Course Syllabus

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FES4226

Course Syllabus

Course Information

Course: EMS Special Operations

Course & Section: FES 4226

Credit Hours: 3

This is an online course. There will be times scheduled for online-meetings

Course Description

This course discusses the various special roles EMS personnel may serve in like hazardous materials, water rescue, technical rescue, etc.

Purpose of Course

This course provides the foundation for the student to gain an appreciation of the various EMS special operations teams. 

How This Course Relates to the Student Learning Outcomes in the FIRE Emergency Services Program

Identify and demonstrate proper knowledge and use of comprehensive emergency management/command and control skills in major catastrophic incidents in fire and emergency services.

Teaching Philosophy

I am looking for students to demonstrate a working knowledge of the subject. You need to be creative when you complete your assignments but maintain a professional appearance of your work. Your work needs to be complete and in such a manner that someone can pick up your document and understand what you are trying to convey. And most of all your work needs to be supported with research and cited in properly in APA format.

Instructional Methods

The course is designed for individual and group interactivity. It is important to post and respond to discussion questions in the course within the time frame allotted. This provides a learning environment by networking with other students in the course. The assignments are individual base to give you the opportunity to do a variety of activities, in many cases, similar to what you will be doing in role as a leader in the emergency services profession.

Contact Information

Instructor

Dr. Jeffrey Lindsey

Phone Number

352-273-1199

Email

jeffrey.lindsey@ufl.edu

Office Hours

I am in the office (room 336 in Rinker School of Construction Management) Mon – Fri hours vary depending on travel and meetings; however, I am usually available. You can email me any time.

For questions about course content, your grade, or other personal issues, use the Canvas mail tool. Expect a response within 24 hours.

Course Requirements

Required Textbook

EMS Special Operations (2015) Lindsey, J.  Brady Publishing ISBN 978-0136100027

Prerequisites

Junior or Senior standing

Minimum Technology Requirements

The University of Florida expects students entering an online program to acquire computer hardware and software appropriate to their degree program. Most computers are capable of meeting the following general requirements. A student’s computer configuration should include:

  • Webcam
  • Microphone
  • Broadband connection to the internet and related equipment (cable/DSL modem)
  • Microsoft Office Suite installed (provided by the university)

Individual colleges may have additional requirements or recommendations that students should review before starting their program.

Minimum Technical Skills

To complete your tasks in this course, you will need a basic understanding of operating a computer and using word processing software.

Materials/Supply Fees

There is no supply fee for this course. 

Zoom

Zoom is an easy-to-use video conferencing service available to all UF students, faculty, and staff that allows for meetings of up to 100 participants.

You can find resources and help using Zoom at the University of Florida's Zoom website.

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

  1. The student will be able to explain the various types of special operations performed by EMS agencies.
  2. The student will be able to explain how to establish and maintain various special operations programs.
  3. The student will be able to discuss the benefits of establishing a special operations team.

Course Policies

Attendance Policy

The course is designed in module format. You should check the site at least once a week. You are required to complete the assignments including discussion questions within the time period designated on the module. There will be meetings set up throughout the course. Requirements for class attendance and make-up exams, assignments, and other work in this course are consistent with university policies that can be found in the online catalog.

Quiz/Exam Policy

There is a final project for this course. There are no exams or quizzes.

Make-up Policy

You must contact me if you are going to be late on any assignment to receive credit.

Late Assignments and Discussion Posts

Assignments 48 hours late will receive a 10% deduction in their grade.

Assignments more than 48 hours but less than 30 days late will receive a 20% deduction in their grade.

Assignments more than 30 days late but submitted during the semester will receive a 50% deduction in their grade.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Any and all use of machines that emulate human capabilities (ChatGPT, Stable Diffusion, DALLE, etc.) to perform assignments or other works in the course should be disclosed as it can border on plagiarism. AI-generated information, as long as this use is properly documented in the references and will need to include the prompt and the significant parts of the response. The use of generative AI tools is not permitted in this course for the following activities:

  1. Completing group work that your group has assigned to you. 
  2. Writing a draft of a writing assignment. 
  3. Writing entire sentences, paragraphs or papers to complete class assignments.

Requirements for make-up exams, assignments, and other work in this course are consistent with university policies that can be found on UF's Attendance Policies website.

As this is an online class, you are responsible for observing all posted due dates and are encouraged to be self-directed and take responsibility for your learning.

Should you have any complaints with your experience in this course please follow the Student Complaint Process outlined on the UF Teaching and Technology website.

