NOTTINGHAM VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY
HANDBOOK
“Teamwork is the fuel that allows common people
to produce uncommon results.”*
Each member of the Nottingham Volunteer Fire Company (NVFC) functions as a part of a team, whether it be serving on a committee, teaching fire safety to a group of schoolchildren, restoring equipment after a run or answering emergency calls. There is no “I” in “TEAM” and all members are expected to put personal preferences aside in working towards our ultimate mission: the protection and safety of the members of our community.
The guidelines in this handbook are designed to help promote a positive team attitude and an efficient, effective working environment.
LINE OFFICER QUALIFICATIONS
These are the qualifications that must be met to be eligible for line positions in the NVFC, additional to those established in NVFC By-Law Article II, Section 3.1. These qualifications have been set up to maintain a professional, knowledgeable and safe field of line officers who must ultimately make life and death decisions affecting their fellow firefighters. These positions shall not be taken lightly.
Each and every incident that a fire officer responds to, he/she is responsible for the safety of all fire service and non-fire service personnel on the incident scene, as well as civilians. The responsible officer must be able to quickly and accurately make decisions to mitigate any incident that he/she may be faced with. An action plan must be established and provide a safe tactical operation to mitigate the incident.
Leadership is an important part of every officer. A line officer must set the example for the remainder of their subordinates in following rules and regulations; professionalism, maturity and a positive attitude about the organization are just some. When not on the incident scene, there is the larger role of administrative and leadership duties that all officers must perform. Being thoroughly trained in this leadership is not only a recommendation but also a must to be proficient as a line officer.
As officers progress up the ladder to the next position, more responsibilities and duties will be assigned and must be completed. With each step come additional requirements to help prepare the prospective line officer for the responsibilities and duties. These items are in no way to discourage anyone from being a line officer. It is encouraged that everyone attempts to achieve this training not only for line officer positions but also for self-knowledge.
*Jeff Gordon / by Jeff Gordon with Steve Eubanks – First Atria Books hardcover edition October 2003
Atria Books – 1230 Avenue of the Americas – New York, NY 10020
These qualifications will be phased in and will be requirements for these positions effective January 1, 2007.
Lieutenant
The lieutenant’s position is the first step in officership. While a learning position, there will be times that a lieutenant will be the incident commander, potentially at a major incident. Below are the minimum training requirements that must be completed in order to be eligible to obtain the position of lieutenant.
· NFPA 1001 – Firefighter I
· NJSP Level 2 Incident Command (I-200)
· NJ Incident Management Level I
· F.A.S.T Training (Operations)
· NFA – Leadership I
· HAZMAT Awareness
· HAZMAT Operations
Captain
The captain’s position is the next step in officership. This will also be a learning position; however there will be times that a captain will be the incident commander more than that of a lieutenant, potentially at major incidents. Below are the minimum training requirements that must be completed in order to be eligible to obtain the position of captain.
· NFPA 1001 – Firefighter I
· NJSP Level 2 Incident Command (I-200)
· NJ Incident Management Level I
· F.A.S.T Training (Operations)
· Engine Company Operations
· Ladder Company Operations
· NFA – Leadership I
· NFA – Leadership II
· HAZMAT Awareness
· HAZMAT Operations
Second Deputy Chief
The Second Deputy Chief’s position is the next step in officership. In this position, the line officer will manage incident scenes and have more responsibility in making decisions more than the prior two positions. Leadership will play a greater role when elected to this position and more leadership training will be needed.
