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PURPOSE

To establish safe operating procedures to support effective structural firefighting operations.

PROCEDURE

• Arrival and Size-up

  The first arriving company will perform a size-up on arrival and communicate the following

  • Type of building/occupancy.
  • Specific conditions (e.g., smoke, fire, victims, and location of each).
  • Initial mode.
  • Command status.
  • Order additional alarms as needed.
• Engine Company Functions
  • Search, rescue, and treatment.
  • Stretch and pump hose lines (utilize water supply to best advantage).
  • Engines equipped with Telesquirts should give consideration to elevated stream operations when spotting.
  • Two-Out or RIT.
  • The third-in engine company should consider utilizing alternative routes when approaching the incident location.
• Truck Company Functions
  • Truck companies should always consider placement for maximum use of their aerial device.
  • Truck teams may be divided for general fireground functions. Each team has pre-determined tasks unless otherwise dictated by the Incident Commander. The tasks in bold are the minimum benchmarks that will be communicated to the Incident Commander via radio or face-to-face.

    Inside Team	Outside Team
    Forcible Entry	Aerial Operations
    Search & Rescue	Multiple Means of Egress
    Locate the Fire	Ventilation
    Confine the Fire	Outside Rescue
    Extinguish the Fire	Outside Utilities
    Inside Utilities	Recon for IC
    Salvage & Overhaul	Salvage & Overhaul

  • It should be understood that the assignment to ‘truck operations’ is the normal practice on the bulk of residential incidents; however, at the discretion of the Incident Commander, the truck company could get reassigned to any function that the Incident Commander may deem more important at the time.
  • In the absence of a truck company, these functions may be assigned to an engine company.
• Telesquirt Company Functions
  • Telesquirt companies should always consider placement for maximum use of their aerial device.
• Tactical Priorities – Primary

  Objective	Benchmark Communicated To IC
  Rescue	Primary search complete
  Fire control	Under control
  Loss control	Loss stopped

• Tactical Priorities – Rescue
  • Consider
    • The number, location, and condition of the victims.
    • The effect the fire has on the victims.
    • The ability of the available resources to enter the building, remove/protect victims, and control the fire.
  • Conduct a primary and secondary search in all involved and exposed occupancies.
  • The completion of the primary search will be reported to the Incident Commander utilizing the term ‘primary search complete’.
  • The completion of the secondary search will be reported to the Incident Commander utilizing the term ‘secondary search complete’. The Incident Commander will communicate the ‘all clear’ benchmark to dispatch.
  • In some cases, occupants are safer in their rooms than moving through contaminated hallways and interior areas. Such movement may also impede interior firefighting.
• Tactical Priorities – Fire Control
  • Stabilize fire conditions whenever possible through the use of a well-placed interior fire attack. This should be supported with resources and actions required to reduce fire extension and to bring the fire under control.
  • A critical command decision, both initial and on-going, relates to the offensive/transitional/ defensive mode of the situation
    • Offensive Mode – Interior attack and related support quickly bringing the fire under control.
    • Transitional Mode – Transitional attack involves changing from offensive to defensive or defensive to offensive.
    • Defensive Mode – Exterior attack directed to first reduce fire extension and then bring the fire under control.

    Incident Command will communicate the mode of operation to all personnel on the fireground.

  • The Incident Commander should consider the most probable direction of fire extension, particularly as it affects rescue, confinement, and exposure protection, and allocate resources based upon this evaluation.
  • Initial attack efforts should be directed toward supporting the primary search.
  • If the structure is deemed lost, or the fire is beyond the control of the immediate available resources, protect exposures and routes of egress before directly attacking the fire.
  • Anytime Incident Command changes the mode of operation it will be communicated to all personnel on-scene.
  • If the order for withdrawal or abandonment has been given, Incident Command will account for the safety of all personnel by conducting a Personnel Accountability Report (PAR).
  • The completion of bringing the fire under control is reported utilizing the standard radio reporting term, ‘fire under control.’
• Tactical Priorities - Loss Control
  • When basic fire control has been achieved, the Incident Commander should direct companies into ‘loss stopped’ activities
    • Communicate ‘loss stopped’ to dispatch.
    • Evaluate damage to overall fire area.
    • Evaluate the salvage value of various areas.
    • Evaluate the personnel and equipment that will be required.
    • Commit the required companies to salvage functions.
    • Reduce hose lines from fire control functions to salvage functions.
  • The provision of salvage functions must be integrated into the cause determinant phase. When fire control becomes stable, back fire control companies out and let fire investigators develop a plan.
  • Retain possession of the property. Overhaul must be coordinated with fire investigation. It may be necessary to control spot fires until the investigators have had an opportunity to do their work, before digging out and completely extinguishing non-threatening fires.
  • Check all avenues of fire spread for extension using all means necessary.
  • Consider leaving units as a fire watch until absolutely certain there is no possibility of a rekindle.