Grading Policy

The grade is based on a point system. You divide the total number of earned points into the total amount of points available to determine your grade. A grading rubric for the final project is under the Resource Tab on the course.

Course Grading Policy

Assignment Points
Discussion Participation 140
Assignments 105
Final Project 100

Grading for Discussion Posts

Assignment Points
Discussion Participation 140
Assignments 105
Final Project 100

Discussion Post Grading

Discussions are like being in class. Initial posts are due one week before the module due date for full credit. You will receive 1 point deduction for every day late. You must respond to two other students by the due date. If you do not respond to two other peers initial posts by the due date you will receive a deduction of 1.5 points per student to a max of 3 points. The discussion post will close on the due date with no credit earned after the due date.

Grading Scale

Percentage Range Grade Grade Points
93.0% to 100% A 4.00
90.0% to 92.9% A- 3.67
87.0% to 89.9% B+ 3.33
83.0% to 86.9% B 3.00
80.0% to 82.9% B- 2.67
77.0% to 79.9% C+ 2.33
73.0% to 76.9% C 2.00
70.0% to 72.9% C- 1.67
67.0% to 69.9% D+ 1.33
63.0% to 66.9% D 1.00
60.0% to 62.9% D- 0.67
below 60.0% E 0.00

See the current UF grading policies for more information.

In-completes

Please note that any student have less than 75% of their work complete for the semester cannot earn an “I” contract. If you have 75% of the work complete, you can propose an I contract to the instructor.

It is your responsibility to keep your instructor informed at all times. The instructor does have the right under extenuating circumstances with proper notification to assist the student by extending the above time requirements.

UF Policies

University Policy on Accommodating Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities requesting accommodations should first register with the Disability Resource Center (352-392-8565) by providing appropriate documentation. Once registered, students will receive an accommodation letter that must be presented to the instructor when requesting accommodation. Students with disabilities should follow this procedure as early as possible in the semester.

University Policy on Academic Conduct

UF students are bound by The Honor Pledge, which states, “We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honesty and integrity by abiding by the Honor Code." On all work submitted for credit by students at the University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: "On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment." The Student Honor Code and Student Conduct Code specifies a number of behaviors that are in violation of this code and the possible sanctions. Furthermore, you are obligated to report any condition that facilitates academic misconduct to appropriate personnel. If you have any questions or concerns, please consult with the instructor. Keep in mind you cannot reuse work you already submitted for another class. You can ONLY submit work once for credit otherwise you will receive a zero for your grade.

Plagiarism

The Student Honor Code and Student Conduct Code states that:

"A Student must not represent as the Student’s own work all or any portion of the work of another. Plagiarism includes but is not limited to:

  • Stealing, misquoting, insufficiently paraphrasing, or patch-writing.
  • Self-plagiarism, which is the reuse of the Student’s own submitted work or the simultaneous submission of the Student’s own work without the full and clear acknowledgment and permission of the Faculty to whom it is submitted.
  • Submitting materials from any source without proper attribution.
  • Submitting a document, assignment, or material that, in whole or in part, is identical or substantially identical to a document or assignment the Student did not author."

Evaluation Process

Students are expected to provide feedback on the quality of instruction in this course based on 10 criteria. These evaluations are conducted online at https://evaluations.ufl.edu. Evaluations are typically open during the last two or three weeks of the semester, but students will be given specific times when they are open. Summary results of these assessments are available to students online.

Privacy and Accessibility Policies

For information about the privacy policies of the tools used in this course, see the links below:

Netiquette and Communication Courtesy

It is important to recognize that the online classroom is, in fact, a classroom, and certain behaviors are expected when you communicate with both your peers and your instructors. These guidelines for online behavior and interaction are known as netiquette.

Security

Remember that your password is the only thing protecting you from pranks or more serious harm.

  • Don't share your password with anyone.
  • Change your password if you think someone else might know it.
  • Always log out when you are finished using the system.

General Guidelines

When communicating online:

  • Treat the instructor respectfully, even via email or other online communication.
  • Always use your professors’ proper title: Dr. or Prof., or if you are unsure, use Mr. or Ms.
  • Don’t refer to a professor by their first name unless specifically invited.
  • Use clear and concise language.
  • Remember that all college-level communication should have correct spelling and grammar.
  • Avoid slang terms such as “wassup?” and texting abbreviations such as “u” instead of “you.”
  • Use standard fonts such as Times New Roman and use a size 12 or 14-point font.
  • Avoid using the caps lock feature, AS IT CAN BE INTERPRETED AS YELLING.
  • Limit and possibly avoid the use of emoticons like :) .
  • Be cautious when using humor or sarcasm, as tone is sometimes lost in an email or discussion post, and your message might be taken seriously or be construed as being offensive.
  • Be careful with personal information (both yours and others).
  • Do not send confidential information via email.

