Forget? NEVER! 9-11-01

"Teamwork is what the Green Bay Packers were all about. They didn't do it for
individual glory. They did it because they loved one another." -- Coach Vince Lombardi

Ideas for SOPs/SOGs

HOW DO YOU ORGANIZE YOUR SOP's and SOG's?
The colors for the paper or the tabs we recommend are Red, Yellow and White. 
Round figures, 80% of your fire departments policies will be on white paper. These are the low risk events and include tasks such as grooming standards, vacation sign-ups, and all the other administrative stuff. 
Yellow pages would be the high risk, high frequency stuff and the high risk, low frequency, discretionary time tasks. Things we do a lot that are very risky and things we do not do often that give us time to think. Drug testing in the workplace, harassment investigations, report writing etc would be in that area. 
The Red pages are the high risk, low frequency, non discretionary time tasks like firefighting, rescue and EMS service. life safety failures, CPR, Rapid Intervention, seat belt and backing policies etc. A rule of thumb would be a policy that-if ignored-could cause injury or death.  These will probably be 5% or less of your policies.  We hope this helps.
 
DEVELOPING SOP's and SOG's FOR YOUR DEPARTMENT?
...consider this "interesting" model as submitted to FireFighterCloseCalls.com!

 
PRIORITIZATION OF YOUR SOP's and SOG's...

 

...suggested...Green, Yellow and Red SOP Guidance

 

RED: Emergency operations, emergency vehicle operations, civilian evacuation, scene roadway safety, traffic incursion and related emergency details. Essentially anything that during an emergency could get a firefighter or a civilian injured or killed.

 

 

YELLOW: These are the tasks that we do a lot (HR and HF) and the ones that are HR LF but give us time to think.  Pers policy and the backing policies for example, need to go here
 
 GREEN: These are the tasks that create a low opportunity for any of the above areas of concerns or exposure. For example, when grass should be mowed or how a dress uniform should be worn.

 
SOP's/SOG's and related CHECKLISTS info from the Greenville Twp. Fire & Rescue, New York  Click Here
 
The Ankeny Fire Department.....
An outstanding example of some excellent SOP's and SOG's:
 
 

Developing ladder company riding position assignments

By GREG JAKUBOWSKI

In January (FireRescue Magazine 2006), I reviewed the standard riding position assignments for engine companies ("Heat in the Seat"), and beginning this year, every issue of FireRescue will include a column on truck company operations. To continue the theme of riding position assignments and to complement the new column, this month’s Fire Attack column focuses on ladder (or truck) company standard riding positions at fire incidents.

WHY STANDARDIZE?
Standard riding position assignments improve the safety of operations by creating a kind of mini incident command system (ICS) that standardizes each crewmember’s responsibilities upon arrival on the fireground. These assignments allow the crew to go into service more rapidly at an incident scene; they also clarify expectations, allowing crews to perform assigned tasks more consistently. These assignments can be particularly helpful to volunteer or call departments in which personnel riding a piece of apparatus differ from call to call. To make this article applicable to a wide variety of departments, I’ve included standard riding position assignments for both a four-person and a six-person ladder crew.


PHOTO GLEN ELLMAN Standard riding position assignments allow the crew to go into service more rapidly at an incident scene; they also clarify expectations, allowing crews to perform assigned tasks more consistently.

LADDER COMPANY FUNCTIONS
Typically, ladder companies perform such tasks as ventilation (horizontal and vertical), forcible entry, laddering buildings, providing aerial master streams, search and rescue, utilities control, overhaul and salvage. However, different fire departments may assign slightly different duties to ladder companies, therefore their standard riding position assignments should reflect these variations. In addition, the duties of a ladder company may depend on whether the company is first- or second-due (or on a later alarm) or whether the incident assignment is shorthanded.

Because crews may vary from a two-person crew to a fully manned crew, their assignments must be flexible enough so that each crew can perform basic ladder company functions with the personnel available. Although these assignments ideally require a crew of four to six firefighters, the critical functions can be performed by as few as two crewmembers (albeit not as quickly, safely or effectively). Each department must determine which functions it’s initially willing to sacrifice if a full crew isn’t available, and it must determine other ways to accomplish functions that cannot be performed by minimally manned units.

FOUR-PERSON LADDER COMPANY ASSIGNMENTS
The four-person ladder company focuses on ventilation, with one firefighter supporting the engine company with forcible entry. However, depending on the incident and the arriving position of the ladder company, the crew may need to focus on search and rescue instead of ventilation.

