Course Syllabus

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Company Officer 2C: Fire Inspections & Investigation for the Company Officer

SRJC Course #: Fire 82
Section 5653 - Course Syllabus

PDF version of this Syllabus: Syllabus Spring 2021

Course Description

This is a hybrid course which means much of the coursework will be completed by the student online in CANVAS over a four-week period. However, there is one mandatory class meeting date during which the students will participate in field activities with the instructor. The date and location for these mandatory meetings are noted  in the Course Schedule and Class Meetings sections below.

This course will provide an overview of the information necessary to conduct inspections, identify hazards and address violations, performing a fire investigation to determine preliminary cause and to secure the incident scene and preserve evidence. Upon successful completion, the student will be awarded a completion certificate from the State Board of Fire Services.

Student Learning Outcomes

Outcomes: Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

  1. Describe the different levels and duties of the positions in the Fire Officer Certification track
  2. Demonstrate the ability to complete a thorough fire inspection and pre-fire plan addressing occupancy, construction type and fire protection features
  3. Demonstrate the ability to conduct a preliminary fire cause and origin investigation

Objectives: Students will be able to:

  1. Identify course objectives, requirements, assignments, activities, evaluation methods and participation requirements
  2. Identify the different levels in the Fire Officer Certification track, the courses and requirements for Level I and II certification and the task book and testing process
  3. Describe the duties of a Level I Company Officer, a Level II Company Officer and a Level I Wildland Officer
  4. Demonstrate the procedures for conducting fire inspections, identifying hazards including hazardous materials and properly documenting and conducting follow-up inspections in accordance with adopted policies
  5. Identify the construction, alarm, detection and suppression features that prevent or contribute to the spread of fire, heat and smoke through a building and develop an occupancy pre-fire plan
  6. Describe the procedures for securing an incident scene which keeps unauthorized persons from restricted areas and protects evidence from damage or destruction
  7. Determine the point of origin and preliminary cause of fire to ascertain if arson is suspected

Class Meetings

This course is available to the students in CANVAS from March 1 - April 4, 2021. The final exam must be completed no later than 11:59 p.m. on April 4, 2021. There is one Mandatory class meeting date: March 26th beginning at 9 a.m. at the Windsor Public Safety Training Center in room 702.

Instructor Contact

Paula Dueweke

Phone: (707) 536-3050

Office Hours and Messages: Available through the CANVAS Inbox

I respond to Inbox messages within 24 hours.

Course Web Site

You will use this CANVAS course web site for assignment instructions, submitting assignments, viewing classmate's work, sharing resources, and viewing grades.

Textbook and supplemental text

Fire Prevention Applications for the Company Officer, 1st Edition, FPP
Student to purchase. Available on-line

2016 Fire Inspector’s Guide, California Fire Chief’s Assoc.

Student to purchase. Available on-line (Cal Chiefs’ website.)
Available online
Before purchasing these texts you may want to check your department library or ask your peers who have already taken this course.

Required Software

You will need the following software for this course. [If linking to PDF or Word documents, QuickTime or Flash videos, put in a link to the helper applications in your Syllabus or Getting Started section of your course materials.]

Pass‐NoPass (P/NP)

This is a P/NP course solely based on the final exam score. A passing exam score is 80% or greater. However, there is a course participation requirement as a pre-requisite for taking the final exam. All  activities/discussions and homework must be completed and mandatory class meeting(s) must be attended for the student to take the final exam.

Instructor Announcements and Q&A Forum

The instructor will post announcements on the “Announcements” page in CANVAS throughout the semester. CANVAS notifies students according to their preferred Notification Preferences as soon as the instructor creates an Announcement. The student is responsible for setting up these notification preferences and it is recommended that they do so the first day of the course. Notification preferences can be found under Settings in the left-side course menu list. A “Q&A Forum” is also on CANVAS to ask for assistance of your classmates or of the instructor.

Attendance and Participation

No-Shows/Non-Attendance: 

A no-show student is defined as an enrolled student who has not logged into CANVAS and engaged with the course work by 11:59p.m. of the third day of the course OR a student who has not attended any of the mandatory class meetings. Students who are no-shows or fail to attend the class meetings will be dropped by the instructor. College policy requires faculty to drop all no-show students.

Participation:

Participation in this course is mandatory. Students are required to engage in all activities/discussions, attend both mandatory class meetings and complete all homework assignments by the due date. Students who do not meet the participation requirement will not be allowed to take the final exam.

Late Policy

All assignments are due at 11:59 p.m. on the due date noted on the assignment page.  Assignments can be turned in late bust must be turned in prior to taking the final exam.

Final Exam Policy: 

There will be an online final exam. The material comes from the textbook, class lectures and supplemental materials. If the exam is missed, a zero will be recorded as the score. It is your responsibility to take the online exam by the due date. California State Fire Training requires an 80% or better passing score to earn the completion certificate. Any student who has not met the attendance/participation requirement will not be allowed to take the final exam.

Grading Policy

This is a P/NP course based on the final exam score. See Final Exam Policy, P/NP and Participation sections for details.

Standards of Conduct

Students who register in SRJC classes are required to abide by the SRJC Student Conduct Standards. Violation of the Standards is basis for referral to the Vice President of Student Services or dismissal from class or from the College. See the Student Code of Conduct page.

Collaborating on or copying of tests or homework in whole or in part will be considered an act of academic dishonesty and result in a grade of 0 for that test or assignment. I encourage students to share information and ideas, but not their work. See these links on Plagiarism:
SRJC Writing Center Lessons on avoiding plagiarism
SRJC's policy on Academic Integrity

 

Other Important Policies and Practices

Avoid Plagiarism Like the, er, Plague

Although most students have likely heard about plagiarism during their years of schooling, it still is prevalent-even in higher education.

The video below reviews what plagiarism is and how not to do it.

Plagiarism: How to avoid it

This activity tests your knowledge of plagiarism (not graded): Self-check: Plagiarism

Netiquette, or Why Is It Harder to Be Polite Online?

Netiquette refers to using common courtesy in online communication. All members of the class are expected to follow netiquette in all course communications. Use these guidelines:

  • Use capital letters sparingly. THEY LOOK LIKE SHOUTING.
  • Forward emails only with a writer's permission.
  • Be considerate of others' feelings and use language carefully.
  • Cite all quotations, references, and sources (otherwise, it is plagiarism).
  • Use humor carefully. It is hard to "read" tone; sometimes humor can be misread as criticism or personal attack. Feel free to use emoticons like :) for a smiley face to let others know you are being humorous.
  • Use complete sentences and standard English grammar to compose posts. Write in proper paragraphs. Review work before submitting it.
  • Text speak, such as "ur" for "your" or "ru" for "are you" etc., is only acceptable when texting.

Special Needs

Students with disabilities who believe they need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact Disability Resources ((707) 527-4278), as soon as possible to better ensure such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.

Course Summary:

Date Details Due