assignments are well suited to light duty personnel. • Many involve physical exertion and are not suitable for light duty personnel. • extensive walking and climbing • Investigators must be able to • fire scene work • subdue suspects • effect arrests.

6. Civilian Personnel • Ability to hire persons with specific training or skills • Less turnover and ability to retain experience within the bureau • Economic incentives due to lower salaries and fringe benefits

7. Long-term Disadvantage • Fewer opportunities for uniformed personnel to gain valuable experience working in the bureau • Reduced likelihood that future chief officers will have had the necessary interaction with the business community and building regulatory officials

8. Uniformed vs. Civilian • Not about clothing • Firefighting personnel vs. non-firefighting personnel • Care must be taken to not expose untrained persons to danger due to mistaken identity • Vehicle markings or identification

9. Credentials • Photo ID, not just a badge • SOP to present credentials • Standards for Professional Qualifications • NFPA 1031 • NFPA 1033 • NFPA 1035

10. Job Performance Requirements (JPRs) • The standards incorporate a system of JPRs where skills are grouped by major areas of responsibility. • For each JPR, three components are listed in the standard: • a skill • information required to accomplish the task • evaluation parameter or desired outcome

11. Certification • Mandated by only some states; however, it is always desirable. • Attaining and maintaining certification demonstrates the ability of an individual to perform critical tasks necessary for competent performance in the field.

12. Expert Witness • Establishing credibility. • testify regarding facts • For fire investigators and inspectors to offer opinions during testimony, they must they qualify as expert witnesses. • response to questions assists juries in understanding complicated and technical subjects

13. Accreditation • Means to authorize or acknowledge • Two fire service accreditation organizations in the United States • National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications (Pro Board) • International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) • These agencies assess fitness of organizations to certify individuals

14. Certify • Means “to authenicate” or “vouch for” • State fire service training agencies • Federal fire service training agencies • Model code organizations • Academic institutions

15. Summary • Fire prevention bureaus tradition • Advantage of enabling fire prevention bureau managers to select employees with fire service experience • Fire prevention bureaus have established civilian positions : • plans examiners • fire inspectors and fire investigators • fire safety educators