Hyattsville Volunteers - Rules/SOPs - The Role of the Company Officer

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The Role of the Company Officer

The company officer is an integral member of the department. He/she is the leader, supervisor, and participant in all department functions.

The company officer establishes a positive station environment, making it a pleasant place to live, work, and play.

The company officer follows, communicates, and enforces the policies and procedures of the department. He/she sets the example of the type of individual whom the department can be proud.

The company officer is responsible for the safety and welfare of the members at all times, especially during emergency operations.

The company officer makes all decisions based on the good of the department. The success of our operation is based on how we operate as a team, as a company, and as a department.

SET AN EXAMPLE FOR ALL MEMBERS
In order to develop the proper attitude in the membership, it is essential that the officers act the way the department wants them to act. The officers must follow the rules, and more importantly, live up to the standards the department wants to maintain. Once this responsibility is accepted, the officer must carry out the department's goals as if they were their own, even if he/she does not fundamentally agree with them.
STATION STAFFING
The officers must monitor the personnel situation at all times. The officer should never allow staffing to reach or go below the prescribed minimums without attempting to correct the problem (i.e., pages, phone calls, etc.). Each officer is expected to ensure that our apparatus is properly staffed based on the existing overall personnel at the time and the nature of the incident at hand (i.e., squad staffing, drivers training, etc.). County minimums must remain in effect at all times and should be considered only as the minimum acceptable level of staffing. It is our goal to send maximum crews whenever possible. However, good judgement should prevail.
POLICIES VS. PROCEDURES
Policies and procedures govern the daily operations of the department, the difference between the two is explained below…
A policy is a statement of the department's position on an issue under normal circumstances. They are intended to be flexible so that it can be adjusted when necessary.
A procedure is a fixed set of steps to guide an individual to a specific end result. It is intended to provide an exact step-by-step guide to accomplish something in a specific situation.
Most of our rules, regulations, guidelines, etc. are issued as a policy statement. This is so the officers can use their experience and judgement to solve problems in an efficient and reasonable manner. HVFD will operate in this mode so that we are not locked into ridiculous rules and situations that conflict with the department's long-term goals. The department will not advocate knee-jerk responses to a problem. That type reaction rarely solves the root cause of the problem, thus the problem resurfaces in a new form. The method this department has chosen to operate, will enable the department to grow and change with times, as long as the officers are consistent and do not take advantage of the system for personal gain.
TREATMENT OF PERSONNEL
One major enemy in maintaining an adequate number of members is competition with other activities that are social in nature. It is therefore necessary for us to make the fire station the most desirable place for our members to spend their spare time. We should do what we can to make it fun to hang out at the firehouse. Be considerate of the member's needs, while remaining consistent with the department's goals and policies. Treat them better than the way you want to be treated.
FORMING OF ATTITUDES IN NEW MEMBERS
The officers must guide our new members to develop a new attitude that is consistent with the department's goals. Once other members have instilled an inappropriate attitude in a new member, and they will if we don't, the department has lost that member, and now must expend unnecessary energy to bring that individual back in line.
The officer must make sure the process of attitude development begins as soon as a person joins the department (transfer from another company, brand new from Hyattsville, or from another state).
Not all members are desirable. The officers must give each member equal attention, however, we must work and eliminate, through the proper procedures, the undesirables and support the responsible and mature members as early in their careers as possible.
SAFETY AND WELFARE OF MEMBERS
It is the officer's responsibility to minimize the occurrences and severity of injuries to our members. Safety will always be the officer's overriding concern in the station and during emergency and non-emergency operations. Any time someone is performing an unsafe act, immediate steps must be taken to correct the situation. Officer's must also look out for members during extended operations or during adverse weather conditions. There is an old U.S. Cavalry maxim that says: "FEED THE HORSES FIRST. THE MEN EAT SECOND. OFFICERS EAT LAST.
CHAIN OF COMMAND
The County Fire Chief certifies all operational officers. Every HVFD officer is in the operational chain-of-command with the Prince Georges' County Fire and EMS Department. PGFD has an integrated chain-of-command with both career and volunteer personnel. Operationally, you are integrated into that "food chain" based upon your rank.
The department expects each officer to uphold the chain-of-command with career and volunteer personnel, from our station, as well as neighboring stations.
ENFORCEMENT OF RULES
Unfortunately, it is necessary to have fixed policies and procedures for the self directed members who think they can do what they want, whenever they want. The officers must see to it that the specific and important rules are uniformly applied and enforced. The members (and officers) all agreed to obey our policies and procedures when joining. This means they volunteer to do what the department requires them to do. The volunteer officers lead as directed to lead.
