FSMT362 - Fire Administration and Finance

Course Objectives: Please see the Course Outline below for the weeks that correspond with these course objectives:

CO-01: Discuss the elements of effective department administrators.

CO-02: Discuss the effectiveness of group decision-making.

CO-03: Discuss primary funding sources as well as the need for alternative funding sources.

CO-04: Describe potential disciplinary actions in reference to unsafe procedure or not following SOPs.

CO-05: Discuss how demographic trends in the United States are affecting fire services.

CO-06: Discuss the benefits of a health and wellness program in the fire service.

CO-07: Discuss strategic planning and the goals and objectives of a strategic initiative.

CO-08: Explain the concept of change and the need to be aware of future trends in fire management.

CO-09: Explain the economic crises fire departments are facing and the creative solutions being used to cope with their shrinking budgets.

Grades for this course will be based upon four grading instruments:

1. Forums (9): There are nine graded forums that can be found by clicking the classroom Forum tab. The student, when directed by the instructor, will respond to the postings of other students. You will not receive a grade until you have responded to the proper number of students or the assignment has closed. Please have your initial post in the forum by 11:55 pm (ET) on Thursday night and your replies posted by 11:55 pm (ET) on Sunday night of the week the Forum assignment is due.

Participation in the forums is mandatory. I have provided a minimum word count for each initial posting and each reply. Your replies must provide more discussion than “good point” or “nice job.” Challenge each other: if you disagree then say so and explain why.

To receive full credit for a forum, you must advance the conversation throughout the week by replying back to those that replied to your initial post. (Please see the Forum Expectations announcement in the classroom).

2. Essay (1): There is one essay that will be based on the readings from this course. The Essay can be found by clicking the Assignments tab on the left hand side of the classroom.

3. Exam (1): There will be one exam, a final.

The Final Exam will open in Week 8 and will be based on the course readings. The Final Exam will consist of 5 short answer/essay questions worth 20 points each. There is no time limit for the exam.

The Exam can be found by clicking the Test and Quizzes link on the left hand side of the classroom.

4. Final Project (1): There is a Final Project due by the end of Week 8 and it will be based on the information you learned throughout the course. The Final project can be found by clicking the Assignments tab on the left hand side of the classroom.

All due dates are found in the Syllabus Outline.

All graded items for this course will be based on a 100 point grading scale.

Supplemental Materials: All Supplemental Materials are found throughout the Lessons.

APA 6th Edition Guides: The APA 6th Ed. Writing Style Guide must be used for all written assignments. You do not need to purchase the book as I have provided several APA 6th Ed. guides in the Lessons.

VitalSource E-book Information: I have provided the necessary information to access the course e-book.

Expectations: I have provided Forum Expectations and Writing Assignment Expectations. Please read them very carefully so that you either meet or exceed my expectations for both.

PowerPoint’s: I have provided PowerPoint’s for each chapter in the book. They provide a brief overview of each chapter.

Supplemental Readings: The supplemental readings give you more insight into each of the weekly forums. You will not be tested on these readings.

Week 1: Leaders from the Pack

Week 2: Are Your Critical Decision-Making Skills Evolving?

Week 3: Outfitting Fire Department Fitness Centers

Week 4: Trouble Tactics

Week 5: Forces of Change

Week 6: Implementation of the First Wellness-Fitness Evaluation for the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department

Week 7: Bridge the Gap

Rubrics: I have provided grading Rubric’s for your Forums, your Writing Assignments, and your Final Exam.

Fire Science Management Library Program Guide: The Fire Science Management Program Guide gives you access to Articles/Journals, Books, Web Resources and Writing/Citing that relates to Fire Science. Please explore this program guide.