By Thomas Dunne
Consider the following scenarios.
• A senior firefighter in a small volunteer department has arrived at a fire on the first floor of a two-story frame dwelling. One engine and four firefighters are on scene and are operating a hoseline inside the building. The chief is not present, and his arrival is likely to be quite delayed because of a severe ice storm. From his position in front of the structure, the firefighter notices that fire is venting out of a window and threatening to extend to an adjoining private dwelling on the exposure D side. Moments later, personnel operating inside the original fire building notify him that they have lost water in the hoseline, fire conditions are rapidly expanding, and they are having difficulty making their way back to the main entrance.
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• On the other side of town, an emergency medical services (EMS) unit arrives at a multicar accident on a hilly section of the interstate highway. There are no police or fire units on scene, as the weather conditions have created an exceptionally high demand for emergency responses. There are multiple injuries, and fuel is leaking into the sewers. Traffic is backed up on both sides of the highway, blocking access to the area for additional responding units. As he walks on the side of the road, several motorists tell the emergency medical technician (EMT) is that there is a heavy odor of gasoline throughout the area.
• Meanwhile, the principal of the public school downtown is dealing with a heavy smoke condition near the electrical panels in the basement. Smoke is starting to spread to the upper floors, alarms are sounding throughout the building, and a number of students and teachers have already gone outside. No one seems quite sure of the number or identities of the people who have already left the premises. There are disabled students in classrooms throughout the school and, in the background, the phones are ringing continuously as concerned parents are calling to check on the welfare of their children.
Each of the individuals in the above scenarios has been suddenly thrust into situations that are far more complex than those they normally experience. The firefighter, the EMT, and the principal all face extremely demanding challenges that will require them to assume a role and maintain a perspective they are not likely to be comfortable with. They are experiencing many of the issues a fire chief must contend with when he supervises a difficult fire or an emergency operation. Overwhelming demands, insufficient resources, time restraints, and high stakes are involved.
In the fire service, the chief or IC is expected to devise a strategy, assign the necessary tactics, and monitor that strategy until the incident is successfully concluded. Since most fire personnel are primarily involved in hands-on tactical work, it can be tempting to leave the big strategic decisions to the “person in charge.”
The heavy emphasis that must be placed on tactical training for newly appointed firefighters reinforces this view. In a typical career path, a firefighter will master increasingly difficult technical skills as he performs physical tasks over and over at various fire operations. However, as highlighted in the scenarios above, there will be occasions when an individual will have to exercise skills that are “above his pay scale.” Big decisions often involve big risks. They also call for an ability to make strategic as well as tactical commitments.
The ability to think strategically is a great skill for a firefighter even when performing his usual tasks on the fireground. The window he breaks, the nozzle he opens up, and even the way he communicates can affect the safety of the people around him as well as the outcome of the operation. In short, it is not only the IC who should be capable of thinking like an IC. It is a skill that all firefighters can and should develop.
Thinking As an IC
Five essential factors are needed to think like an IC: the willingness to accept the responsibility, the ability to envision the big picture, the capacity for obtaining detailed information, the ability to organize, and the ability to calm a stressful situation.
1. The willingness to accept the responsibility. If you are suddenly thrust into a leadership position, you must accept the fact that you are no longer functioning only as a firefighter, an EMT, a school principal, or whatever your job normally is. Even if you are not placed in a command position, you must accept the ramifications of your tactical duties and ensure that what you are about to do will not adversely affect someone else. For example, prior to opening up a heavy-caliber outside stream into a building, you have to notify the people around you to avoid causing injuries.
The firefighter in the first scenario is responsible for the safety of the personnel operating the hoseline inside the fire building. Perhaps they can continue an interior attack, or they may have to be withdrawn as quickly as possible. In either event, there is nobody to make that call for him. It is his responsibility.
