TURNING SAFETY INTO FIRE SERVICE TRADITION Presented By: T

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TURNING SAFETY INTO FIRE SERVICE TRADITION

• Presented By
• T. W. Aurnhammer, EFO, IAAI-CFI
• Deputy Fire Chief
• Los Pinos Fire District, CO

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What is a Tradition?

• The word tradition comes from the Latin word
  traditio which means to hand down or to hand
  over.
• It is used in a number of ways in the English
  language

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What is a Tradition?

• An inherited, established, or customary pattern
  of thought, action, or behavior (as a religious
  practice or a social custom).
• A belief or story or a body of beliefs or stories
  relating to the past that are commonly accepted
  as historical though not verifiable.

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What is a Tradition?

• The handing down of information, beliefs, and
  customs by word of mouth or by example from one
  generation to another without written
  instruction.
• Cultural continuity in social attitudes, customs,
  and institutions.
• Characteristic manner, method, or style.

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What is a Tradition?

• How Are They Established?
• One of the themes that impact how traditions are
  established is that of the invented tradition.

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What is a Tradition?

• Invented tradition includes, both traditions
  actually invented, constructed and formally
  instituted and those emerging in a less easily
  traceable manner with a brief and dateable
  period, perhaps just a matter of a few years, and
  rapidly establishing themselves.

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Family Traditions
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What is a Tradition?

• Traditions, as they relate to the Fire Service
• or what I like to call the Good, the Bad, and
  the Ugly.

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The Good

• Serving our communities.
• Wearing of uniforms.
• Symbols of rank or office.
• Our badges.
• The Brother and Sisterhood of Camaraderie.
• Our standing in our communities.

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The Bad

• Hazing of new members.
• Discrimination based on race or gender.
• Substance abuse.

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The Ugly

• The long-standing tradition of killing of over
  100 of our brothers and sisters in the
  line-of-duty each year.

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Dont Forget The Strange

• Anyone know the original name of the
  International Association of Fire Chiefs?
• National Association of Fire Engineers
  Organized on October 20th, 1873

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Dont Forget The Strange

• The first conference started on that date, and
  after the election of officers and other business
  in the morning, the afternoon session started
• Which included the suggestion of topics for the
  deliberation of the convention.

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Dont Forget The Strange

• Whereas, Experience has shown that fire
  departments across the country should be provided
  with a universal or standard coupling for fire
  hose and fire hydrants, so that when a city or
  town calls for aid, in the case of large fires or
  conflagrations, from another city or town, that
  each department can act in unison with the other.

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Dont Forget The Strange

• Happy Birthday to the original Interoperability
  Issue, this conference puts your age at 133.

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Chief of Departments Objectives

• The overall responsibility for the safety of
  department members rests with the Fire Chief.
• While he or she may delegate some or all of the
  functions associated with providing a safe work
  environment, that responsibility always remains
  with the head of the department.

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Chief of Departments Objectives

• While great strides have been made in the
  improvement of firefighter safety, it should be
  the main objective of every Fire Chief to assure
  that it remains a continual process and the
  proper amount of resources are provided to meet
  that goal.

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Chief of Departments Objectives

• Every member of the fire department, from the
  most senior member to the newest rookie, carries
  out some portion of the safety function.
• It is incumbent upon the Fire Chief to assure
  that each member understands their role when it
  comes to safety.

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Chief of Departments Objectives

• The continued use of Incident Safety Officers.
• With the use of the Incident Command System (ICS)
  most fire officers are aware that the Incident
  Commander (IC) has the ability to activate the
  Incident Safety Officer position as part of his
  or her Command Staff.

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Chief of Departments Objectives

• Under the ICS the Incident Safety Officer has the
  authority to alter, suspend, or terminate unsafe
  acts or dangerous activities.
• This makes the Incident Safety Officer a unique
  position within the ICS.

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Chief of Departments Objectives

• With the Incident Safety Officer having the
  direct obligation of providing safety and
  protecting personnel, it is important that the
  person assigned this position has the knowledge
  to function effectively.

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Chief of Departments Objectives

• The Fire Chief should develop a safety culture
  for their department.
• Developing a safety culture employs a simple
  philosophy namely that working safely needs to
  become an intricate part of our overall fire
  service traditions.

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Chief of Departments Objectives

• This may be one of the hardest barriers to
  overcome, especially in organizations that have
  been entrenched in some of the more traditional
  ways of doing business.

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Chief of Departments Objectives

• For the current department membership, having
  them participate in the process of establishing
  and evaluating safety goals and objectives can
  assist in making the changes more palatable.

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Chief of Departments Objectives

• For new members, indoctrination into the
  importance of the traditions of safety from their
  first day of training will establish what is
  expected from them throughout their vocation.

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Chief of Departments Objectives

• The goal of creating a training standard for
  safety for new recruits is to incorporate these
  considerations into all aspects of entry level
  training and to stress the paramount importance
  of keeping themselves, and their fellow
  firefighters, from becoming injured or killed.

