1. Tukwila Fire Department
Blue Card
Understanding terminology and the responsibilities
of the first and second in company officer.

2. Communication Order Model
Call the person you want first.
Wait for them to acknowledge you.
Give your radio traffic.
Wait for them to acknowledge your traffic.
Always use the Order Model.
Never start your radio traffic before someone else has finished their full model.
The correct order model is a “foundational” principle of Blue Card. Following this model guarantees that our communication was received and understood. An example of this model would be as follows: “E51, this is B51.” “Go ahead, B51, this is E51.” “E51, I want you to be the Stand-by team for E52.” “Copy B51, E51 is now Stand-by.” “E51, that is correct.”

3. First-in Officer Notify dispatch using the correct order model.
Assures correct radio channel.
Tells others you are about to give initial report.
All other 1st Alarm Units will go to location and position selves out of the way.
No other radio traffic until first-in officer completes their short report.
Again, the correct order model is used for the short report. Using the correct order model prevents you from giving your most beautiful short report on the wrong frequency. When that happens, it seems to take a while to “pull out”. Example-”Fire Four, E51.” “E51, go ahead, this is Fire Four.” Then your short report can begin. If you are on the wrong frequency, you will be told to change frequencies.

4. First-in Officer Size-up
Building description:
Size; Small, Medium, Large, Mega.
Height; Number of floors above and below grade.
Occupancy Type;
Single Family; House
Multi-Unit Family; Garden apartment, center hallway etc.
Strip Mall
Commercial
Big Box
Note: If the building or company is well known, call it by name!
The short report “sizing” has changed under Blue Card. We no longer do the 50X100, etc. It is either a small, medium, large, or mega structure. Also, some variation will be observed depending upon the building. For example, a 4000 sq foot house may be considered “large” while a 4000 sq foot commercial building may be small or medium. It’s not an exact science, of course! It’s meant to paint a picture in the listeners mind. Also note that we are not too worried about the structural components. It is a single family “house”. It is an apartment complex, strip mall, etc. If you feel that the structural components should be mentioned, you can. But it is not required. You also can refer to buildings by name if they can be expected to be universally known. Examples would be a Home Depot, Starbucks, or Southcenter Mall.

5. What Do You See! Nothing Showing (investigating)
Smoke Showing (description)
Fire Showing (location)
Defensive fire conditions
Self Explanatory. What are you observing while doing your short?

6. First-in Officer Follow-up report
Report gives results of your 360.
Any changes to your I.A.P.
Accountability location; the side you are working on.
Does the structure have a basement?
Taking or Passing Command?
After doing a 360, the officer should give an update. If nothing else is noteworthy, he/she would say just that.
If your 360 shows that you need to change your incident action plan, you would mention this and implement the change.
Accountability location-Side A-Adam, B-Boy, etc. This allows others to know your orientation of the building based on your location.
If there is a basement, this is crucial information, as well as what kind of basement. If you are unable to do a 360 for whatever reason, this needs to be mentioned as a part of your short report.
Last, are you taking or passing command? Under the “Kent Consortium” model of Blue Card, more often than not, the first in officer will pass command, though this is not required. The rationale behind this decision is whether or not you think that you can more positively affect the outcome of the situation by “getting in motion” rather than setting up command.
Last of all, the officer states whether he/she is in Offensive or Defensive Strategy.

7. Passing Command Rescue mode; driver is the standby.
Passing command; awaiting a standby team.
Second unit must provide the standby team if the first unit passes command.
Pass command to get water on the fire fast.
In most cases, do not pass command for defensive fires.
If command is passed and the officer and third are going offensive in rescue mode, this is announced on the radio. It is also expected that the officer will announce that his driver is in stand-by position over the radio as well.
The officer can also pass command and await a full stand-by team before entry (suspecting no imminent rescues or conditions are such that a full stand-by team is desired before entry).
If command is passed, the second-in unit will provide a stand-by team.
Another reason for passing command, you are in a hurry to put water on the fire.
If you go defensive, Command will usually be maintained, as you will be operating on the exterior any way.

8. 1st Alarm Units 1st Alarm goes to location, parks out of the way.
2nd Engine company stages at a hydrant.
Ladder companies do not pass first entrance into incident.
An exception to the third bullet point is if the Ladder Company knows that the second or third entrance is closest to the actual incident
An exception to the third bullet point is if the Ladder Company knows that the second or third entrance is closest to the actual incident (at an apartment complex for example), he/she will opt for that entrance.

9. 1st Alarm Units Cont. Stay at your rig until you are given a task.
The entry team can enter the IDLH as soon as the second company with a standby team states they are on location.
Once command has been established, you contact command to report you are on location. Not F-4.
Always bring your R.I.C. bag with you to the on-deck position.

10. When to use Rescue Mode
Any multi-family complex can be considered rescue mode without specific indicators.
Any single family house with credible indicators that someone is home.
Any incident the first I.C. believes requires quick action to save savable lives.
Rescue Mode is always a valid choice for a multi-family structure. It can always be assumed that an apartment will have people somewhere inside.
A single family house requires evidence that it is occupied before going into rescue mode. Some examples of evidence-cars in the driveway at night, neighbors telling you that the people are at home, a mother telling you that her child is in the house, etc.
If the IC believes that his/her quick actions will result in saving a life, Rescue mode is allowed.

