Fire Officer Communication and Development

• Psychomotor skill sets are classified into four categories: Initial, Plateau, Latency, and Mastery.

Firefighter Onboarding and Initial Expectations

• The initial meeting with a new firefighter should cover station procedures upon alarm receipt, mentor assignment, and training restrictions.
• Fire Fighter 1 certification is often required before field response.

Mandated Emergency Training Topics

• Federal regulations mandate training on bloodborne pathogens, hazardous materials, SCBA fit testing, and the National Incident Management System (NIMS).

Bloodborne Pathogens Training

• 29 CFR mandates bloodborne pathogens training covering the department's exposure control plan, lasting about 4 hours.

Hazardous Materials Training

• Awareness level: First responders recognize potential hazardous materials emergencies, isolate the area, and call for assistance.
• Operations level: First responders recognize potential emergencies, isolate and deny entry, evacuate those in danger, and take defensive actions without product contact.

SCBA Fit Testing

• SCBA fit testing is required for all respiratory protection users, including training, mask fit testing, and health monitoring, often covered in the Fire Fighter 1 program.

National Incident Management System (NIMS)

• NIMS provides a consistent framework for all jurisdictional levels, creating an all-hazard template within the federal national response plan.

New Firefighter Expected Behaviors

• Three categories: Responding to alarms, on-scene activity, and emergency procedures.
• 15-year-old trainees are prohibited from operating inside burning buildings.
• Some departments restrict trainee emergency response until achieving Initial Fire Fighter 1 certification.

Developing a Training Program

• Five steps: Assess needs, establish objectives, develop the program, deliver the training, and evaluate the impact.

PASS Device Integration

• The PASS device, integrated into the SCBA, activates when the high-pressure hose is charged.

Training Objective Measurement

• The measure of performance in firefighter evolutions is often described in terms of the time required to complete a task properly.

Delivering Training

• New trainings should undergo a pilot class or trial run before finalization.
• A lesson plan should be developed for every training program.

Good Lesson Plan Criteria

• Organizes the lesson
• Identifies key points
• Can be reused
• Allows others to teach the program

Fire Service Innovations

• Reading smoke, size-up techniques, and the "Rapid Intervention" program were developed by fire officers and firefighters.

Promotional Exams

• Assess a candidate's ability to exercise good judgment and make sound decisions guided by organizational values, guidelines, policies, and procedures.

Problem-Solving Techniques

• Designed to identify and evaluate realistic potential solutions to a problem and determine the best decision.

Complaints and Conflicts

• A complaint expresses grief, regret, pain, censure, resentment, lamentation, accusation, or fault-finding.
• A conflict is a state of opposition between two parties; a complaint is often a manifestation of a conflict.

Mistakes

• Defined as an error or fault resulting from bad judgment, deficient knowledge, carelessness, misconception, or misunderstanding.
• The focus should be on addressing mistakes appropriately.

Dealing with Problems and Conflicts

• Requires maturity, patience, determination, and courage.

Categories of Problems for Fire Officers

• In-house issues: Typically resolved at the company officer level.
• Internal department issues: Require action from command officers at a higher level.
• External issues: Citizen complaints require fire officer supervisor awareness to avoid surprises.
• High-profile events: Senior fire administrators become directly involved or closely monitor handling (e.g., firefighter arrest while on duty).

Problem Resolution

• Problems should be resolved at the lowest possible level within an organization.
• If uncertain, a fire officer should discuss the issue with the next-level supervisor.
• The fire officer is the official first-level representative of the fire department administration.

Internal Conflict Situations

• Co-worker conflicts
• Atheist work environments, including the station, apparatus, or equipment
• Fire department policy or procedure disagreements
• Conflicts involving the fire officer's own behavior, decisions, or actions

Conflict Management Template

• The official response begins when the officer becomes aware of the problem's existence.
• The first phase involves gathering as much information as possible about the problem.

Complaint Handling

• The first phase involves active listening, being aware of non-verbal clues indicating emotions.

