I have written many times before about corporate leaders and the duties and responsibilities these people have. Their effect on all aspects of the American fire service is immense.
Within the ranks of company officer, there is the rank of captain. Since the command structure of fire departments varies with specific titles and the duties associated with them, this column covers the duties and responsibilities of a fire department captain who is a company officer. Additionally, the captain referred to here works with junior officers/lieutenants who perform many of the same day-to-day duties as a captain, but few of the larger, more administrative duties.
What are the things the captain manages and who are the people a captain interacts with? What are the contributions of captains to the service, to their company and to firefighters?
Interactions and Contributions
You can have a career captain on one watch and lieutenants commanding the other watches. You can have a senior captain on one shift and more junior captains (time in rank) working on the other shift; in a company of volunteers, a captain and one or two lieutenants. Whatever the exact structure, there can and should be a ‘company commander’. The advantage of a single commanding officer is that he sets the stage for the appropriate and most efficient organizational process for the company and the department.
What exactly does the captain do that the other company officers don’t?
Captains not only supervise the firefighters during the shift, but they also have overall administrative responsibility for the firefighters who work the other shifts with the other officers. Yes, junior lieutenants or captains on another shift have to deal with day-to-day, routine situations and issues that arise during their shift or involve “their” firefighters, but if the situation gets out of control or becomes difficult to manage, the junior officer can report it. the captain. This step does not have to be done for every problem, but this option is always available if needed.
In many departments, the company captain or commander is the only company officer who supervises other company officers. This is often handled informally via shift change chats, emails and text messages. Nevertheless, it is always carried out for the purpose of continuity and standardization of unity. Suppose the captain and the other officers of the watch discuss and decide that the firefighter “in irons” will ride in the seat behind the officer, and that the firefighter’s tools will be stored in the compartment just aft of the compartment door Crew: That decision is done, and the other officers won’t even think about adjusting that during their shift. Most political and tactical arrangements are “set” and are not adjusted or changed without the approval of the company commander.
Dramatically influential
Many more hours are spent in the fire station than on fires or other responses, and the captain once again rules the roost. Fire station policy that relates to training times, appliance work, maintenance of tools and equipment, trainee firefighter routines, and other day-to-day work-related issues and activities is often established by the captain. In departments where four or five people drive the device, how each is assigned a position may vary from company to company. Often the captain decides or delegates this to each officer for that individual’s shift.
Thus, even though the captain’s position in the chain of command is lower than that of the battalion commander, whose function of fire and emergency command is effectively absolute, the captain occupies an extremely influential position within the department. Yes, the leader can stop and give instructions to the captain or give orders which will be followed, but the influence of the captain is wider. The captain oversees the entire company, establishes and enforces company policy, inspires and energizes firefighters and company leaders, and has a tremendous effect on company reputation and performance.
