Chapter 1: Orientation and Fire Service History

Question 1

All-Hazard Concept

Answer 1

Provides a coordinated approach to a wide variety of incidents; all responders use a similar, coordinated approach with a common set of authorities, protections, and resources.

Question 2

Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ)

Answer 2

Term used in codes and standards to identify the legal entity, such as a building or fire official, that has the statutory authority to enforce a code and to approve or require equipment; may be a unit of a local, state, or federal government, depending on where the work occurs. In the insurance industry, it may refer to an insurance rating bureau or an insurance company inspection department.

Question 3

Code

Answer 3

A collection of rules and regulations that has been enacted by law in a particular jurisdiction. Codes typically address a single subject area; examples include a mechanical, electrical, building, or fire code.

Question 4

Culture

Answer 4

The shared assumptions, beliefs, and values of a group or organization.

Question 5

External Customers

Answer 5

Citizens of the service area protected by the organization.

Question 6

Fireproof

Answer 6

Obsolete term for resistance to fire; inappropriate because all materials except water will burn. Other terms such as fire resistive or fire resistant should be used.

Question 7

Incident Command System (ICS)

Answer 7

Standardized approach to incident management that facilitates interaction between cooperating agencies; adaptable to incidents of any size or type.

Question 8

Internal Customers

Answer 8

Employees and memberships of the organization.

Question 9

Interoperability

Answer 9

Ability of two or more systems or components to exchange information and use the information that has been exchanged.

Question 10

Jargon

Answer 10

The specialized or technical language of a trade, profession, or similar group.

Question 11

Line Functions

Answer 11

Personnel who provide emergency services to external customers (the public).

Question 12

Panic Hardware

Answer 12

Hardware mounted on exit doors in public buildings on exit doors in public building that unlock from the inside and enable doors to be opened when pressure is applied to release mechanism.

Question 13

Policy

Answer 13

Guide to decision making in an organization.

Question 14

Procedure

Answer 14

Step-by-step written plan that is closely related to a policy. Procedures help an organization to ensure that it consistently approaches a task in the correct way, in order to accomplish a specific objective and comply with a policy.

Question 15

Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)

Answer 15

Rule for how personnel should perform routine functions or emergency operations. Procedures are typically written in a handbook, so that all firefighters can become familiar with them.

Question 16

Staff/Support Functions

Answer 16

Personnel who provide administrative and logistical support to line units (internal customers)

Question 17

Standard

Answer 17

A set of principles, protocols, or procedures that explain how to do something or provide a set of minimum standards to be followed. Adhering to a standard is not required by law, although standards may be incorporated in codes, which are legally enforceable.

Question 18

Wildland/Urban Interface

Answer 18

Line, area, or zone where an undeveloped wildland area meets a human development area. Also known as Urban/Wildland Interface.