FIR 138 - Principles of Fire Prevention

1. Define the national fire problem and the main issues relating thereto
   1. Discuss the fire problem in the United States and give reasons for its existence.
   2. Contrast the fire record of the United States with other countries
   3. Name organizations that have been instrumental in our nation”s fire prevention efforts
   4. Discuss the effect that timing has on the adoption and enforcement, or lack of enforcement, of fire prevention regulations
2. Recognize the need, responsibilities, and importance of fire prevention as part of an overall mix of fire protection
   1. Discuss the role of the federal and state governments in the prevention of fires and the reduction in fire deaths and injuries
   2. Contrast the roles between the two levels of government in the prevention of fires
   3. Name the watershed federal fire programs, and describe the events or national conditions that led to their creation
   4. List the fire prevention functions performed by traditional fire prevention bureaus, and describe nontraditional systems for delivery of those services
   5. List federal agencies with fire prevention missions, and describe their missions and programs
3. Review minimum professional qualification at the state and national level for Fire Inspector, Fire Investigator, and Public Educator
   1. Discuss the benefits of staffing fire prevention bureaus with uniformed firefighters, civilian personnel, and a combination of both
   2. Discuss the value of national certification for fire prevention staff
   3. Name the MFPA professional qualifications standards for their prevention personnel
   4. Define the term job performance requirement and discuss the impact of JPRs on certification
   5. Define and contrast accreditation and certification as it applies to fire prevention bureau personnel
4. Define the elements of a plan review program
   1. Discuss the reasons construction plans are reviewed prior to construction
   2. List the types of plans that fire departments typically review
   3. Discuss the benefits of fire department involvement in plan review for the business community
5. Identify the laws, rules, codes, and other regulations relevant to fire protection of the authority(s) having Jurisdiction
   1. Describe the origin of the model code system in the United States
   2. List the major model code organizations and describe the evolution of model code organizations in the United States
   3. Describe the code change process used by the model code organizations
   4. Describe the methods of code adoption by states and local governments
   5. Discuss the impact of the agendas of groups participating in the model code process
6. Discuss the inspection process as part of a fire prevention effort
   1. Define the term acceptable risk and discuss its impact on the level of code enforcement
   2. Discuss the potential impact of inspections on a jurisdiction’s fire record
   3. Define the term selective enforcement as applied to fire codes
7. Discuss fire prevention through investigation
   1. Identify local, state, and federal agencies involved in the investigation of fires
   2. Describe the benefits of effective fire investigation
   3. Identify the various roles adopted by fire departments to investigate fires
   4. Identify agencies and organizations that provide fire investigations training
   5. Discuss the use of case closure rate and conviction rate as a measure of effectiveness for fire investigation units
8. Discuss the major programs for public education
   1. Discuss and contrast the use of local and national fire statistics in the developing fire safety education programs
   2. Describe the impact of “America Burning” on the role of fire departments in public fire safety education
   3. 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
   4. Discuss the role of media in public fire safety education
9. Identify and discuss the importance of fire prevention records and record keeping
   1. Describe what is meant by the terms public record and retention schedule
   2. Describe the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and its impact on the day-to-day working of government
   3. Discuss the reasons for the exemptions included in the FOIA
   4. Discuss the benefits of electronic information management systems (IMS) in the operation of a fire prevention program
   5. Discuss the potential impact of poor planning and implementation of an electronic IMS