BY LES BAKER
Reviews of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reports and near-miss reporting identify the need for more accurate, pertinent, and consistent communication among team members. Aside from the potential injuries and fatalities that may result from poor communication, operations at the strategic and tactical levels are not as proficient. Various fire-related drills limited to navigating areas in low visibility with the intent of simply maintaining crew integrity do not necessarily address detailed communication.
In the wake of the Sofa Super Store incident in 2007, the Charleston (SC) Fire Department identified the need for more impactful drills that encourage critical thinking and comprehensive communication. A necessary component of our recruit class as well as the South Carolina Firefighter Survival School is the “Give-and-Take” Drill.
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| (1) In this scenario, pallets and sheet metal were used to increase the difficulty of the drill. (Photos by author.) |
The Give-and-Take Drill introduces managing crew integrity through accurate, frequent, and efficient communication on the fireground, specifically in immediately dangerous to life or health atmospheres. One recruit stated about the drill, “A firefighter disoriented in a small bedroom could be guided by his partner to the only exit point with precise instruction that encourages aggressive movement such as ‘Come to my voice. I just reached the doorway.’ ” In another example, a firefighter instructing his partner on how to pass an obstruction in a larger area may use instructions such as, “Follow the wall on your left from the doorway. In 10 feet, you’ll reach another doorway, followed by a couch and then a table. Stay on the wall, and don’t go through that door. We are just past the table.” Throughout recruit school, candidates are given many more opportunities to crawl around with limited visibility and to build on these lessons with additional emphasis on situational awareness, mental mapping, and so on.
Transferred to the fireground, this drill helps teach and train for the roles of the company officer and the firefighter. The individual giving directions acts as the company officer, who is usually behind the firefighters with the thermal imaging camera (TIC) watching where they are searching. In this position, the officer is able to guide the firefighters during their search because he can see the bigger picture. A recruit stated, “With this type of evolution, the company officer needs to give clear and concise directions to complete a quick and thorough search. The officer with the TIC is able to ‘see’ through the smoke and direct his partner on where to search to identify potential victims, egress points, hidden spaces, and overall fire conditions.”
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| (2) A firefighter attempts to assemble PVC pieces used in the drill after successfully navigating the course. |
The Give-and-Take Drill requires very little setup and cost. Materials include a 20- × 20-foot boxed-in area, various polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes and connectors, a bucket, and printouts of multiple patterns to arrange the PVC pieces. Both firefighters wear full personal protective equipment (PPE) and self-contained breathing apparatus, with one firefighter’s mask “smoked out.” The firefighter with the smoked-out mask will be navigating the area based on the directions of the other firefighter who is acting as the company officer. Also, set up boundaries to create points of reference, much like walls in structures; items such as logs, charged hoselines, and so on are sufficient. The company officer, using verbal cues, will guide the firefighter around an approximately 20- × 20-foot square to find and pick up pieces of PVC pipe that will eventually be assembled into a specific design. Prior to starting, spin the firefighter around several times to have him lose his directional awareness.
Once the firefighter collects the pieces, the company officer directs the firefighter to assemble them in the appropriate manner. One recruit stated, “Once the firefighter had all the pieces, the next step was to direct the firefighter to put them together based on the picture supplied to the company officer. This was probably the biggest challenge because of the different terms. As an example, some called it an elbow; others referred to it as a ’90.’ ” This reinforces the need to understand terms and slang the crew may use to give direction and orders. The drill is complete once the firefighter has assembled the pieces of pipe.
Learning Points
- This drill is designed to teach two-way communication between two firefighters working together in zero- or limited-visibility conditions. One recruit stated, “As the firefighter giving directions, learning to give short and precise directions is crucial. The company officer needs to be specific with his direction. As an example, ‘Move farther’ or ‘Go that way’ does not work. Some partners were required to adapt during the drill: If your directions weren’t being understood clearly, you had to quickly figure out another way to communicate your instructions. The drill effectively shows the potential for misinterpretation.” The dynamics of the fireground require adaptability and the use of additional means of communication, striking tools, changing distance between partners, and so on to maintain crew integrity.
- You must show a complete and willing obedience to all commands and directions. Crew resource management encourages active participation of members, but once the company officer gives an order, follow it.
- It is key to stay calm and not get upset with your partner. A recruit stated, “The crawling, combined with the initial confusion in communication until a definite system could be established, caused a more stressed and frustrating situation. A situation that could have been controlled with prior planning would certainly make assembly much harder and more time consuming. When observing this drill from the outside, it seems fairly simple, but as you start the drill, you are hit with the harsh reality that, as the firefighter, you are completely helpless and at the mercy of your teammate.”
- Learning to use the sense of touch will help in real-life search situations for identifying changes in the textures, shapes, and sizes of objects you may not be able to see.
Variations
Increase the intensity and complexity of the drill as firefighters develop their communication skills. Place obstacles on the course for the firefighter to crawl over, under, and around to find each pipe part. Simulate smoke conditions, certain hazardous materials situations, lock-out/tag-out procedures, technical rescue, and so on to obscure the supervisor’s vision. Once you have a basic comprehension of the drill, you can move it inside, where visibility of the directing firefighter is limited to a flashlight and a TIC. Clear the room using familiar search patterns, where TIC blind spots replace the pipe pieces. Ultimately, you can incorporate these lessons into more common search and rescue drills.
The Give-and-Take Drill is designed to teach communication between two firefighters working in zero-visibility conditions. The tasks in this drill show the importance of good communication in assisting firefighters to learn proper search techniques. This drill requires very little setup and costs relatively nothing to conduct. Although you may never need to put a puzzle together in a building that is on fire, company officers may direct you in typical fireground tasks, rapid intervention team operations, and other vital tasks.
Author’s note: Portions of this article were contributed by members of the City of Charleston Recruit Class 1301.
LES BAKER is a 15-year veteran of the fire service and an engineer with the Charleston (SC) Fire Department. He has a bachelor of science degree in fire science from Columbia Southern University. Baker is an adjunct instructor with the South Carolina Fire Academy and a member of the Darlington County Extrication Team; he speaks and instructs throughout the country. Baker is the creator of Speed Simplicity Boldness, which provides relevant and high-energy training to emergency responders.
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Functional Fireground Accountability, Part 2: Tools and Technologies
IMPROVING COMMUNICATION