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Chief of Departments Objectives

• Pay attention to the National Fallen Firefighters
  Foundation Life Safety Summit.
• This unprecedented gathering occurred in March of
  2004, when more than two-hundred individuals
  assembled to focus on the troubling question of
  how to prevent line-of-duty deaths.

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Chief of Departments Objectives

• The Summit marked a significant milestone,
  because it is the first time that a major
  gathering has been organized to unite all
  segments of the fire service behind the common
  goal of reducing firefighter deaths.

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Chief of Departments Objectives

• The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation has
  noted that A different type of courage is
  required to stay safe in potentially dangerous
  situations, avoiding needless risks and tragic
  consequences.

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Chief of Departments Objectives

• That different type of courage is the subject of
  "The Courage to Stay Safe - So Everyone Goes
  Home" program.
• This presentation is designed to change the
  tradition of accepting the loss of our
  firefighters as a normal occurrence.

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Chief of Departments Objectives
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Chief of Departments Objectives

• Please visit www.EveryoneGoesHome.com for
  information and resource materials.

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Chief of Departments Objectives

• Utilize Crew Resource Management.
• Crew Resource Management (CRM) is the effective
  use of all resources to minimize errors, improve
  safety, and improve performance.

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Chief of Departments Objectives

• The IAFC and Executive Director, Garry Briese,
  brought this concept to realization when they
  published Crew Resource Management A Positive
  Change for the Fire Service and ignited a
  national effort to embrace CRM into the fire
  service.

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Chief of Departments Objectives

• CRM is a tool created to optimize human
  performance by reducing the effect of human error
  through the use of all resources.
• These resources include people, hardware, and
  information.

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Chief of Departments Objectives

• The principles of CRM include error management
  through improved training and skills development
  in six areas.
• These areas comprise communication skills,
  teamwork, task allocation, critical decision
  making, situational awareness, and debriefing.

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Chief of Departments Objectives

• Participate in the International Firefighter
  Safety Stand-Down.
• A stand down is a military term that is used to
  correct an issue that has become an obvious
  problem.
• The stand down is used to raise awareness and to
  take action against the problem as a whole.

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Chief of Departments Objectives

• This is the second year that all fire
  departments career, volunteer and combination,
  were urged to suspend all non-emergency activity
  and instead focus entirely on firefighter safety
  and continue that training until all subsequent
  duty days/shifts have been covered.

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Chief of Departments Objectives

• Why Stand-Down?
• Fire Chiefs can utilize this time to raise the
  level of awareness toward firefighter safety and
  call attention to the unacceptable number of
  line-of-duty deaths and injuries.

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Chief of Departments Objectives

• Encourage participation in the National
  Firefighter Near-Miss Reporting System.
• The system is a voluntary, confidential,
  non-punitive and secure reporting system with the
  goal of improving fire fighter safety.

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Chief of Departments Objectives

• A near-miss event is defined as an unintentional
  unsafe occurrence that could have resulted in an
  injury, fatality, or property damage.
• Only a fortunate break in the chain of events
  prevented an injury, fatality or damage.

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Chief of Departments Objectives

• By collecting and analyzing information on
  near-miss events, improvements can be made in
  command, education, operations and training.
• Please visit www.firefighternearmiss.com for more
  information.

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Staffing Challenges

• At least two-thirds of the nation's fire
  departments are understaffed, according to the
  NFPA.
• The worst shortage is in rural volunteer
  departments that have trouble recruiting new
  members.

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Staffing Challenges

• While staffing companies to nationally recognized
  standards is desirable, it may be beyond the
  reach of many financially strapped communities.

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Staffing Challenges

• Are We 1710 or 1720?
• NFPA 1710 is a standard concerning personnel
  deployment and response times to fires and
  medical emergencies.
• Designed primarily for communities with career
  fire fighters.
• NFPA 1710 is more specific than 1720.

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Staffing Challenges

• Defining Substantially
• Do volunteer fire fighters supplement career fire
  fighters?
• Do career fire fighters supplement volunteer fire
  fighters?
• Department may fall under both NFPA 1710 and 1720
  (day v. night).

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Staffing Challenges

• Shifting to more paid staff has dealt with some
  of the challenges (training demands and call
  volume).
• Career firefighters present challenges, as to
  maintaining adequate staffing (vacation, sick ,
  or training leave).
• The difficulty of coming up with enough funding
  to pay firefighters.

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Staffing Challenges

• ISO Fire Suppression Rating Schedule
• CCP Credit for Company Personnel
• OM On Duty Strength
• VM Call Volunteer Members
• EE Number of Existing Engine Companies
• EL Number of Existing Ladder Companies
• ES Number of Existing Service Companies
• SC Surplus Companies

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Staffing Challenges

• If satisfactory records of response are not
  kept, use 6 instead of 3.
• The number of existing companies shall be
  adjusted, if necessary, to conform with Item 570
  E (Service, Pumper-Service, and Pumper-Ladder
  Trucks).

