State Of Oklahoma COUNCIL ON FIREFIGHTER TRAINING Five Levels of Company/Chief Officer A professional development plan for Oklahoma Firefighters. 2016
5 LEVELS OF OFFICER PROGRAM Council on Firefighter Training Final Approved 01/12/16 LEVEL PAGE Support officer. 2 Basic Officer 3 Intermediate Officer 4 Advanced Officer 5 Executive Officer 6 Electives.. 7 Programmatic Requirements and Information.... 10 1
SUPPORT OFFICER: acting supervisor; apprentice (76 total hours) Required Courses (76 hrs.): NIMS ICS-300 (16 hrs) - provides training on and resources for personnel who require advanced application of the ICS. The course expands upon information covered in the ICS-100 and ICS-200 courses. NIMS ICS-400 (16 hrs.) - provides training on and resources for personnel who require advanced application of the Incident Command System (ICS). The course objectives are to explain how major incidents pose special management challenges; describe the circumstances in which an Area Command is established; and describe the circumstances in which multiagency coordination systems are established. Flammable Gas Emergencies (12 hrs.) - essential knowledge and skills for handling flammable gas incidents in transportation or at fixed facilities. The 12-hour training includes eight hours of classroom, followed by four hours of live burn instruction. The course is recommended to emergency responders in public safety and industry. This will include Live Burn Evaluation. Fire Cause Determination and Arson Awareness (16 hrs.) - designed to provide the basic knowledge and skills necessary for senior firefighters and fire officers to conduct initial fire cause determinations at structural fire scenes. Strategy & Tactics for Initial Company Operations (16 hrs.) - designed to (a) meet the needs of Company Officers responsible for managing the operations of one or more companies during structural firefighting operations, and (b) develop the management skills needed by Company Officers to accomplish assigned tactics at structure fires. Required Electives - 0 hours 2
BASIC OFFICER: first level supervisor (96 total hours) Required Courses (64 hrs.): Incident Safety Officer (16 hrs.) designed for individuals who have Safety Officer responsibility at emergency operations; focus on operations within ICS as a Safety Officer for all-hazards situations. Leadership I: Strategies for Company Success (16 hrs.) - presents the company officer with the basic leadership skills and tools needed to perform effectively in their fire department role. The course includes techniques and approaches to problem-solving, ways to identify and assess the needs of the company officer's subordinates, methods for running meetings effectively, and decision making skills for the company officer. Emergency Services Instructor: Instructor I (32 hrs.) - Prepares emergency services personnel to deliver a training class from a prepared lesson plan. Required Electives - 32 hours (must be taken from more than one course) 3
INTERMEDIATE OFFICER: top level line officer (option 1: 96 total hours; option 2: 104 total hours) Option 1: Required Courses (64 hrs.): Leadership II (16 hrs.) - provides the company officer with the basic leadership skills and tools needed to perform effectively in their fire service role. The course addresses ethics, use and abuse of power at the company officer level, creativity in the fire service, and management of the multiple roles of the company officer. Basic Computer skills (16+ hrs.) - An introductory course to familiarize students with the basic principles of a personal computer, including email, security, social media, and software applications. Students will gain practice in using key applications such as NFIRS; Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint; and the web. Basic budgeting and finance (16 hrs.) introductory course to familiarize the student with the local government budget process; decision, spending, and approval authority; establishing priorities; applicable law and ordinances; tying expenditures to needs; funding sources and other financial resources; efficiency and effectiveness measures. Exercising Leadership through Difficult Conversations (NFA Executive Skills Series; 16 hrs.): - provide knowledge and skills for having difficult conversations to exercise leadership in addressing adaptive challenges. Required Electives - 32 hours (must be taken from more than one course) Option 2: Required Courses (72 hrs.): Fire Officer I (40 hrs.) - provide entry-level fire officers with the knowledge and skills to meet the minimum job performance requirements for paid and volunteer fire officers; course designed to satisfy the requirements of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1021 Fire Officer I Standard (less any prerequisite other than COFT Intermediate Firefighter). Leadership II (16 hrs.) see description outlined above in option 1 Exercising Leadership through Difficult Conversations (NFA Executive Skills Series; 16 hrs.): - see description outlined above in option 1 Required Electives - 32 hours (must be taken from more than one course) 4
