Transcript Chapter10

10
Response and
Size-Up
10
Objectives
• Describe your role in assuring safe and
efficient response to an emergency scene.
• Describe how to ride an emergency vehicle
safely.
• Describe how to dismount an emergency
vehicle safely.
• Describe how to shut off utilities.
• Define and describe size-up.
2
10
Introduction (1 of 2)
• Response
– Series of actions that begin when a crew is
dispatched to an alarm and end with their arrival at
the emergency scene
• Response actions include:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Receiving the alarm
Donning PPE
Mounting the apparatus
Exiting the station
Driving to the scene
Positioning/parking the apparatus
Dismounting the apparatus
3
10
Introduction (2 of 2)
• Size-up
– A systematic process of gathering information and
evaluating the situation
– Begins at alarm receipt
– Continues during response
– Includes initial on-scene observations
• IC and company officers responsible for
obtaining information to manage the incident
– Fire fighters are involved in the process of
gathering and processing information.
4
10
Response (1 of 2)
• Response begins
with preparation for
response.
• Ensure that PPE is
complete, ready for
use, and in good
condition.
• Ensure PPE is in
designated location.
5
10
Response (2 of 2)
• SCBA
– Conduct daily
inspection at
beginning of each
tour of duty.
• Recheck PPE and
tools thoroughly
after returning from
each emergency
response.
6
10
Alarm Receipt (1 of 3)
• Process begins when an alarm is received at the fire
station.
• Often a communications center dispatches individual
units.
• Most departments have both a primary and back-up
method of transmitting alarms.
• Radio, telephone, or public address systems are often
used to transmit information.
• Use of computer terminals and printers to transmit
dispatch messages increasing
7
10
Alarm Receipt (2 of 3)
• Some fire departments use a system of bells to
transmit alarms.
– Outdoor sirens or horns may summon fire fighters in
volunteer or rural departments.
– Most volunteer fire fighters receive dispatch messages over
pagers.
• Dispatch information will include:
– Incident location
– Type of emergency
– Units due to response
8
10
Alarm Receipt (3 of 3)
• Computer-aided dispatch systems often provide
additional information.
• Telecommunicator provides additional information when
available.
– Sent in dispatch messages to later-responding units or
transmitted by radio while en route
– Information can help in planning.
• Response to alarm should be prompt and efficient.
–
–
–
–
Walk briskly to the apparatus.
Do not run.
Shut off appliances.
Wait until apparatus doors are fully open before leaving.
9
10
Riding the Apparatus (1 of 2)
• Don PPE before mounting apparatus.
– Don SCBA after apparatus stops at scene.
• All equipment must be properly secured.
• Be careful mounting apparatus.
– Steps are high and slippery.
• You must wear your seatbelt and/or harness.
• Noise produced by sirens can damage hearing.
– Wear hearing protection.
– Hearing protection devices often include radio and intercom
capabilities.
10
10
Riding the Apparatus (2 of 2)
• During transport, limit conversation.
– Listen for instructions and additional information.
• Consider factors that could affect the incident:
– Time of day or night
– Temperature
– Location and type of incident
11
10
Emergency Response
• Fire apparatus driver must exercise caution while
driving.
• Never compromise safety for faster response time.
• Fire apparatus drivers have special training.
– Fire apparatus drivers must always consider the actions of
other drivers first.
• Personal vehicles
– Fire fighters who respond in personal vehicles must follow
laws, regulations, and SOPs.
– Some areas allow volunteer fire fighters to use colored lights
to request a right of way.
12
10
Prohibited Practices
• Do not ignore departmental SOPs.
• Do not unfasten your seatbelt.
• Do not dismount until the vehicle comes
to a complete stop.
• Never stand while riding.
• Do not hold onto the side of a moving
vehicle.
• Do not ride on the rear step.
13
10
Dismounting a Stopped
Apparatus
• Ensure apparatus comes to a full stop.
• Check for traffic before opening doors.
• Check for other hazards present
– Downed power lines
– Hazardous materials
• Grab a handrail and step down.
• Be careful when dismounting.
14
10
Traffic Safety on the Scene
• Be aware—constantly!
– Drivers may not see fire fighters
• Follow departmental SOPs for closing
roadways.
• Highways are very dangerous.
• Use traffic cones or other devices.
• Wear reflective vests over PPE.
15
10
Arrival at the Incident Scene
• Fire fighters work in assigned teams.
– Companies or crews
• Teamwork and discipline are essential.