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Staffing Challenges

• What is Adequate Staffing?
• NFPA 1500
• 8.4.7  In the initial stages of an incident
  where only one crew is operating in the hazardous
  area at a working structural fire, a minimum of
  four individuals shall be required, consisting of
  two individuals working as a crew in the hazard
  area and two individuals present outside this
  hazard area available for assistance or rescue at
  emergency operations where entry into the danger
  area is required.

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Staffing Challenges

• What is Adequate Staffing?
• NFPA 1710
• (1) Incident Commander
• (1) Pump Operator
• (2) Attack Line
• (2) Backup Line

• (1) Attack Line Support
• (1) Backup Line Support
• (2) Victim Search and Rescue Team
• (2) Ventilation Team
• (2) Initial Rapid Intervention Crew
• Add (1) person for turntable operation when using
  an aerial

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Staffing Challenges

• What is Adequate Staffing?
• NFPA 1720
• 4.3.1 The fire department shall identify minimum
  staffing requirements to ensure that a sufficient
  number of members are available to operate safely
  and effectively. 

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Staffing Challenges

• NFPA 1720
• 4.3.2 Table 4.3.2 shall be used by the AHJ to
  determine staffing and response time
  capabilities, and the fractal (data relating to
  level of service, deployment, and the achievement
  of each response time objective in each demand
  zone) accomplishment of that for reporting
  purposes as required in 4.4.2. 

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Staffing Challenges
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Staffing Challenges

• Defensive v. Offensive?
• As it relates to staffing
• Personnel on the initial apparatus.
• Personnel on additional responding apparatus.
• Time for adequate resources to arrive on the
  scene.

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Staffing Challenges

• Required Fire Flow or Do You Have Enough People
  to Safely Put the Wet Stuff on the Red Stuff?
• 1 ½ 125 GPM
• 1 ¾ 150 GPM
• 2 200 GPM
• 2 ½ 250 GPM
• 3 400 GPM

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Staffing Challenges

• Community Risk - The level of risk that a
  community is willing to accept needs to be an
  informed decision.
• Should standards be developed for a range of
  community risk factors?
• Educational programs should enhance the public
  awareness of the balance between resources and
  operational capabilities.

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Staffing Challenges

• The Fire Chief needs to make sure that the
  subject of safe staffing is addressed on a
  rational, and not an emotional level.
• We also must make certain that previous studies
  that view staffing as just an efficiency and/or
  economic issue are recognized for what they are.

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Staffing Challenges

• Staffing issues should take firefighter safety
  into consideration as the paramount reason for
  maintaining a working minimum.

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Leaving the Station

• All personnel riding the apparatus should be in
  full turn-out gear prior to climbing aboard the
  apparatus, don self-contained breathing apparatus
  (if needed), and everyone needs to be SEATBELTED
  prior to the apparatus moving.

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Leaving the Station
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Leaving the Station

• Personnel attempting to get dressed or don
  self-contained breathing apparatus while the
  vehicle is in motion is a recipe for disaster.
• It is both the drivers and officers
  responsibility to assure that personnel are
  seated, with the seat belt attached, before
  leaving the station.

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Leaving the Station

• Some departments do not require the driver to be
  in turn-out gear due to difficulties operating
  the vehicle in bulky clothing.
• When making an emergency response the apparatus
  driver must be able to give his or her full
  attention to the safety of the apparatus in
  traffic.

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Leaving the Station

• All of the emergency signaling lights need to be
  turned on prior to leaving the station.
• An apparatus driver having to reach around to
  turn on emergency light switches while driving
  can lead to vehicle accidents.

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Leaving the Station

• While it may seem a little silly to mention it,
  the driver and officer must look to assure that
  the overhead door is fully opened.
• Failure to check has led to parts of the door
  being damaged or entire doors being destroyed
  from coming into contact with responding
  apparatus.

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Leaving the Station

• Radio controlled door openers can save a lot of
  trips in and out of the apparatus, but can also
  lead to door accidents unless caution is
  exercised.
• Make sure the apparatus has cleared the door
  before you push the button.

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Leaving the Station

• When the apparatus has cleared the station door,
  the driver should perform a quick check to assure
  that the apparatus brakes are operable.

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Leaving the Station

• Where Are We Going?
• It is important for the driver to know the
  location of the incident.
• If you have the ability to receive directions
  over a mobile data terminal or just have to check
  a map book, the driver and officer should agree
  on where they are going.

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Leaving the Station

• Miscommunications have occurred when streets,
  avenues, and lanes have the same name.
• When in doubt, ask to have the location repeated
  by the dispatcher.
• In some departments, policy requires the address
  to be stated back to the dispatcher when radioing
  in at the start of the response.

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Leaving the Station

• Driving Standards
• All department members, especially drivers and
  officers, need to recognize the fact that a safe
  response is the first benchmark of a successful
  emergency operation.

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Leaving the Station

• While these high-priced pieces of apparatus carry
  all of the costly equipment that we need to
  provide our services to our communities, no price
  can be put on the necessity of protecting our
  personnel who ride on them.

