Station Officer
Encyclopedia
Station Officer is a rank in a number of Commonwealth
and other fire services, including those in Australia
, the United Kingdom
and the New Zealand Fire Service
.
and New Zealand
a Station Officer is either the single officer on a watch in a single-appliance
station, with three firefighters reporting to them, or one of several officers under a Senior Station Officer
at a station with multiple appliances. In New Zealand the rank badge is a single impeller
. In Australia the rank badge is two impeller
s.
In the Metropolitan Fire Brigade
Melbourne, Australia a Station Officer has one impeller, and a Senior Station Officer
has two impellers
, a Station Officer used to command a station or was responsible for several watches commanded by Sub-Officer
s (although they may have commanded a watch on a very large station). The rank badge was two impellers, they also had a white helmet with a half inch black band around it. More recently (2006/2007), the UK FRS has changed from a rank based system to a role based system. This change has meant the traditional ranks have gone and been replaced by a role based name for the duty performed. The two impeller marking now represents a Watch Manager. A Watch Commander (also referred to as a Watch Manager) is an officer who lead groups of firefighters and sometime in charge of a station. A Station Manager (previously a Station Commander who may have been of Station Officer rank under the old rank system) is an officer in charge of 1 or more fire stations.
, "Station Officer" is often a general term and has several meanings. It usually refers to the senior officer at the station, often a captain
or a lieutenant
. A Station Commander is an officer in charge of 1 or more fire stations often referred to as a District Chief in North America. If a Battalion or District Chief works out of a station, a Captain or Lieutenant is still usually the officer in charge of the day-to-day operations of the station. In some cases the term "station officer" is used to differentiate between an officer who works in the field and a staff officer.
In many areas there is a Captain on every shift (watch) at a station. This means that each shift has its own station officer. In some departments there is a designated officer who is in overall charge of the station.
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
and other fire services, including those in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the New Zealand Fire Service
New Zealand Fire Service
The New Zealand Fire Service is New Zealand's national fire fighting body. While its founding legislation, the Fire Service Act 1975, only provides for this role, the organisation has assumed responsibility for several other areas.-Strategic Direction:The New Zealand Fire Service has defined for...
.
Australia and New Zealand
In AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
a Station Officer is either the single officer on a watch in a single-appliance
Fire apparatus
A fire apparatus, fire engine, fire truck, or fire appliance is a vehicle designed to assist in fighting fires by transporting firefighters to the scene and providing them with access to the fire, along with water or other equipment...
station, with three firefighters reporting to them, or one of several officers under a Senior Station Officer
Senior Station Officer
Senior Station Officer is a rank in the New Zealand Fire Service. In career fire stations, an SSO will be the officer in charge of a single watch at a station with multiple appliances...
at a station with multiple appliances. In New Zealand the rank badge is a single impeller
Impeller
An impeller is a rotor inside a tube or conduit used to increase the pressure and flow of a fluid.- Impellers in pumps :...
. In Australia the rank badge is two impeller
Impeller
An impeller is a rotor inside a tube or conduit used to increase the pressure and flow of a fluid.- Impellers in pumps :...
s.
In the Metropolitan Fire Brigade
Metropolitan Fire Brigade (Melbourne)
The Metropolitan Fire Brigade , also known as the Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board, provides firefighting, rescue, and hazardous material incident response services to the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...
Melbourne, Australia a Station Officer has one impeller, and a Senior Station Officer
Senior Station Officer
Senior Station Officer is a rank in the New Zealand Fire Service. In career fire stations, an SSO will be the officer in charge of a single watch at a station with multiple appliances...
has two impellers
United Kingdom
In the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, a Station Officer used to command a station or was responsible for several watches commanded by Sub-Officer
Sub-Officer
Sub-Officer is a term used in many military forces used to indicate ranks below commissioned officers. Sub-Officer is equivalent to the term NCO in the Commonwealth and USA...
s (although they may have commanded a watch on a very large station). The rank badge was two impellers, they also had a white helmet with a half inch black band around it. More recently (2006/2007), the UK FRS has changed from a rank based system to a role based system. This change has meant the traditional ranks have gone and been replaced by a role based name for the duty performed. The two impeller marking now represents a Watch Manager. A Watch Commander (also referred to as a Watch Manager) is an officer who lead groups of firefighters and sometime in charge of a station. A Station Manager (previously a Station Commander who may have been of Station Officer rank under the old rank system) is an officer in charge of 1 or more fire stations.
Republic of Ireland
The Fire Services in the Republic of Ireland also use the rank of station officer. In the fulltime brigades of the five cities, they fulfil the role of watch manager, whereas in the retained county brigades, they fulfil the role of station commander. Rank markings are 2 impellers, and on the fireground a white helmet with black comb and 1 black stripe.United States
In the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, "Station Officer" is often a general term and has several meanings. It usually refers to the senior officer at the station, often a captain
Fire captain
Captain is a rank in various fire services.In most American and Canadian fire services, a captain ranks above a lieutenant and below a Battalion Chief. This varies, though, between departments – in the Boston Fire Department, the captain is the officer in overall charge of a fire company...
or a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
. A Station Commander is an officer in charge of 1 or more fire stations often referred to as a District Chief in North America. If a Battalion or District Chief works out of a station, a Captain or Lieutenant is still usually the officer in charge of the day-to-day operations of the station. In some cases the term "station officer" is used to differentiate between an officer who works in the field and a staff officer.
In many areas there is a Captain on every shift (watch) at a station. This means that each shift has its own station officer. In some departments there is a designated officer who is in overall charge of the station.