NIOSH Recommended

Discussion: The purpose of "Command Safety" is to provide the Incident Commander with the necessary resources on how to use, follow, and incorporate safety into the incident management system at all incidents. "Command Safety" is used as part of the eight functions of command developed by (Retired) Fire Chief Alan V. Brunacini. "Command Safety" defines how the Incident Commander must use the regular, everyday command functions to complete the strategic level safety responsibilities during incident operations. Using the command functions creates an effective and close connection between the safety officer and the Incident Command. The eight functions of command are:

A major objective of the incident management system is to create, support, and integrate an Incident Commander who will direct the geographical and functional needs of the entire incident on the strategic, tactical, and task level. Issues develop for the Incident Commander when these three standard levels are not in place, operating, and are effectively connected. One of the most important components is to ensure the Incident Commander operates on the strategic level from the very beginning of the incident and stays on the strategic level as long as fire fighters are operating in an immediately dangerous to life and health (IDLH) environment.

The Incident Commander uses the incident management system as the basic foundation for managing the strategic level safety function. "Command Safety" ensures the highest level of safety for fire department members operating at emergency incidents. The Incident Commander completes the operational and safety responsibility to the fire fighters by performing the eight command functions. These functions serve as a very practical performance foundation for how the Incident Commander completes their responsibility as the strategic level incident manager and the overall incident safety manager.

At this incident, there were several "Command Safety" issues which are being addressed by the fire department as part of their recovery process. These issues included fireground communications, personnel accountability, use of a tactical worksheet (which compliments personnel accountability and crew integrity), and a continuous scene size-up and evaluation.

Discussion: While it is recognized that firefighting is an inherently hazardous occupation, risk management principles established by the fire service are based on the philosophy that greater risks will be assumed when there are lives to be saved and the level of acceptable risk to fire fighters is much lower when only property is at stake. Interior offensive firefighting or fast-attack operations can increase the risk of traumatic injury and death to fire fighters from structural collapse, a flashover, and potential asphyxiation. When it is confirmed that there are no lives to save, the IC must then decide what risks they are willing to expose their personnel to based on risk-versus-gain. Established risk management principles suggest that more caution should be exercised in abandoned, vacant, and unoccupied structures and in situations where there is no clear evidence indicating that people are trapped inside a structure and can be saved. In this incident, no vehicles were observed within the parking lot for the structure, the time was late evening, and all doors were secured. From this information, a determination may have been made that the structure was unoccupied.

The IC, with input from the assigned ISO and/or division/group supervisors, is responsible for evaluating conditions at a structure fire and determining safe tactics for fighting the fire. To accomplish this, the IC should use a standardized strategic decision-making model. First, the IC should size up the critical fireground factors Before ordering an offensive attack, the IC must make a determination that offensive (interior) operations may be conducted without exceeding a reasonable degree of risk to fire fighters and must be prepared to discontinue the offensive attack if the risk evaluation changes during the firefighting operation. A full range of factors must be considered in making the risk evaluation, including but not limited to the following:

Discussion: Among the most important duties of the first officer on the scene is conducting an initial 360-degree situational size-up of the incident and transmitting this information to units on the fireground or responding to the incident. NFPA 1561, 8.9.1.1 states the incident commander shall conduct an initial and ongoing situational assessment of the incident. In order to accomplish this, the first officer on scene needs to have the requisite knowledge of the elements of a proper size-up. A proper size-up begins from the moment the alarm is received, and it continues until the fire is brought under control either offensively or defensively. The size-up should include an evaluation of factors such as the following:

Retired Fire Chief Alan Brunacini states that critical fire ground factors, including interior and exterior conditions, are among the many items that the Incident Commander must consider when evaluating tactical situations. These items provide a checklist of the major issues involved in size-up, decision making, initiation of operations, and review and revision. The Incident Commander deals with these critical factors through a systematic management process that creates a rapid overall evaluation, sorts out the critical factors in priority order, and then seeks out more information about each factor. The Incident Commander must train and prepare (through practice) to engage in conscious information management. Incident factors and their possible consequences offer the basis for a standard incident management approach. A standard approach is the launching pad for effective incident decision making and successful operational performance. The Incident Commander must develop the habit of using the critical factors in their order of importance as the basis for the specific assignments that make up the incident action plan. The Incident Commander must create a standard information system and use effective techniques to stay informed at the incident. The Incident Commander can never assume the action-oriented responders engaged in operational activities will stop what they are doing so they can feed the Incident Commander with a continuous supply of objective information. It is the Incident Commander's responsibility to do whatever is required to stay effectively informed.

Chief Brunacini states that critical fireground factors, including interior and exterior conditions, are among the many items that the IC must consider when evaluating tactical situations. These items provide a checklist of the major topics involved in size-up, decision making, initiating operations, and review and revision. The IC deals with these critical factors through a systematic management process that creates a rapid, overall evaluation; sorts out the critical factors in priority order; and then seeks out more information about each factor. The IC must train and prepare (through practice) to engage in conscious information management. Incident factors and their possible consequences offer the basis for a standard incident-management approach. A standard information approach is the launching pad for effective incident decision making and successful operational performance. The IC must develop the habit of using the critical factors in their order of importance as the basis for the specific assignments that make up the IAP. The IC must create a standard information system and use effective techniques to be kept informed at the incident. The IC can never assume the action-oriented responder engaged in operational activities, will stop what they are doing so they can feed the IC with a continuous supply of top-grade objective information. It is the IC's responsibility to do whatever is required to stay effectively informed.32 This may include requesting periodic updates from interior and/or exterior crews.