Sub-officer , or the equivalent in other languages, is a term used in many armed forces used to indicate ranks below commissioned officers . Sub-officer is equivalent to the term warrant officer in the British Commonwealth and the United States. Historically armed forces using the term sub-officer have used it to refer to more senior non-commissioned ranks , typically from sergeant upwards, but the term often covers all ranks that other forces designate non-commissioned. In navies the term is comparable to petty officer .
18-653: There is a specific rank of "sub-officer" in some armed forces, in the UK Fire and Rescue Services, and in the Irish Fire Services. Sub-station officer (usually addressed as "Sub" or "Subbo") is a rank in the Irish Fire Services , below the rank of station officer . A Sub-station officer usually performs a command function in support of the station officer's role on the fireground, and occasionally may take command role at less-serious incidents and takes command when
36-634: A senior station officer at a station with multiple appliances. In New Zealand the rank badge is a single impeller ; in Australia, the rank badge is two impellers. Station officers in New Zealand wear red helmets with one blue stripe (prior to November 2013, they were yellow with one blue stripe). In Queensland Fire and Emergency Service (QFES) (fire and rescue division) there are three station officer (SO) ranks: station officer 1 (SO 1), station officer 2(SO 2) and station officer 3(SO 3) and these ranks reflect
54-575: A senior station officer has two impellers. Although variations still occur at the SO level within the different state fire and rescue services due to competency, experience and qualification requirements, the Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Authorities Council (AFAC) has ensured that at the senior SO level the requirements across Australasia are generally consistent throughout all jurisdictions. Generally, Australasian SOs are made competent to perform
72-589: Is a supervisory rank in a number of Commonwealth and other fire services , including those in Australia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the New Zealand Fire Service . In Australia and New Zealand a station officer is a career / permanent officer who is either the single officer on a watch / platoon / shift system in a single- or dual- fire apparatus/appliance station, with three to five firefighters reporting to them, or one of several officers under
90-451: Is now replaced by the role of watch manager A . The role of crew commander / crew manager now wear the markings of two silver bars. In 2019 The London Fire Brigade changed back to the rank system which resulted in watch commander A being reverted to sub-officer (with watch commander B being reverted to station officer). The female equivalent in the days when women in the fire services performed administrative and control room roles only
108-405: Is still usually the officer in charge of the day-to-day operations of the station. In some cases the term "station officer" is used to differentiate between an officer who works in the field and a staff officer. In many areas there is a captain on every shift (watch) at a station. This means that each shift has its own SO. In some departments there is a designated officer who is in overall charge of
126-642: The Brazilian Army . In all three services of the Chilean Armed Forces, in the Carabineros de Chile and in the Chilean Gendarmerie , only two sub-officer ranks are used: These sub-officer ranks are the same in all the military and police services. In France a sub-officer is sergeant (or equivalent) and above as well as the rank of student sub-officer. (The equivalents to sergeant are 2nd master in
144-479: The French Navy, and Maréchal-des-logis in some army units (often abbreviated to "margi"), mostly cavalry and logistics arms, and most gendarmerie units.) Lower non-commissioned ranks, such as corporal and brigadier , are not considered sub-officers. Traditionally, French sub-officers are often recruited directly as sub-officers rather than rising from more junior ranks. Station officer Station officer
162-426: The United Kingdom, an SO commands a watch at a multi-appliance station. He or she may have command of a watch at a very large station. The rank badge is two impellers; they also wear a white helmet with a half-inch black band around it. From 2006 most UK fire and rescue services changed from a rank-based system to a role-based system. This change meant the traditional rank titles were replaced with role-based titles for
180-532: The United States, "station officer" is often a general term and has several meanings. It usually refers to the senior officer at the station, often a captain or a lieutenant . A station commander is an officer in charge of one or more fire stations, often referred to as a district chief or battalion chief in North America. If a battalion chief or district chief works out of a fire station, a captain or lieutenant
198-559: The duty performed. Station officers (two impeller rank marking) became watch managers. A station commander (three impellers) is a more senior officer with a similar role, usually in charge of one or more fire stations. In 2019, the London Fire Brigade , the UK's second largest fire and rescue service, announced that it would be reverting to the more traditional rank structure once again. The two impeller insignia therefore once again indicates
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#1732859398242216-462: The job requirements of the next higher rank within the respective state systems e.g; leading firefighters (L/Ffs) can perform the role of SO 1s and SO 1s can perform the role of SO 2s and SO 3s can perform the role of inspectors, if required. In some states systems, senior SOs can also in rural and semi-rural environments play a mentoring role across and for a diverse range of career/permanent, auxiliary/retained and volunteer firefighting personnel. In
234-488: The older station officer ranks of sub-station officer, station officer and senior station officer. Each of these ranks has various pay points within them. QFES SOs wear a yellow helmet with a single red stripe for SO 1 and a double red stripe for SO 2s and 3s. In the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Brigade (MFB) Melbourne, Australia, a station officer has one impeller, and
252-492: The rank of SO, as a rank senior to a sub-officer, and junior to a station commander. The fire services in the Republic of Ireland also use the rank of SO. In the full-time brigades of the five cities, they fulfil the role of watch manager, whereas in the retained county brigades, they fulfil the role of station commander. Rank markings are two impellers and, on the foreground, a white helmet with black comb and one black stripe. In
270-636: The second highest and highest non-commissioned ranks respectively. The Navy and Air Force also use other "superior sub-officer" ranks. Argentine superior sub-officer ranks: In Brazil, the Sub-officer ( Suboficial ) is the highest enlisted rank for the Brazilian Navy (including the Brazilian Marine Corps ) and Brazilian Air Force and the equivalent of the Sub-lieutenant ( Subtenente ) in
288-491: The station officer is absent. The badge of rank is two white or silver bars on the epaulettes (or the collar of the firefighting uniform), the helmet is yellow with two black 12.5 mm bands on it. Sub-officer (usually addressed as "Sub") is a rank in the London Fire Brigade and Gibraltar Fire and Rescue Service . It was formerly all the British fire services , between leading firefighter and station officer. A sub-officer
306-549: Was senior leading firewoman. With the advent of mixed-sex control rooms, the title was changed to senior fire control operator (SFCOp). In Argentina the term sub-officer ( suboficial ) formerly applied only to the more senior non-commissioned ranks. Now these ranks are known as "superior sub-officers" and lower ranks as "junior sub-officers". Each branch of the Argentine Armed Forces use chief sub-officer ( suboficial principal ) and senior sub-officer ( suboficial mayor ) as
324-435: Was usually in charge of a small one- pump fire station or a watch in a larger station. In some brigades they may be in charge of multi-pump stations. The badge of rank is two white or silver bars on the epaulettes (or the collar of the firefighting uniform), the helmet was yellow with two 12.5 mm bands on it. With the transition from a rank based structure to a role based structure, the rank of sub-officer has disappeared and
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