FT-109 Summer Class - Firefighter Safety and Survival - Randall C Osborne

Course:	Firefighter Safety and Survival
Professor:	Randall C Osborne
Email:	randall.osborne@canyons.edu
Format:	Online
Course Length:	5 Week

Introduction

Introduction
My name is Randall Osborne (L.A. Co. F. D. retired) and I am your instructor for this course. I have a video introduction inside the course, but just a few facts about myself: I started with L. A. County in 1986 and worked as wildland firefighter, truckee, paramedic and patrolman while at the firefighter rank. I promoted to engineer and drove a truck, then was on the hazmat team and later again served as an engineer on a wildland engine crew, then I closed my career as a fire inspector. I have been teaching for over 10 years at College of the Canyons and Oxnard College and now Mt. SAC as well.

Course Description

Course Description:

Introduces the basic principles and history related to the national firefighter life safety initiatives, focusing on the need for cultural and behavior change throughout emergency services.

Course Learning Objectives:

By the end of the semester the student should have an understanding in the following areas:

Define and describe the need for cultural and behavioral change within emergency services relating to safety, incorporating leadership, supervision, accountability and personal responsibility.
Explain the need for enhancement of personal and organizational accountability for health and safety.
Define how the concepts of risk management affect strategic and tactical decision-making.
Describe and evaluate circumstances that might constitute an unsafe act.
Explain the concept of empowering all emergency service personnel to stop unsafe acts.
Validate the need for national training standards as they correlate to professional development inclusive of qualifications, certifications, and re-certifications.
Defend the need for annual medical evaluations and the establishment of physical fitness criteria for emergency services personnel throughout their careers.
Explain the vital role of local departments in national research and data collection systems.
Illustrate how technological advancements can produce higher levels of emergency services safety and survival.
Explain the importance of investigating all near-misses, injuries and fatalities.
Discuss how incorporating the lessons learned from investigations can support cultural change throughout emergency services.
Describe how obtaining grants can support safety and survival initiatives.
Explain how adopting standardized policies for responding to emergency scenes can minimize near-misses, injuries and deaths.

Explain how the increase in violent incidents impacts safety for emergency services personnel when responding to emergency scenes.
Discuss the need for counseling and psychological support for emergency services personnel, their families, as well as, identify access to localresources and services.
Describe the importance of public education as a critical component of life safety programs.
Discuss the importance of fire sprinklers and code enforcement.
Explain the importance of safety in the design of apparatus and equipment.

What to Expect in this Course

What to Expect in this Course
Every module starts with instructions. Most people hate instructions, but these are short and to the point and if you actually read them, you will be happier as you take this course. Every 2 chapters there will be a quiz that is taken from the book, so be sure to get the book right away.

1. It is essential that you log in before or on the first day of the course to orient yourself to the course and see the initial assignments for our first week. You must check in to the welcome announcement to show attendance on the first day. Those who fail to do so by midnight June 4 are subject to being dropped.

2. You absolutely need to read the following information to clarify how the class works. Read through the syllabus and welcome letter. The syllabus, welcome letter and schedule are linked to the home page, and I recommend printing the schedule portion of the syllabus, so you can use it to keep up to date. We will cover approximately a chapter every 2 days, though there are a few subjects that will be even shorter. Taking this class online in the Summer will require the students to schedule themselves and be involved in the various discussion groups, assignments and reports associated with the course. Taking an online course, will often require a greater commitment to discipline and scheduling, then taking a face-to-face course. For every module, students can expect to spend approximately 1-3 hours completing course activities. Therefore, for a full online 3-unit course, students should expect to commit 3-6 hours per chapter completing course-related activities. Please check your course regularly and pay attention to the calendar to make sure you are able to keep up with the pace of this course.

CRITICAL INFORMATION AS TO HOW TO USE CANVAS IN THIS CLASS:

This class flows in a step-by-step process. If you try and skip forward it will not allow you to do that.
Most pages/assignments in the modules require them to be marked as done or to turn in the assignment or take the quiz. Canvas will not let you move forward until you do this!
Every Module starts with instructions! If you read them, it will help you succeed and get your work done for that module. I welcome you contacting me in the Inbox for Canvas, but please read the instructions first, then if you do not understand or need clarification, please feel free to contact me. I am here to instruct you in this course and to help guide you through it. I will do my best to check in every day, so please contact me if you do not understand the instructions.
Every once in a while, I have something out of order. If you are trying to turn something in and you are sure you have done all the prerequisites, but it will not let you proceed, then please contact me. I might need to fix something.
If you have not had a course that uses this method it takes a little getting used to, but once you do it, I believe you will find it very helpful to keep you organized and on task.

