Fire Officer 1

Chapter 1

Knowledge Check

1. To become a role model who crew members will respect and try to emulate, a new company officer should:

tell all unit members about past achievements.

master all skills for the job before appointment.

recognize which skills he or she is lacking and work to develop them.

work to make friends with all subordinates and Level III and IV Officers.

2. Why must a company officer, as a public servant, meet their community's needs with competence, courtesy, and efficiency?

Good customer service is essential to the health and safety standards of the agency.

Good customer service is essential to maintain a positive public perception of the agency.

Positive contacts within the community will help the company officer change group dynamics.

Community perceptions will impact the internal and external expectations of a new company officer.

3. In order to minimize antagonism, resentment, and loss of friendship during the transition into their new positions, company officers may have to:

make personal changes.

become aggressive.

become submissive.

move to a new unit.

4. In order to preserve group dynamics, a new company officer should:

make widespread changes.

attempt to emulate the previous officer's behaviors.

verbalize personal expectations, establish priorities, and listen to crew member expectations.

ask crew members if they want to carry on with the previous officer's methods or make changes.

5. Ethical conduct takes on a greater importance for a new company officer because the officer:

has a less authoritative leadership role.

no longer has a supervisor to police his or her behavior.

is likely to be offered bribes by the public or subordinates.

is a role model for the unit's subordinate members and peers, as well as for the public.

6. Attempts to duplicate the previous officer's behavior and personality can:

preserve group dynamics.

create resentment and loss of respect for the new officer.

lead the new company officer through a successful transition.

assure that the new company officer will be accepted by unit members.

7. How should a company officer deal with criticisms and questions about organizational policies and procedures from crew members?

Policies and procedures should be discussed with unit members to determine majority op1mon.

Complaining crew members should be ignored and all policies and procedures assumed to be correct and fair.

The company officer should discuss the matter privately with the administration to search for solutions or clarity.

Policies and procedures should be discussed with other departments to determine whether policies are consistent.

8. For the officer who is promoted or selected from within the organization, the challenge will be to:

make the change from unit member to unit leader.

make the change from unit uniforms to officer blues.

manage the change in pay and benefits that come with the promotion.

manage the change from being friends with crew members to being their enemy.

9. Expectations from subordinates, peers, family, superiors, and the public that company officers must learn to meet are referred to as:

internal expectations.

professional criticism.

external expectations.

professional pressures.

10. An unattainable or unreasonable internal expectation of a new company officer is:

believing they can change the world.

knowing that the only person they can change is themselves.

a public pressure that expects the company officer to have all the answers.

firefighter peers expecting a new officer to overlook policy infractions because of friendship.

 Loading...