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Leaving the Station

• Without the safe transportation of vehicles and
  personnel to an incident scene, fire departments
  cannot achieve their mission of saving lives and
  property.

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Leaving the Station

• Having rational emergency vehicle response
  standards adopted and enforced will assist in
  creating the expectations the organization has of
  its drivers and officers.

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Leaving the Station

• Weather Conditions
• Inclement weather, slippery road conditions, and
  poor visibility are just a few examples of
  situations requiring slower response speeds.
• Consider that even light rains may cause oils on
  the road to become slick.
• Driving rains and fog can also affect the
  operation of the apparatus. 

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Leaving the Station

• Here are a few precautions to remember when
  driving in bad weather.
• Drive slower than you normally would, keep in
  mind that an emergency response is not a race.
• Make sure your emergency lights and headlights
  are turned on you need to make the apparatus as
  visible as possible.
• Test the brakes and windshield wipers on the
  vehicle before you respond.

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Leaving the Station

• When you leave the station in winter conditions,
  some contemplation of other matters may be
  sensible.
• Remember that even though a vehicle is equipped
  with automatic tire chains or traditional tire
  chains, traction will always be an issue.
• Winter conditions create unsafe roads and
  highways.

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Leaving the Station

• Bear in mind that fire apparatus are large, do
  not stop on a dime, and that the dynamics of
  causing five-hundred to one-thousand gallons of
  water to start shifting its weight around can
  create the most dangerous ride of your life.

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Riding the Apparatus

• The number of firefighter fatalities attributed
  to this issue should make it painfully clear that
  persons responsible for driving emergency
  vehicles are not to move the apparatus until all
  persons on the vehicle are seated and secured
  with seat belts in approved riding positions.

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Riding the Apparatus

• All persons riding in fire apparatus need to be
  seated and belted securely by seat belts in
  approved riding positions and at any time the
  vehicle is in motion.
• Seat belts should not be released or loosened for
  any purpose while the vehicle is in motion,
  including the donning of respiratory protection
  equipment or protective clothing.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• Any interior firefighting operation requires the
  incident commander to address the items needed to
  maintain safe operations.
• It becomes even more perilous in departments
  where initial staffing on the fireground is below
  what would be considered adequate to initiate an
  interior fire attack.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• Basic safety concepts such as a strong command
  presence, sound risk management practices, useful
  and disciplined communications, personnel
  accountability, and the establishment of an
  Initial Rapid Intervention Crew (IRIC) cannot be
  overlooked.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• Having an adequate complement of personnel
  on-scene prior to initiating interior operations
  must be addressed, and gathering those resources
  can sometimes be problematic in smaller
  communities.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• Short staffed combination or all volunteer
  departments may have to overcome a lack of
  firefighters on the initial response.
• Automatic aid agreements, or calling for
  additional resources immediately certainly come
  into play.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• Response distances for additional personnel and
  equipment must be factored into whatever plan is
  developed to assure a safe and efficient
  operation in a timely manner.
• The quandary of not having enough personnel
  on-scene can create some additional issues that
  need to be considered.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• Incident commanders must consider alternative
  tactics such as a blitz or indirect attack, if
  appropriate, as well as establishing a water
  supply, securing utilities, placing ladders,
  getting additional hose lines in place, exposure
  protection, and other exterior operations while
  gathering resources for an interior attack.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• IRIC and RIC
• NFPA 1500, 1710, 1720, and OSHAs Respiratory
  Protection Standard all call for what is commonly
  referred to as an IRIC to be in place prior to
  commencing operations in hazardous areas or
  Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH)
  atmospheres.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• The IRIC is just that, the initial crew
  standing-by outside the building in the early
  stages of another crew starting the interior
  operation.
• As additional companies and personnel are
  committed to that interior fire attack, the IRIC
  must expand as well.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• An escalating fire incident will require the
  establishment of a full Rapid Intervention Crew
  (RIC), and depending on the circumstances, a
  Rescue Branch.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• The needs and resources for this undertaking will
  vary greatly depending on the type of building
  and conditions encountered by the interior
  forces.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• The one fact that has become evident from data
  gathered at actual down firefighter incidents
  and training exercises is that multiple companies
  are required to execute a true firefighter rescue.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• IRIC and RIC operations provide another example
  where pre-incident planning and training on that
  plan will assist in bringing, what has the
  potential of being an emotionally charged
  operation, to a successful conclusion.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• OSHA 29 CFR 1910.134 is referred to as the
  Respiratory Protection Standard.
• In addition to the two-in/two-out requirement
  of the standard, it also calls for the employer
  to develop and implement a written respiratory
  protection program with required
  worksite-specific procedures and elements for
  required respirator use.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• Fire Department Respiratory Protection Programs
  must be tailored to the specific needs of each
  fire department.
• Just having a program does not ensure compliance
  with the respiratory protection requirements.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• In addition to being knowledgeable about the
  program requirements for their own protection,
  supervisory personnel need to make certain that
  the program is understood and followed by all
  individuals under their charge.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• This includes the availability of SCBA for all
  personnel working in an IDLH atmosphere and the
  enforcement of SCBA, as well as rehab procedures.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• Reading the Smoke
• Incident Commanders and Safety Officers are
  responsible for monitoring immediate risks, as
  well as situations that may become hazardous.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• They have to look ahead and forecast the risk of
  the operation.
• This should start with a scene assessment and
  your ability to read the smoke conditions is
  one of the best ways to determine your course of
  action.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• Key safety issues can also be identified by
  watching the smoke conditions.
• The smoke conditions are going to key you in to a
  number of points that must be factored into the
  needed strategic and tactical decisions.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• What is the volume of the smoke?
• How much of it is coming out the buildings
  openings?
• What is the speed in which the smoke is leaving
  the structure?
• How about density?