Types of Assessments

Assessments

This course will involve chapter quizzes (2 chapters at a time), and a midterm and final exam taken online. There will also be discussions involving the various chapters, and a PowerPoint presentation as your final project.

Textbook Information

COURSE TEXTBOOK

Title: “Fire Fighter Safety and Survival,”

Third Edition

Author: Don Zimmerman Publisher: Jones & Bartlett Learning ISBN: 9781284180176

A group of firefighters with hoses

Description automatically generated

Other Relevant Course Information

CRITICAL INFORMATION AS TO HOW TO USE CANVAS IN THIS CLASS:

This class flows in a step-by-step process. If you try and skip forward it will not allow you to do that.
Most pages/assignments in the modules require them to be marked as done or to turn in the assignment or take the quiz. Canvas will not let you move forward until you do this!
Every Module starts with instructions! If you read them, it will help you succeed and get your work done for that module. I welcome you contacting me in the Inbox for Canvas, but please read the instructions first, then if you do not understand or need clarification, please feel free to contact me. I am here to instruct you in this course and to help guide you through it. I will do my best to check in every day, so please contact me if you do not understand the instructions.
Every once in a while, I have something out of order. If you are trying to turn something in and you are sure you have done all the prerequisites, but it will not let you proceed, then please contact me. I might need to fix something.
If you have not had a course that uses this method it takes a little getting used to, but once you do it, I believe you will find it very helpful to keep you organized and on task.

Canvas and Learning Management System Information:

This class is a Live Zoom Online course. We will meet at the specified time of 6PM Monday nights. Please be on time so we can end on time! As Online-Live class, there are required Zoom meetings, meaning that you will not have to come to campus for any portion of this class (there will be Zoom meetings at the specified time). Canvas is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from anywhere with Internet access.

To successfully complete this course, you MUST have Internet access, access to a computer, a web browser (e.g. Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.) and a valid College of the Canyons (COC) email address. Video clips, electronic documents, and various Internet websites will be utilized as part of this course. Please make sure you have all necessary software (Adobe Flash Player, Acrobat Reader, and a word processing program like Microsoft Word) loaded on your computer. Make sure they are up to date. There is a page linked to our home page with details about how to make sure your computer is ready for this course and how to get Microsoft Office or Office Mac for free. Yes, I said free, free, free!

Our online course is accessed electronically through “Canvas.” Canvas is the electronic learning platform used for all announcements, lessons, handouts, discussions, assignment submittals, and exams. By logging into Canvas, you are essentially walking into our “electronic classroom.” Canvas, and how to information is available through your Internet browser at cv.canyons.edu 24 hours a day, 7 days a week beginning at 12:01 am on Monday Aug. 24.

Help on Canvas:

If you are not sure how to use a specific function in Canvas click on the help link in the column on the far left of Canvas and it will lead you to videos and other helpful guides for students. There are guides for both computers and mobile devices. You can also YouTube it. Here is a link to the guides:

Canvas Guides

Computer Requirements:

The school has a fantastic website with abundant resources and answers to questions you may have regarding taking an online course. Please go to this student support page and browse some of the information there to help you have success in this class. Student Support

Here are some essentials to have a better experience online:

Have regular access to a computer with Internet connection. For specific computer requirements, visit the Distance Education support site. Note, should you lose access to your personal computer or internet connection, you are still required to complete your online course work. COC has many computer labs and free Wi-Fi on campus for students. There is also a limited amount of laptop computers that you can borrow. This was a program last Spring and so I am not sure if there will be changes, but you can go to this page in Student Services to check it out. One of the most common problems students have is compatibility issues and it usually has to do with not updating your computer to the most recent browser versions.

Here is a list of supported browsers:

Firefox

Chrome

Safari

Edge

Avoid using Internet Explorer (Canvas does not like it)

Make sure with any of these browsers that they are up to date. Usually you can click on the name of the app when it is open and click on about…then there is usually a check for updates tab. Sometimes this is in the same drop-down menu from clicking on the name of the app.

Known Browser Behaviors

Chrome and Firefox use HTML5 to display website content, promoting a faster, more secure browsing experience.

For best performance in Canvas, course content should be designed to support HTML5. Any affected content in Safari browsers can still be accessed by manually allowing permission for flash content in the browser.

In browsers such as Safari, insecure content will never be displayed in the browser.

