The Incident Command System

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The Incident Command System Swiftwater SAR
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Key Points

• Incident considerations
• Safety considerations
• Developing an Incident Action Plan
• Setting up a search grid
• Helicopter use

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Incident Considerations
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Common Inland SAR Environments

• River
• Canal
• Irrigation
• Storms
• Flash Flood stage of a mass flooding incident
• Debris flows

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Flash flooding

• This phase is associated with high speed water.
  Most technical rescues will occur during this
  phase of a flooding incident since gt60 of flood
  deaths involve people, their vehicle, and water.
  
• Since most rescues occur during this phase, this
  is when rescuers will be at their greatest risk.

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Swiftwater Incidents

• Think Unified Command!
• With rivers often used as jurisdictional
  boundaries, utilization of a Unified Command is
  often the appropriate system for handling
  multi-jurisdictional incidents
• Know your local assets and train together!.

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Incident site control

• Hot Zone Defined as the water entrance to this
  area is for technician level rescuers only.
• Warm Zone Defined as within ten feet (3m) of the
  water or inside a rescue craft this zone is for
  operations and technician level rescuers only.
• Cold Zone Defined as any area outside the hot and
  warm zones this zone is where awareness level,
  family and bystanders must be located.
• These are the suggested minimums and can be
  expanded as necessary.

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Site Control Example
Cold Zone
Hot Zone
Warm Zone
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Levels of Capability

• Awareness
• Aware of hazards. Can not effect a rescue
• Operations
• Can enter the water hot zone and effect rescues
• Technician
• Team leaders
• Rescuers in highly technical incidents
• Trainers

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Operational Safety Considerations
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Personal Protective Equipment
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Operational Safety

• The effects of swiftwater.
• Powerful
• Relentless
• Predictable
• Predictability is what enables the rescuer to
  perform safe rescues
• We will know what it will do every single time!

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Swiftwater is POWERFUL
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Operational Safety

• Vehicles
• Stability must be assessed
• In depths less than 10 many vehicles will
  present in a right side position.
• Greater than 10 vehicles can flip and remain
  upside down
• Bottom composition
• Hazardous materials
• Strainer hazard

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Operational Safety

• How does swiftwater affect the search team ?
• Use a technician as an advisor
• GO or NO GO
• Take advantage of hydraulic features
• Determining search grid
• Knowing where to look
• Knowing when to say NO!

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Developing an Incident Action Plan
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Incident Action Plans

• SMEAC Pneumonic
• Situation
• Mission
• Execution
• Administration 
• Command / Communications
• Who is the IC, where is the Command Post, what
  command and tactical frequencies will be utilized?

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Incident Action Plans

• Anyone working the incident should be able to
  answer these 4 questions.
• Who am I working for?
• Who is working for me?
• What are we doing?
• How long, and with what, are we doing it?

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Setting up the search grid
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General guidelines on setting up the box

• Helpful information
• Victim is conscious or unconscious?
• How long has the victim potentially been in the
  water?
• Obstacles in the water?
• What is the rivers classification?
• What is the average speed of the river
• Los Angeles County Computer System
• Use a technician for planning the search grid and
  in the helicopter

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Victim location during a flood is usually
predictable

• Where the people and water cross paths
• Low water crossings
• Flood control channels
• Roof of their vehicle
• Roof of their house
• In the trees
• Inside the roof (Hurricane Katrina)

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Helicopter Interface Operations

• Search
• Movement of ground based rescue teams
• Movement of supplies/equipment
• Rescue operations (Short-Haul/Hoist)
• Waterborne insertion of swimmers, divers and
  watercraft
• Operating In and Out of Ground Effect

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Short Haul /Longline Rescuer/Victim Extraction
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Helicasting / 10-10s
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Short Haul /Longline Watercraft Insertion
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The Incident Command System is all about managing
risk!
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This Presentation and additional information may
be downloaded atwww.pacificrescuesystems.com

Pacific Rescue Systems Corp.      
Training and Technical Advising