• Apparatus-responding fire fighters make
up the crew assigned to that vehicle.
• Independently-arriving fire fighters
report to IC to be assigned to a
company or crew.
16
10
Freelancing
• Dangerous practice of acting independently
of command instruction
• Unacceptable and is not tolerated
• The safety of each fire fighter at the scene
can be compromised by freelancing.
• Do not respond to an emergency incident
unless you have been dispatched.
17
10
Personnel Accountability System (1 of 2)
• Used to track every fire fighter at every incident
scene
– Maintains an updated list of the fire fighters assigned to each
vehicle or crew
– Tracks each crew’s assignment
• Fire fighters deposit PATs in a location on the
vehicle.
– PATs are collected from each vehicle and taken to the
command post.
• Fire fighters responding directly to the scene:
– Report to the command post to deposit their PATs and get
an assignment
18
10
Personnel Accountability System (2 of 2)
• Personal accountability
tags (PATs)
• Tag information may
include:
–
–
–
–
Name
ID number
Photograph
Medical history
19
10
Controlling Utilities
• One of the first tasks that must be accomplished
• Follow departmental SOPs
• Task often assigned to a certain company or
crew.
– However, all fire fighters should know how to shut off
building utilities.
• Controlling utilities prevents:
– Electrocutions of fire fighters
– Gas explosions
– Unnecessary water damage
20
10
Electrical Service
• Call electric company to shut
down power from a utility pole.
• Necessary if:
– Outside wires are damaged by fire
– Working with ladders or aerial
apparatus
– Risk of explosion exists
• Know what types of electrical drops and meters are in use
in your area.
• Work with utility companies for specific training.
• High-voltage systems require electric company or trained
personnel from premises to shut off electricity.
21
10
Gas Service (1 of 2)
• Natural gas and LP gas used for heating and cooking
– Natural gas delivered through underground pipes
– LP gas stored in a tank on premises or through underground
pipes
• Valve for LP gas system is usually located at the
storage tank.
– Often has a distinctive handle that indicates direction to turn
to open or close valve
– To close, rotate handle to fully closed position.
• Do not reopen system—call in utility.
22
10
Gas Service (2 of 2)
• Usually a single valve
for entire building
• Often located outside
building
• May be in basement of
older buildings
– When handle is in-line
with piping, gas is on.
– When handle is at a right
angle to the pipe, it is off.
23
10
Water Service
• Can usually be shut off by closing one
valve at the entry point
• There is usually also a valve inside the
basement of the building where the
water line enters.
24
10
Size-up
• Process of evaluating an emergency situation to determine
what actions need to be taken and what resources are
needed to control an emergency
• IC uses size-up to develop initial plan
• At major incidents, size-up might continue through several
stages.
• Ongoing size-up
• Fire fighters must understand how to:
– Formulate an operational plan
– Gather and process information
– How this information can change plans during the operation
• Fire fighters often asked to obtain information or report
observations for ongoing size-up
25
10
Managing Information
• Information must be continually
reassessed to ensure action plan is still
valid.
• Two categories of information:
– Facts
– Probabilities
26
10
Facts (1 of 5)
• Data elements that are accurate and based on prior
knowledge, a reliable source of information, or an
immediate, on-site observation
• Initial dispatch information contains facts.
– Location
– Nature of the situation
• Based on facts, an officer makes expectations about
the incident:
– Whether a building is likely to be occupied or unoccupied
– Whether the occupants are likely to be awake or sleeping
– Whether traffic will delay the arrival of additional units
27
10
Facts (2 of 5)
• Weather conditions
– Snow and ice delays the arrival of fire apparatus.
– Strong winds can cause rapid extension or spread of a fire.
– High heat and humidity may cause heat casualties.
• Preincident plan
– Provides details about a building’s construction, layout, contents,
special hazards, and fire protection systems
• Basic facts about a building can be observed upon arrival.
– Officer considers the size, height, and construction of the building.
– Action plan for a single-story, wood-frame dwelling different than a
steel-frame high-rise tower
28
10
Facts (3 of 5)
• Age of the building is another fact to consider.
– Building and fire safety codes change over time.
– Balloon-frame construction can provide a path for fire spread.
– Newer buildings use trusses.
• Plan for rescue and attack considers information about
the building layout and stairways.
• Special factors that will assist or hinder operations are
identified.
– Bars on windows
• Building occupancy is critical.
– Office building has a different set of issues than a school.