Free Stuff and Additional Requirements;

you will need to:

Have a word-processing program compatible with Microsoft Word (2003 or later) installed on your computer (the Microsoft Office software suite can be downloaded here for free for students). Please note that Microsoft Works is not compatible. However, other programs such as OpenOffice.org and Apple's Pages can also create documents in the Word format. You need to export it from the Drop-Down menu. FILE-Export then select Word .doc format. Since it is free for you as a student to get Office for MAC or Microsoft Office why not just download that and enjoy having the best productivity suite on your computer. The PowerPoint and Word docs programs are the best. Did I mention it is free, free, free!
If you download the Office Suite for Mac or PC via the free program you need to make sure when you save any document or PowerPoint to your own computer! It defaults to COC’s One Drive (Cloud) and then it will not upload. When saving just be sure to click on your desktop or documents folder to save it to.
Be able to perform a variety of tasks on a computer, such as open a browser, navigate the Internet, use a search engine, create a document and attach it to an email, and send and receive email. If you do not have experience with these activities, it is recommended that you take an Introduction to computers, or an equivalent class before enrolling in an online course.
Have good reading skills. Much of the course work will be presented in writing and you will have to read and understand the content.
Have good time management skills. Online and hybrid courses meet for the same amount of time as courses taught on campus. For example, if you are taking a 3-unit English 101 online, you will need to designate approximately three hours each week to work in the online class, plus you will also need to designate time for the required homework which occurs outside of class time.

Students who have taken face-to-face classes that include online components should find the transition to a fully online class easier. But if you are enthusiastic about computers and want to learn important skills that will be of great use in your future career, both academically and in the workplace, an online class can be a fun and convenient way to enhance or complete your community college education.

Canvas on Mobile Devices

The Canvas interface was optimized for desktop displays, so using small form factors such as phones may not be a pleasant experience in using Canvas. Canvas recommends using their mobile app if accessing Canvas on a phone, from their website, “For the best user experience, please download the Canvas mobile applications.” However, I have found that students have issues with uploads and downloads and sometimes with quizzes when using the mobile app. It is best to access Canvas using a computer! If you must use a phone, access your class through a browser instead of the app.

Since Canvas uses small elements of Flash, not all Canvas features may be supported on mobile devices, especially on iOS. However, Canvas offers limited support for native mobile browsers on tablet devices. For additional details, please reference the limited-support mobile browser guidelines.

Mobile Browsers

Visit the Apple store or the Play store to download mobile browsers. The following major browsers are compatible with mobile devices:

iOS

Safari (default browser with limited Canvas support)
Chrome
Photon Flash Player (supports Flash)

Android

Chrome (default browser with limited Canvas support)
Firefox

*Android default browser varies per mobile device.

Additional Resources

Canvas

The course can be accessed via Canvas at MyCanyons on the first day of the course. Follow the login instructions at the bottom of the screen to log in. Here, you can also access Canvas user guides with helpful tips for navigating and using Canvas. For any Canvas related issues please call the Canvas Student Support line at 877-889-9052 for 24/7 support.

Online Education

Check out the Online Education website for more information on a variety of topics that can help you be a successful online student such as: exam proctoring, learning styles, computer skills, and tips for student success. If this is your first online course, feel free to take our online learning readiness assessment to assess your skills.

The Learning Center (TLC)

The TLC provides FREE online tutoring resources to COC students!

Disabled Students Program & Services (DSPS)

College of the Canyons DSPS provides educational services and access for eligible students with documented disabilities who intend to pursue coursework at COC. A variety of programs and services are available which afford eligible students with disabilities the opportunity to participate fully in all aspects of the college programs and activities through appropriate and reasonable accommodations. For more information on their services visit the Disabled Students Program & Services website.

Online Counseling

The Counseling Department offers appointments online. You can schedule an appointment by visiting the Online Counseling website. Counselors can help you map out a plan to reach your educational goals as well as advise you on course selection and registration.

Management of Stress and Mental Health

College of the Canyons cares about your emotional and physical health. Learn more about the broad range of confidential student services, including free counseling and mental health services available during this time by visiting the Student Health & Wellness Center website or by calling them at: 661-362-3259.

The National Suicide Lifeline number is 1-800-273- 8255 (TALK). Please call it if you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or is in severe distress - it could save someone's life.

You can also use the Crisis Text Line: Just text "Courage" to 741741. It's free, available 24/7, and confidential.

Class Demeanor and Expectations in this Course:

In the fire service you are expected to respect each other and the traditions that guide firehouse life. Firefighters are expected to behave in a manner that shows respect, tolerance, professionalism, and an amiable attitude. I expect the same in this class. The fire service is a family and we call each other brother and sister, so start acting this way now and you will have a much more successful career as a firefighter. Firefighters are expected to give 100% effort in all they do. Good enough never is. I hope you will take the same attitude in this class. I would love to see every student earn an “A” and come out of this class better prepared to pursue the fire service.