11. Second in Officer IC- Establish command first. Do your own 360.
Incident action plan.
Declare strategy; offensive or defensive.
Give task(s), location, and objective(s) to crews.
Evaluate needed resources.
Plan on becoming the support officer for the strategic I.C. until additional chief officers arrive.
When command is passed, the next in officer will take command upon arrival. He/she will do a He/she will then decide if the actions of the first-in officer were correct and either continue with them or change them. He will then reiterate the strategy-Offensive or Defensive.
Assignments are given using the correct order model and following task, location, strategy. Example: “E53, this is Command.” “Go ahead, Command, this is E53.” “E53, I want you to take your circ saw to Side C-Charley and cut the bars off of the windows and doors.” “Copy, Command, E53 will circ saw the bars off of the windows on Side C-Charley.” “That is correct.”
The second officer (First IC) should plan to become the support officer (aide) for the next in IC. This function is extremely important. His/her primary responsibilities will be tracking units and their locations, possibly drawing a diagram showing these locations, assisting the IC with radio communication, and assisting the IC with fulfilling benchmarks.

12. No Face-to-Face with I.C.
Do not expect a face-to-face with the I.C.
All communications by radio.
Turn in passport without face-to-face.
I.C. will be in a vehicle. (discretion of I.C.)
Do not walk up to command post and try to talk to I.C. without being asked to.
In our traditional IMS training, we preferred to do our assignments face-to-face. This is now to be done primarily over the radio as referred to in the previous slide. The reason for this is to: allow all units to hear the assignments and to prevent the IC from missing important radio traffic while talking with another officer face-to-face.
Passports may be handed to the IC through the window of his/her vehicle if the vehicle is used as the command post. (This is not required with Blue Card, but strongly suggested). Again, the focus is to prevent the IC from being distracted and missing an important radio communication.

13. Transfer of Command From 1st IC to BC
Transfer of command will usually be done over the radio.
The transfer will consist of verification of units and their tasks.
All other radio traffic will be on stand-by until the transfer is completed.
Exception-When a crucial safety item needs to be communicated immediately.
At the end of the transfer, the BC will announce the strategy-either offensive or defensive.
Transfer of command from the 1st IC to the BC will be handled over the radio. When this occurs, all other radio traffic should cease until the transfer is completed. An exception would be a safety item of great importance. The transfer could be expected to go as follows:
“Strander Command, this is B51.” “This is Strander Command go ahead B51.” “I understand that you have E51 interior on side A doing fire attack and primary search, E52 in stand-by, and L54 on the roof doing ventilation. Is that correct?” “B51, that is correct.” (Or obviously Strander Command would state the correction). “ “Copy, I will take command. The command post will be at B51 rig. Please come to B51 to be my aide.” “Copy, B51 is now command, I will come to B51 to assist as an aide.” Then, “Fire Four, this is B51.” “Fire Four, go ahead, B51.” “Fire Four, I am now Strander Command. We are still in the Offensive Strategy.” “Fire Four, copy, B51 is Strander Command and you are still in the Offensive Strategy.” “That is correct.” Blue Card wants the officer assuming command to emphasize his/her strategy as he/she begins command.

14. C.A.N.A. REPORT Conditions Actions Needs Air (team)
A CANA report has been practiced by Zone 3 and the Consortium for several years. A request of a CANA should include the items mentioned above. Conditions-smoke? Hot or cold smoke? Color? Visibility? Actions-searching, fire attack, ventilation, etc. Needs-No further needs, or whatever you may need (extra line, tools, etc.), And Air-referring to team air-State the team air as the lowest bottle pressure for the team.

15. P.A.R. Personal Accountability Report
Gives the current status of your team.
No need for number of team members if all is accounted for.
E-51 has PAR and unit location is the only information the I.C. needs.
If in a division or group, your PAR will be reported to the person holding your passport.
PAR is a relatively new term for the West Coast, though it has been used frequently on the East Coast. If a PAR is requested, the officer of the group will state whether or not his/her personnel are accounted for and what their current location is. This is to not only verify that the team is intact, but also to keep track of where the team is located within the structure. The location can change more that once during the emergency. An example would be: “E53, this is Strander command.” “This is E53, go ahead Strander Command.” “E53, I am requesting a PAR.” “Copy Command, we are PAR and are currently on the second floor doing a left wall primary search.” “E53 is PAR and doing a primary search on the second floor.” “Command, that is correct.”
The IC or aide would then check to make sure that the location E53 just gave corresponds with what he/she has listed and if not, to change it.

16. What Happens When You Are Asked To Become The Command Aide.
You are the responsible person for tracking ALL units at the incident.
You must know the task and location of each company.
Draw a diagram of the structure to help track unit positions.
Track companies into and out of rehab and on-deck.
Help the IC listen for radio traffic and decipher hard to understand reports.
Remind the IC of key benchmarks as needed. If something is missed, tell them.
If you need to answer for command, say command. Not command post or aide.
As mentioned earlier, the command aide is of crucial importance. One IC cannot do it all. An experienced aide can be of immense value to the IC as the aide allows the IC to focus on Strategy and Tactics knowing that unit-tracking is taken care of. The Kent Consortium makes use of a “unit tracking sheet” to keep tabs on units. The passports are utilized, but heavier reliance is placed on the tracking sheet. It is important that “potential” command aides be familiar to these sheets and their functions before the “real deal” at 02:30.

17. New Terms
On Deck-Go to the place assigned and prepare to “go to work”.
Recycle-Exit the building, change your bottle, hydrate, and prepare to be redeployed.
On Deck crews can expect to be the next to be deployed-usually to replace a unit getting low on air. Command-”E52, I need you to to on deck side C-Charley.”
Recycle-Involves a short break to get air, hydrate, and redeploy. Recycle is often followed with additional directive to go “on deck, side B-Bravo” as an example. Or it might be something different, “E51, I want you to recycle and deploy a Blitzfire on side C-Charley for exposure protection.”
This concludes our shift intro class for Blue Card. Any questions? Feel free to contact either Captain Hayman or Captain Johnson.