Texas Fire Chief - Fall/Winter 2008 - (Page 41)

department to help maintain order in seemingly chaotic situations. The primary group of the fi re department human service provider is the engine company or ambulance crew. This team provides direct, personal service to the community on an individual task level, dealing with social problems one customer at a time. This group interacts with a true cross-section of the population including business and homeowners, officials from all levels of government, religious, academic and medical institutions in the course of their duties. They regularly interact with law enforcement officers, hospital emergency service providers, social services providers as they engage people in emergency situations who may never have had a need to call for help from human service providers before. Individual members of the primary group have learned to treat fellow human beings with the utmost respect as their patients or customers. Fire fighters are allowed to employ their individual strategies to cope with the immediate problem at hand. Emergency situations may be frightening and bewildering to the customer, but emergency situations must be taken in stride by human service providers who assure and support the needs of their customer with a professional, caring attitude. In some instances, however, “They facilitate adjustment to the problem but do not ultimately resolve it” (Lauer and Lauer, 2004, p 5). The role of the department head, or Fire Chief, in the primary group is to convey the values of the fi re department and community at large to the local governing body and explain how the fi re department can help protect those values through efficient, effective delivery of emergency services. The aspects of this service delivery may deviate from the regional cultural norms depending on the region and local ability to fund and support emergency services, but ultimately the quality of life in the local community is adversely affected by decreased ability to provide adequate emergency services for whatever reasons my be. Everyone is affected, though some suffer far more than others. Because of the diminished quality of life, we defi ne these contradictions and the conditions they create as social problems (Lauer and Lauer, 2004, p 9). In conclusion, the effectiveness of the organization and ultimately the fire service leader is dependent on how effectively he or she communicates the mission to all members of the department. Donnelly (1992) notes, “It’s what employees do when their manager is not around that ultimately determines how effective the manager will be.” Both managers and fire fighters will come and go over time, but the organizational values must be perpetuated along with its culture of helping others in need with personal and social problems as quickly and effectively as possible. Fire Apparatus Maintenance & Repair Mega-Max 6000 for SCBA & SCUBA refills High Pressure Breathing Air Compressor The most compact and light weight 6000 psi high pressure breathing air compressor on the market today. Specifically designed for high air demand, at a fast rate, from 16 cfm to 21 cfm, for fire departments, military and commercial applications. tm Stewart & Stevenson is a “bumper to bumper” fire apparatus maintenance and repair supplier. Certified technicians available 24/7. You fight the fires — Let us take care of the rest. For information on the sales and service support location* nearest you, call us today. Dallas 214-631-5370 1631 Chalk Hill Road Dallas, Texas 75212 Houston 713- 671-6220 8631 East Freeway Houston, Texas 77029 San Antonio 210-662-1000 5717 IH-10 East San Antonio, Texas 78219 *Products and services vary by location. • • • • • • • Fully automatic – continuous duty unit For SCBA/SCUBA cylinder refills Rated at 25.2scfm*/20HP or 19.2scfm*/15HP Compact size with a sound attenuated, powder coated cabinet Exceeds all CGA/NFPA standards for Grade “E” breathing air Programmable Logic Control (PLC) with fault light and shut down features Easy to service and maintain GSA CONTRACT GS-07F-9245S Max-Air offers a complete line of stationary, mobile, diesel, gasoline or electric units. Call today for more information about our Compressors, Custom Air Storage & Cascade Systems. *based on charging an 80 cu.ft. cylinder from 500 to 3000 psig www.max-air.com info@max-air.com (830)257-5006 – fax (830)257-3720 Kerrville Texas USA TEXAS FIRE CHIEF Fall/Winter 2008 41 http://www.max-air.com http://www.stewartandstevenson.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Texas Fire Chief - Fall/Winter 2008

Texas Fire Chief - Fall/Winter 2008 Contents Executive Director’s Report Texas Fire Chiefs Academy Project Reports Southwest Fire Rescue Conference Program Membership Application Customer Service Orientation in Fire Rescue Departments A Visit to the E-One Plant Index to Advertisers

Texas Fire Chief - Fall/Winter 2008

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