• What is the quality of burning?
• Does it have the potential for a flashover or
  backdraft?
• Color should also be noted, as it relates to the
  unusual or the status of the fire.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting
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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• A few other items need to be considered as well.
  
• Look at the building and the location where the
  smoke is coming from.
• Is it the origin of the fire, or is the smoke
  having to travel to that opening?
• Weather conditions will have an effect on the
  smoke.
• Low temperatures and relative humidity may cause
  the smoke to hang low.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• Firefighting efforts must be evaluated to
  determine if entering the building or creating
  other openings has allowed the smoke to travel
  from the area of origin.
• The smoke will also provide information that can
  help you determine the fires status.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• Decreasing smoke volume, velocity, density, and
  color changes (i.e., from black or brown to
  white) can indicate that fire conditions are
  improving.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• Risk Management
• The classic risk management matrix looks at
  fireground operations from the level of the risk,
  as well as the frequency in which the operation
  has been carried out in the past.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting
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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• As an example, a fire in a single family dwelling
  may be considered to be a high frequency/high
  risk operation versus a fire in a large
  commercial building may be low frequency/high
  risk operation.
• Low frequency/high risk operations demand the
  highest level of safety that we can provide.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• Other risk factors in relation to the size,
  location and stage of the fire and the
  capabilities of the fire suppression resources
  must also be taken into consideration.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• Before an interior attack can be initiated, the
  IC must be assured that the resources on the
  scene have the capability to conduct a safe and
  effective operation.
• The risk assessment in these situations must also
  consider life safety.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• The acceptable level of risk to save a life is
  greater than the acceptable level of risk to save
  property.
• A good balance of experience and judgment are
  essential to applying risk management principals
  on the fireground.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting
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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• Recognition Primed Decision Making
• In the 1980s the U.S. Army noticed that,
  although it had been teaching the classic
  decision making model to its leaders for years,
  almost none of them used it in real situations.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• When asked, most leaders could not explain how
  they made decisions they just made them.
• So, the army hired a company called Klein
  Associates to study decision-making.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• What Dr. Klein did was examine the way decisions
  are made by highly proficient personnel, under
  conditions of extreme time pressure, and where
  the consequences of the decisions could affect
  lives and property.
• Since experienced combat leaders were hard to
  come by in the 80s they turned to the fire
  service.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• He found that very few fire officers reported
  ever considering more than one option.
• They saw the problem and knew what to do.
• The model he developed from this study is called
  Recognition Primed Decision Making (RPDM).

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• He called it RPDM because it is triggered by
  recognizing key elements in a given situation.
• The steps are
• Prototype Match
• Expectations
• Evaluation
• Implementation

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• There are training implications relating to
  prototype matching, as well as the role of
  experience in developing a good database of
  prototypes from which to generate matches.
• Whatever method you use to train, it should
  include time pressure, shifting conditions and
  information gaps.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting
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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• Simulations, mentoring, reviewing successful
  operation, and studying line-of-duty death/injury
  cases are training tools that we can utilize to
  become proficient in lieu of actually having
  "been there and done it."

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• Rules of Engagement
• In August of 2001, the Health and Safety
  Committee of the IAFC published The 10 Rules of
  Engagement for Structural Firefighting.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• The document acknowledges that all structural
  firefighting operations involve an inherent level
  of risk to firefighters.

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Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• It also states that all feasible measures shall
  be taken to limit or avoid these risks through
  risk assessment, constant vigilance, and the
  conscientious application of safety policies and
  procedures.

122
Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• No building or property is worth the life of a
  firefighter
• All interior firefighting involves an inherent
  risk
• Some risk is acceptable in a measured and
  controlled manner

123
Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• No level of risk is acceptable where there is no
  potential to save lives or savable property
• Firefighters shall not be committed to interior
  offensive firefighting operations in abandoned or
  derelict buildings

124
Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• All feasible measures shall be taken to limit or
  avoid risks through risk assessment by a
  qualified officer
• It is the responsibility of the incident
  commander to evaluate the level of risk in every
  situation

125
Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• Risk assessment is a continuous process for the
  entire duration of each incident
• If conditions change, and risk increases, change
  strategy and tactics
• No building or property is worth the life of a
  firefighter

126
Needs in Aggressive Firefighting
127
Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• Thermal Imaging Cameras
• Thermal imaging is one of the most significant
  technological advances to be introduced to the
  fire service in many years.
• The use of thermal imaging brings a number of
  important benefits to firefighter safety.