Email

When you send an email to your instructor, teaching assistant, or classmates:

  • Use a descriptive subject line.
  • Be brief.
  • Avoid attachments unless you are sure your recipients can open them.
  • Avoid HTML in favor of plain text.
  • Sign your message with your name and return email address.
  • Think before you send the email to more than one person. Does everyone really need to see your message?
  • Be sure you REALLY want everyone to receive your response when you click “Reply All.”
  • Be sure that the message author intended for the information to be passed along before you click the “Forward” button.

Discussion Boards

When posting on the discussion board in your online class:

  • Check to see if anyone already asked your question and received a reply before posting to the discussion board.
  • Remember your manners and say please and thank you when asking for something from your classmates or instructor.
  • Be open-minded.
  • If you ask a question and many people respond, summarize all posts for the benefit of the class.
  • When posting:
    • Make posts that are on-topic and within the scope of the course material.
    • Be sure to read all messages in a thread before replying.
    • Be as brief as possible while still making a thorough comment.
    • Don’t repeat someone else’s post without adding something of your own to it.
    • Take your posts seriously. Review and edit your posts before sending them.
    • Avoid short, generic replies such as, “I agree.” You should include why you agree or add to the previous point.
    • If you refer to something that was said in an earlier post, quote a few key lines so readers do not have to go back and figure out which post you are referring to.
    • Always give proper credit when referencing or quoting another source.
    • If you reply to a classmate’s question, ensure your answer is correct; don’t guess.
    • Always be respectful of others’ opinions, even when they differ from your own.
    • When you disagree with someone, you should express your differing opinion in a respectful, non-critical way.
    • Do not make personal or insulting remarks.
    • Do not write anything sarcastic or angry; it always backfires.
    • Do not type in ALL CAPS; if you do, IT WILL LOOK LIKE YOU ARE YELLING.

Zoom

When attending a Zoom class or meeting:

  • Do not share your Zoom classroom link or password with others.
  • Even though you may be alone at home, your professor and classmates can see you! While attending class in your pajamas is tempting, remember that wearing clothing is not optional. Dress appropriately.
  • Your professor and classmates can also see what is behind you, so be aware of your surroundings.
  • Ensure the background is not distracting or something you would not want your classmates to see.
    • When in doubt, use a virtual background. If you choose to use one, you should test the background out first to make sure your device can support it.
    • Your background can express your personality, but be sure to avoid using backgrounds that may contain offensive images and language.
  • Mute is your friend, especially when you are in a location that can be noisy. Don’t leave your microphone open if you don’t have to.
  • If you want to speak, you can raise your hand (click the “raise hand” button at the center bottom of your screen) and wait to be called upon.

Getting Help

Technical Difficulties

For help with technical issues or difficulties with Canvas, please contact the UF Computing Help Desk at:

Any requests for make-ups (assignments, exams, etc.) due to technical issues should be accompanied by the ticket number received from the UF Computing Help Desk when the problem was reported to them. The ticket number will document the time and date of the problem. You should email your instructor within 24 hours of the technical difficulty if you wish to request a make-up.

Health and Wellness

  • U Matter, We Care: If you or someone you know is in distress, please email umatter@ufl.edu, call 352-392-1575, or visit U Matter We Care to refer or report a concern, and a team member will reach out to the student in distress.
  • Counseling and Wellness Center: Visit the UF Counseling & Wellness Center website or call 352-392-1575 for information on crisis services and non-crisis services.
  • Student Health Care Center: Call 352-392-1161 for 24/7 information to help you find the care you need, or visit the UF Student Health Care Center website.
  • University Police Department: Visit the UF Police Department website or call 352-392-1111 (or 9-1-1 for emergencies).
  • UF Health Shands Emergency Room/Trauma Center: For immediate medical care in Gainesville, call 352-733-0111 or go to the emergency room at 1515 SW Archer Road, Gainesville, FL 32608. Visit the UF Health Shands Emergency Room/Trauma Center website.

Academic and Student Support

Course Summary:

Date Details Due