Company Officer, 5th Ed. Exam Prep Audit Quiz

Question 1 of 50

Company officers should consider the fire and emergency services organization to be __________-oriented.
  Customer service
  Results
  Mission
  Task

Question 2 of 50

Which is a correct approach to take as a new company officer meeting challenges?
  I won't let promotion change my relationship with my friends
  I will use discretion to enforce only those policies I deem to be productive
  I will not let public perception affect how I do my job
  It will not publicly criticize my supervisors

Question 3 of 50

Which is a correct approach for managing the transition to company officer?
  Share confidential information only with those you can trust
  Do not be reluctant to remind them that you are in charge
  Be willing to acknowledge your own mistakes and failures
  Be willing to acknowledge the shortcomings of the organization

Question 4 of 50

Which approach is correct regarding praise and criticism?
  Do not publicly discipline or discredit a subordinate
  Do not permit yourself to be publicly criticized
  Do not encourage subordinates to offer you suggestions or feedback
  Do not single out a subordinate for praise in front of his peers

Question 5 of 50

Which is the method of last resort when seeking compliance from subordinates?
  Apply the appropriate supervisory technique for the situation
  Use your rank as a reason for compliance
  Project a command presence
  Work to earn the respect of subordinates

Question 6 of 50

A new company officer must enforce the rules and regulations of the agency. Which approach is most likely to be successful?
  Build the house one brick at a time
  Start tight, then go light
  Easy does it
  Gradually raise the bar

Question 7 of 50

Which NFPA standard addresses professional qualifications for fire officers?
  1581
  1901
  1500
  1021

Question 8 of 50

According to the NFPA, which item is part of a Level I company officer's duties?
  Efficient and equitable administration of agency policies and procedures
  Hiring, evaluation, promotion and dismissal of personnel
  Project conception, design and implementation
  Divisional fiscal administration and budget preparation

Question 9 of 50

Which statement is the best description of the company officer's responsibility regarding fire and life safety educational programs?
  His involvement in these types of programs is generally minimal
  He must be able to make presentations to members of the community
  He is responsible for forwarding these activities to the appropriate division of the agency
  He is responsible for delegating these activities to a capable subordinate

Question 10 of 50

When operating at a terrorist/criminal incident, a company officer should _________.
  Collection and preservation of evidence samples
  Interview witnesses and possible suspects
  Establish and maintain crime scene security
  Detain persons of interest

Question 11 of 50

The NFPA has established standards for _____ levels of fire officer.
  2
  3
  4
  5

Question 12 of 50

A company officer should be careful to avoid __________.
  Seeing themselves as "public servants"
  Allowing personal ethical principles to influence professional behavior
  Acting as a representative of company members to the administration
  Putting popularity with his/her crew above enforcing agency policies

Question 13 of 50

As a company officer, how should you respond to an order that is unpopular with your crew?
  Privately discuss your questions and concerns with the administration
  Openly and honestly discuss the flaws and merits of the order with your crew
  Devise a strategy which will minimize the impact of the order while appearing to comply with it
  State that you agree with your crew's criticisms but that compliance is not optional

Question 14 of 50

For which one of a company officer's roles is ethical conduct of particular importance?
  Role model
  Supervisor
  Leader
  Mentor

Question 15 of 50

The success of any fire and emergency services organization is directly proportional to its ________.
  Funding
  Leadership
  Community involvement
  Management

Question 16 of 50

When might it be appropriate to say something that might dishonor a person, a position, or the organization?
  When they are clearly in the wrong
  When the officer must do so to protect his/her subordinates
  When legal violations have occurred
  Never

Question 17 of 50

To ease the transition to officer, the new officer should __________.
  Attempt to establish friendships with those they supervise before exercising authority
  Adopt an appropriate level of humility and respect for those they supervise
  Require the respect of subordinate
  Quickly establish their authority over those they supervise

Question 18 of 50

Of the choices listed, which is the most common title for the head of a fire department?
  Supervisor
  Administrator
  Commissioner
  Commander

Question 19 of 50

Which is the common organizational structure used in the fire service?
  Vertical
  Top centralized
  Adaptive
  Scalar

Question 20 of 50

The phrase "having an uninterrupted series of steps" best describes which organizational structure?
  Vertical
  Flat decentralized
  Collaborative
  Scalar

Question 21 of 50

"The order of rank and authority in an organization" best defines which term?
  Scalar organization
  Span of control
  Chain of command
  Unity of command

Question 22 of 50

Which statement about a scalar organization is the most correct?
  It eliminates intermediate organizational levels
  The chain of command is more vulnerable to disruption than with other organizational structures
  Authority is mostly decentralized
  Information is generally centralized

Question 23 of 50

What is the primary function of line personnel?
  Support staff personnel
  Support the firefighters
  Supervision
  Deliver services to the public

Question 24 of 50

What is the primary function of staff personnel?
  Delivery of service to the public
  Support of line personnel
  Administration/management
  Supervision/leadership

Question 25 of 50

__________ is a person's legal power to execute decisions and the accountability for those decisions.
  Command
  Authority
  Administration
  Management

