BY DEVON WELLS
Every summer, firefighters talk about the wildland firefighting principles of “Look Up, Look Down, Look Around” and LCES. We consider the fuel moistures, the Haines Index, the Lightning Activity Level (LAL), and the National Preparedness Level. We remind each other to check our personal protective equipment and prepare our gear bags with enough clothes to last for a seven- to 14-day fire assignment. Since wildland fires have a season, at least in some areas of the country, we prepare ourselves for its coming and do a good job of getting through the season safely.
However, in an all-hazard department, which most fire departments are considered, our daily operations don’t seem to draw that kind of attention. Instead, we are heard saying, “It’s just another car accident” or “It’s just another car fire.” We get complacent with our daily responses and fail to recognize many of the potential hazards that exist around us. Our wildland counterparts have developed a program that, when applied correctly, reduces the potential for serious injuries on the fireground. You can apply this program to “everyday” responses.
The description of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) course S-133, “Look Up, Look Down, Look Around,” states that “this course examines the wildland fire environment and the indicators firefighters should observe on the fire line in order to anticipate fire behavior.”1 The course teaches all levels of firefighters how to watch for dangerous situations. Let’s apply that principle to the following routine incidents: motor vehicle crashes and fires, structure fires, and EMS calls.
MOTOR VEHICLE CRASHES AND FIRES
“Dispatch, Engine 4. We’ve arrived on the scene of a full-sized van, heavy fire showing from the passenger compartment. The eastbound slow lane of I-84 is blocked. Engine 4 has I-84 Command.”
This is a fairly common scenario for a vehicle fire: one vehicle, partial road closure, single-engine operation. The engine company goes to work securing the vehicle, extinguishing flames, overhauling the dash area, and cleaning up its equipment. The engine company officer assumes command and directs operations from a safe distance in the traffic-shadow of the engine, located in the traffic path. Law enforcement may show up to assist with traffic control, if officers are available, or a second engine company may assist, if available and close.
Look Up
To safely manage this scene, the company officer (CO) needs to evaluate many indicators. Looking up, the CO considers the weather conditions. Is it snowing, causing the ground to be slippery and adding a higher potential for chain-reaction accidents or making the patients colder? Is it raining, causing fire debris to flow into a storm drain or creek? Is it windy, causing the smoke plume to obscure other drivers’ vision or envelop the engineer in toxic fumes? Is it sunny and hot, causing your firefighters and the patients to get overheated quickly? Is the incident located under power lines?
Look Down
Looking down, the CO evaluates the slope of the road. Is it causing the extinguishment water to flow into a storm drain or creek? Is there a vehicle fuel leak that may impact fire suppression or rescue efforts? Is that fuel leak reaching any ignition sources, like flares set for traffic control? Can your firefighters safely approach the vehicle? Are they standing in any pooled flammable liquids?
Look Around
Looking around, the CO determines the vehicle occupants’ locations. Is everyone out? Do you need to use the thermal imaging camera to look for ejected victims in the bushes? What is the traffic pattern? Are cars slowing down, or do you need more traffic control? If the fire occurred in a parking lot or in a remote location, were there any witnesses? Are there any suspicious or highly interested people near the incident? Is there a potential for fire to spread to adjacent vehicles or wildland fuels? Is the vehicle stable without additional rescue resources?
 (1) Using the “Look Up, Look Down, Look Around” principle on car fires will improve firefighter safety. Can you identify hazards here using the principle? (Photos by author.) |
Making these three areas of assessment routine in our motor vehicle incident operations will create a safer scene for everyone. Every situation is unique, even though you are on a “routine” call. Being aware of these and other indicators will enhance operations.
STRUCTURE FIRES
Structure fires are the most hazardous incidents for firefighters. The potential for collapse, entrapment, and rapid fire growth presents numerous risks to all firefighters. Using the “Look Up, Look Down, Look Around” principle will help firefighters and commanders identify risks. Once identified, personnel can deal with these risks accordingly.
Look Up
Looking up on the fireground will identify many hazards firefighters need to address. Prior to raising a ladder or positioning an aerial apparatus, check to see if there are any overhead obstructions, namely power lines. How is the smoke venting from the structure? Is it charged and dark brown to black, or is it light and lazy? If there is no smoke venting, where is it going? What building construction features may assist or hinder fireground operations? What are the weather conditions, and how will they affect the operation?
