1. Safety at the Fire Emergency
Chapter 5
5-1

2. Learning Objectives List the three incident priorities.
Explain the relationship between the three incident priorities and the relationship to health and safety.
Discuss in general terms the hazards faced by responders to fire incidents.
List the components of a personal protective equipment used for fire incidents.
Discuss the need for and the components of an effective accountability system.
Cont.
5-2

3. Learning Objectives
Discuss the types of and the relationship between incident management systems and the health and safety of the responder.
Describe the concept of and need for fireground air management.
Define the need for and uses of a rapid intervention team.
Discuss the components of incident rehabilitation
5-3

4. Introduction
Understand incident priorities and their relationship with operations and hazards to design programs and procedures to reduce injuries
The safety and health program manager must have a good knowledge of the hazards faced at fires and procedures that will ensure safer operations
Life Safety Initiatives 1, 2, 3, and 4 have a direct or indirect relationship to safety at the fire emergency
5-4

5. Incident Priorities and Safety
Life safety
Life safety is the group of activities that ensures that the threat of injury or death to civilians and emergency personnel is reduced to the absolute minimum
Incident stabilization
Incident stabilization is the group of activities required to stop additional damage or danger
Property conservation
This group of activities is commonly called salvage or stopping the loss
Cont.
5-5

6. Incident Priorities and Safety
The relationship between incident priorities and safety
We will take greater risk a lot to save a lot
We will take little risk
to save a little
We will take no risk
to save what is already lost
5-6

7. Hazards Faced by Responders
Structure fires
Construction
Fire behavior
Transportation fires
Both auto and truck
Train, aircraft, and ships
Outside structure fires
Wildfires
Ten Firefighting Orders
5-7

8. Structural Fire Hazard Matrix
5-8

9. Personal Protective Equipment
Overview
Minimizes exposure at the fire scene
Addresses the priority of life safety
PPE for structure and vehicle fires is essentially the same
Wildland firefighting has a different PPE design
Discussion on PPE can be divided into three subject areas
Design and purchasing
Use
Care and maintenance
Cont.
5-9

10. Personal Protective Equipment
Design and purchase
Commonly expected components
Use
SOPs in place
SCBA use and safety procedures
Cont.
5-10

11. Personal Protective Equipment
Care and maintenance
NFPA standards provide guidelines
Generally follow the manufacturer’s
recommendations
5-11

12. Incident Management Systems
IMS structure
Command staff
Information
Safety
Liaison
General staff
Operations
Finance
Logistics
Planning
5-12

13. IMS Command and General Staff
5-13

14. Air Management Air management policies should be established 5-14
Understand average air consumption
Emphasize knowing amounts of air left
Leave hazard area before alarm sounds
Have enough air for unplanned events
5-14

15. Accountability Critical element of the IMS and of the safety program
Personnel accountability reports (PARs)
Status of crews
Account for personnel
Various systems
System objectives
5-15

16. Rapid Intervention Companies
Reasons for having
Options for assignments
Objectives
Equipment
RIC concept has widespread applicability
5-16

17. RIC Equipment Extra SCBA complete with harness Search rope
Forcible-entry hand tools
Mechanical forcible entry tools
Hose line available
Ladder complement
Thermal imaging camera
High-intensity hand light
5-17

18. Rehabilitation Wind chill and heat indexes Objectives
Rehabilitation is an essential element of the IMS
Procedures should define responsibilities
Medical record-keeping
5-18

19. Heat Stress Index
5-19

20. Wind Chill Index
5-20

21. Summary
Operational priorities are life safety, incident stabilization, and property conservation
Must have a safety program to decrease exposure to hazards
Must have a safety officer who is accountable for and responsible for incident scene safety
Cont.
5-21

22. Summary
Should have a practical system that accounts for personnel and equipment
Responders and incident commanders have the responsibility to understand the concepts of air management
5-22