BY CHRIS PASKETT
You are second due on a working house fire. Your department standard operating procedures (SOPs) indicate that you should stand by at a hydrant and await an order for water supply. Assuming that the third engine is right on your tail and will catch it, you proceed to the scene. As you roll up, you unexpectedly meet the third-due pumper, who unfortunately made the same assumption you did. The fire is growing, and no one has yet secured a water supply.
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| (1) A fire scene is inherently chaotic; a disciplined approach will bring order and structure. (Photo by Craig Phillips.) |
You arrive first at a two-story apartment fire with a brand new driver/operator at the wheel. He remembers from his training that he should place a ladder for secondary egress after setting his pump pressures. Even though the fire is on the first floor, the diligent engineer sets a 24-foot ladder to a second-story window. Moments later, a flashover occurs on the first floor, forcing the fire attack team to take refuge on the second floor. In the midst of a growing inferno, the team locates the ladder and escapes unharmed.
These two actual events contrast the difference between a firefighter who shows a lack of discipline and one who exemplifies it. Scenarios similar to these examples play out daily in the fire service.
DISCIPLINE DEFINED
Discipline is the “control gained by enforcing obedience or order,” a concept that can easily apply to an emergency scene. We often talk of the importance of an incident commander (IC) who has a firm grasp of the situation and sets the table for a well-run operation. However, it is the firefighters who actually gain control by following the incident action plan (IAP) and going about their work in a disciplined and thoughtful manner. Sometimes a lack of discipline among responders on an emergency scene is referred to as freelancing. Although some comparisons can be made, the two ideas are are not the same. Freelancing is almost universally applied to firefighters who make choices independent of the command structure and established action plans.
Discipline refers to acts of commission and omission. It describes what we choose not to do just as much as it describes what we choose to do.
LACK OF DISCIPLINE
An undisciplined emergency scene can sometimes produce disastrous results up to and including responder injury and death. More often, however, the fruits of an undisciplined scene will be disorder, confusion, delay, and unnecessary risk. This will directly translate to less-than-optimal outcomes such as a higher dollar loss of property, duplicated efforts, equipment damage, and a general unprofessional display. Almost half of all firefighter fatalities in 2010 occurred at emergency incidents.1 We must place a premium on exercising control and restraint in a sometimes chaotic environment to minimize the potential for injury (photo 1).
ARE YOU TRUSTWORTHY?
Firefighters in the United States seem to consistently use one barometer above all others to measure the worth of fellow firefighters: Whether that firefighter will “have your back,” “be able to pull you out,” or “be there for you when you need him.” This essentially is a measure of the trustworthiness and capability of those around you. Almost without exception, all emergency personnel would indicate that they would assist a coworker who was in distress on an emergency scene. But how can a backup team protect the attack team’s egress when backup is out of position in the structure? How can a rapid intervention team effect the rescue of a down firefighter if it has not first completed a 360° survey of the building and located a secondary egress? A fire company can only be trusted implicitly when its members are properly doing what they are assigned to do, where they are assigned to do it.
DISCIPLINE = ACCOUNTABILITY
Great strides have been made in fireground accountability in the fire service over the past decade. Many of these learning opportunities have come in the wake of tragic events, including firefighter fatalities.
The essence of accountability is the ability to answer this question at any given time, “Where are my people?” An accountability system is undermined if fire companies are not where they say they are. Crews disciplined enough to routinely present their accountability tags to command at the onset of the incident and keep the IC informed on their movements help make the accountability system work.
A TEAM-ORIENTED APPROACH
Improving your level of discipline often equates to improving your attitude. For some, falling in line with the overall incident strategy is easy, but communicating actions is difficult. Others see a rapidly evolving, dynamic scene and feel the need to act first and report later. Although there are certainly many times when quick and decisive action is needed on the emergency scene, this cannot routinely be used as an excuse to step outside of the prescribed tactics or bypass the duties that you should perform. A fire company that arrives on scene willing to be an integral piece in a puzzle will be beneficial to the overall incident. The crew that wants to construct its own puzzle can hinder operations to the point that safety is compromised.
All of us will occasionally forget to try before we pry, bring a tool, wear our hood, or set a door chock. A disciplined fire company will be there to pick up a member who fails, because all of the team members should have the same focus. Everyone on a backup line should be disciplined enough to realize their role in getting the first attack line to the seat of the fire. Crew members on the backup line will grab a loop of the attack line when they enter the structure, even though they will probably not get to fight any fire. They will do it because they are disciplined firefighters who share the same goal as the attack team.
Although an IC will generally oversee an emergency scene, that person will usually not pull any hose or make any rescues. Dedicated crews who are eager to “arrive and go to work” carry out the IAP. Sometimes companies are assigned to tasks that, although important, are less glamorous or that members would rather not do. The discipline they show to complete their assignments to the best of their ability will determine the incident’s outcome and ensure the safety of everyone involved.
Endnote
1. United States Fire Administration, “USFA Releases Annual Report on Firefighter Fatalities in the United States.” Accessed 10/2/2011. http://www.usfa.fema.gov/media/press/2011releases/092711.shtm.
CHRIS PASKETT is a 13-year veteran of the fire service and a captain with the Eugene (OR) Fire and EMS Department. He has a bachelor’s degree in health promotion/emergency medical service from the University of Utah and a master’s degree in fire and emergency management from Oklahoma State University.
