FSE 300W Technical Report Writing for
Emergency Services
INSTRUCTOR OF RECORD
Professor Paul Grant
Phone :(859) 622-1318
E-mail:
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is designed to develop oral and written communication skills specific to the
public emergency service sector's needs. Students will design, develop and present
information using a variety of media appropriate for the intended audience. This course
will focus on the technical aspects involved in supporting public initiatives operating
within the legal system and learning the specific requirements for submitting
documentation to various agencies.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. Prepare material to support proposals for public forums such as increasing support
of emergency services.
2. Develop accurate documentation representing fire and accident scenes. This
material will be in various forms (drawings, PowerPoint, Word documents) to
assist the investigator in supporting their reporting and/or investigation.
3. Review of the National Fire Incident Reporting System for the United States Fire
Administration with data submission for technical reports.
4. Develop technical reports for submission to NFPA, NIST, and OSHA etc.
5. Develop accurate descriptions of accident recreation models for documentation.
6. Develop in a technical format documents supporting emergency services grant
proposals.
7. Develop and review various technical writing forms including but not limited to:
grant proposals, in-house memos, accident and emergency scene reports, articles,
proposals and other written reports as deemed necessary by the instructor.
, 8. Preparing students to think critically and creatively as they produce written
communication and documents in the work place.
9. Class size, instructor schedules, and other external influences beyond the control
of the instructor may dictate changes in course methodology and requirements to
achieve the objectives of the course, but will be applied uniformly to all students
to maximize the learning process. Accordingly, the instructor reserves the right to
adjust the syllabus as necessary to meet the objectives of this course.
As in most writing courses, the emphasis in FSE 300W is on creating a final product or
finished document that is polished through multiple revisions, as a result of what I like to
call the " writing process."
COURSE TEXTS
1. Required Markel, M. (2012). Technical Communication (10th ed.). Boston, MA:
Bedford/St. Martin's. (Original work published 2006)
ISBN: 978-0-312-67948-4 Bedford/St. Martin's – Boston New York
2. Supplemental (recommended but not required) Williams, J. M. (2005). Style: Ten
Lessons in Clarity and Grace (8th ed.). New York, NY: Longman. (Original work
published 1981)
ISBN: 0321288319 Longman Inc.
3. Handouts which will be provided throughout the semester by the instructor
COURSE SCHEDULE
Course weeks begin on Monday and end on Sunday EXCEPT the last week of class
that will begin on Monday and end on Friday. Some topics of discussion listed below
may be carried forward to a following week.
Week One
- Review/scan chapters: 8, 11, 12, and 15
- Differences between technical writing and academic writing
- Key Principles of Effective Writing:
o Purpose
o Audience
o Evidence
o Organization
o Format
o Tone
Emergency Services
INSTRUCTOR OF RECORD
Professor Paul Grant
Phone :(859) 622-1318
E-mail:
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is designed to develop oral and written communication skills specific to the
public emergency service sector's needs. Students will design, develop and present
information using a variety of media appropriate for the intended audience. This course
will focus on the technical aspects involved in supporting public initiatives operating
within the legal system and learning the specific requirements for submitting
documentation to various agencies.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. Prepare material to support proposals for public forums such as increasing support
of emergency services.
2. Develop accurate documentation representing fire and accident scenes. This
material will be in various forms (drawings, PowerPoint, Word documents) to
assist the investigator in supporting their reporting and/or investigation.
3. Review of the National Fire Incident Reporting System for the United States Fire
Administration with data submission for technical reports.
4. Develop technical reports for submission to NFPA, NIST, and OSHA etc.
5. Develop accurate descriptions of accident recreation models for documentation.
6. Develop in a technical format documents supporting emergency services grant
proposals.
7. Develop and review various technical writing forms including but not limited to:
grant proposals, in-house memos, accident and emergency scene reports, articles,
proposals and other written reports as deemed necessary by the instructor.
, 8. Preparing students to think critically and creatively as they produce written
communication and documents in the work place.
9. Class size, instructor schedules, and other external influences beyond the control
of the instructor may dictate changes in course methodology and requirements to
achieve the objectives of the course, but will be applied uniformly to all students
to maximize the learning process. Accordingly, the instructor reserves the right to
adjust the syllabus as necessary to meet the objectives of this course.
As in most writing courses, the emphasis in FSE 300W is on creating a final product or
finished document that is polished through multiple revisions, as a result of what I like to
call the " writing process."
COURSE TEXTS
1. Required Markel, M. (2012). Technical Communication (10th ed.). Boston, MA:
Bedford/St. Martin's. (Original work published 2006)
ISBN: 978-0-312-67948-4 Bedford/St. Martin's – Boston New York
2. Supplemental (recommended but not required) Williams, J. M. (2005). Style: Ten
Lessons in Clarity and Grace (8th ed.). New York, NY: Longman. (Original work
published 1981)
ISBN: 0321288319 Longman Inc.
3. Handouts which will be provided throughout the semester by the instructor
COURSE SCHEDULE
Course weeks begin on Monday and end on Sunday EXCEPT the last week of class
that will begin on Monday and end on Friday. Some topics of discussion listed below
may be carried forward to a following week.
Week One
- Review/scan chapters: 8, 11, 12, and 15
- Differences between technical writing and academic writing
- Key Principles of Effective Writing:
o Purpose
o Audience
o Evidence
o Organization
o Format
o Tone