Informal Communication

• The kitchen is the most important room; coffee and food facilitate discussions and problem-solving.

Understanding Complaints

• The first objective is to understand the issue and why the individual is complaining.
• Paraphrasing and receiving feedback from the complainant helps ensure understanding and makes the complainant feel heard.

Investigations

• An investigation is a detailed inquiry or systematic examination.
• All complaints should be investigated.
• Fire department procedures dictate who conducts the investigation, depending on the complaint and relationship of those involved.

Investigative Report Objectives

• Clearly explain the issue.
• Provide a complete, impartial, and factual presentation of background information and relevant facts.
• Recommend an action plan based on and supported by the information.

Responses to an Investigation Report

• Take no further action: The complaint may be unfounded.
• Recommend the action requested by the complainant.
• Suggest an alternative solution: Compromise that makes sense to both parties.
• Refer the issue: Send to the office or person who can provide a remedy (e.g., payroll department).

Psychological Contracts

• Emotional confrontation between fire officers and firefighters may indicate clashing psychological contracts.
• This refers to mutual, unwritten expectations between an employee and employer regarding policies and practices.
• Beliefs are shaped by values, on-the-job experiences, and societal norms.

Emotional Bubbles

• When emotional, adrenaline interferes with the ability to hear or consider responses, creating an "emotional bubble."

Taigman's Conflict Resolution Model

• Drain the emotional bubble.
• Understand the complainant's viewpoint.
• Help the complainant feel understood.
• Identify the complainant's expectations for resolution.
• Use deep, active, and empathetic listening to drain the emotional bubble.

Complaint Discussions

• During discussions, avoid personal attacks and focus on the work issues.
• Ask the complainant what they would like done to resolve the issue, or describe the desired action for internal grievances.

Firefighter Suicide and Stress Warning Signs

• Since 2017, firefighter suicide rates have exceeded line-of-duty deaths.
• Stress warning signs: Isolation, disturbed sleep, increased irritability, decreased interest in activities, self-destructive behavior.

Substance Abuse

• Firefighters are heavier alcohol consumers; 58% reported binge drinking compared to 23% of males in the general population.
• Signs of substance abuse: Mood swings, loss of interest, missing work, change in diet, lack of care in appearance.

Unique Aspects of Firefighting

• Exposure to trauma
• Exposure to danger
• 24hr shifts

Essential Conversations to Keep Marriage Healthy

• Reentry time: Requires adjusting from fire ground warrior to loving spouse and parent.
• Harshness and gallows humor: Develop key phrases for the spouse to point out inappropriate behavior at home.
• Handling tough runs: Talk about bad calls with your spouse.
• Dealing with the fix-it mentality: Firefighters must remember not everything can be fixed.
• Keep your family first: Set boundaries so the fire service doesn’t push away the family.

Financial Stressors

• Greater personal debt: Student loans are up; auto loans average over 6 years.
• Stagnant purchasing power: Today's purchasing power is the same as in 1978.
• Slow recovery from recent recessions

Resiliency

• Adapting well to adversity, trauma, tragedy, or significant stress.

Fear

• Encountering a situation perceived as a threat.

Horror

• Reaction to a personally experienced situation (e.g., finding an infant burned in a fire).

Moral Injury

• Representing "perpetrating, failing to prevent, bearing witness to," acts that transgress deeply held moral beliefs and expectations.
• When there is a gap between what firefighters want to do and the conditions that they are confronting.

Acute Stress Disorder (ASD)

• A person who experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with a traumatic event may experience “numbing, reduced awareness, depersonalization, derealization, or amnesia.”
• Must last for a minimum of 3 days and a max of 4 weeks.

PTSD

• Characterized by symptoms of avoidance and nervous system arousal after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event.

Behavioral Health Resources for Firefighters

• National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
• Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance
• International Association of Fire Chiefs Safety
• International Association of Fire Fighters, Behavioral Health Program

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

• Helps employees cope with underlying issues affecting workplace performance.
• An officer must recognize stress in an employee.
• EAP is confidential and encourages voluntary participation.