ADVANCED OFFICER: top level staff officer (option 1: 106 total hours; option 2: 104 total hours) Option 1: Required Courses (74 hrs.): Fire and Emergency Services Administration (42 hrs.) - Fire and emergency service administrative structures and processes; management and leadership models and applications. Leadership III (16 hrs.) - presents the company officer with the basic leadership skills and tools needed to perform effectively in their fire service role. The course addresses when and how to delegate to subordinates, assess personal leadership styles through situational leadership, discipline subordinates, and apply coaching/motivating techniques. Fire Department Administrative Investigations and Firefighter Discipline (16 hrs.) provides students with the knowledge for conducting a fire department administrative investigation, from due process to a firefighter s right to remain silent; covers common fire service disciplinary process mistakes, establishing a professional standards system, proper due process proceeding, conduct unbecoming, proper investigations process, proper and necessary polices, interviewing skills, and firefighter Bill of Rights laws. Required Electives - 32 hours (must be taken from more than one course) Option 2: Required Courses (72 hrs.): Fire Officer II (40 hrs.) - provide officers at the second level of progression with the knowledge and skills to meet the minimum job performance requirements for paid and volunteer fire officers; course designed to satisfy the requirements of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1021 Fire Officer II Standard (less any prerequisite other than COFT Intermediate Firefighter, and COFT approved Fire Officer I). Leadership III (16 hrs.) - see description outlined above in option 1 Fire Department Administrative Investigations and Firefighter Discipline (16 hrs.) see description outlined above in option 1 Required Electives - 32 hours (must be taken from more than one course) 5
EXECUTIVE OFFICER: Chief Executive Officer Required: COFT Advanced Fire Officer and successful completion of one of the following: Oklahoma Executive Fire Officer Leadership Program National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program Masters Degree from an accredited institution in Fire Service Management related field (e.g. Fire & Emergency Management, Public Administration, Business Administration, Management, Fire Protection Engineering, Political Science, etc.). Fire Officer IV Certification (Pro Board or IFSAC) 6
ELECTIVES (with recommended level; note - electives may be taken at any level): Advanced Vehicle Extrication (support; 16 hrs.) - Scenario based training designed to test the skills taught in Vehicle Extrication Basics; including Implementing and Utilizing the Incident Command System, Response to Emergency Calls, Scene Size-up, Site Control, Scene Management, Identification of Common Hazards, Safety Considerations, Vehicle Stabilization, Extrication Techniques EMS First Responder (support; 60 hrs.) - Addresses the specific needs of emergency medical service providers. Designed to prepare them to meet the requirements for medical first responders set forth by the United States Department of Transportation. Exterior Offensive Fire Attack/Structural Fire Scene Size Up (support; 8 hrs.) - This course addresses the exterior offensive fire attack strategy. Students will consider the advantages and limitations of this strategy; the impact of exterior fire attacks on fire behavior; and ventilation methods and fire streams which are used with exterior offensive attacks NFA Preparing for Initial Company Operations (basic; 16 hrs.) - designed to provide a basic foundation for the management of one or more companies operating at a structural fire emergency; focus on a review of basic concepts and development of proficiency in critical skills in the key areas of Roles and Responsibilities, Readiness, Communication, Building Construction and Fire Behavior factors, and Pre-incident Preparation NFA Decision Making for the Initial Company Officer (basic; 16 hrs.) - designed to develop the decision making skills needed by the company officer (COs) to accomplish tactics at structure fires. NFA Command and Control of Incident Operations (basic; 48 hrs.) - fire officers are introduced to ICS, and they study proper fire command techniques for control and extinguishment of fires ranging from small, residential structures to multi-occupancy, commercial complexes. Topics covered include problem-solving and fire command, interagency and mutual aid, the ICS, incident management, size-up and strategy, tactics and action plans, truck company operations, engine company operations, building construction and fire behavior, pre-incident preparation, incident organization, and strategic command. Special emphasis is placed on firefighter safety. 7
