Fire officer initial sizeup series#

There will be factors that are visually present and those that aren’t observable from the command post. NIOSH firefighter fatality reports repeatedly cite a lack of a complete size-up as a contributing factor in firefighter deaths.Įach side of the fireground has its own unique fire conditions and risk that must be assessed. There has been much discussion in recent years about the need for the incident commander to conduct or obtain a 360-degree size-up of an incident. Objective: To cause the incident commander to obtain an early 360-degree survey and risk assessment of the fireground in order to determine the safest approach to tactical operations as part of the risk assessment and action plan development and before firefighters are placed at substantial risk. The first rule states: Rapidly Conduct or Obtain a 360-Degree Situational Size-Up of the Incident

In this case, the incident commander is responsible for the safety of all firefighters operating on the fireground. This provides consistency in safety objectives but they're applied differently based on responsibilities.

Fire officer initial sizeup series#

You'll recognize that several rules from the firefighter series cross over to the incident commander rules. This article begins the incident commanders' rules. Previous articles summarized the rules of engagement for firefighters.