Fire and Emergency Services Company Officer

1
Fire and Emergency Services Company Officer
Lesson 3

• Fire and Emergency Services Company Officer, 4th
  Edition
• Chapter 3 Supervision

2
Learning Objectives

• 1. Distinguish between supervision and
  management.
• 2. Recall the basic challenges common to most
  supervisory positions.
• 3. Identify responsibilities required of a
  company officer to ensure an efficient and stable
  unit.

3
Supervision

• Includes the process of directing, overseeing,
  and controlling the activities of other
  individuals and is basic to the successful
  completion of the duties assigned to a Level I
  Fire Officer

4
Management

• Refers to the administration and control of
  projects, programs, situations, or organizations.
  
• Level II Officers are often assigned management
  duties of administering a function such as public
  fire and life-safety education or logistics in a
  small department or managing an incident scene
  involving multiple units or agencies.

5
Basic Challenges Common to Most Supervisory
Positions

• Establishing priorities
• Anticipating problems
• Establishing and communicating goals and
  objectives
• Involving employees in the process of
  establishing goals and objectives
• Creating an effective team from the unit
• Creating job interest within a unit

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Establishing Priorities

• Are based on the mission statement of the
  organization
• Help an officer maintain a positive mental
  attitude
• Three levels
• Emergency response
• Preparation for emergency response
• Organizational duties

(Continued)
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Establishing Priorities

• Are met when the company officer considers the
  following preparation activities
• Mental preparation for emergency response
• Direct preparation for emergency response
• Application of efficient organizational skills

8
Anticipating Problems

• May involve resolving personnel disputes,
  scheduling resources, meeting deadlines, or
  dealing with the public
• Includes recognizing the potential for a problem,
  determining a fair and equitable solution, and
  applying appropriate principles to remedy the
  problem

(Continued)
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Anticipating Problems

• To do so means company officers must listen
  emphatically, know individual members, and be
  aware of symptoms of stress, jealously,
  harassment, dissatisfaction, anger, and
  disrespect for others

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Establishing and Communicating Goals and
Objectives

• Involves establishing short-range objectives,
  based on established priorities, to meet the
  goals assigned to the unit objectives should be
  attainable, clearly stated, measurable, and
  within the capability of the unit

(Continued)
11
Establishing and Communicating Goals and
Objectives

• Can be accomplished
• Through group meetings where the information can
  be passed on verbally
• Through written task sheets provided to each
  member of the unit
• In graphs or timelines posted on a bulletin board
  in the work area

12
Involving Employees in Establishing Goals and
Objectives

• Require employee to accomplish a specific task
• Delegate tasks
• Use democratic leadership principles

13
Creating an Effective Team From the Unit

• Each supervisor is responsible for a unit based
  on the organizational function of the various
  divisions of the organization.
• The team unit includes all type of assignments,
  including fire suppression, search and rescue, or
  emergency medical services (EMS).

(Continued)
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Creating an EffectiveTeam From the Unit

• Other terms for units
• Workgroups Groupings of people with the common
  purpose of completing specific objectives within
  the organization
• Team building Process of overcoming inherent
  individual differences within the unit and
  empowering members to make decisions for the
  benefit of the group

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Developing an Effective Team

• Forming
• Storming
• Norming
• Performing
• Adjourning

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Basic Principles of an Effective Team

• Tell each of the members how they fit into the
  team, what is expected of them, what to expect of
  the leader, what the teams objectives are, and
  how accomplishing the objectives will affect them.

(Continued)
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Basic Principles of an Effective Team

• Have frequent planning meetings with the team to
  determine progress, explain deviations from the
  plan, resolve problems, and celebrate
  accomplishments.
• Work with individual team members to establish
  personal goals and objectives.

(Continued)
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Basic Principles of an Effective Team

• Encourage team members to make suggestions or
  provide solutions for problems.
• Encourage team members to be open and honest in
  their comments to foster an atmosphere of trust
  and respect within the group.

(Continued)
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Basic Principles of an Effective Team

• Allow the team to establish measurements for
  success, which allow members to determine whether
  the team and team members are successful.
• Take advantage of the existing diversity of team
  members.