Public Information Officer (basic; 4 hrs.) - After this course the volunteer officer or PIO authorized personnel will be able to properly communicate with the media during or after an emergency. Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior and Origin (basic; 8 hrs.) - provides instruction in the primary factors affecting the start and spread of wildfire and recognition of potentially hazardous situations. Wildland Fire Observations & Origin Scene Protection (basic; 8 hrs.) - primary emphasis of this course is to teach sound wildland fire observations and origin scene protection practices that enable first responders to a wildland fire scene to perform proper origin scene protection procedures. Instructor II: Curriculum Development (intermediate; 32 hrs.) - for those responsible for training curriculum and materials, developing evaluation instruments, and supervision of other instructors in fire dept. NFA Awareness of Command and Control Decision Making at Multiple Alarm Incidents (intermediate; 48 hrs.) - classical and naturalistic decision making for strategies for managing safety concerns at expanded emergency incidents, pre-incident preparation, resource allocation, effective use of on-site communications, set-up of an incident command post and post incident analysis. New Chief Officer Workshop (intermediate; 8 hours) seminar for new chief officers that cover topics critical to the Oklahoma Fire Service for chief level officers (held in conjunction with the OFCA Winter Workshop). Fire Officer III (advanced; 40 hrs.) - provide officers at the third level of progression with the knowledge and skills to meet the minimum job performance requirements for paid and volunteer fire officers; course designed to satisfy the requirements of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1021 Fire Officer II Standard; designed around classroom lectures and group interactive exercises to improve your abilities to manage a fire service organization. The course emphasizes community/government relations, model planning, budgeting, human resources, trends and support organizations, and emergency service delivery. Fire Inspector I (advanced; 30 hrs.) - provide the student with an in-depth review of the skills attendant to the duties of a Fire Inspector I job performance requirements (JPR) of National Fire Protection Association, 1031, Standard for Fire Professional Qualifications for Fire Inspector and Plan Examiner; develop knowledge and ability to prepare reports on fire safety issues using the proper codes and standards; conduct research of the various codes to address deficiencies noted during a site visit; develop a checklist to complete fire safety inspections; and give a legal deposition given the findings of an inspection, plan review, or complaint. 8
Fire Cause Determination and Investigation (advanced; 40 hrs.) - provides the participants with an introduction and basic overview of fire scene investigation. The focus of the course is to provide information on fire scene indicators and to determine the fire's origin. Fire Department and your Government (advanced; TBD) course to be developed covering Oklahoma Title 11, 18, 19 fire department structures and regulations; Federal and State Forestry Rules and regulations; COFT and Oklahoma State Fire Marshal structure, programs, and resources; and other federal rules pertaining to Fire Service; resources for and how to research pertinent state and federal laws, regulations, statutes, and available support and resources. Public Safety Leadership and Ethics (advanced; 42 hrs.) - a survey of current issues and problems in the fire service. Alternative methods of addressing these problems are developed by the students using the nominal group process. Provide for a better understanding of leadership philosophies, knowledge, skills, and abilities. Fire Officer IV (executive; 60 hrs.) - provide officers at the third level of progression with the knowledge and skills to meet the minimum job performance requirements for paid and volunteer chief fire officers; course designed to satisfy the requirements of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1021 Fire Officer II Standard; develop knowledge and skills to plan and monitor group projects, plan and evaluate community services needs, analyze process activity performance and use simulation to identify the means to correct any problems, provide ethical leadership, conduct risk management, manage training, grievance, member assistance and member incentive programs and develop emergency operations and major incident action plans. Management/Leadership Elective (any level and hours) a course (existing or to be developed) that focuses on management/administration and/or leadership and meets local needs, and is approved by the COFT before course delivery. Fire Class Elective (any level and hours) - a course (existing or to be developed) that focuses on firefighting operations/command and meets local needs, and is approved by the COFT before course delivery. Rescue Class Elective (any level and hours) - a course (existing or to be developed) that focuses on rescue and meets local needs, and is approved by the COFT before course delivery. 9