· NFPA 1001 – Firefighter I
· NJSP Level 2 Incident Command (I-200)
· NJ Incident Management Level I
· F.A.S.T Training (Operations)
· Engine Company Operations
· Ladder Company Operations
· Operations at Garden Apartments and Townhouses
· NFA – Leadership I
Second Deputy Chief (cont’d)
· NFA – Leadership II
· NFA – Leadership III
· HAZMAT Awareness
· HAZMAT Operations
· Recommended: Fire Service Instructor I
First Deputy Chief
The First Deputy Chief carries many responsibilities and duties above and beyond any of the prior positions. One must prepare for what lies ahead day after day. Due to the great possibility of the absence of the chief on many of the incidents that the NVFC will be dispatched to, the knowledge base of the first deputy chief must mask that of the chief. Deputy Chief is one of the most responsible positions in the fire service today. Once at the position of first deputy chief in NVFC, this officer’s role now has mainly changed to strictly a command and personnel management position, dealing with incident command, personnel issues and additional administrative duties, to name a few. Below are the minimum qualifications that must be completed in order to be considered for first deputy chief in the NVFC. As always, additional training is always encouraged.
· NFPA 1001 – Firefighter I
· NJSP Level 2 Incident Command (I-200)
· NJ Incident Management Level I
· F.A.S.T Training (Operations)
· Engine Company Operations
· Ladder Company Operations
· Operations at Garden Apartments and Townhouses
· Defensive Driving
· NFA – Leadership I
· NFA – Leadership II
· NFA – Leadership III
· Fire Officer 1 Certification
· Building Construction Related to The Fire Service
· HAZMAT Awareness
· HAZMAT Operations
· Recommended: Fire Service Instructor I
Chief
Chief is the ultimate position as a fire service line officer, the leader of the organization and the position which all eyes are focused upon. The chief becomes a mentor for the remainder of the organization. Training, personality, people skills and actions will be looked upon by everyone of the organization. Training for the chief shall not stop with the minimum qualifications. In order to continue to improve the organization, training must continue throughout the term of the chief. Below are the minimum qualifications that must be completed to be considered for the position of chief of the NVFC.
· NFPA 1001 – Firefighter I
· NJSP Level 2 Incident Command (I-200)
· NJ Incident Management Level I
Chief (cont’d)
· F.A.S.T Training (Operations)
· Engine Company Operations
· Ladder Company Operations
· Operations at Garden Apartments and Townhouses
· Defensive Driving
· NFA – Leadership I
· NFA – Leadership II
· NFA – Leadership III
· Fire Service Administrative Course
· Fire Officer 1 Certification
· Building Construction Related to The Fire Service
· HAZMAT Awareness
· HAZMAT Operations
· Recommended: Fire Service Instructor I
SAFETY OFFICER QUALIFICATIONS
The Safety Officer has an awesome responsibility on the scene of an incident. He/she must continuously observe conditions that may compromise the safety of the emergency personnel operating on an emergency scene, and report to the incident commander any unsafe conditions or practices. The Safety Officer is the eyes and ears of the incident commander.
These qualifications will be phased in and will be requirements for these positions effective January 1, 2007.
Safety Officer
· NFPA 1001 – Firefighter I
· NJSP Level 2 Incident Command (I-200)
· NJ Incident Management Level I
· NFA Incident Safety Officer
· NFA Health and Safety Officer
· NJ DCA General Safety Course and Live Burn / SCBA Safety Training
· F.A.S.T Training (Operations)
· Engine Company Operations
· Ladder Company Operations
· Operations at Garden Apartments and Townhouses
· Defensive Driving
· Building Construction Related to The Fire Service
· HAZMAT Awareness
· HAZMAT Operations
Appointment of Safety Officers
The Board of Chiefs shall appoint one or more safety officers to two-year terms, running concurrently with the terms of office of the Line Officers. There shall be no set number of safety officers; the number will be determined by the Board of Chiefs based upon the needs of NVFC and the availability of qualified personnel at the time of appointment.
PROBATIONARY FIREFIGHTER QUALIFICATIONS
Probationary members will be required to successfully complete NFPA 1001 - Firefighter I before being elevated to active status within the company. This requirement may be waived if the probationary member has already completed FFI or its equivalent during prior service with another fire service organization.
Probationary members who have joined NVFC with prior experience from another company may not be under the restrictions applicable to those with no or little prior experience. This will be at the discretion of the Board of Chiefs.
