FIR 221 - Fire Prevention

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to: 

• Explain the basis for fire prevention. 

• Describe public fire prevention organizations and functions. 

• Describe private fire protection and prevention organizations. 

• Explain how the codes process accomplishes fire prevention. 

• Explain how fire prevention is accomplished through plan review. 

• Explain how fire prevention is accomplished through inspection. 

• Describe the processes involved in fire protection system testing. 

• List other fire prevention functions. 

• Explain how fire prevention is accomplished through investigation. 

• Describe fire prevention activities through public education, awareness, and the public forum. 

• List recordkeeping requirements for fire prevention operations. 

• Explain personnel issues surrounding fire prevention. 

• Understand the importance of financial management in fire prevention programs. 

• Explain the concepts of community risk reduction. 

Student Learning Outcomes: 

• Discuss the fire problem in the United States and give reasons for its existence. 

• Contrast the fire record of the United States with the records of other countries. 

• Name organizations that have been instrumental in our nation’s fire prevention efforts. 

• Discuss the effect that timing has on the adoption and enforcement of fire prevention regulations. 

• Discuss the role of federal, state, and local governments in the prevention of fires and the reduction in fire deaths and injuries. 

• Contrast the roles among the three levels of government in the prevention of fires. 

• Name the watershed federal fire programs and describe the events or national conditions that led to their creation. 

• List the fire prevention functions performed by traditional fire prevention bureaus and describe nontraditional systems for delivery of those services. 

• List federal agencies involved in fire prevention and describe their missions and programs. 

• Discuss the role of private industry in local, state, and national fire prevention efforts. 

• List five industries and professions involved in fire prevention. 

• Describe the role of the insurance industry in fire prevention and risk management. 

• Describe the role of the design professional in fire prevention and protection. 

• Describe the role played by industry trade associations in fire prevention and protection. 

• Describe the origin of the model code system in the United States. 

• List and explain the major model code organizations and describe the evolution of model code organizations in the United States. 

• Describe the code change process used by the model code organizations. 

• Describe the methods of code adoption by states and local governments. 

• Discuss the impact of the agendas of groups participating in the model code process. 

• Discuss the reasons construction plans are reviewed before construction. 

• Describe the types of plans that fire departments typically review. 

• List five potential site plan items for review. 

• Discuss the benefits of fire department involvement in plan review for the business community. 

• Define the term acceptable risk and discuss its impact on the level of code enforcement. 

• Discuss the potential impact of inspections on a jurisdiction’s fire record. 

• Define the term selective enforcement as applied to fire codes. 

• Describe two methods of determining inspection priorities and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of both. 

• Discuss the fire officer’s role in the inspection of existing occupancies and regulation of new construction. 

• List the four elements that contribute to fire protection system reliability. 

• Discuss the impact of unreliable fire protection systems on the public, the business community, and the fire service. 

• Describe the fire code official’s role in the inspection and testing of fire protection systems. 

• Explain the importance of systems acceptance tests, maintenance and periodic inspections, and retests. 

• List and describe government functions that are sometimes assigned to fire prevention bureaus. 

• Describe the rationale used to justify assigning nontraditional functions to fire prevention bureaus. 

• Discuss how assigning nontraditional functions to fire prevention bureaus can benefit the public. 

• Discuss how assigning nontraditional functions may impact the mission of fire prevention bureaus. 

• Identify local, state, and federal agencies involved in the investigation of fires. 

• Describe the benefits of effective fire investigation. 

• Identify the various roles adopted by fire departments to investigate fires. 

• Identify agencies and organizations that provide fire investigation training. 

• Discuss the use of case closure rate and conviction rate as measures of effectiveness for fire investigation units. 

• Discuss the importance of the public’s support in implementing fire safety education programs. 

• Discuss and contrast the use of local and national fire statistics in developing fire safety education programs. 

• Describe the impact of America Burning on the role of fire departments in public fire safety education. 

• Describe the five-step process for public fire safety education planning and discuss the importance of planning in the development of fire safety education programs. 

• Discuss the role of the media in public fire safety education. 

• Describe what is meant by the terms public record and retention schedule. 

• Describe the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and its impact on fire prevention bureau functions. 

• Discuss the reasons for the exemptions included in the FOIA. 

• Discuss the role of an information management system (IMS) within fire prevention bureau operations, and compare and contrast the benefits of using manual and electronic systems. 

• Discuss the importance of adequately planning and implementing an electronic IMS. 

• Discuss the benefits of staffing fire prevention bureaus with uniformed fire fighters, civilian personnel, and a combination of both. 

• Discuss the value of national certification for fire prevention bureau staff. 

• Identify the National Fire Protection Association’s professional qualification standards for fire prevention bureau personnel. 

• Define the term job performance requirement and discuss the impact of job performance requirements on certification. 

• Define and contrast accreditation and certification as they apply to fire prevention bureau personnel. 

• Describe the purpose of public budgeting. 

• Describe the use of a budget as a tool for planning within the fire prevention bureau. 

• Define and describe the terms operating budget and capital budget or capital improvement budget. 

• Discuss the use of different budget formats and the strengths and weaknesses of each. 

• Discuss the difference between user fees and taxes. 

• Discuss the steps involved in developing and implementing a user-fee system. 

• Describe the concept of community risk reduction. 

• Discuss the origin of the fire service’s involvement in community risk reduction. 

• Define and contrast the terms human-created risk and naturally occurring risk. 

• Describe the purpose and components of a community risk analysis. 

• Discuss the importance of data in performing a community risk analysis.