(Continued)
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Basic Principles of an Effective Team

• Be sensitive to the diverse nature of the team
  and understand the cultural background of each
  member of the team.
• Understand that team members have other concerns
  and obligations and recognize the effect those
  situations could have on employees.

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Creating Job Interest Empowering Employees

• Allows subordinates to take responsibility for
  their actions and decisions
• Helps to build self-esteem and motivation within
  the employee
• Is based on the concept of giving decision-making
  power to employees instead of having the
  supervisor retain it

(Continued)
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Creating Job Interest Empowering Employees

• Step 1 Identify the problem or decision that
  must be made.
• Step 2 State that all solutions will be
  considered but the best one will be adopted.
• Step 3 Explain the reality that outside forces
  may prevent the adoption of some results.

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Creating Job Interest Rewarding Employees

• Although fire officers do not have authority to
  grant raises, give time off, or provide any type
  of monetary rewards for employees, that does not
  mean that they cannot provide rewards and
  incentives for good work within the unit
• Examples

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Creating Job Interest Coaching Employees

• Is an informal process of giving motivational
  direction, positive reinforcement, and
  constructive feedback to employees in order to
  maintain and improve their performances and
  ensure successful performances
• Needs to be positive, immediate, direct, and
  frequent

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Creating Job Interest Counseling Employees

• Is a formal process that involves activities that
  assist participants in identifying and resolving
  personal, behavioral, or career problems that are
  adversely affecting performance
• Should occur in private, and a record should be
  kept of the session

(Continued)
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Creating Job Interest Counseling Employees

• Step 1 Describe the current performance
• Step 2 Describe the desired performance
• Step 3 Gain a commitment for change
• Step 4 Follow up the commitment

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Creating Job Interest Mentoring Employees

• Prepares capable individuals for advancement
  within the organization through the direction of
  a positive role model
• Examples
• Provide role models for future leaders.
• Provide guidance in career choices.
• Assist in gaining specialized training.
• Provide outside resources.
• Make challenging work assignments.
• Monitor the achievements of subordinates.

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Responsibilities Required to Ensure an Efficient
and Stable Unit

• Set a clear and positive example for subordinates
• Define expectations
• Receive assignments and complete a task or
  objective efficiently and effectively
• Promote and maintain health and safety policies
  within the workplace

(Continued)
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Responsibilities Required to Ensure an Efficient
and Stable Unit

• Develop an environment of cooperation and
  teamwork
• Develop and maintain the company as an integral
  part of the organization
• Promote skills development, skills maintenance,
  and skills improvement in employees

(Continued)
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Responsibilities Required to Ensure an Efficient
and Stable Unit

• Maintain discipline and ensure that policies and
  procedures are adhered to at all times
• Establish the perimeters of behavior
• Ensure that activities are directed toward
  organizational goals

(Continued)
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Responsibilities Required to Ensure an Efficient
and Stable Unit

• Promote the pursuit of educational and
  professional opportunities
• Promote credentialing and certification as
  opportunities to enhance an individuals
  professionalism
• Maintain files and records and prepare reports

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Summary

• Company officers must understand the principles
  of supervision of individuals.
• Company officers must know and be able to apply
  supervisory skills to gain the greatest advantage
  from subordinates and the unit.

(Continued)
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Summary

• The development of a team atmosphere and the
  application of leadership skills will result in
  the creation of an effective, efficient, and
  cohesive emergency response or administrative
  unit.

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Discussion Questions

• 1. Define supervision and management.
• 2. Discuss the ways to prepare for an emergency
  response.
• 3. What are some ways in which a company officer
  can anticipate problems?
• 4. Name one way to communicate goals and
  objectives.

(Continued)
35
Discussion Questions

• 5. Describe ways to involve employees in the
  process of establishing goals and objectives.
• 6. What are the steps for developing an
  effective team?
• 7. Name the basic principles of an effective
  team.
• 8. What are the steps for empowering employees?

(Continued)
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Discussion Questions

• 9. Describe three ways of rewarding employees.
• 10. Name the steps for counseling employees.
• 11. What are some ways in which an experienced
  supervisor can mentor?
• 12. What are some of the responsibilities
  required of a company officer to ensure an
  efficient and stable unit?