SOP 205.03 FIREGROUND SAFETY

THE FIREGROUND

It is on the fireground where the greatest number of firefighter injuries and fatalities occur. It is here where all the training, pre-planning, inspections and knowledge become vital. Being capable of assimilating all available

Information about the actual scene is paramount to safe action. The action of the fire is not totally unpredictable if adequate knowledge about the structure, fuels and any special hazards involved is readily available. . Limited available information and knowledge, underestimating the fire potential and miscalculating the structural integrity of a building can result in numerous fatalities and injuries

SAFETY HAZARDS ON THE FIREGROUND_

Each officer should understand the following factors and how they affect safety:

1. Animals on the fire scene.
2. Firefighter fatigue.
3. Cold weather.
4. Electrical exposure.
5. Chemicals and explosives.
6. Noise on the fireground.
7. Civil unrest.
8. Low light and dark conditions.
9. Ventilation, forcible entry and operating power tools.
10. Building collapse.

SIZE-UP

In order to effectively operate safely on the fireground you must conduct a proper size-up. Use the following information.

Know the FACTS of the fire scene.

Understand the PROBABILITIES.

Know your own SITUATION (manpower, equipment, water supply)

Make a DECISION and develop a CLEAR PLAN OF ACTION.

FIREGROUND CONTROL

It is important that the fireground be managed by using all resources of men, equipment, water supply and associated agencies, but you must control these resources. If you can control the fireground, then you can add a safety factor to your operation. Command must utilize personnel on the fireground by keeping identification of each person on the fireground. Each firefighter must have full protective clothing before entering the fireground.

THEN THE FIREFIGHTER MUST:

Be positioned in Staging.

Be assigned to a task or sector.

Having completed an assignment and no other assignment is available within that sector , crews should be assigned to a Resource, Staging, or Rehabilitation Sector until such time as they can be either reassigned back to an operating sector or released to in-service status.

The intent of this procedure is to minimize fireground confusion/ congestion and more importantly to limit the number of personnel exposed to fireground hazards to only those necessary to successfully control the operation. Individuals or crews shall be restricted from wandering about the fireground or congregating in non-functional groups. If you have not been assigned to a sector or you do not have a necessary staff function to perform, stay off the fireground.

In extremely hazardous situations (large quantities of flammable liquids, LP gas, hazardous material, difficult marginal rescues, etc. ) Command will engage only an absolute minimum number of personnel within the fireground perimeter. Self-standing master streams will be utilized wherever possible.

In situations where crews must operate from opposing or conflicting positions, such as front vs. rear attack streams, interior VS. exterior streams, roof crews vs. interior crews, etc., utilize radio or face-to-face communications to coordinate your actions with those of the opposing crew in an effort to prevent needless injuries .

Ground crews must be notified and evacuated from interior positions before ladder pipes go into operation.

Do not operate exterior streams, whether hand lines , master streams, ladder pipes, etc . , into an area where interior crews are operating. This procedure is intended to prevent injuries to personnel due to stream blast and the driving of fire and/or heavy heat and smoke onto interior crews.

When laddering a roof, the ladder selected shall be one that will extend 2' - 3' above the roofline. This shall be done in an effort to provide personnel operating from the roof with a visible means of egress.

If possible, when laddering buildings under fire conditions, place ladders near building corners or firewalls as these areas are generally more stable in the event of structural failure.

When operating either above or below ground level, establish at least two ( 2 ) separate escape routes/means where possib1e , such as stairways , ladders , exits, etc., preferab1y at opposite ends of the building or separated by considerable distance.

Many safety principles revolve around action that takes place on the fireground.

