By Sergio Selman
Are there firefighters eager to launch a program that allows them to operate efficiently, effectively, and safely at the next high-rise fire?
Although every fire is different and therefore each requires a different type of operation to control, categorizing fires according to the type of structure—e.g., residential, high-rise building, industrial—allows firefighters to develop standard operating procedures (SOPs). They become the basic step-by-step guide for all firefighters to assess the situation, extinguish the fire, and bring the emergency under control. See this article in Spanish: http://bit.ly/1Fzrb8o.
If your fire department still doesn’t have SOPs, consider developing them as soon as possible. You can find extensive SOP development resources on the Internet or review those another fire department has already developed and apply them. However, I would like to emphasize that SOP development is not a simple “copy and paste” job, requiring just putting your fire department’s name on an existing procedure. The SOP for your department must be adapted to the local reality and trained on repeatedly until the procedure becomes the natural way of acting.
SOP Challenges
Every fire department has its own procedures, written or implicit, for each type of emergency. The idiosyncrasies of each fire department determine the rigidity with which each of the steps is followed.
In general, these SOPs, almost identical among fire departments, will allow a clear intervention based on preestablished roles, regardless of from which fire station the firefighters and apparatus are responding. It also allows coordination among all the incoming companies, since the function of the fire apparatus and its firefighters has been predetermined.
Presented in this way, it looks like any emergency should be quite simple to resolve. But if you have SOPs that assign the functions that each fire company must accomplish by known criteria, why are high-rise fires more complex for the volunteer fire departments?
The answer is the SOPs. Because SOPs are highly structured, there is no room for that distinctive characteristic of volunteer fire departments: the variable number of responding personnel.
Response Variables
The most frequent argument among the volunteer firefighters about the uncertainty of how many personnel will respond is that it is impossible to determine how many firefighters will arrive on each dispatched fire apparatus at a specific emergency. But is the number of personnel the only important issue? Are there any other relevant variables? Yes, and some may compensate for the lack of personnel.
Personnel Quantity
Of the most frequent emergencies, the high-rise fire requires the largest number of firefighters to fulfill all the functions usually detailed in SOPs, regardless of the size of the emergency. Generally, paid fire departments have the advantage of knowing how many firefighters will be in each dispatched unit, so they can send the precise number of apparatus and personnel to fulfill the SOP requirements.
On the other hand, although volunteer firefighters may compensate for this by responding directly to the emergency scene, this can be dangerous. If the first firefighter to arrive inadequately or belatedly establishes the incident command system (ICS), a lack of good fire scene access control and of management of incoming firefighters’ assignments may unnecessarily expose members to danger.
Teamwork
The second variable is the team members. It should not surprise anyone that this is not only a matter of training or skills but also of affinity among participants. In some professional sports teams, the team may make great efforts to hire prominent players, but the overall team performance at the end of the season will be disappointing because of a lack of teamwork. This also applies to firefighter teams.
Experience
The third problem is the incident commander’s (IC’s) knowledge and experience to direct the entire emergency from the first moment onward. For the firefighters, they must be able to perform their assigned tasks. For the IC, the problem is that all SOPs, regardless of what items they address, must allow the responsible firefighter or IC to make a situational assessment of the emergency. Although the firefighter or IC may do his best, his experience may be inadequate to address the emergency well.
This inexperience in determining a strategy or in confronting complexities beyond the usual and a delay in upgrading the alarm will determine how the emergency develops in the future.
For the rest of the firefighters, as part of the team, their inexperience will be reflected in their delay in completing assigned tasks, again affecting how the emergency develops. They may overlook valuable information they see in the fire floor that must be transmitted to the lobby, where the IC is.
Every Firefighter Is an IC
Is there a solution that addresses the three problems? Yes, and below we will explore a path to optimize the results in every emergency while operating within the realistic limits of volunteer firefighters.
Though it can seem to be counterproductive, our solution is to transform each firefighter into a potential IC. This doesn’t mean that every member will assume this position, because the IC is assigned according to the fire department’s SOPs. But at least if they have to, they will have the basic tools to fulfill it. It is very important to stress that this is achieved through classroom instruction and hands-on drills; developing only one part can produce disappointing results.
So, how does this solution resolve each of the three problems?
Personnel Quantity
Most importantly, the first firefighter on the scene, therefore the first IC, must be able to do an accurate emergency size-up and evaluate whether the personnel present are sufficient or he should request reinforcements. The delay in scaling the alarm irremediably alters the emergency’s development and outcome.
