Engine Crew Leader

1. Engine Crew Leader Rural/Metro Fire Department

2. Intro • Over the last couple of years, our Department has sought out a means by which we can help ensure the capabilities of new OIC’s. This class represent the culmination of several months of work and many meetings trying to determine the when, what, and why of becoming an engine crew leader. • Many theories exist about why one person gains experience or abilities faster than another, as well as insight about the learning traits, personalities, and leadership abilities and styles of individuals. • In the end, despite all the similarities and differences, everyone must hold the ability to operate quickly, safely, and provide positive results. Failure to do so simply is unacceptable.

3. Intro Cont • This power point presentation represents the basis or foundation for the information, scenarios, and reports you will evaluate over the next couple of weeks. • It is important to alert you to the fact that this presentation does not represent the end all say all about fire ground tactics. Multiple ideas will be presented in many different formats. The idea to expose you to as many different perspectives that portray accepted standards as possible. • Additionally, we will provide some information that is both department specific and nationally adopted standards. • Your task is to take the time over this time to develop your experience and abilities.

4. Firefighter Vs Engine Crew Leader Firefighter ECL Develop strategies to accomplish tasks Are the mind that guides the muscle Leaders – They do things right, they guide individuals and crews, provide feedback, and ensure safety Must make good decisions and communicate their needs and wants Are the corner stones for the walls. They provide direction, dictate the shape, and form the blocks into the desired shape • Perform Tasks – Force Entry, Flow Water, Stretch Lines, Wash Truck • Are the muscle for the mind • Followers – They follow hose, directions and leaders. Told what to do • Must trust you and your decision making abilities • Are the blocks that make up the wall. Singularly provide nothing, but grouped can create, give shape, and be formed into most anything

5. Engine Crew Leader • Engine Crew Leaders have one of the toughest jobs on the scene of both emergency and non-emergency scenes within the fire service. • First, they must be proficient in all of the skills as a firefighter. They must be able to not only perform the skills, but be able to ensure they can be performed by others effectively and safely. • Second, No longer can they rely on others to develop the strategies, but must be able to develop and implement these strategies themselves. • ECL’s must know their limitations, be willing to ask for help, and must learn from their mistakes, in addition to being able to train or correct the mistakes of others. • Lastly, ECL’s will almost always be judged not by their successes, but rather by their mistakes and the manner they recover from them.

6. ECL • Must have firm grasp on concepts and the application of those concepts in emergency services. • RECEOVS • WALLACE WAS HOT • COAL WAS WEALTH • EMS Operations and Assessments • Base Knowledge in: • Engine Company Operations • Truck Company Operations • Scene Size Up • Construction Features • Capabilities of Department and Crews • Fire Behavior and Development Factors • Hazardous Materials – RNIP, GEDAPER, and DECIDE • Special Assignments and Company Policy and State and County Guidelines

7. ECL • The question is – How do New ECL’s and upcoming ECL’s learn all of this on a couple of EMS calls a shift? • How does helping put a little old lady back in bed or looking for smoke in the area help to develop your skills? • Can playing Playstation or Xbox help? • The department does not have training or I cannot find the right training for the position. Do magazine articles help, but what if I cannot read? • I usually get caught up watching funny videos on youtube after only one or two fire videos.

8. Rol-a-dex or Cue-Based • Much of what firefighters do on a daily basis stems from their internal Rol-a-dex or cue-based decision making. • The pictures of what we see everyday stored in our mind for future reference for application to specific instances. • Example – You walk into a store and realize you have to go to the bathroom. What do you do? You look above all the items for the sign that says “Restrooms” They are generally at the end of isles, toward the ceiling, and are almost always visible from the middle of the store. • You walk into a restaurant this time, same scenario. You no longer look toward the ceiling, but rather look for the opening in the construction that appears to have no other purpose. You do this because you know there is no sign.