Taking a course online requires the same amount of respect with an amiable attitude as a face-to-face class. Please read the ten Core Rules of Netiquette before class starts.

My desire is that you succeed in this course. I look forward to working together with you so that you can gain the knowledge and skills you will need to succeed in your pursuit of a career in the fire service.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Question: What should I do first?

Answer: Read this “Orientation Letter” to determine if this particular online course is a good fit for you. If so, then I encourage you to enroll in the class. (If not, then an on- campus version will be offered during the upcoming Spring 2019 semester.) Click on the various links in this “Orientation letter” to better familiarize yourself with various aspects of the course and our college.

Question: Is an online course for me?

Answer: I encourage you to check out COC’s Distance Learning website for more information on a variety of topics that can help you be a successful online student. The Distance Learning website provides information on exam proctoring, learning styles, computer skills, and tips for student success. You need to be comfortable with navigating the Internet, using a word processing program (like Microsoft Word), using your College of the Canyons student email, and other basic computer functions. In addition, you must familiarize yourself with “MyCanyons” (COC’s online portal), COC Student Email, and Canvas (our online “learning platform,” through which you’ll participate in the class). If this is your first online course, feel free to take our online learning readiness assessment to assess your current “online skill level.”

Questions: How do I log in to Canvas?

Answer: The course can be accessed via Canvas at MyCanyons beginning at 12:01am on Wednesday, 01/02/2019. Once you navigate to cv.canyons.edu, follow the on-screen instructions to log in. Links at the bottom of this webpage provide helpful tips for navigating and using Canvas.

Question: What if I experience technical problems with Canvas?

Answer: For any Canvas-related issues, please call the Canvas Student Support line at (661) 362-3344 during college business hours, or (877) 889-9052 for 24/7 support. You can also send an email to COC Student Tech Support at cvsupport@canyons.edu, however it may take up to 24 hours to receive an email response.

Question: How do I get a College of the Canyons student email address?

Answer: Set up your “COC student email address” through MyCanyons. COC “student” email addresses are automatically created by COC, and are comprised of a combination of your name. Example: jdoe@my.canyons.edu.

Question: How do I take TESTS for this online class?

Answer: All exams for this class are taken online through Canvas from wherever you have Internet access. Exams are timed, and each exam have a specific due date (as noted on the forthcoming course syllabus). You must complete each exam in the time given, and before the exam’s deadline.

Additional Resources

Canvas

This course can be accessed on the first day of class via Canvas at https://coc.instructure.com. Log into Canvas using your CanyonsID single sign-on:

CanyonsID Username is your COC student email address (Ex: username@my.canyons.edu)
CanyonsID Password is your COC student email password

Please visit the Get to Know Your Online Classroom page for help logging into Canvas and for tips on using Canvas and Zoom. Canvas Chat Support is also available 24/7 for any Canvas related issues.

Online Education

The Learning Center (TLC)

The TLC provides FREE online tutoring resources to COC students!

Academic Accommodation Center (AAC)

College of the Canyons AAC provides educational services and access for eligible students with documented disabilities who intend to pursue coursework at COC. A variety of programs and services are available which afford eligible students with disabilities the opportunity to participate fully in all aspects of the college programs and activities through appropriate and reasonable accommodations. For more information on their services visit the Academic Accomodation Center website.

Online Counseling

Management of Stress and Mental Health

Often the pressure on our students is very strong, involving academic commitments, relationships, outside jobs and family pressure to name a few. The staff and faculty of College of the Canyons are here to see you succeed academically and care about your emotional and physical health. You can learn more about the broad range of confidential student services, including counseling and mental health services available on campus by visiting the Student Health & Wellness Center in the Student Services Building (across from the bookstore). The phone number is 661-362-3259 that you can call 24/7. You can also e mail for an appointment at StudentHealthCenter@canyons.edu. At the Canyon Country Campus the Health Center will be in the new Student Services Building.

Also, the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline number is now 988. All students at COC are encouraged to enter that phone number in their cells. You can call it when you, or someone you know, is having thoughts of suicide or is in severe distress.

You can also now use the Crisis Text Line: Just text "Courage" to 741741. Someone will get back to you immediately. Its free, 24/7, and confidential.

Veterans Resource Center

The College of the Canyons Veterans Resource Center is a department within the Student Services Division at the college, created to help veterans and veteran dependents with applying to College of the Canyons, enrolling in classes, and requesting VA Education or Vocational Benefits. For more information please visit the Veterans Resource Center website, email veterans@canyons.edu or phone (661) 362-3469.

Library

The Library provides live online and in-person research help, access to a full range of e-resources and physical materials that support the curriculum, individual and group study areas, and much more!

Last updated: 05/26/2024 Sub#: 1759

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