Question 26 of 50

Which term means an organizational structure where decisions are made by one individual at the top of the structure?
  Centralized authority
  Unified command
  Concentrated authority
  Executive authority

Question 27 of 50

Which term means an organizational structure where authority is delegated to varying levels within the organization?
  Unified command
  Divisional
  Decentralized authority
  Delegated authority

Question 28 of 50

In which setting is centralized authority most effective?
  Small organizations or groups
  When there are large numbers of subordinates
  Tasks which are complex and highly specialized
  Operations dispersed over a large geographic area

Question 29 of 50

Which statement about decentralized authority is correct?
  Authority for making decisions is delegated to the lowest possible level
  It allows specific tasks to be performed at various levels within the organization
  It should be distributed equally throughout the organizational structure
  The potential for duplication of effort is minimized

Question 30 of 50

Which statement about decentralized authority is correct?
  It works well for decision making but not for accomplishing tasks
  Decision-making power is retained by the delegating authority
  The agency chief must be kept informed of all decisions being made at lower levels
  It allows upper management to focus on other matters

Question 31 of 50

Which statement about delegation of tasks is the most correct?
  Tasks may be delegated, but authority cannot be delegated
  It gives the supervisor an opportunity to develop the subordinate's skill set
  A task that cannot be performed by most subordinates should not be delegated
  Reluctance to delegate shows a lack of trust in the supervisor for his/her subordinates

Question 32 of 50

Which principle states that every individual should report to only one designated supervisor?
  Functional supervision
  Unity of command
  Chain of command
  Span of control

Question 33 of 50

Which is considered an acceptable exception to unity of command?
  The "end-run"
  Division of labor
  Decentralization of authority
  Functional supervision

Question 34 of 50

What is a common cause of the use of functional supervision?
  Line personnel involved in activities supervised by staff officers
  Adoption of participatory management techniques
  Poorly defined and/or poorly adhered to chain of command
  Having to do more with fewer resources

Question 35 of 50

A company officer reporting directly to a staff officer regarding a specialized area of responsibility is an example of __________.
  Decentralized authority
  Division of labor
  Functional supervision
  Unified command

Question 36 of 50

When does unity of command break down?
  A supervisor has too many subordinates to effectively manage
  A subordinate answers to more than one supervisor
  There is no accountability for poor performance or recognition of good performance
  There are repeated transfers of command

Question 37 of 50

Two different officers are giving conflicting orders to a single subordinate. Which organizational principle has been violated?
  Unity of command
  Functional supervision
  Span of control
  Chain of command

Question 38 of 50

"The path of responsibility from the top to the bottom of anorganization" is __________.
  The chain of command
  Scalar organization
  Unity of command
  The one-boss principle

Question 39 of 50

An employee is playing one boss against another boss which allowshim to get away with doing very little work. Which organizationalprinciple has been violated?
  Unity of command
  Chain of command
  Span of control
  Division of labor

Question 40 of 50

Conflicting and contradictory orders from different bosses have resulted in a frustrated and discouraged employee. Which organizational principle has been violated?
  Functional supervision
  Unity of command
  Chain of command
  Span of control

Question 41 of 50

Instead of talking to his company officer, a disgruntled firefighter goes directly to a chief officer with his complaint. Which organizational principle has been violated?
  Division of labor
  Unity of command
  Functional supervision
  Span of control

Question 42 of 50

A firefighter begins to ventilate at a location specified by his captain. Along comes a chief who tells the firefighter to cut the hole somewhere else. Which organizational principle has been violated?
  Span of control
  Functional supervision
  Unity of command
  Division of labor

Question 43 of 50

In which circumstance might sidestepping be justified?
  A subordinate views the immediate supervisor as part of the problem
  The immediate supervisor is reluctant to delegate authority
  The subordinate is a highly productive, motivated worker
  There is no such circumstance

Question 44 of 50

What is the term for a subordinate informing his/her immediate supervisor that he/she wishes to take an issue directly to the next level?
  Skip level notification
  Informed end-run
  Sidestepping
  Formal bypassing

Question 45 of 50

Which principle states that a supervisor can effectively manage a limited number or subordinates?
  Span of control
  Unity of command
  The one-boss principle
  Division of labor

Question 46 of 50

Span of control for NIMS-ICS is _____ subordinates reporting to a single supervisor.
  8 to 12
  3 to 7
  5 to 8
  5 to 10

Question 47 of 50

Generally, the ideal span of control in NIMS-ICS is _____ to subordinates to one supervisor.
  4
  7
  3
  5

Question 48 of 50

What will be the immediate result of failure to apply the principle of span of control?
  Numerous subordinates overwhelming a single supervisor
  Subordinates accountable to more than one supervisor
  Confusing or contradictory chain of command
  Committing more resources than needed to the incident

Question 49 of 50

Which factor increases a supervisor's effective span of control?
  Crew members physically separated by distance
  Well-trained, experienced subordinates
  Responsibility for dissimilar tasks
  Tasks that must be performed quickly

Question 50 of 50

Which factor decreases a supervisor's effective span of control?
  No time constraints
  Routine tasks
  Close physical proximity to subordinates
  Complex tasks

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