9. Rol-a-dex • Why the difference? Because you have been programmed to do both responses through life lessons, repetition, and in most cases, just because this is the way it is. • Outside the box thinking – Same 2 scenarios – You walk into a store and cannot find the restroom sign. You walk around for a bit but still cannot find the restroom. Its getting close to a must have now…What happens? You get frustrated because you cannot find it and start mumbling to yourself it would have been easy if they just had a sign. What about the restaurant? You generally either ask and you eventually find it, and then come back to the table smiling telling everyone that you just could not find the restroom and you about didn’t make it. Why the different response?

10. Rol-a-dex • It almost always is based on the expectation. You expect to have to find the restroom in a restaurant, where as in a store you expect a road map or a guide. • The same applies to a Stop sign or Red Light. Why do you stop at either? Some of this has to do with traffic laws, but most of this relates to the visual clues you obtain through driving that you respond to in this case in accordance with laws or expected reactions. When you see the light do you have to tell yourself to stop or do you just do it. • You must get to this point with regards to running a fire truck or commanding an emergency scene.

11. The Bad Rol-a-dex • Ever wonder why firefighters wear their turnout pants without the suspenders? • What about the wearing of eye protection, SCBA, etc? • Sometimes we can develop our rol-a-dex based off what we see everyday and internalize it to become reality without even knowing it. Why are bad habits so hard to break? Because we see ourselves doing whatever it is in our minds eye and become conflicted by the what we see and the expectation. When you get into a situation where your thinking about other things or are busy, you almost always revert back to your minds eye and the natural reactions. • Which leads to mistakes…

12. Rol-a-dex • So how does this work in the fire service? • You arrive on your engine and see this.. • You immediately run your rol-a-dex to find a similar picture • And do what worked the first time Ding Ding… This is how we put this fire out. This worked the last time –Lets Do This…

13. What About My Rol-a-dex • What happens when you only have so much experience and your rol-a-dex only has so many pictures in it? • In most cases you must fall back on sound basic principles to get you through until either help arrives or you arrive at a point where you recognize the appropriate response to what you see. • The point here is that until you get the experience you need, you need sound principles to follow. • The next section will cover these principles and provide insight into how that apply in your life and new position.

14. Five Point Size Up • The training of Officers for the fireground should be done in a logical order. • Just like building a house, new officers must build on a strong foundation of the basics. • They must understand simple engine and truck operations and be able to look at an ongoing operation, determine what comes next, and how available and responding companies fit into it. • These actions need to follow basic operations, size-up, decisions, implementation of proper tactics and SOP/SOG’s.

15. Initial Size Up • Most believe size-up begins with the initial call. For some, true size-up is ongoing as you conduct preplans, drive your area, running calls, returning from calls, everything you do all day long. • Where are the hydrants, what changes in construction do you see, ally ways, boarded up buildings, neighborhood characteristics, gates, exposures, etc…

16. Size-Up • Coal Was Wealth • Construction • Occupancy • Area/Potential • Life • Water Supply • Apparatus/Personnel • Street Conditions • Weather • Auxiliary Appliances • Location and Extent of Fire • Time of Day • Hazards

17. Size-Up • WALLACE WAS HOT • Water supply • Apparatus/Personnel • Life safety • Location/Extent/Access • Auxiliary appliances • Construction • Exposures • Weather • Area • Special Hazards • Height • Occupancy • Time and seasonal factors

18. Size-Up • IDEAL • Identify arriving units • Describe what you see • Explain what you intend to do • Assume command • Let incoming units know what you want them to do or where to go.

19. Size-Up • Regardless of the acronym you utilize, you should always use the same one, and should utilize it on every fire. In the beginning you should recite it to yourself on every call when you arrive OTS. • What you see is important on the scene of fires and becoming good at looking at the bigger picture will make you better.

20. Size-Up vs Tactical Priorities • RECEOVS • Rescue • Exposure • Confine • Extinguish • Overhaul • Ventilate • Salvage

21. Size-Up vs Tactical Priorities • Your Size-up of the scene should identify the who, what, when, and why of what you see. • The Tactical Priorities is the order of importance of how you will begin to deal with what you see. • You should have a suitable method for sizing up a scene and a suitable method for identifying tactical priorities. • Size-up – Coal was wealth, Wallace was hot, Ideal, Below, Five Point • Tactical Priorities - RECEOVS

22. First to Arrive • Extract as much information as possible from dispatch. • While approaching the scene both the Driver and the Passenger need to be looking for smoke or fire. It is important that both are focused on the fire, looking for hydrants, looking for down’d utility lines, pedestrians, etc • When you arrive on the scene, you should not get excited, scared, or be surprised to find a fire. Someone called you 5-10 minutes ago and told you it was on fire.

