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The approach to the scene of an incident is a crucial part of the company’s operation. Taking for granted the positioning of apparatus, noticing factors about the incident, as well as consideration for additional arriving units are key factors in the overall success of the incident operation. Department or Division SOGs often take some of these factors into consideration and through standard practice, each department will be able to better operate at an incident.
Some things to take into consideration when responding to a report of a fire include positioning of the first-due engine and truck, establishing a water supply, observing building construction features and fire location information, time of day, weather and activity outside of the structure just to mention a few. Additional arriving units need to observe both visually and by listening to size-up reports and orders, the location of water, the types of lead outs used, other typical buildings that are not involved, observing the exposures and identification of utilities. Use of Level 1 and 2 staging may allow for more time to take all of these factors into consideration.
Approaching the scene of an auto accident, technical rescue incident, or haz-mat incident also require special consideration and should be approached with caution.
Use this week’s drill to discuss with your crew approaching the following types of incidents:
- Fire Scene
- Roadway Incident
- Special Operations Incident
Complete discussion questions for each type of incident are located at FriefighterCloseCalls.com.
