Emergency Vehicle Operations Unit V Standard Operating Procedures Standard Operating Guidelines

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Emergency Vehicle OperationsUnit VStandard
Operating ProceduresStandard Operating Guidelines
Dave Denniston Loss Control Training Specialist
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Unit VObjectives

• The EVO will understand the importance of
  Training Standards SOPs/SOGs
• The EVO will be able to list the elements of and
  develop a SOP
• The EVO will be able to list SOPs required for
  emergency response

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Arrive SafelySave Lives
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Need for Policy

• What seems obvious after the fact

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Need for Policy

• .. Is not always clear at the time

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We Have Policies for a Reason
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Is There a Difference?

• SOP- Internally generated and fairly rigid
• SOG- Internally generated, a guideline
• Does it really matter what it is called? Wrong is
  wrong and dead is dead. If it was important
  enough to write down it should be followed
  whenever possible.

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Standard Operating Procedures

• Essential for safe and efficient operation
• What?, Who?, When?, Where?, How?
• Same operation , the same way for all
• In accordance with state law and NFPA Standards

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Typical Department Procedures

• 2 In/2 Out
• Turnout Gear
• Level of Training
• NIIMS
• Accountability
• Safety Officer
• Documentation
• Fire Fighter Injuries

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Emergency Response Operating Procedures

• Drugs and Alcohol
• Use of warning devices
• Level of response
• Maximum speed limit
• Use of seat belts
• Backing
• Driver Selection and Training
• Scene Placement

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Elements of a Good SOP/SOG

• Must be Clear
• Must be up to date
• Must be understood
• Must be followed
• Must be reviewed regularly

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Elements of a Good SOP/SOG

• Policy Number
• Title
• Issue Date
• Objective or Purpose
• Policy
• Procedure
• Enforcement
• Signed by Authority

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Seatbelt Use

• Failure to wear seatbelts being ejected from
  the vehicle are listed as two major contributing
  factors in firefighter fatalities during EV
  crashes.

Does your department mandate, through written
operating guidelines, seatbelt usage?
Do you have compliance?
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This is what happens when you rollover and why
you wear a seatbelt.
CLICK MOVIE SCREEN TO START MOVIE
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Many Departments establish driving policies on
maximum speed during emergency response.
Does your department have a similar policy?
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REMEMBER
The established maximum speed may not be a safe
maximum speed.
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The vehicle must ALWAYS be driven at a speed that
allows for control. Exceeding the posted speed
limit for a vehicle during an emergency response
SHOULD BE AVOIDED.
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Volunteers Response in Personal Vehicles

• Excessive speed during the initial phase of a
  response by volunteers in their personal vehicles
  leads all other types of vehicles involved in
  fatal firefighter crashes.

What is your departments policy concerning
personal vehicles during a response?
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One Volunteer Lieutenant Dies and a Volunteer
Fire Fighter is Seriously Injured in a Motor
Vehicle Rollover Incident While En-route to a
Trailer Fire - North Carolina
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June 2003, a 30 year old volunteer fire fighter
was fatally injured after his POV hydroplaned and
struck a billboard signpost. His speed was
undetermined. He had passed another motorist who
reported she had been traveling at 40 mph. He was
not wearing a seatbelt. Wearing a seatbelt may
not have prevented this fatality.
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Emergency Vehicle Operations

• On the quiet response
• St. Louis Fire Department
• February 7, 1995
• Goal of program Reduce the number of accidents
  involving apparatus
•  

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Emergency or Non Emergency?

• Automatic Alarms
• Structure Alarms
• Natural Gas Leaks
• Wires Down
• Calls For Manpower
• Flush Jobs
• Lock Outs
• Smoke Detectors
• Manual Pull Stations
• Carbon Monoxide Detectors
• Plugging Details

• Assisting Police
• Keys In Running Autos
• Abandoned Drums/
• Unknown Odors
• Rubbish and Weed Fires
• Move-ups
• Broken Sprinkler/Water Pipes
• Dumpster Fires
• Removing Doors From Abandoned Refrigerators

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Emergency Vehicle Operations

• Results
• Direct reduction of accidents 17
• Increased call volume brings reduction to 35
• Hidden Benefit
• Reduced Dumpster Fires by 51 (over a four year
  period)

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Group Activity 5.1

• You are the newly elected chief of your
  department (good luck)
• Find and review the departments SOPS on driving
  operations including backing, seat belts,
  response routes, level of response, off road use,
  maintenance and driver selection
• Write an SOP for any of the above areas that are
  missing
• Write an SOP for color of new trucks

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Does this come in a seatbelt model?
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Arrive SafelySave Lives
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Unit VReview

• The EVO will understand the importance of
  Training Standards SOPs/SOGs
• The EVO will be able to list the elements of and
  develop a SOP
• The EVO will be able to list SOPs required for
  emergency response