23. B.E.L.O.W. • When you pull up, the Five Point Size-Up begins.

24. B - Building • As you arrive, look past the fire at the building, and identify what you see in simple terms. A “BIR” brief initial report -“Eng226 on the scene with a small single story wood frame structure”.. • Avoid dimensions or sq footage until your follow up report to the responding chief. Small, Medium, and Large are the way to go in the beginning. • This is your first impression of what you see. Nothing more, nothing less. • Once you identify the building, give a short description of the fire situation. “Smoke from the eaves, flames through the roof, heavy fire venting from the first floor”.

25. B - Building • When conducting the building part of your size-up, cover the follow points • Building access and layout • Locations of windows and doors for both ingress and egress • Commercial buildings – location of FDC, risers, PIV, and OS&Y • Common attics or basements • You want to identify the who, what, when, and why of the building before you send people into it. • Secure Utilities and conduct a 360 degree view of the structure

26. B - Building • What potential avenues exist for fire and or smoke transfer. • Natural or mechanical ventilation sources. • Construction: wood frame, lightweight truss, masonry, steel. • Effects on the building: Collapse potential

27. E - Extent • This is where you get a better look at the fire in the structure. • Fire showing will generally give you a good idea of the location of the main body of fire. • Visible smoke can help identify what is burning and the location in the building. Smoke from the attic, smoke from second story windows, smoke from both first and second floor windows. • The amount of fire and the location can indicate how much fire is present. • Heavy fire from a store front, might indicate fire throughout the store.

28. E- Extent • The first in Officer must: • Attempt to locate the main seat of the fire from the exterior of the building • Determine if fire has communicated to additional stories, buildings, rooms • What is actually on fire? • How much fire is in the structure? • What do you see in this picture?

29. Brief Review • Identify your initial report. • What are the construction features? • Where is the fire located and to what extent?

30. L – Life Hazards • Life hazards must be broken into two categories. • Civilian and Firefighters • This begins the Risk Vs Reward assessment of your fire scene. • This is where your gut begins to play a part. If your gut says No, then the answer is No. There is a difference between being nervous and getting sick about a decision Watch the Gordon Graham Video on the Disk

31. L - Life • You should be evaluating the dispatch information regarding “Life Safety” issues as you respond. • Is it 2 am or 2 pm? • Is this a day care or nursing home? • As you arrive on the scene, listen to the bystanders around the scene. They might have information important to you. • Are victims visible from the exterior? • Were you met by the occupants or family? • If people are trapped, How many? What are the ages? • Do you have enough personnel for the potential victims?

32. L - Life • Victim removal may take priority over fireground operations, depending on fire conditions, time of day, responding resources • One important point to remember that more lives are saved by properly positioning and operating the first handline than by any other fireground tactic. • Even with reduced staffing, putting water on the fire remains very important. • Reported Life Hazards – Radio report, civilians, location, degree of danger, ease of removal, avail personnel • Primary and Secondary Search’s by different crews

33. O - Occupancy • Even when dealing with house fires, there are some variables to consider. Group homes, foster homes, and houses where the owner runs a home business all can change the "occupancy" of the building. Woodworking shops with different varnishes, stains, and cleaners and home gunsmiths may increase the fire load beyond what would normally be expected in a private home. • Beware of cross-occupancies: houses with home businesses, old signs on buildings, unusual occupancies. • Use visible factors to help your size-up: small storefronts with no storage, numerous renovations, owners' living in the rear of an occupancy. • Plan your attack: proper size handline for the fire or occupancy, apparatus, and personnel.