Programmatic Requirements and Information: 1. You must have COFT Intermediate Firefighter to be eligible to enter the COFT Officer program 2. The officer program is progressive. Where there are opportunities for reciprocity with degree and certification programs, one cannot skip levels and laterally enter at a higher level. Where course requirements are met through reciprocity, the student does not have to repeat those courses/hours at that particular level. If a student through other approved sources (eg certification, degree studies) meets all the required courses for a particular level, he/she must also meet the required number of hours of electives from the approved course list. 3. The required elective hours for any specific level must be met through two or more courses. 4. Higher education institutions may submit proposed reciprocity agreements for consideration by the Council upon recommendation by the Executive Director to provide for 5-Level Officer credit through reciprocity for higher education courses. This in no way limits such institutions from offering college credit for training courses. Individuals may submit requests for reciprocity to the Executive Director on an individual basis outlining the specifics of the curriculum, and substantive justification (e.g. particular NFPA JPR s, higher education accredited programmatic coursework/classes, FESHE approved course, etc.) for reciprocity. 5. Equivalency is allowed and supported. Chiefs as the authority having jurisdiction may offer substitute courses that offer a better fit or alternative for their particular department. For example, a local Technical Education Center may offer a Fire Officer I course that is based on NFPA 1021, but does not seek IFSAC/ProBoard certification. 6. All requests for equivalency must be submitted to the COFT Executive Director, and must be in written form outlining the specifics of the curriculum, and substantive justification (e.g. particular NFPA JPR s, NFA provided course, FESHE approved course, etc.) for equivalency. Denial by the Director must include substantive justification including requirements that must be made for course approval. Appeals for denial may be made to the Council as a whole for consideration at their next regularly scheduled meeting. 7. Some courses will require specific agency offerings (e.g. NFA, Public Agency Training Council, etc.). Every effort should be made by training providers (including approved 10
equivalency courses) to provide hand offs for alternative delivery (e.g. local, distance, multiple agencies deliveries). 8. Every effort should be made by training providers to develop and encourage flexible delivery options to accommodate volunteers and minimize travel related costs (e.g. weekend delivery, online courses, handoff courses). 9. The most current edition of the NFPA 1021 Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications will be referenced to determine equivalency, reciprocity, and an alternative method for Fire Officer certification and/or college credit. 10. An individual may complete all five levels without college credit or a degree; however for those who do have credit including up to a degree, they are rewarded. For example, course work in higher education may meet the requirements for required/elective courses in the COFT levels. In these cases, course will not have to be repeated in order to earn COFT approval. Similarly, those without degrees may successfully complete the Executive level through the OK-EFOLP or Fire Officer IV certification, while those with bachelor degrees and NFA-EFO or a Masters Degree may accomplish the same. 11. Other courses/topics that are not specifically covered may be offered for equivalency. Examples might include Labor/Management Relations; Health and Fitness; Strategic Planning; Emergency Management; Research Methods, Resources, and Statistics; Personal and Professional Development; other as best determined by the Fire Chief as the AHJ. 12. COFT facilitate a consortium of representatives of Oklahoma college/university fire service degree providers to consider, address, and make recommendations to the Council on higher education issues, programs, cooperative ventures, interrelationships (eg reciprocity), federal initiatives (eg FESHE), etc. 13. Consistent with the Council s directive for active solicitation for information, and broad involvement and input, notice will be provided through the Council members, other fire service and related organizations, and on the COFT web site as to TTF and Council deliberations and discussions in reference to review and any possible changes/updates to the 5-level Officer Program, including any subsequent meeting(s) and/or decision making. 11