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The Training Begins
Accountability. A manageable span of control is important, and you may choose to begin the day with assigning crews to instructors or officers. Documenting their positions in a preconceived matrix of drills, rotating students and staff in methods to minimize heat stress and exposure to the elements is expected. A prepackaged, purchased personal accountability system is one method; however, when students travel from areas outside the mutual-aid boundaries, differing “store bought” systems may not be compatible. Numbered cattle tags from rural supply houses on shower curtain rings are an affordable option and are almost firefighterproof. Items are easily and inexpensively replaced when damaged or lost and can be made on scene with a permanent marker. Some may provide live fire training in venues drawing students from multiple cities, states, or countries. The legal intent of the standard can be met by using a legal pad and a pen to list the crews’ names and columns for checking them “in” or “out.”
Student skill levels. After instructors have been assigned, crews ascertain the skill level of the students by having them demonstrate SCBA skill even if they handed the lead instructor a copy of their state certification. If last-minute preparations require ladder or tool work, direct them to the task, and observe their abilities. Have them move charged hoselines to prepare for a drill. If they have difficulty on the outside without full gear and SCBA, take that into account as you lead them into the fire. Better yet, require any students who sign up for “burn day” to participate in the preburn training held days or weeks before.
Student walk-around and walk-through. Prior to briefing for the evolutions, each student must complete a walk-through of the acquired structure. This helps them achieve familiarity with the building should an evacuation become necessary. Operating doors and windows, ascending and descending stairways, and noting escape routes to lower roof sections are a few considerations. An exterior walk-around enables them to identify hazards such as slip, trip, and fall hazards and cisterns or wells; the location of the rehabilitation section, air fill station, and EMS; and the rally points for an evacuation not already written into a drill or an evolution. These should be identified and included before training begins.
Student briefing. Every live fire training session should begin with a briefing. The students should be told how to deal with a Mayday, to stay low in the smoke and heat, to account for a partner, and where to stand by if an emergency evacuation is sounded. You can do this with the total group of students or include it in each drill’s brief.
The instructor in charge and safety officer should brief the students on all aspects of the evolution. If a footprint of the house is available, draw out or point to the areas of the attack and where the backup and ignition lines will be deployed. They should give clear direction from the documented objectives prepared ahead of time, map out the route of the search crews, and point out any ventilation assignments or other objectives covered in the drill. The briefing should include also projected emergency egress locations or safe havens for crews to find relief in an uncontrolled fire.
The briefing commonly includes the rescue objectives of the live burn. The location of the rescue mannequin does not have to be divulged. If the evolution includes a rescue scenario, a human may not be used for that purpose, whether properly equipped or not. The standard states that the rescue mannequin shall not be dressed in firefighting personal protective clothing.
Sign off on the drill. The instructor in charge and the safety officer are required to sign off on the drill. According to NFPA 1403, 4.9 “Communications”: “A method of fire ground communications shall be established” among all functional crews “to enable coordination and external requests for assistance.” Work out radio issues such as the number of portable radios, proper usage, and appropriate frequencies as a part of the plan, not the day you burn.
The safety officer has the authority to intervene and control any aspect of the operation, regardless of rank, to prevent unsafe acts or eliminate unsafe conditions. Safety should be this individual’s only responsibility on site. A common practice for the safety officer might be a walk-around and a walk-through before each evolution.
The instructor in charge has the following responsibilities:
- To communicate with all crews, water supply, rehab, and EMS, indicating their readiness to begin before requesting the safety officer’s approval to ignite.
- Be responsible for the overall fireground activities including rest and rehab, medical treatment, food and fluid replenishment, and relief from the weather. This may include additional instructional staff to provide relief from the cold, heat, or precipitation.
- Assign an instructor “to each functional crew, each of which shall not exceed five students; to each backup line; and one additional instructor for each additional functional assignment.” Instructors shall be rotated through duty assignments.
The Concluding Paperwork
NFPA 1403, Chapter 9, calls for certain records and reports to be retained, including an accounting of the activities conducted; a list of the instructors and their assignments; a list of all participants; documentation of unusual occurrences, any injuries sustained and their treatment (to the extent HIPAA allows); any changes or deterioration of the structure; and documentation of the condition of the premises and adjacent area at the conclusion of the training exercise. The permits, letters of permission, inspections, and other documents discussed at the beginning of this article must also be a part of the file.
At the conclusion of training, the property should be turned back to the owner with a formal document stating the expectations of both parties. Printing e-mails, text messages, and other correspondence related to the training can also be helpful in planning the next event or providing an accurate record of logistics for future reference. This documented history will also show due diligence if something goes wrong. Fire departments have been held accountable for asbestos cleanup from the rubble weeks after the fact because the word of the property owner was presumed true. In another case, the liability fell on the licensed inspector for inadequate sampling during the inspection process.
Conduct post-training critique sessions and document the students’ performances related to the objectives “and reinforce with the students the training that was covered.” (NFPA 1403, Chapter 9) Depending on the size of the group and the ability to rotate instructors, it may be possible to critique each exercise after each drill. Do not confuse this with critiquing the training experience.
Students should be able to record their attendance at a live burn training session in their personal and department training records. Some AHJs provide a generic attendance certificate. Others may provide NFPA 1001, 1002, and 1021 specific job performance requirement objective-driven documentation. This documentation is important in the growth of the firefighter, apparatus operator, company officer, and commander regardless of whether the certification in the disciplines is required, recommended, or absent a given department’s overall training program.
The number of acquired structures for live burn training decreases each year, as does the number of jurisdictions willing to make the effort in resources and staff. Don’t pass up the opportunity; the experience cannot be replicated in engineered training buildings. Take the time, do the paperwork, prepare the responders, and execute the best live fire training possible by becoming familiar with NFPA 1403, Standard on Live Fire Training Evolutions.
Additional Links
NFPA 1403 Live-Fire Evolutions at Fire Service Training Centers
Planning a Training Fire Compliant with NFPA 1403 in an Acquired Structure
Maximizing Training Evolutions in an Acquired Structure
GREG FISHER has coordinated the “National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1403 Compliant Live Burn Training in Acquired Structures” class at FDIC since 2003 and has directed numerous similar classes in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Idaho, Oregon, and California. He began his fire service career in 1976 at the Savoy (IL) Fire Department and joined the Champaign (IL) Fire Department in 1979, retiring as captain in 2005. He is a field instructor at the Illinois Fire Service Institute. Previously, he was rescue program director and coordinator for the National Fire and Emergency Services Explorer Conference. He is a fire brigade leader for Eli Lilly/Elanco Laboratories in Clinton, Indiana, and chief of the Pesotum (IL) Fire Protection District. He remains active in Fire Service Exploring with the Champaign County Fire Chief’s Association/M.A.B.A.S. Division 28’s Explorer Post 31. He has a bachelor’s degree in fire science management from Southern Illinois University.
Greg Fisher is lead instructor for “Compliant Live Burn Training in Acquired Structures,” which will be on Monday, April 20, and Tuesday, April 21, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., at FDIC International in Indianapolis.
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