FES 3780 - Analytical Approaches to Public Fire Protection

College of Public Safety Administration

Credit(s): 3
Contact Hours: 47
Effective Term Spring 2005 (345)

Requisites

Admission to Public Safety Administration (Bachelor of Applied Science) (PSA-BAS)

Course Description

This course examines tools and techniques of rational decision making in fire rescue departments, including the use of databases, statistics, probability, decision analysis, utility modeling, resource allocation, cost-benefit analysis, and linear programming.

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

  1. The student will demonstrate an understanding of the fire service use of databases by:
    1. discussing case studies and the role of databases in fire service.
    2. identifying the advantages and disadvantages of database use.
    3. describing the structure and use of databases in the fire service.
  2. The student will demonstrate an understanding of fire service descriptive statistics by:
    1. constructing and interpreting graphs of functions using a spreadsheet, and other computer programs.
    2. transforming data that is non-linear.
    3. combining two functions.
    4. writing an equation for a function that approximates a stream of data.
    5. constructing and interpreting histograms for collected data.
    6. describing the mean, median, mode, and standard deviation for a sample.
    7. computing proportions, percentages, and rates.
    8. discussing standardized scores.
  3. The student will demonstrate an understanding of fire service inferential statistics by:
    1. discussing two of the discrete distributions, binomial and Poisson.
    2. identifying a continuous distribution norm.
    3. describing collected data.
    4. interpreting estimates completed using samples.
    5. analyzing random samples for estimating means and for monitoring a system on a continuing basis.
    6. evaluating quality management programs by calculating and interpreting Statistical Process Control (SPC) data.
  4. The student will demonstrate an understanding of fire service applications of probability by:
    1. computing probabilities of simple and compound events.
    2. applying Bayes' Theorem in decision-making situations.
    3. describing the number of possible permutations and combinations.
    4. discussing the basic skills necessary to solve simple probability problems to make decisions in the real world.
  5. The student will demonstrate an understanding of fire service decision analysis by:
    1. developing event trees to aid in decision-making.
    2. developing decision trees to aid in decision-making.
    3. combining the probabilities of various events for analysis.
    4. applying system analysis techniques to decision-making principles.
    5. discussing strategic planning concepts as applied to decision-making.
  6. The student will demonstrate an understanding of fire service mathematical modeling by:
    1. describing the concepts of mathematical modeling.
    2. discussing the use of mathematical modeling by fire service managers to assist in decision-making.
    3. discussing the ISO Fire Suppression Rating Schedule as an example of utility modeling that can be applied to the fire service.
    4. describing the benefits and limitations of using a mathematical function to model the relationship between multiple factors.
    5. defining input conditions and constraints.
    6. constructing reasonable predictions for use by fire service managers.
  7. The student will demonstrate an understanding of fire service resource allocation by:
    1. describing strategic issues of approaches and models for fire station location to include run distance, travel time, companies in service, allocation of companies by district, location of individual companies, the number of firefighters assigned per company, and company workload influence on station location.
    2. describing components of response time, and the value of run time as a figure of merit.
    3. describing data sources and methods for measuring company workload.
    4. estimating response distances, travel times, and company workload using graphing techniques and a hand calculator.
    5. listing personal computer programs that can assist in the analysis of fire station location issues.
    6. discussing features and applicability of the programs including the use of the programs to estimate run distance, travel time, and company workload.
    7. evaluating comparative travel time and company workload estimates for alternative station locations and the preparation of recommendations supported by analysis.
  8. The student will demonstrate an understanding of fire service cost benefit analysis by:
    1. describing the basic concepts of cost benefit analysis.
    2. discussing the basic issues and use of cost benefit analysis for fire protection.
    3. describing the five steps of cost benefit analysis including conducting a risk assessment, identifying assumptions, costs, and benefits, collecting data, calculating costs and benefits, and analyzing results.
  9. The student will demonstrate an understanding of fire service linear programming by:
    1. describing the concept of linear programming and graphing linear equations.
    2. discussing linear programming problems.
    3. determining the feasible region of linear programming problems.
    4. describing the point at which two linear equations intersect.
    5. applying minimum and maximum constraints to linear programming problems.
    6. solving fire and emergency medical service related linear programming problems.

Criteria Performance Standard

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will, with a minimum of 70% accuracy, demonstrate mastery of each of the above stated objectives through classroom measures developed by individual course instructors.

History of Changes

SCNS assigned new prefix, level & #; submitted as FFP4566. 3 Year Review 2008.
C&I Approval: 09/14/2004, BOT Approval: 10/19/2004, Effective Term: Spring 2005 (345)

Related Programs

  1. Public Safety Administration (PSA-BAS) (655) (Active)