Fire chief
Encyclopedia
Fire Chief is a top executive rank or commanding officer in a fire department
, either elected or appointed. The chief is responsible for carrying out the day-to-day tasks of running a firefighting organization, including supervising other officers and firefighter
s at an emergency scene, or in recruiting, training and equipping them for their respective duties. Depending upon local needs and organization, the Chief may also be involved in fire prevention
, fire inspection, disaster preparedness, emergency medical services
, and related disciplines, as well as administrative duties such as budgets and personnel issues, research into safety and regulations, and liaison with other agencies.
In larger departments, a Fire Chief is often assisted by one or more assistant fire chiefs, deputy fire chiefs, district fire chiefs, division chiefs, and/or battalion chiefs. Collectively, these are known as chief officers, to distinguish them from company officers.
The Chief may report to the fire commissioner
, the mayor
, or a governing body (such as a board of selectmen
).
During an emergency incident, the first qualified officer on the scene may "establish command", and then transfer command to the Chief when he or she arrives, as circumstances warrant. The chief may delegate some statutory powers to qualified officers, such as the ability to enter or use private property as reasonably necessary to stop a fire, or to order people or property seized as may be essential to preserving safety or investigating the cause of an incident.
A valuable chief will have many years of experience at all levels of firefighting, as well as superior management skills, especially under the stress of emergency situations.
Suitable fire chief's vehicle
s can be valuable as an Incident Command Post
and also for public relations
during emergencies and other public events.
Fire department
A fire department or fire brigade is a public or private organization that provides fire protection for a certain jurisdiction, which typically is a municipality, county, or fire protection district...
, either elected or appointed. The chief is responsible for carrying out the day-to-day tasks of running a firefighting organization, including supervising other officers and firefighter
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
s at an emergency scene, or in recruiting, training and equipping them for their respective duties. Depending upon local needs and organization, the Chief may also be involved in fire prevention
Fire prevention
Fire Prevention is a function of many fire departments. The goal of fire prevention is to educate the public to take precautions to prevent fires, and be educated about surviving them. It is a proactive method of reducing emergencies and the damage caused by them. Many fire departments have a Fire...
, fire inspection, disaster preparedness, emergency medical services
Emergency medical services
Emergency medical services are a type of emergency service dedicated to providing out-of-hospital acute medical care and/or transport to definitive care, to patients with illnesses and injuries which the patient, or the medical practitioner, believes constitutes a medical emergency...
, and related disciplines, as well as administrative duties such as budgets and personnel issues, research into safety and regulations, and liaison with other agencies.
The Chief may report to the fire commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission ....
, the mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
, or a governing body (such as a board of selectmen
Board of selectmen
The board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms.-History:...
).
During an emergency incident, the first qualified officer on the scene may "establish command", and then transfer command to the Chief when he or she arrives, as circumstances warrant. The chief may delegate some statutory powers to qualified officers, such as the ability to enter or use private property as reasonably necessary to stop a fire, or to order people or property seized as may be essential to preserving safety or investigating the cause of an incident.
A valuable chief will have many years of experience at all levels of firefighting, as well as superior management skills, especially under the stress of emergency situations.
Suitable fire chief's vehicle
Fire chief's vehicle
A fire chief's vehicle, also called a "chief unit" or a "fire chief's car", "Fly Car", "Fly Vehicle", a "fire car", or sometimes even called a "Buggy" , is a car, truck, or SUV that is used by a fire chief at fire scenes...
s can be valuable as an Incident Command Post
Incident command post
According to the National Incident Management System , and the Incident Command System , the Incident Command Post is one of five predesignated temporary facilities and signifies the physical location of the tactical-level, on-scene incident command and management organization...
and also for public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
during emergencies and other public events.
See also
- Chief firemanChief firemanChief fireman — is a senior officer of a firefighting crew, the driver of fire car. In imperial Prussia, the title was known as brandmeister and was the police officer, the chief of one of city fire-fighting crews...
- Incident commanderIncident CommanderThe incident commander is the person responsible for all aspects of an emergency response; including quickly developing incident objectives, managing all incident operations, application of resources as well as responsibility for all persons involved. The incident commander sets priorities and...
- Chief of policeChief of policeA Chief of Police is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. Alternate titles for this position include Commissioner, Superintendent, and Chief constable...
- Chief Fire OfficerChief Fire OfficerA Chief Fire Officer or CFO is the highest ranking Officer in the UK Fire & Rescue Service. There are currently 59 Chief Fire Officers serving in the United Kingdom in charge of County Fire Services....