FIRE POLICE DIVISION
The Board of Chiefs shall appoint all fire police officers to two-year terms, running concurrently with the terms of office of the Line Officers. Members of the NVFC wishing to serve as a fire police officer shall submit such request in writing to the Board of Chiefs.
In accordance with New Jersey R.S.15:8-4, members may serve on the Fire Police Division only after successfully completing a basic fire police training course formulated or approved by the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety, and taking and subscribing an oath that they will justly, impartially and faithfully discharge their duties to the best of their ability and understanding. The oath shall be administered by the Hamilton Township Municipal Clerk and subscribed to in duplicate. The original copy of the oath shall be filed with the township clerk and the copy thereof shall be filed with the secretary of NVFC.
Fire police officers shall perform their duties under the direction of the incident commander or officer in charge of the incident or drill.
JUNIOR MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM
The NVFC has developed a program for the youths in our community to experience the benefits of community service. NVFC’s Junior Membership Program has been designed to encourage the process of helping others in time of need. That’s what NVFC is all about. The rewards of being a volunteer firefighter are many but they are intangible – everyone must seek it in her or his own way.
While we are teaching the junior members the vocational and technical aspects of firefighting, we also want to impact them with the concept of serving others. By helping those in time of need and putting someone else first, we can help today’s teens to focus their talents and energies in a constructive way, while being actively involved in the community and building a pool of references for the future. We believe that community involvement helps to mold individuals into productive citizens.
Our intent is to encourage the junior members to challenge themselves by asking their own questions and seeking their own answers. The type of approach that we take towards them is one that values their personal points of view and attempts to encourage them in the directions they have chosen for themselves.
There are several principles that the members of NVFC believe in with regards to youths experience in the fire company. The first is Teamwork – working as part of a group with a specific goal in mind. Good work and good learning is collaborative and social, not competitive and isolated. Working with others often increases involvement in learning, which is enhanced when it is more of a team effort rather than a solo race.
Another is Practice. Once a person learns something, the way to retain that knowledge is to keep practicing it. Practice leads to the ability to build a good performance standard, which can be adapted to school, extra-curricular activities, home, job, the fire station – anywhere that quality work is expected and can make a difference.
The third principle is Expectation. Good practice leads to high expectations, which are important for everyone – the well motivated or the poorly prepared. Expecting our junior members to perform well can be the platform for a self-fulfilling prophecy that leads them to hold higher expectations of themselves and make extra efforts.
We believe that the junior members must make what they learn in school, at work and in the fire station a part of themselves. We hope to help instill youths with a sense of responsibility and a goal of success they can focus towards. People have diverse talents and styles that they take with them wherever they go. Each and every member of NVFC has her or his unique skill and personality to contribute to the community in times of emergency. Most young people need the opportunity to show their talents and styles and learn in ways that work for them, building self-esteem and confidence.
With these principles in mind, the NVFC Junior Membership Program is poised to be a positive influence for our young people, giving them an opportunity to be part of a team and preparing them to be tomorrow’s emergency fire and rescue personnel.
This program is designed to avoid negatively impacting a youth’s responsibilities to home and family. We stress to all our members that while NVFC is important and must take a high priority in their lives when they join, their family comes first and their job and livelihood second. The same order will apply to the junior members: Family first, school second and so on.
Junior Advisory Board
It is recommended the NVFC Junior Advisory Board consist of the following:
· Two line officers
· Two executive officers
· One trustee
· Two members at large
This board should be made up of seven (7) members in good standing of NVFC. Two should be line officers, one with the rank of captain or higher (captain or higher - to allow for the lieutenants to learn more about their new positions as an officer); the other can be any rank other than lieutenant, such as safety officer. Two should be executive officers, so juniors can learn about the business end of the corporation, with one being the vice-president of NVFC, as chairman of the Membership Committee. One should be a trustee, so juniors can learn about the responsibilities of taking care of NVFC property. The other two should be regular members from the NVFC holding no offices with a minimum of two years in active status.