34. W – Water Supply • Water supply plays a very important role in fire attack. The engine company cannot move in on a fire without water. The truck company cannot complete its searches without water • What are the important aspects of water supply? Which size lines should you use? When dealing with a fire in a private home, how much water should you anticipate needing? Where should the initial handline be stretched?

35. Handline Selection • As for handline selection, the bigger the fire, the bigger the hand-line. Pretty simple. Handlines of 1 ¾ -inch size can be used on most fires in private dwellings and apartments. An exception to this rule is when the operating forces are confronted with a heavy body of fire, especially in a house. When the fire has control of the entire first floor of a home, the stretching of a large handline, such as a 2 ½ -inch line, will help to rapidly knock down the heavy fire. This line does not have to be advanced throughout the entire first floor; it can be operated from an area inside the front door and be used to knock down as much fire as possible. Once the heavy fire has been knocked down, a smaller line can be used for final extinguishment.

36. 2 ½ Inch Handlines • Stretch the 2 1/2-inch handlinein the following situations as well (think of the acronym A.D.U.L.T.S.): • Advanced Fire Conditions - when the first company is confronted with an Advanced fire condition, regardless of the type building; • Defensive Position - when the company is adopting a completely Defensive position; • Unable to Locate - when the first engine is Unable to determine the fire area; • Large - when the fire is in a Large, uncompartmented area such as a supermarket; • Tons of Water - when the engine needs Tons of water; and • Standpipe - when a Standpipe operation is used.

37. Stretching Lines • Once you select the proper size handline, which location should you stretch it to? • What are you trying to accomplish with the line? • Exposure protection – Big Water • Life Safety • Heavy fire on the exterior should almost always be controlled before crews enter the structure. • If you consider a fire in a multistory private dwelling, the interior stairs to the upper floors are usually, not always, found near the front of the house. Are you going up stairs? • Do you have enough line to reach the seat of the fire • Can you cheap shot the fire prior to entry

38. Practice • Print off the first of many Tactical Worksheets from the Disk or pull one from your binder. • Familiarize yourself with the sheet and the information covered in the presentation and then move on to the evolution. • You are dispatched to a reported structure fire. You are responding on E230 (OIC + 1FF), E231 (OIC + 1FF), E234 (OIC), T234 (FF), and E233 (OIC + 1 FF). It is 2 pm on a warm clear day. You receive information from dispatch of possibly one occupant inside the structure and they are receiving multiple calls. You arrive on the scene and see:

39. Practice • What is your BIR – Brief Initial Report? • What construction features are present? • What Size Up Acronym will you use from today for the remainder of you career? • B – What Building features might cause issues and what might aid in suppression efforts? • Do you have reasonable access? • What is you First Impression and what do you want to do first?

40. Practice • During your 360 degree walk around you see the next picture: Disregard the Firefighters in the picture.

41. Practice • E – What is the extent of the fire conditions? • Where is the seat of the Fire? • How much fire is in the building and how much is on the exterior? • What is the fire flow for the given structure? • L – What are your life concerns for both civilians and firefighters? • If a civilian is trapped in the B Side bedroom are they viable? • What is you Gordon Graham Risk/Frequency for this event?

42. Practice • O – Occupancy – Are there occupancy concerns for this structure? • Did you see a wheel chair ramp? Do you see toys? • W – Water – What are your water concerns for the fire? Are they different if there is a hydrant 900 feet away? What about 300 feet? No hydrant available and only 1 tanker responding? • What size is you first line, where does it go, and what does it accomplish? • What are your assignments for the remaining responding companies?

43. Summary • There are many different methods for conducting a Size-up on an emergency scene. • You must decide which one you will use and carry it with you throughout the remainder of the class and career. • As far as incident tactical priorities – the department, as does most departments, utilize RECEOVS. • These will represent the check lists that you should use on every call. A BIR, a size-up, and then identifying priorities or triaging the scene is a must. • All calls must be viewed from 360 degrees before you commit to an action. Missing this 360 degree view has killed more firefighters than McDonalds. • You CANNOT commit personnel to an operation, until you identify all the problems and verify what you see.

44. Remember The basics you found in the presentation. You will utilize them from now on.