The EMT in the second scenario is the only one available to make command decisions on the logistics of getting other units to the scene of the accident, addressing a hazardous material situation, and establishing site safety. Pending the arrival of emergency responders, the school principal is responsible for the safety and accountability of his students.
• The ability to envision the big picture. All three players in our scenarios must battle myopia and force themselves to see the big picture when managing their individual operations. The firefighter in the first example is functioning as an IC. He must manage the personnel operating the hoseline inside the fire building and at the same time consider the possibility of a rapidly expanding operation if the fire extends to other buildings. He must also incorporate the weather conditions and immediate lack of additional resources in establishing his strategy.
The EMT in the second scenario was tasked with a lot more than the first-aid work he normally faces. The injuries are certainly concern, but if traffic control, access routes, and the leaking fuel are not addressed, the situation is going to get much worse.
The school principal may even have a harder time maintaining the big picture. He is not an emergency responder and is being asked to perform in a role that is radically different from his normal day-to day work. He has to deal with more than personnel accountability issues. Prior to the arrival of emergency personnel, he must initiate search activities, address any possibility of controlling the spread of the smoke, and maybe even function as a public information officer to address the parents’ concerns.
• The capacity for obtaining the necessary information. It is seldom possible at the very beginning of an operation. Often, there is too much initial activity and confusion. However, our three main scenario role players will have to gather the details as soon as possible. Does the firefighter know for certain the number and identities of the personnel working inside the fire building and their exact location in relation to their means of egress? How many rooms of fire are they dealing with?
The EMT must establish the number and location of the accident victims involved and the level of care they will require. He must determine where the sewer grates are located and ascertain which ones are emitting the strongest gasoline fumes. The school principal must verify attendance sheets, check on locations of disabled students, and get a handle on identifying which students have already left the building.
The difficulties of obtaining detailed information can be greatly alleviated by exercising the next required skill. The firefighter, EMT, and the principal must all establish some semblance of an organization however simply it may be structured. There will be no complex incident command system in place, but the firefighter can chose to withdraw his personnel, assign two firefighters to reestablish a water supply, and assign the two other firefighters to search and evaluate the condition of the building exposure on the D side.
• The ability to organize. The EMT has nobody to organize but himself. However, he can establish the basis of a functioning organization by identifying the most hazardous work areas and recommending locations for a staging area and a command post. The school principal has some staff to work with and can make use of the two most basic organizational tools by delegating tasks and dividing the incident into manageable sectors.
• The ability to calm a stressful situation. All of the players can positively affect the management of their incidents by acting as a calming influence. The person who can take responsibility, maintain an overall perspective, organize, and obtain the needed specific information is still going to have difficulty if he comes across as indecisive, erratic, or confused. Clear and confident communication is the most effective tool in calming down a situation. The firefighter, EMT, and principal must force themselves to project a controlled, optimistic tone as they speak even if the stress and chaos keep them from feeling confident. A little “acting” may be called for. Each may have to slow down and force himself to speak in positive, relaxed tones when communicating plans or issuing orders.
The individuals in each of these scenarios were required to think as ICs. They had to step up and accept the taxing and solitary position of making difficult decisions under stressful circumstances.
The art of thinking as an IC involves developing an appreciation of the strategy as much as a recognition of the necessary tactics. If we fail to envision an overall plan, we are likely to end up with the performance of a series of uncoordinated individual tasks rather than a successful outcome. As the ancient Chinese general and philosopher Sun Tzu put it, “Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”
BIO
Thomas Dunne is a deputy chief and a 33-year veteran of the Fire Department of New York and has extensive experience working in mid-Manhattan and the Bronx. He has been the incident commander at hundreds of fires in residential, commercial, and high-rise buildings. He has lectured at conferences, colleges, and fire academies across the country. He has written numerous articles for Fire Engineering magazine and also serves as an adjunct instructor for the National Fire Academy. He is a graduate of Fordham University. He writes and lectures on a variety of fire service topics through his “Third Alarm Fire Training” seminars.