128
Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• Thermal imaging technology gives firefighters the
  ability to see through smoke conditions that, in
  the past, had left them blind.

129
Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• This technology also allows for a number of other
  operational improvements.
• An effective primary and secondary search.
• The assessment of fire conditions and spread
  potential.

• The ability to read temperatures (from cameras
  equipped with a temperature readout) within a
  room prior to flashover.
• The ability to search for hot spots.

130
Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• Thermal imaging cameras are a vital piece of
  equipment that will also improve the ability of
  an IRIC or RIC to locate and extract downed
  firefighters in the event of a mayday.

131
Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• Be aware that this technology has the potential
  to cause overconfidence by allowing firefighters
  to see objects in an environment that has zero
  visibility.
• The camera only provides a two dimensional view
  of a smoke filled environment and depth
  perception is limited.

132
Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• Overhaul Hazards
• Properly carrying out the overhaul process is a
  critical part of firefighter safety.
• As the emergency stage of the operation gears
  down, a more cautious and planned approach to the
  task is required.

133
Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• Overhauling in a haphazard manner will cause
  injuries.
• It is essential that safety procedures, including
  the use of PPE, be required during overhaul
  operations.
• Prior to beginning overhaul tasks, steps to
  address and eliminate inhalation hazards must be
  taken.

134
Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• A number of fire departments are now utilizing
  instruments that measure carbon monoxide and
  oxygen levels during the overhaul phase.
• We must also keep in mind that these are not the
  only inhalation hazards present when portions of
  the scene are still smoldering.

135
Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• Eliminating these hazards through fire
  extinguishment, ventilation, and atmospheric
  monitoring can reduce some potential injuries.
• This break in the action can also provide an
  opportunity for firefighter rehabilitation, allow
  for an assessment structural damage, and the
  development of an overhaul strategy.

136
Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• If the structural integrity of a fire building is
  a concern, arrangements to delay overhaul and to
  have an assessment of the structure by a building
  inspector or engineer, will have to be made.
• Other items that will have an impact on the
  safety of performing overhaul are the time of day
  and weather conditions.

137
Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• Thoughts on Calling a Mayday
• Firefighters must consider what has to transpire
  on the fireground in order to call a mayday.
• For years our traditions in this business have
  dictated that we are part of the solution and
  should we become part of the problem, dont let
  anybody know about it.

138
Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• Firefighters are reluctant to call a mayday for a
  number of reasons a lack of training in the
  procedure complacency they dont know that they
  are in trouble and pride or embarrassment may
  also come into play.
• In general, firefighters are probably some of the
  worst people to call others for help.

139
Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• By the time a firefighter calls a mayday, it may
  be too late to address the problem.
• Training on mayday procedures is of paramount
  importance, but recognizing situations in which
  committing personnel to an interior attack that
  would lead itself to create a mayday is just as
  imperative.

140
Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• Creating the tradition of letting firefighters
  know that it is not a sign of weakness to call
  for help, and if you think you may be in trouble
  you probably are so let somebody know, is not
  going to be changed overnight.

141
Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• Training, more training, reviewing firefighter
  fatality case studies, and looking at the close
  calls on this subject may open some eyes and
  allow that change to come about.

142
Needs in Aggressive Firefighting

• We know that complacency is one of the most
  serious causes of accidents on the fireground and
  it can also lead to having firefighters calling
  for help way past when they need it.

143
Residential v. Commercial Structure Fires

• We need to grasp the realization that commercial
  and residential fires are different, and
  firefighters need to train for both.
• The Big Differences
• Construction types, size of the structure,
  ventilation openings, needed fire flow, open
  areas, fire loading, contents, utilities, and
  collapse hazards are but a few.

144
Residential v. Commercial Structure Fires

• One of the most critical aspects that needs to be
  accounted for anytime firefighters enter a
  burning structure is that of air management.

145
Residential v. Commercial Structure Fires

• We need to ensure that firefighters manage their
  air supplies as warranted by the size of the
  structure involved.
• Air consumption will vary with each individuals
  physical condition, the level of training, the
  task performed, and the environment.

146
Residential v. Commercial Structure Fires

• Depending on the air consumption and the amount
  of time required to exit a hostile environment,
  the low air alarm may not provide adequate time
  to exit.
• Working in large structures requires that
  firefighters be cognizant of the distance
  traveled and the time required to reach the fire
  from where they made entry.

147
Residential v. Commercial Structure Fires

• SCBA training can be used to create an average or
  "rule of thumb" regarding air consumption for the
  firefighters who work for your department.
• Some can stay inside longer and still have enough
  air to exit the structure prior to a low air
  alert activation, and some will have less.

148
Residential v. Commercial Structure Fires

• A Phoenix Fire Department study identified the
  amount of time they can expect a firefighter to
  be able to spend inside a structure fire (under
  simulated conditions) is 18.5 minutes.