For the purpose of Ennis Fire Department operations, the fireground perimeter can be defined as:

The area inside an imaginary boundary that has been determined by safety considerations according to the foreseeable hazards of the particular incident. (See illustration page 3)

The flexible boundary that determines the fireground can be altered by various safety factors. (See illustration page

All personnel entering the fireground perimeter shall:

Wear protective clothing

Have crew intact

Be assigned to a sector

ALL OTHERS STAY OUTSIDE

SECTOR - SAFETY

The safety of firefighting personnel represents a major reason for fireground sectorization. Sector commanders must maintain the capability to communicate with forces under his command so that he can control both the position and function of his companies.

Sector officers and company officers shall be able to account for the whereabouts and welfare of all crews/crew members under their assignment. (See Personnel Identification System, page 6)

Company officers shall insure that all crewmembers are operating within their assigned sector only. Crews will not leave their respective sectors unless OK'd by the sector officer.

When crews are operating within a sector, company officers shall keep the sector officer informed of changing conditions within the sector area, and particularly those changing conditions which may affect the safety of personnel.

Hazards that will affect only a specific sector area should be dealt with within that sector and not necessarily affect the, entire operation.

In an effort to regulate the amount of fatigue suffered by fireground personnel during sustained field operations, company officers should frequently assess the physical condition of their crewmembers. When crewmembers exhibit signs of serious physical or mental fatigue, the entire crew should be reassigned to a Rehabilitation Sector if possible. To be reassigned to a Rehabilitation Sector, company officers shall request reassignment from their sector officer. The company officer's request shall indicate the crew's position/condition, etc., and shall advise as to the need for a replacement crew. Individual crews shall not report to the Rehabilitation Sector unless assigned to it.

It is the ongoing responsibility of Command to summon adequate resource to tactical situations to effectively stabilize that situation, and to maintain adequate resource during extended operations to complete all operational phases.

The rotation of companies will be utilized by Command during extended operations to provide an effective ongoing level of personnel and personnel performance. Fire Alarm will assist in coordinating the rotation of companies during such campaign operations.

It is the intent of this policy to reduce the fatigue and trauma experienced during difficult operations to a reasonable (and recoverable) level and is in no way intended to lessen the individual and collective efforts expected of all members during field operations.

As an accountability measure sector officers must record and maintain the identity of all personnel assigned to operate in high hazard areas such as: basements, high rise, etc., particularly where individual assignments are made which may place members in precarious positions.

PERSONNEL IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM

The following standard method for insuring this vital account- ability shall be utilized as conditions dictate the need.

All operations division personnel will have two (2) Accountability Tags attached to their protective clothing.

As sector officers make assignments, which may place personnel in precarious positions they shall collect from each assigned member an Accountability Tag and place it on their Incident Board.

Sector officers shall account for each member upon completion of the assignment by returning to each member his respective Accountability Tag.

SECTORS - SAFETY SECTOR

The recognition of situations, which present inordinate hazards to fireground personnel and the proper response to safeguard personnel from those Hazards, is of critical importance to all Fire Department operations.

Command has the responsibility to recognize situations requiring the implementation of a Safety Sector and to confirm the response of assigned personnel. Upon arrival at a working incident, assigned personnel (Safety Officer, Fire Protection Engineer, or anyone assigned by Command) will report to the Command Post and unless otherwise assigned, will automatically establish a Safety Sector and assume assigned responsibilities. Sector personnel will respond to all multiple alarms and on request to other incidents.

A Safety Sector shall be established at those incidents posing a high potential danger to personnel such as:

Fire complexity; e.g., most multiple alarm fires.

Hazardous structural conditions, existing or potential.

Hazardous materials and chemicals, etc.

Any other situation where a Safety Sector could be advantageous to the safety of the operation.

The establishment of a Safety Sector or the presence of a Safety Officer on the scene in no way diminishes the responsibility of all officers for the safety of their assigned personnel and of each and every member to utilize common (safety) sense, and to work within the intent of established safety procedures at all times.

The authority and responsibilities of Safety- Sector personnel are located in Standard Operating Procedures, 206.02, "Safety Sector”.

