Should Officers know how to run the pump?

I was curious how other departments Officers function in that is it a must for them to know how to run the pump on an engine or is this something that an Officer is not required to know?

Thanks, TJ

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Fireyladd - Retired Chief Sharp on August 26, 2009 at 12:23am

HUMMM? sure there's a beef behind this question. This shouldnt even be a question. In order to be an Officer you should be able to perform all the responsibilities that your agency would do on a day to day basis. Operating the pumps or engines would be mandatory.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Doug Dyche on August 26, 2009 at 2:15am

As a volunteer in a small department, our SOG's require that officer candidates have 3 years experience as an engineer. It is extremely important for all members to know basic pump operation in a volunteer dept. You never know how may members will respond to a call at any given time. More than once we have had to run a call with an officer doing the engineering.