149
Residential v. Commercial Structure Fires

• Complacency again rears its ugly head, in that
  the application of residential fire tactics in a
  commercial building is an invitation for tragedy.
• The attitude that, this is just another routine
  fire, just like all of the other fires that I
  have returned safely from, is a stance that
  kills firefighters.

150
The Reality of PPE

• Protection from Steam and Compression Burns
• Testing has shown that the type of moisture
  barrier and the water absorption characteristics
  of the different layers of the garment, not the
  type of outer shell fabric, are the critical
  factors influencing the likelihood of burn
  injury.

151
The Reality of PPE

• A study published by the National Institute of
  Standards and Technology (NIST) Fire Fighters
  Protective Clothing and Thermal Environments of
  Structural Fire Fighting (NISTIR 5804).
• The study was focused on understanding the
  critical limits of firefighter PPE when exposed
  to firefighting environments.

152
The Reality of PPE

• The study attempts to clarify the concepts of
  heat transfer in protective clothing, and
  addresses the relationship of those concepts to
  firefighter burn injuries.
• The studies were based on what is currently known
  about structural fires, particularly in homes.

153
The Reality of PPE

• The Effects of Moisture
• In certain cases, moisture may help to protect a
  firefighter.
• With only slight changes in thermal environment,
  moisture can cause serious burn injuries.
• This recognition of the change in moisture
  performance usually does not occur until a
  firefighter has already felt pain and suffered
  skin damage.

154
The Reality of PPE

• Training that provides firefighters with insight
  into the way moisture effects their PPE may help
  them prevent injuries.

155
The Reality of PPE

• Moisture produced by sweating and hose spray is
  absorbed by PPE
• Moisture trapped inside the PPE is absorbed by
  the thermal liner and the firefighters clothing.
• It would not likely evaporate as easily as
  moisture on the outer surface.

156
The Reality of PPE

• Wet Compressed Garment Burns
• Wet clothing exhibits significantly greater rates
  of heat transfer than dry clothing.
• Wet compressed thermal protective clothing has a
  much higher thermal conductivity than dry
  clothing.
• Note that protective clothing compression can
  happen without touching any surface.

157
The Reality of PPE

• Arm, leg, and body movements will cause fabric
  compression in protective garments
• Bending, squatting, rotating, and crawling will
  compress clothing against firefighters body.
• Serious burn injuries often occur with the
  compression of wet PPE that is exposed to high
  levels of thermal radiation.

158
The Reality of PPE

• Drying Garment Burn
• If the evaporation rate increases without
  moisture being added to restore the thermal
  balance, the PPE dries out, and cooling stops.
• Evaporation rates increase as a firefighter
  enters higher temperature and thermal radiation
  zones near a fire.

159
The Reality of PPE

• That evaporative cooling may provide a false
  sense of security that allows them to enter an
  extremely dangerous thermal environment.
• Not usually recognized until the last few seconds
  of PPE drying.
• The PPE temperature may rise very rapidly inside
  the garment, and likely cause serious burn
  injuries.

160
The Reality of PPE

• Steam Burns
• Steam burn injuries may occur in structural
  firefighting when hose streams are applied to
  flames or hot surfaces.
• Steam generated during firefighting expands away
  from the flames and hot surfaces where it is
  produced and often comes in direct contact with
  firefighters.

161
The Reality of PPE

• This steam will immediately burn exposed skin,
  and since it is a gas, it will likely cause burn
  injuries as it passes through permeable
  components of the PPE.

162
Everyone is a Safety Officer

• Situational Awareness
• Situational awareness has three components
• Awareness
• Reality
• Perception.

163
Everyone is a Safety Officer

• Disasters (small or large) are the result when
  situational awareness is lost.
• Situational awareness is an internal process that
  goes on constantly, much like size-up.

164
Everyone is a Safety Officer

• Like size-up, situational awareness must be
  updated constantly through two principles
• Observation
• Communication
• The types of incidents we respond to require that
  we maintain the absolute highest state of
  alertness and attention at all times.

165
Everyone is a Safety Officer

• Since we are human and subject to frailties, the
  loss of situational awareness does occur.
• When situational awareness is maintained,
  incidents are mitigated smoothly and injuries are
  eliminated.

166
Everyone is a Safety Officer

• We must remain vigilant for the appearance of the
  factors that cause the loss of situational
  awareness.
• Taking action against those factors gives us an
  advantage over the catastrophic, life-altering
  incident.

167
Everyone is a Safety Officer

• Reality and perception refer to what is going on
  and what we think is going on.
• Communication and observation are essential in
  order to make reality and perception equivalent
  enough to be considered identical.

168
Everyone is a Safety Officer

• Loss of Situational Awareness - Indicators

169
Lessons from the Forest Service

• The Importance of Command
• The concept of ICS was developed more than thirty
  years ago, in the aftermath of a devastating
  wildfire in California.