The enforcement of rules is the most difficult task for all officers (newly appointed and veteran) to successfully accomplish. New officers are challenged by the membership on all decisions and comments the new officer makes. In the eyes of the membership, the success of an officer lies in the way they acted and reacted in their first year as an appointed officer. An officer who has a negative stigma attached by the membership will have a hard job to overturn that stigma.
The appointment of an officer demands respect from the membership, congratulations; however, the most successful officer earns the respect of the membership based upon his/her actions and attitude at all times.
Refer to the following guidelines to assist you in dealing with conflict resolution.
- Public embarrassment does not work, and will not be tolerated.
- When a member is out of line, the officer must act within the chain-of-command, and approach the member one-on-one, as soon as possible. In general, a delay in responding to a problem will result in additional problems.
- The officer should not assume an immediate conclusion and interpretation of an incident until all of the facts are heard. 99% of the time, the immediate conclusion is wrong. Always start with non-confrontational questions to get all sides of the story. The officer's job is to diffuse a problem, not make it escalate.
- There are always a minimum of three sides to every story - your side, my side, and the truth. The officer's job is to find the truth.
- The officer will not always have the answers to resolve a situation, or be able to distinguish the truth. Do not tell the member what they want to hear. It is very easy for an inexperienced (or veteran) officer to allow personal feelings toward a member cloud their decision. If you do not have the answer, or feel there is a personal conflict of interest, tell the member you will get help and move the incident up the chain of command.
- An officer's reaction to a situation will affect more than just the relationship between the officer and the member(s) out of line. The reaction of an officer will also affect the moral of the entire station.
- Every officer has his/her own views and opinion as to how certain events that occur in the fire service could have evolved more efficiently. It is imperative for the officer to carefully choose their battles; remember the story of the boy who cried wolf.
- Some problems can be resolved just by letting another member vent, and then a follow-up discussion. Others require intervention before a small problem develops into a big problem. This is a very difficult behavioral skill for a new officer to develop, but is essential for their success as an officer.
- Conflict between officers will not be tolerated. If two officers disagree on an issue, they will not display this disagreement in front of the membership. Officers must always relay on each other for support in all cases. Disagreements must be resolved behind closed doors, and not discussed with the membership, regardless of the officer's personal feelings toward each other. HVFD's officers must always represent Hyattsville's best interest and departmental goals. Conflicts between officers during emergency operations will be resolved immediately via the chain-of-command. After the incident, the two officers then must resolve the disagreement behind closed doors.
- Crafty jokes, comments, and remarks referring to a recent situation/conflict between two members, an officer and member, or two officers can rekindle a settled situation. Act mature at all times and do not initiate another conflict by what may seem a crafty comment.
- Humility can be an officer's best ally in a given situation.
OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES
The company officer is responsible for following Prince Georges' County General Orders, The Hyattsville VFD Station Handbook, and other orders as directed by the Chief at all times. Refer to the following general guidelines to assist you in accomplishing that task…
- Always maintain crew integrity and safety at all times.
- The officer must provide clear and concise instructions to the crew, even before receiving an alarm:
- Establish riding assignments;
- Provide the driver with clear and precise instructions as to running route and apparatus position, obtain confirmation the driver understands your orders;
- Provide the crew with your clear and precise instructions as to their assignments and objectives. Do not just get off the apparatus and run to the front door.
- Ensure your assignments have been carried out successfully.
Always know your objective and assignment.
- Know when to stand on your position and when to swallow your pride.
- In non-emergency scenarios (drivers training, errands, etc.) constantly run emergency scenarios through your head, (how would you run this building, how would you handle this type of call).
- The officers must know our first due and 1st alarm area. The department and citizens we serve cannot afford us not knowing our area and making an inexcusable or deadly mistake.
- Be cognizant of where your crew and other crews are operating at all times.
- Be cognizant of escape routes (i.e., windows, fire escapes, ground ladders).
- The failure of the incident commander and/or company officer to anticipate future conditions have resulted in countless fireground and rescue failures. The company officer must always be one step ahead of the emergency at hand. Plan your deployment of apparatus, crew, equipment and resources so you are prepared for the next step, not reacting to it. Prior to the arrival of a Chief officer, the first arriving company officer is the incident commander; and what the company officer does in the first 3 minutes will determine what is done for the next 3 hours.