Safety at the Fire Emergency

1. Safety at the Fire Emergency Chapter 5 5-1

2. Learning Objectives • List the three incident priorities. • Explain the relationship between the three incident priorities and the relationship to health and safety. • Discuss in general terms the hazards faced by responders to fire incidents. • List the components of a personal protective equipment used for fire incidents. • Discuss the need for and the components of an effective accountability system. Cont. 5-2

3. Learning Objectives • Discuss the types of and the relationship between incident management systems and the health and safety of the responder. • Describe the concept of and need for fireground air management. • Define the need for and uses of a rapid intervention team. • Discuss the components of incident rehabilitation 5-3

4. Introduction • Understand incident priorities and their relationship with operations and hazards to design programs and procedures to reduce injuries • The safety and health program manager must have a good knowledge of the hazards faced at fires and procedures that will ensure safer operations • Life Safety Initiatives 1, 2, 3, and 4 have a direct or indirect relationship to safety at the fire emergency 5-4

5. Incident Priorities and Safety • Life safety • Life safety is the group of activities that ensures that the threat of injury or death to civilians and emergency personnel is reduced to the absolute minimum • Incident stabilization • Incident stabilization is the group of activities required to stop additional damage or danger • Property conservation • This group of activities is commonly called salvage or stopping the loss Cont. 5-5

6. Incident Priorities and Safety • The relationship between incident priorities and safety • We will take greater risk a lot to save a lot • We will take little risk to save a little • We will take no risk to save what is already lost 5-6

7. Hazards Faced by Responders • Structure fires • Construction • Fire behavior • Transportation fires • Both auto and truck • Train, aircraft, and ships • Outside structure fires • Wildfires • Ten Firefighting Orders 5-7

8. Structural Fire Hazard Matrix 5-8

9. Personal Protective Equipment • Overview • Minimizes exposure at the fire scene • Addresses the priority of life safety • PPE for structure and vehicle fires is essentially the same • Wildland firefighting has a different PPE design • Discussion on PPE can be divided into three subject areas • Design and purchasing • Use • Care and maintenance Cont. 5-9

10. Personal Protective Equipment • Design and purchase • Commonly expected components • Use • SOPs in place • SCBA use and safety procedures Cont. 5-10

11. Personal Protective Equipment • Care and maintenance • NFPA standards provide guidelines • Generally follow the manufacturer’s recommendations 5-11

12. Incident Management Systems • IMS structure • Command staff • Information • Safety • Liaison • General staff • Operations • Finance • Logistics • Planning 5-12

13. IMS Command and General Staff 5-13

14. Air Management • Air management policies should be established • Understand average air consumption • Emphasize knowing amounts of air left • Leave hazard area before alarm sounds • Have enough air for unplanned events 5-14

15. Accountability • Critical element of the IMS and of the safety program • Personnel accountability reports (PARs) • Status of crews • Account for personnel • Various systems • System objectives 5-15

16. Rapid Intervention Companies • Reasons for having • Options for assignments • Objectives • Equipment • RIC concept has widespread applicability 5-16

17. RIC Equipment • Extra SCBA complete with harness • Search rope • Forcible-entry hand tools • Mechanical forcible entry tools • Hose line available • Ladder complement • Thermal imaging camera • High-intensity hand light 5-17

18. Rehabilitation • Wind chill and heat indexes • Objectives • Rehabilitation is an essential element of the IMS • Procedures should define responsibilities • Medical record-keeping 5-18

19. Heat Stress Index 5-19

20. Wind Chill Index 5-20

21. Summary • Operational priorities are life safety, incident stabilization, and property conservation • Must have a safety program to decrease exposure to hazards • Must have a safety officer who is accountable for and responsible for incident scene safety Cont. 5-21

22. Summary • Should have a practical system that accounts for personnel and equipment • Responders and incident commanders have the responsibility to understand the concepts of air management 5-22