170
Lessons from the Forest Service

• FIRESCOPE was organized after that disastrous
  1970 wildland fire in southern California.
• The goal of this group was to create and
  implement new applications in fire service
  management, technology and coordination, with an
  emphasis on incident command and multi-agency
  coordination.

171
Lessons from the Forest Service

• With the exception of the way the intelligence
  function is handled, the principles and concepts
  of NIMS ICS are the same as FIRESCOPE ICS.

172
Lessons from the Forest Service

• Effective communications is an essential element
  in the business of wildland fire management.
• Proof of this exists in situational awareness
  models such as the 10 Standard Firefighting
  Orders and 18 Watchout Situations.

173
Lessons from the Forest Service

• These are built-in systems to hopefully guarantee
  the presence of effective communications in every
  aspect of operations.
• The following extracts from the 10 Fire Orders
  illustrate the emphasis on communications

• 6 - Be alert. Keep calm. Think clearly. Act
  decisively.
• 7 - Maintain prompt communications with your
  forces, your supervisor, and adjoining forces.
• 8 - Give clear instructions and insure they are
  understood.
• 9 - Maintain control of your forces at all times.

174
Lessons from the Forest Service

• Each firefighter must know the interconnection of
  LCES
• Lookouts
• Communications
• Escape Routes
• Safety Zones

175
Lessons from the Forest Service

• LCES should be established before fighting the
  fire
• Select lookouts.
• Set up communications.
• Choose escape routes.
• Select safety zones.

176
Lessons from the Forest Service

• Development of How to Properly Refuse Risk or
  turn down an assignment.
• A turn down is a situation where an individual
  has determined they cannot undertake an
  assignment as given and they are unable to
  negotiate an alternative solution.

177
Lessons from the Forest Service

• The turn down of an assignment must be based on
  an assessment of risks and the ability of the
  individual or organization to control those risks.

178
Lessons from the Forest Service

• Individuals may turn down an assignment as unsafe
  when
• There is a violation of safe work practices.
• Environmental conditions make the work unsafe.
• They lack the necessary qualifications or
  experience.
• Defective equipment is being used.

179
Highway Operations

• All personnel should understand and appreciate
  the high risk that responders are exposed to when
  operating in or near moving vehicle traffic.
• We need to provide them the ability to operate
  within a protected environment at any
  vehicle-related roadway incident.

180
Highway Operations

• Never trust approaching traffic.
• Avoid turning your back to approaching traffic.
• Establish an initial block with the first
  arriving emergency vehicle or fire apparatus.
• Always wear high visibility reflective vests
  during operations.

181
Highway Operations

• Always wear structural firefighting helmet and
  appropriate PPE.
• Turn off all sources of vision impairment to
  approaching motorists at nighttime incidents
  including vehicle headlights and spotlights.
• Use fire apparatus and police vehicles to
  initially redirect the flow of moving traffic.

182
Highway Operations

• Establish advance warning and adequate transition
  area traffic control measures upstream of
  incident to reduce travel speeds of approaching
  motorists.
• Use traffic cones and/or cones illuminated by
  flares where appropriate for sustained highway
  incident traffic control and direction.

183
Highway Operations

• Establish a Flagger who can monitor approaching
  traffic and activate an emergency signal if the
  actions of a motorist are going to put responders
  at risk.
• Please visit www.respondersafety.com for
  additional information.

184
Operational Risk Exercise

• Identifying Unsafe Operations.
• We are going to look at a series of photographs
  and I would like you to identify any immediate
  hazards.
• Thanks to www.firefighterclosecalls.com for the
  use of their photographs.

185
Operational Risk Exercise

186
Operational Risk Exercise
187
Operational Risk Exercise
188
Operational Risk Exercise
189
Operational Risk Exercise
190
Operational Risk Exercise
191
Action Items

• Develop more appreciation for traditions and
  heritage as a way of recognizing and honoring the
  service of those who came before us, and also as
  a way of emphasizing to new fire service members
  the duty, responsibility and pride that we must
  take as part of our role in this profession and
  avocation.

192
Action Items

• Chapel Hill (NC) Fire Chief Dan Jones, in
  National Fire Rescue Magazine
  January/February, 2006

193
Action Items

• When you get home, download this presentation.
• Feel free to use any and all parts of it.
• Twist it, turn it, make it your own, and share it
  with your troops.

194
Action Items

• Take the time to review the Chief of
  Departments Objectives a few months from now,
  just as a reminder.
• Dont lose sight of the fact that residential
  fires and commercial building fires are very
  different.

195
Action Items

• Develop a policy for Highway Operations and do
  all you can to make your people as visible as
  possible when working on our roadways.

196
Action Items

• Lets create some new traditions based on
  Firefighter Safety that can be handed down and
  shared by all fire service members.  
• Make sure that EVERYBODY GOES HOME!

197
It Is Up To Us!
198
Copy of this Presentation

• If you would like to have a copy of this
  presentation
• Download available at
• www.lospinosfire.org

199
QUESTIONS?
THANK YOU!