Time of Day in Size-Up Doesn’t Mean What It Used To

By Raul Angulo

Regardless of your take on the 2020-2021 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, it changed our society and behavioral norms. “Normal” society and “normal” behavior are harder to define now, and such societal control measures could easily reappear in the future. For the fire service, the lockdown has changed traditional factors in size-up and search and rescue. Some of these changes work to our advantage, but others work against us. Hopefully, you talked with your crews on how to accommodate these societal changes. The area most affected is in the time of day criteria of size-up.

• Size-Up Critical to Safety
• Bruno: Size-Up School
• The NIOSH 5: Beyond Firefighter Line-of-Duty Deaths
• Critical Components of Size-Up

Time of day indicates the movement of people and where they will congregate. Time of day is also the predetermined clue for the possibility and likelihood for rescue. For example, the popularity of online shopping during the lockdown along with the negative effects of social distancing forced many shopping malls to close. Whereas previously a Saturday afternoon may have caused traffic jams around malls and there would be an expectation of high occupancies with shoppers, now traffic may be below normal and shoppers are sparse. Fewer people reduce the probability of rescue. Conversely, the lockdown forced many business employees to telecommute and work from home. Where a residential fire in a single-family occupancy held a high probability for rescue at night, that same rescue potential now exists during the day.

Traditional Size-Up

Size-up is the observation and systematic evaluation of the existing conditions to identify the problems presenting themselves and determine what has occurred, what is occurring, and what is about to occur. Size-up also involves developing strategic objectives and selecting the tactics for rescue and firefighting. It is not a speech describing current conditions. (Size-up is often confused with the initial radio report, but they are not the same thing.)

Unless it’s impossible, every size-up should include a 360° walkaround survey. Remember that you’re also performing a six-sided size-up—this includes floors above and below the fire. Basements and below-grade occupancies must be identified or ruled out. If a basement is present, this information should immediately be announced over the radio. For example:“All units, be advised this structure has a basement.”Exposures above the fire are more obvious and present a separate set of problems. Size-up must be performed at every fire and emergency incident. Size-up should determine:

• the occupancy type
• the size of the occupancy
• the type of construction
• whether the structure is occupied or unoccupied
• if there are people trapped
• the survivability profile
• whether firefighters initiate a search and rescue
• building contents
• what’s burning
• the fire location
• size of the fire
• current fire conditions
• where the fire is headed
• what the fire is going to look like in five minutes
• whether you have the required resources to fight the fire.

Knowledge of the district and past experiences also play a role in size-up. For example, if you’re responding to an alarm in the industrial district at two in the morning, chances are you’re going to immediately have a forcible entry challenge on a building of Type II or Type IV construction. This is a commercial fire with possible hazardous materials involved. Based on the address alone, the problems you’ll face here are quite different than an address in a nice, quiet neighborhood of single-family dwellings. Many specific problems can be anticipated even before the company arrives on scene based on preincident size-up and risks known in advance.

The initial size-up is the quick mental process of receiving rapid-fire information that starts as soon as the bell hits.

• Time of day.
• Location, including the address of the incident (which may include the name of a local landmark). The address can indicate a residential, rural, industrial, or commercial area. It can also give you clues about topography and possible road conditions, i.e. steep hills, narrow roads. These can become a major issue during snow or heavy rains.
• Size and type of the initial response, including which company is listed first-in. Typical response times for incoming units can be anticipated. A larger than normal initial response indicates a confirmed fire from information that was obtained from the dispatcher. The dispatch usually includes the type of response, for example:“Dumpster fire, car fire, house fire, structure fire, commercial fire, high-rise fire, hazmat fire, ship fire, numerous calls, report of flames visible, people trapped, across from this address, caller on the phone, meet the caller, etc.”
• Traffic, temperature, current weather conditions, and wind direction are the first things you should note when leaving the station. Wind speed and direction can be determined by flags flying in the area, leaves and branches blowing in the wind, or smoke from chimneys.

These are some of the points to be considered and can be assessed within seconds of responding out of the station.

All alarm dispatches start by announcing the time. Time of day, day of the week, holidays, and special events were also traditional considerations. As previously stated, however, the lockdowns, social distancing requirements, attendance limitations, and event cancelations have affected these norms. There is a push to go back to normal, and for most of the country, we’re almost there. Mask and social distancing requirements have been relaxed or dropped completely, but they can return at a moment’s notice, again affecting societal behavior and the movement and congregation of people. What was previously regarded as traditional is now fluid. All these changes affect size-up and the potential for rescues. If your company is listed first in, you have limited time to mentally prepare yourself.

Preparation for Rescue

Preparation for rescue begins well before the alarm is received. It begins with a thorough knowledge of the company’s area of responsibility, including the occupancies, the hazards, and the potential rescue problems. This knowledge is based on building inspections, preincident planning of particular buildings, and being aware of changes that occur in the company’s district. The objective is to know beforehand the approximate type and extent of rescue operations and equipment required that could be involved in any fire incident.

The alarm itself is an indication of the potential rescue situation. The type of occupancy and the time of day, for example, are clues to the need for and possible extent of rescue work. Fires in residential properties, from single-family homes to large apartment houses, always include the possibility of a rescue situation. The possibility is much greater and the problem perhaps more acute at night and in the early morning hours when most people are at home and asleep. But again, that has changed. Many people continue to work from home, and remote learning has changed normal school hours and attendance. Home schooling is on the rise due to its popularity, so the rescue potential remains high during the day. Fortunately, this new pattern also lends itself to early detection of smoke and fire by an able body within the home.

Buildings such as offices, schools, and large stores used to present a reverse situation. Buildings that are normally empty during the night have many people occupying them in the daytime. In such cases, it is the daytime fire that will almost surely require rescue operations. Conversely, all members should be aware of the factories that have graveyard shifts within their district. In these situations, extensive search and rescues may occur at night. Many stores, businesses, and occupancies are now open 24 hours a day, so the life safety concern is present regardless of what time of the night the alarm comes in.

Post-pandemic society has obviously changed. Some businesses learned they could survive and thrive by having employees work from home. The cost savings on “brick and mortar” rent have changed business models. That’s bad for property owners because no tenants mean no income. This, too, affects size-up and rescue. What may appear to be a well-maintained business occupancy may in fact be a vacant building. There’s a push to move and even require employees to return to the workplace, but after two years of this new practice, many people are unwilling to give up the convenience and benefits of working from home.

Time of day doesn’t mean what it used to. The best approach is to consider time of day more like preincident criteria. Sit down with your crews and discuss how lockdowns and other pandemic control measures affect the movement and congregation of people in your community. Adjust your size-up and anticipation for rescues accordingly.

Raul Angulo is captain emeritus of Seattle’s Ladder Co. 6 and is retired from the Seattle (WA) Fire Department. He has more than 40 years of experience and teaches internationally on fireground strategy and tactics with firefighter accountability. He has been teaching at FDIC International since 1996 and is on the editorial advisory board for Fire Apparatus and Emergency Equipment magazine. He is the author of the new textbook Engine Company Fireground Operations 4^th Edition, (Jones and Bartlett Learning).