29
10
Facts (4 of 5)
• Fire size and location help determine hose line
placement, ventilation sites, and rescue priorities.
– Direct visual observations are good but are not complete.
– Flames issuing from only one window suggest fire is in just
one room, but it could spread through void spaces.
– Smoke can obscure view of fire.
• Inside fire fighters can use observations and
sensations to work safely.
– A crackling sound may indicate the seat of the fire.
– Blistering paint could indicate the fire is in the walls.
30
10
Facts (5 of 5)
• IC needs to gather as many facts as possible.
– Company officers report observations to IC
– Each company has a unique view to report.
– IC may request a reconnaissance report.
• An inspection and exploration of a specific area
• Progress reports
– Regular progress reports from companies working in
different areas update information.
– Enables IC to judge if an operational plan is effective
31
10
Probabilities
• Factors that can be reasonably assumed, predicted,
or expected to occur, but which are not necessarily
accurate
• Use history and experience to predict future events.
• Attack plan based on probabilities
• IC quickly identifies the probabilities that apply to a
given situation.
• Convection, conduction, radiation, smoke conditions,
and fire conditions enable IC to predict fire extension.
• IC also evaluates the potential for building collapse.
32
10
Resources
• All of the means available to fight a fire or conduct
emergency operations
– Requirements depend on the size and type of incident.
– Availability depends on the capacity of a fire department.
• Basic resources are personnel and apparatus.
• Firefighting resources usually defined as the numbers of
engine companies, ladder companies, special units, and
command officers required to control a particular fire
• Resources also include:
–
–
–
–
Water supply
Specialized equipment
Food and fluids for rehabilitation
Fuel for apparatus
33
10
Water Supply
• Water supply is a critical resource.
– In area without hydrants, water supply
could limit operations
• Takes time to establish water supply from static
source
• Limited amount of water can be delivered by
tanker shuttle.
34
10
Mutual Aid Agreements
• Fire departments agree with
surrounding jurisdictions to assist each
other if a situation requires more
resources than the local community
has.
35
10
Incident Action Plan
• Outlines the steps needed to control the situation
– Based on information gathered during size-up
– Revised and expanded during incident
• Based on five basic fireground priorities:
–
–
–
–
–
•
•
•
•
Rescue victims
Protect exposures
Confine the fire
Extinguish the fire
Salvage property and overhaul the fire
Saving lives is the highest priority.
Saving property is the remaining priority.
Priorities are not separate and exclusive.
Priorities guide the IC in making decisions.
36
10
Rescue
• Always the highest priority!
• Need for rescue depends on:
– Type of occupancy
– Time of day
– Degree of risk to the occupant’s lives
• Often the best way to protect lives is to
extinguish the fire quickly.
37
10
Exposure Protection
• Keep the fire spreading beyond the area
of origin or involvement.
• Keep fire from spreading from structure
of origin to an exposure.
• IC must sometimes weigh potential
losses.
38
10
Confinement
• Focus on confining fire to a specific
area.
• IC defines a perimeter and plans
operations so fire does not expand
beyond the area.
39
10
Extinguishment
• Depending on size of fire and the risk,
IC mounts either:
– Offensive attack
– Defensive attack
40
10
Offensive Attack
• Used with most small fires
• Fire fighters enter structure, seek out
seat of the fire, and overpower it.
41
10
Defensive Mode
• Used when fire is too large or
dangerous
• Fire fighters are not in the building.
• Heavy streams operated from outside
• At times, fire is allowed to burn itself
out.
42
10
Salvage and Overhaul
• Salvage
– Conducted to save property
by preventing avoidable
property losses
– Removal or protection of
property that could be
damaged during firefighting
or overhaul
– Goal is to reduce smoke
and water damage to
structure and contents.
• Overhaul
– Process conducted to ensure the fire
is completely out
– Floors, walls, ceilings, and attic
spaces are checked for signs of fire.
– Debris is removed and thoroughly
doused.
43
10
Summary
•
•
Preparation for response begins long before an alarm is received.
Fire fighters must adhere to safe operating practices when responding
to an incident:
– Remain seated and wearing a seat belt.
– Use caution when driving to ensure arrival on scene.
– Be alert when dismounting on roadways.
• Fire fighters must understand how to size-up an incident.
– Size-up determines incident action plan.
• Specific actions taken are based on incident priorities:
•
•
•
•
•
Rescue
Protect exposures
Confine fire
Extinguish fire
Salvage and overhaul
44