Another important point is that through training, the IC will know how to correctly determine which SOP function should take priority as he awaits the arrival of additional personnel.
Teamwork
Training and practicing will create more unified, high-performance teams in an emergency because each station’s officers and firefighters will know each others’ capabilities so that the full potential of each firefighter can be exploited, even under limited staffing.
Additionally, repeated training sessions allow firefighters who rarely work together to obtain experience operating as a team. As in sports, high-performance teams train during the week to improve and maintain their performance.
Experience
Experience does not come only through study and practical training. When future leaders are prepared beforehand, they will be able to respond to emergencies and consider what they would do in a similar situation when they are responsible for the operation’s outcome. In this way, they obtain invaluable firsthand experience.
Holding a debriefing session after each major emergency enables firefighters to share insights, thoughts, improvements, and learning.
An additional benefit is that it effects a “transfer of ownership” of the problem to all volunteers. Leadership studies recognize that including all team members in problem solving encourages greater involvement and commitment. This will be beneficial for specific training on high-rise operations and for the fire department’s daily operations.
It is therefore vitally essential to train firefighters to enable them to think like an IC. It is an essential tool for solving these three problems, since they will know how to command the emergency if required and may think more carefully of what is needed when assigned to a specific task, providing improved support in helping to control the emergency.
Development Plan
The solution for the problems above is not developing protocols according to the number of firefighters available but training our firefighters. Only through a culture where every member is capable of commanding an emergency will our fire department be able to develop effective and efficient operations while maintaining firefighter safety.
The key is developing a two-stage, master training plan. First, all firefighters should attain a minimum level of training that allows them to deal with the first stages of an emergency until a more qualified IC arrives. Second, and only for some firefighters, is the need for more extensive and complex training designed for those who will most likely be responsible for an emergency scene.
Do not forget that good training (developed with classroom theory and practice) for this type of emergency allows each firefighter to understand the importance of the three components of incident control: strategic, tactical, and operational. The following outlines the minimum training each firefighter must have for each component of the emergency.
Strategic
At this level, all firefighters should be trained to choose the first target of intervention according to the current limitations at that particular incident: personnel, building construction, building use, other incoming units, staffing, and so forth. Emphasize that the initial assessment develops from the moment the fire apparatus leaves the fire station, starting with the information from the dispatch center, the time of the day, the weather conditions, and so forth. So, with limited resources, the big questions are as follows: What is my primary objective? What functions should be prioritized?
Tactics
At this level, everyone should be able to transform a strategic goal into a work plan that includes assigning the most appropriate tasks, monitoring them, and revising the assignments as required according to the changing fire conditions. Our question at this level is, Are all firefighters capable of transforming a strategic goal into a work plan?
Operational
At this level, all firefighters should know by heart the basic operations and understand the task they are expected to perform without further explanation. Also, we expect them to know the most common tricks to solve the ordinary problems they may encounter. The classic example for engine companies assigned to fight the fire is to determine the best alternatives if the standpipe is unavailable or malfunctioning. At this level, the big question is, Can the firefighters troubleshoot operations autonomously?
As we have already reviewed, there is a way to successfully overcome the additional problems volunteer firefighters will confront in high-rise fires. Implementing the development plan would require another article but is more or less standard. As always, it must be adapted to each situation and fire department reality.
The last question is, In your volunteer fire department, are there firefighters eager to launch a program that will allow them to operate efficiently, effectively, and safely at the next high-rise fire?
Additional Links
Structural Firefighting: Bill Gustin on Standpipe Operations: Q & A
STANDPIPE OPERATIONS: The BASICS
Engine Company Ops at Standpipe -Equipped Buildings
SERGIO SELMAN has been a volunteer firefighter with the Santiago (Chile) Fire Department since 2005 in Station 20 “Apoquindo,” where he served as head of training. Selman has also worked on the department’s Fire Control Planning Team on projects such as high-rise fire protocol. He completed the Texas A&M Fire Extension School Engine Operation module and trained on high-rise fires in the Houston (TX) Fire Department Academy. Selman has produced training bulletins and articles for Chilean firefighter Web sites.
Sergio Selman will present in Spanish “Incendios en Altura: Comandante de Incidente para Bomberos Voluntarios” (“High-Rise Fire Incident Commander for Volunteer Fire Departments”) on Friday, April 24, 8:30 a.m.-10:15 a.m., at FDIC International 2015 in Indianapolis.
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