Look Down
Looking down will reveal dangers that personnel often overlook. Are there any large holes in the lawn that need covering to prevent firefighters from injuring their legs? During commercial operations, what is in the water runoff from the suppression efforts? If the water may be contaminated, where is the water running to, and how can you prevent the release of hazardous materials? Are hoses that are in use for suppression efforts kinked or otherwise restricting the flow of water to the nozzle? Did you position fire apparatus over the tops of manholes, water valves, and gas valves in the street so utility companies cannot access the shutoffs? Is there a basement in the building that could pose a hazard to the interior crews operating on what they think is the ground floor?
Look Around
Looking around provides firefighters with an all-encompassing picture of the fireground prior to engaging in the assigned task. What are the fire conditions on arrival? How have they changed now that you are ready to make entry into the structure? Is your crew completely dressed in the appropriate personal protective equipment? How many firefighters are on your crew? Who are they? What are the bystanders doing? Are there any signs of the types of residents who occupy the structure (toys in the front yard, wheelchair ramp to the front door, cars parked in the driveway, for example)? Do you know of any special hazards regarding the building or the neighborhood?
These are only a few examples of the vast number of hazards and signs that you can see on the fireground. Using the simple slogan “Look Up, Look Down, Look Around” helps us to identify these hazards before injury or death occurs.
EMS CALLS
For agencies that run both fire and medical calls, whether you are a quick-response team or a transport agency, EMS calls are a very large percentage of your responses. Complacency is quick to set in, since these calls are routine and often are repetitive. This lack of attentiveness creates a dangerous situation for all responders. What might seem like a typical EMS call to an elderly care facility may turn out to be a very unsafe scene. 911 calls are sometimes disguised, out of fear, to sound like simple incidents when, in reality, they are serious situations.
Look Up
Looking up while responding to an EMS call will provide you with key information regarding weather conditions that could affect the patient. If it is an outside call, is it hot or cold, rainy, or windy? If it is a traumatic outdoor injury, are there any additional hazards overhead that will place the rescuers in danger? If it is a fall injury other than on the ground level, how far did the victims fall? Did they hit any obstructions on the way down? What caused them to fall?
Look Down
Look down before you walk into a house. Also look down before setting down your EMS bag or kneeling on the floor. If the floor is covered with an unknown substance, this can have a negative impact on the remainder of the call and the shift! Scan the floors before walking through the house to ensure you are not entering a potential crime scene. Are there blood drips or drag marks leading to the patient? Is there a dangerous weapon or something that can be used as a weapon? Where is the patient lying? How did he get there? Are there any signs that indicate how long the patient has been on the floor?
Look Around
The standard “scene is safe” scan can be applied to the Look Around portion of the slogan. Look around the rooms you enter. Remember to look behind you, especially if you are entering a tenuous atmosphere. Are there subjects in the home who appear restless or problematic? Are there family members who need attention by caregivers? What are the conditions of the house? Is there so much storage that there are only small paths through the house? Are the conditions unsanitary or unsafe? Is there evidence of neglect, abuse, or abandonment? Do you need to report anything to the appropriate authorities? Do you see signs of foul play? Are medications scattered or duplicated in various rooms of the house?
All of these signs, with the addition of many more, contribute to an effective EMS assessment. They can also protect your life and the patient’s life. We all have a responsibility to ensure proper care is given to people in need. Keeping your eyes open and being observant will help you to help others.
There are many other types of responses to which you can apply this simple principlehazardous materials spills, rope and water rescue, urban rescue, and large area search, to name a few. We are already learning the principle in wildland fire classes and on every response. Now, we need to apply it to the remainder of our incidents. This principle will help our firefighters to identify potential hazards. “Look Up, Look Down, Look Around” to identify risk and take steps to remove the hazard. Use it in all of your operations so it becomes second nature and something you remember to apply daily.
Endnote
1. National Wildfire Coordinating Group “Field Manager’s Course Guide,” IMS 9-1-1, September 2007, 89.
DEVON WELLS is the assistant chief/paramedic for the Hood River (OR) Fire Department. He is a 17-year veteran of the fire service. He is active on the Northwest Oregon Type 2 incident management team and is a western regional director of the International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI). He is a team leader and search commander for the Crag Rat Mountain Rescue team based on Mt. Hood.
