Chain of Command

Chain of Command

by Chief Acosta

​What is the chain of command

​It an organized structure of leadership in the fire service.

Multiple Choice

Chain of command is the organized structure of ____________ in the fire service.

• leadership

• firefighters

• nurses

• doctors

​Common Fire Ranks

​The positions and ranks in a typical municipal fire department, from entry-level to highest position are shown below.

​

1. Probationary Firefighter

2. Firefighter

3. Driver Engineer

4. 2nd Lieutenant

5. 1st Lieutenant​

6. Captain

7. Battalion Chief

8. Assistant Chief

9. Fire Chief

​Probationary Firefighter

​A probationary firefighter has many different names. Some departments call them “probies” or "rookies" for short.

​Departments with probationary periods as short as 6 months and as long as 2 years

Multiple Choice

What is another name they use for a probationary firefighter?

• Newbie

• Pondscum

• Officer

• Rookie

​Firefighter

​Once probation is over you can become a firefighter. This is still pretty low down in the ranks and you will take instruction on calls from commanding officers. The change in rank simply means that you have now proven you are qualified to handle the position and not continuously be watched.

​Driver/Engineer

​This is classified as a higher level because of the additional training and skills involved. These are the team members that can operate the trucks and machinery with a greater degree of skill. They know more about the tools and tech and will carry out the necessary checks on the vehicles. If the fire engine or aerial ladder are required on the job, the engineer is the one that will use it.

​2nd Lieutenant

​Like many supervisors in other professions, many probably don’t get as much credit as they deserve. They may not be fully in charge of the engine company they work in, but they do have a lot of responsibilities when it comes to the day-to-day running of the firehouse.

They need to make sure that everyone knows their role whether they are carrying out basic tasks back at the station or working on an emergency response call. The Lieutenant is the glue holding the operations together.

​1st Lieutenant

​The next position that you could get promoted to from 2nd Lieutenant is 1st Lieutenant. If you aren’t familiar with the military-style terminology for these positions, then think of the lieutenants as like your supervisor.

Multiple Choice

Who's the highest ranking of the following group.

• 1st Lt

• 5th Lt

• Probationary

• Engineer

​Captain

​

The supervisory lieutenants work beneath their captain, and in many ways, the role of the captain is very similar.

They are responsible for ensuring that everyone knows their place and their role in the daily operations of a specific area in the department. Their lieutenants work beneath them in individual companies to pass on the orders while they oversee the work of wider divisions.

​Battalion Chief

​The Battalion Chief is also responsible for a lot of paperwork on incident reports, the running of the battalion and more. Finally, they are also required to help with coordination on emergency scenes when multiple companies are involved.

​Assistant Chief

​This isn’t just about orders for battalions and the operations of a company. This is where they deal with factors that have wider implications for the department. For example, both the Fire Chief and his assistant need to have a good understanding of the budgets of the fire stations, current costs and proposed plans for improvements.

​Chief

​The chief almost gets to have the final say when it comes to matters of spending the budget, creating those programs and implementing important changes.

They have control over every element of the department and its divisions – from the fire safety services and training facilities to the operations divisions, EMS services and any specialist divisions.

Multiple Choice

Who is the highest ranking official on a fire department?

• Captain

• Admiral

• Chief

• General