The Importance of Preassigned Responsibilities

By Anthony Rowett Jr.

In most cases, success depends on knowing what is expected of you; this is no different for the fire service. Firefighters are typically more successful when they know what is expected of them. This is why, when a firefighter is first assigned to a company, the company officer will usually call the new firefighter into the office and provide him with a set of expectations. New company officers will take part in this same type of meeting with their chief officers.

One of the best methods to create anticipated expectations is with preassigned responsibilities, which allow firefighters to know exactly what their responsibilities are on each type of response that they may make during their tour. Regardless of the firefighter’s assignment to a familiar or unfamiliar company, by preassigning response responsibilities, the firefighter knows exactly for which actions he will be responsible during a response. A firefighter who is typically assigned to an engine company but who is then assigned to a truck company (or vice versa) will know—prior to an emergency response—for which actions and tools he will be responsible.

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You can create preassigned responsibilities in multiple ways. Some departments will just assign a specific set of responsibilities to each seat on the apparatus. Firefighters will then know the preassigned responsibilities assigned to each seat they will occupy during that tour. Another method is by performing a daily roll call at the beginning of each tour. During the roll call, assign each firefighter his position on the tour along with the responsibilities that go with the assignment. It is beneficial to use a riding board or sheet (Figure 1), which lists the assignments for each seat on the apparatus, when using roll calls.

Newly assigned firefighters may have questions regarding what is expected of them with each assignment. This may also be true of a firefighter who has been detailed to the company from another company that operates in a slightly different manner. Here, using the riding board or sheet not only provides the company officer with the ability to provide preassigned responsibilities but it also provides a physical list of those responsibilities that the firefighters can review at any time during the tour.

Although each of these methods is successful on its own, the best practice is to use a combination of some or all methods. By combining these three methods (by apparatus riding positions, reinforced by roll call, and listed on a riding board or sheet), firefighters are more likely to better understand what is expected of them.

For example, you can preassign responsibilities for an engine company by apparatus riding position as follows:

• Front seat, passenger side—Company officer.
• Front seat, driver side—Driver/Operator.
• Back seat, passenger side—Nozzle firefighter.
• Back seat, driver side—Plug (Hydrant) firefighter.

During roll call, the plans for the tour are detailed, which can include the plans for company training. You can address any questions regarding preassigned responsibilities and expectations at this time.

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 Here, you can also use a riding sheet, which any company member can view at any time during the tour. It can, for example, provide preassigned responsibilities for each company member for five separate response types such as “First-In Fire,” “Second-In fire,” “Rapid Intervention Team [RIT] Assignment,” “High-Rise Fire,” and “Cardiac Arrest Response.” Following is a more in-depth look at each assignment per specific member.

Company officer:

• First-In Fire. Responsible for company supervision, initial incident size-up, initial incident command operations, estimating the hose stretch, hoseline selection, nozzle selection, and communication with incident commander (IC) once command has been passed to arriving district chief. Carries officer tool and thermal imaging camera (TIC).
• Second-In Fire. Responsible for company supervision, estimating the hose stretch for the second hoseline, and communication with the IC. Carries officer tool and TIC.
• RIT Assignment. Responsible for company supervision and communication with IC. Carries officer tool and TIC.
• High-Rise Fire. Responsible for company supervision, initial incident size-up, initial incident command operations, stairwell designation, hoseline selection, nozzle selection, and communication with the IC once command has been passed to arriving district chief. Carries officer tool, TIC, and one length of hoseline from the high-rise pack.
• Cardiac Arrest Response. Responsible for company supervision, incident command operations, scene control, and information gathering.

Driver/Operator:

• First-In Fire. Responsible for apparatus response operations and fire pump operations.
• Second-In Fire. Responsible for apparatus response operations, assisting first-due driver/operator as needed, and assisting with ground ladder operations.
• RIT Assignment. Responsible for apparatus response operations and ground ladder operations.
• High-Rise Fire. Responsible for apparatus response operations and fire pump operations.
• Cardiac Arrest Response. Responsible for initial automated external defibrillator (AED) operations.

Nozzle firefighter:

• First-In Fire. Responsible for nozzle operation and first length of hoseline (50 feet) during hoseline advancement operation.
• Second-In Fire. Responsible for nozzle operation and first length of hoseline (50 feet) during hoseline advancement operation.
• RIT Assignment. Carries the irons (halligan and ax).
• High-Rise Fire. Responsible for nozzle operation and first length of hoseline (50 feet) during hoseline advancement operations. Carries two lengths of hoseline from the high-rise pack including the hoseline with the nozzle attached to it.
• Cardiac Arrest Response. Responsible for initial airway operations.

Plug (Hydrant) firefighter:

• First-In Fire. Responsible for water supply operations and then assisting with hoseline advancement operations. Carries the irons (halligan and ax).
• Second-In Fire. Responsible for assisting with the hoseline advancement operation. Carries the irons (halligan and ax).
• RIT Assignment. Carries saws for forcible entry.
• High-Rise Fire. Responsible for connecting hoseline to standpipe system hose connection outlet and assisting with the hoseline advancement operation. Carries one length of hoseline from the high-rise pack, the inline pressure gauge, and the irons (halligan and ax).
• Cardiac Arrest Response. Responsible for preforming initial round of chest compressions.

This is only one example of how you can preassign response responsibilities to improve incident operations. By doing this, firefighters will not only know what is expected from them but they will also know for which tools and pieces of equipment they will be responsible.       

Using just one of these methods for preassigning responsibilities increases the effectiveness of company operations, but it is much more effective to combine them the three mentioned here. Firefighters who know what is expected of them are more effective than those who do not until they arrive on the incident scene.

Anthony Rowett Jr. is a captain with the Mobile (AL) Fire Rescue Department. Previously, he was a firefighter with the Ogdensburg (NJ) Fire Department. He has an associate degree in fire science technology from County College of Morris (NJ), a bachelor’s degree in fire science, and a master’s degree in emergency services management from Columbia Southern University.