STRUCTURAL COLLAPSE

In recent times structural collapse has been the leading cause of serious injuries and death to Fire Fighters. For this reason the possibility of structural collapse should be a major consideration in the development of any tactical plan.

Structural is collapse is always a possibility when a building is subject to intense fire. In fact if fire is allowed to affect a structure long enough some structural failure is inevitable.

Regardless of the age and exterior appearance of the building, there is always the possibility that a principal structural - supporting member is being seriously affected by heat and may collapse suddenly inflicting serious injury to fire fighters.

In the typical fire involved building, the roof is the most likely candidate for failure, however failure of the roof may very likely trigger a collapse of one or more wall sections. This is especially true if the roof is a peak or dome type, which may exert outward pressure against both the bearing, and non-bearing walls upon collapse. In multistory buildings or buildings with basement, the floor section above the fire may collapse if supporting members are directly exposed to heat and flames.

A knowledge of various types of building construction can be invaluable to the Fire Officer from a safety standpoint as certain types of construction can be expected to fail sooner than others. For example, under fire conditions lightweight truss and bar joist roof construction can be expected to fail after minimal fire exposure.

Structures have been known to collapse without warning but usually there are signs, which may tip off an alert fire officer. Action might be taken to avert any imminent hazard.

Tell Tale Signs:

Cracks in exterior walls.

Bulges in exterior walls.

Sounds of structural movement - creaking, growing, snapping, e t c.

Smoke or water leaking through walls.

Flexible movement of any floor or roof where firefighters walk.

Interior or exterior bearing walls or columns - leaning, twisting or flexing.

The following construction features or conditions have been known to fail prematurely or to contribute to early structural failure when affected by fire.

Contributing Factors:

Large open (unsupported) areas - super markets, warehouses, etc.

Large signs or marquees, which may pull away from weakened walls.

Cantilevered canopies - which usually depend on the roof for support and may collapse as the roof fails. Ornamental or secondary front or sidewalls - which may pull away and collapse.

Buildings with light weight truss, bar joist, or

Bowstring truss, roofs.

Buildings supported by unprotected metal - beams, columns, etc.

Buildings containing one or more of the above features must be constantly evaluated for collapse potential. These evaluations should be of major consideration toward determining the tactical mode i.e. offensive/defensive.

It is a principal Command responsibility to continually evaluate and determine if the fire building is tenable for interior operations. This ongoing evaluation of structural/fire conditions requires the input of company officers advising their sectors and of sectors advising Command of the conditions in their area of operation.

Structures of other than fire protected/heavy timber construction are not designed to withstand the effects of fire, and can be expected to fail after approximately twenty minutes of heavy fire involvement. If after 10-15 minutes of interior operations heavy fire conditions still exist, Command should initiate a careful evaluation of structural conditions and should be fully prepared to withdraw interior crews and resort to a defensive position.

If structural failure of a building or section of a building appears likely a perimeter must be established a safe distance from the area, which may collapse. All personnel must remain outside this perimeter.

See Fireground Perimeters pages.

EVACUATION

Interior firefighting operations should be abandoned when the extent of the fire prohibits or the structure becomes unsafe to operate within. When such conditions become untenable, evacuate, regroup, re-communicate, and re-deploy.

Our primary concern when a hazard, which may affect the safety of fire personnel, becomes apparent is the welfare of those personnel. In an effort to protect personnel which may suffer the adverse effects of such hazards such as structural collapse, explosion, backdraft, etc. a structured method of area evacuation must be utilized, one which will provide for the rapid/ effective notification of those personnel involved, and one which will be able to accurately account for those personnel.

The method of evacuation selected will vary depending on the following circumstances:

Imminence of the hazard

Type and extent of hazard

Perception of the area affected by the hazard

The emergency traffic announcement is designed to provide immediate notification for all fireground personnel of a notable hazard that is either about to occur, or has occurred.

The use of " Emergency Traffic" should be initiated only when the hazard appears to be imminent.

