Fire Officer Exam (FOE) flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Span of control

The number of subordinates one supervisor can effectively manage; in incident command the recommended range is three to seven, with five considered optimal.

POSDCORB

A management acronym for planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting, and budgeting, used to describe administrative functions in a fire department.

Zero-based budgeting

A budget method that requires each program or expenditure to be justified from a zero base every budget cycle rather than using the prior year's budget as the starting point.

Garrity rights

Protections for public employees subjected to compelled investigative statements; such statements cannot be used against the employee in a criminal proceeding, though administrative use is allowed.

Weingarten rights

A unionized employee's right to have a union representative present during an investigatory interview that the employee reasonably believes may result in discipline.

Loudermill hearing

A public employee's due-process right to notice of charges and an opportunity to respond before being deprived of a property interest such as continued employment.

Occupant load

The computed number of people a building or area is designed to hold, based on floor area and use, used to size exits, egress, and life-safety features.

Knox box

A secure key box mounted at a building entrance that allows fire personnel to access keys or controls during an emergency, reducing forced entry and delay.

Certificate of occupancy

A document issued by the code authority confirming that a building complies with applicable codes and may be occupied for its approved use.

Fire cause classifications

The four standardized cause categories are accidental, natural, incendiary, and undetermined; the classification reflects the investigation's best-supported determination.

NFPA 921

A guide for fire and explosion investigations that describes the scientific method, origin and cause analysis, fire patterns, and documentation practices used by investigators.

Chain of custody

A documented record of who collected, handled, transferred, and stored evidence, used to show that evidence has not been altered or contaminated.

RECEO-VS

A tactical sequence: Rescue, Exposures, Containment, Extinguishment, Overhaul, Ventilation, and Salvage; it organizes fireground priorities, though ventilation may occur earlier when coordinated.

Iowa fire flow formula

The Iowa fire flow formula estimates needed fire flow in gallons per minute as 100 times the square root of building volume in cubic feet divided by 100.

Defensive fire strategy

A tactic that operates from outside the structure, often using master streams, when savable life or property is not achievable or collapse risk makes interior operations too dangerous.

Unified Command

An incident command arrangement in which multiple agencies with jurisdiction or responsibility jointly set objectives and coordinate action without relinquishing their own authority.

NIMS

The National Incident Management System provides a consistent nationwide framework for command, communications, resource management, preparedness, and coordinated response across all responders.

ADDIE model

An instructional design model with five phases: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation; it provides a systematic approach to building training.

Kirkpatrick levels

Four training evaluation levels: reaction, learning, behavior, and results; they measure satisfaction, knowledge gain, on-the-job performance, and organizational outcomes.

NFPA 1041

The standard for fire service instructor professional qualifications; it defines instructor levels, knowledge, and skills for delivering fire service training.

Emergency Response Guidebook

A guidebook for initial response to hazardous materials incidents, organized by yellow identification number, blue material name, orange response guide, and green isolation distances.

Hot zone

The contaminated area at a hazardous materials incident where only personnel in appropriate protective equipment and with established control operate.

Level A PPE

The highest chemical protective ensemble, providing vapor-tight encapsulation with self-contained breathing apparatus, used when skin or respiratory exposure to vapors is high.

Type IV construction

Heavy timber construction using large solid or laminated wood members with limited concealed spaces and required fire-resistance ratings; common in older mills and warehouses.

Flashover

The transition to full-room fire involvement when heat feedback ignites most combustible surfaces nearly simultaneously; typical gas temperatures approach 1,100°F (600°C).

Class I standpipe

A standpipe system with 2.5-inch connections intended for fire department use, typically located in stairwells of buildings where hose lines cannot reach upper floors easily.

START triage

Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment sorts patients by respirations, perfusion, and mental status into immediate, delayed, minor, and deceased categories.

CPR compression rate

Adult chest compressions should be delivered at 100 to 120 per minute with a depth of at least 2 inches and no more than 2.4 inches.

Tourniquet

A device applied proximal to a life-threatening extremity hemorrhage to occlude arterial flow; it should be tightened until bleeding stops and the time recorded.

Five E's

A prevention framework: education, enforcement, engineering, environment, and emergency response; it guides community risk reduction strategies across multiple approaches.

Community risk reduction

A process that identifies local risks, prioritizes them using data, and implements integrated strategies to reduce injury, death, and property loss.

Smoke alarm replacement

Smoke alarms should be tested monthly and replaced every 10 years or per manufacturer instructions; ionization and photoelectric types detect different fire conditions.