Any member has the authority to utilize the " Emergency Traffic " announcement when it is felt that a notable danger to personnel is apparent; however, considerable discretion should be applied to its use - emergency traffic announcements become ineffective if overused.

When an imminent hazard has been realized; the emergency traffic process should be initiated. Usually either a company or sector officer will be the initiator. The initiator should describe the apparent hazard and order a positive response, usually to evacuate a particular area or section, according to the scope of the hazard.

If possible, the sector officers of those areas to be evacuated should request an acknowledgement of the emergency traffic dispatch from those crews to be evacuated.

Upon receipt of the emergency traffic evacuation order, company officers shall assemble their crews and promptly exit to a safe location, where the company officer will again account for all crewmembers. Shortly after the evacuation order, sector officers shall begin the process of accounting for all evacuated crews. When all affected crews and crewmembers are accounted for, 'the evacuation process is complete. At this time a more specific determination as to the reality/extent of the hazard can be made and efforts initiated' to re-deploy/redirect attack forces.

Building evacuation generally involves a shift from offensive to defensive as an operational strategy. In such cases, Command must develop a corresponding operational plan and trust, communicate that plan to all operating elements. This can be a difficult shift to complete as units are committed to positions in an offensive manner. It is extremely important that everyone gets the word that a strategic shift has been made.

Hazards noted of a less than imminent nature should usually be handled by a consultation of Command, sector officers and/or the Safety Officer, Fire Protection Engineer, company officers or outside agency authorities. These officers or specialist should make a determination as to the nature and possible effect of the suspected hazard and advise Command so that he can make a more knowledgeable decision as to the proper course of action.

Crews retreating from interior operations often require hose line protection. The personnel protection afforded to fire fighting personnel in such situations represents a major function of such back-up lines.

SEARCH AND RESCUE

Search and rescue should be performed according to an efficient, well-planned procedure, which has included the safety of search crew personnel.

The object of the search effort is to locate possible victims, not create additional ones by neglecting the safety of the search crew.

Prior to entering the search area, all search team members should be familiar with a specific search plan including the overall objective, a designation of the search area, individual assignments, etc. This may require a brief conference among crewmembers before entering the search area to develop and communicate the plan.

A brief look around the floor below the fire may provide good reference for the search team, as floors in multistory occupancies usually have a similar layout.

Two or more members should conduct individual search activities where possible.

Company officers must maintain an awareness of the location and function of all members within their crew during search operations.

Whenever a search is conducted that exposes search crews to fire conditions (particularly above the fire floor) the search team should be protected as soon as possible with a charged hose line, in order to insure a safe escape route.

If search personnel are operating without a hose line, lifelines should be used when encountering conditions of severely limited visibility.

HIGH-RISE SAFETY

Fire personnel conducting operations in high-rise buildings, are faced with many non-typical hazards due to the design, elevation, limited access/egress, etc. inherent in these buildings containing a working fire are to be considered a high hazard area.

STAIRWAYS/ELEVATORS

If a working fire is suspected in a high-rise building, the following procedures shall be adhered to:

Utilize stairways to go aloft if possible.

Elevators may be used to go aloft provided the following measures have been taken.

1. The elevator shaft must be checked to insure that heat/fire have not damaged the hoist mechanism, etc. This can be done by checking the space between the doorframe and the elevator car and shining a light up the shaft. If smoke or fire is visible in the shaft, DO NOT RIDE THE ELEVATOR. It may be used for equipment only

2. Before using an elevator, the nearest enclosed stairway should be identified; if the elevator should stop at a floor with heavy smoke or intense heat. Fire Fighters can then head directly for the stairs without losing time searching for them.

3. You must verify that the floor you are going to arrive at is uninvolved. Utilizing the following measures can do this.

Elevators With Firemen Service Feature

Engage the firemen feature.

Take elevator to the floor two floors below the suspected fire floor.