  • Driver
    • Performs aerial operations, including all electrical and master-stream operations;
    • Oversees safety of personnel operating on the aerial;
    • Provides scene lighting;
    • Keeps track of logistics (equipment, inventories, etc.); and
    • Performs laddering of building if applicable.
  • Officer
    • Provides incident command;
    • Accounts for personnel;
    • Performs radio communications;
    • Handles utilities control;
    • Assists crew with ventilation or search and rescue, depending on the situation; and
    • Utilizes tools needed, such as SCBA, a portable radio, a handlight, a small hand tool and monitoring equipment/thermal imager (as needed).
  • Forcible Entry/Ironsman
    • Provides and utilizes irons (Halligan/flat-head axe), K-tools, hand hydraulic forcible entry tools (where needed);
    • Provides search and rescue tools (rope, door chocks/straps) to crew; and
    • Utilizes other tools needed, such as SCBA and a handlight.
  • Outside Vent Man
    • Performs vertical/horizontal ventilation;
    • Utilizes tools needed, such as SCBA, a portable radio and/or a handlight; and
    • Operates power tools, such as a power saw/pick-head axe and power ventilation fans (as needed).

SIX-PERSON LADDER COMPANY ASSIGNMENTS
On the six-person ladder, there are two teams: the Forcible Entry/Search & Rescue Team (FET) and the Ventilation Team (VT). These teams can interface with the engine company standard riding position assignments outlined in my January column. The two-team arrangement also assumes that only four SCBA-qualified personnel are available to ride in the crew area of the ladder. If five or six SCBA-qualified personnel are available, the extra members can fill in as firefighters on the FET or the VT. If your department has additional firefighters who may or may not be qualified to enter a burning structure, you may choose to assign an additional team to ladder the exterior of the building or assist with logistics, salvage or aerial master stream operations.

  • Driver
    • Performs aerial operations, including all electrical and master-stream operations;
    • Oversees safety for personnel operating on the aerial;
    • Provides scene lighting;
    • Keeps track of logistics (equipment, inventories, etc.); and
    • Performs laddering of building if applicable.
  • Officer
    • Provides incident command;
    • Accounts for personnel;
    • Performs radio communications;
    • Handles utilities control; and
    • Utilizes tools needed, such as SCBA, a portable radio, a handlight, a small hand tool and monitoring equipment/thermal imager (as needed).
  • Team Member FE-1 (Ironsman)
    • Provides and operates irons (Halligan/flat-head axe); and
    • Utilizes other tools as needed, such as a K-tool, SCBA and a handlight.
  • Team Member FE-2 (FET Leader)
    • Operates hand hydraulic forcible entry tools;
    • Provides and operates search and rescue tools (rope, door chocks/straps); and
    • Utilizes other tools needed, such as SCBA and a handlight.
  • Team Member V-1 (Outside Vent)
    • Performs vertical/horizontal ventilation;
    • Utilizes SCBA where necessary; and
    • Operates power tools such as a power saw/pick-head axe and power ventilation fans (as needed).
  • Team Member V-2 (Ventilation Team Leader)
    • Performs vertical/horizontal ventilation;
    • Utilizes a hook (pike pole);
    • Gains access to roof; and
    • Uses SCBA, a portable radio and a handlight.

These suggested assignments are just that — suggestions your department can modify to fit your local conditions or use to build your own program.

RULES FOR ALL CREWS
No matter the size of your ladder crew, all personnel must be seated with seat belts in place prior to moving the apparatus. The firefighter occupying the curbside seat is responsible for communicating the crew status to the apparatus officer, who then confirms with the driver when they can begin to move the vehicle. Once the driver and officer determine the crew is complete, the driver will sound the vehicle horn twice, signaling the vehicle is about to move forward. No additional personnel may board the ladder or enter the ladder’s bay space once the horn sounds, unless directed otherwise by the ladder driver.

While responding, the officer and the firefighter seated directly behind the officer should transmit all communications between the cab’s front and rear seating areas (unless you’re fortunate enough to have headset communications devices in your apparatus).
Ladder company firefighters should be prepared to perform their assigned duties upon arrival at each emergency incident. However, before exiting the apparatus, firefighters should confirm their assignment with the apparatus officer, who may make changes as necessary, based upon the specific circumstances of the situation.

If there aren’t enough crewmembers to fill each seat, and thus each task, the remaining tasks must be assigned to assisting units. One somewhat different approach to standard riding position assignments involves listing the standard tasks and equipment by type of incident inside the cab, allowing the crew to split up the tasks while en route to the incident.

Conclusion
Standard riding position assignments essentially preplan and develop a mini ICS for a single piece of apparatus. If your department currently utilizes standard riding position assignments, take a few moments to review your procedure to ensure it works properly. If you’re not currently using such a procedure, consider implementing these assignments. Once you’ve decided to do so, not only must firefighters be trained on the procedure, but they also need to practice it regularly.

Greg Jakubowski is a fire protection engineer and a certified safety professional with 27 years of fire-service experience. He is a Pennsylvania State Fire Instructor and serves as a captain with the Lingohocken Fire Company in Bucks County, Pa. Greg is also a principal in Fire Planning Associates, Washington Crossing, Pa., a company dedicated to helping fire departments and businesses preplan for emergency situations.
 

Developing engine company standard riding position assignments

 

One simple way to improve your department’s operations is to develop standard assignments for the various riding positions on your apparatus. Standard riding position assignments improve the safety of operations by creating a kind of mini incident command system (ICS) that standardizes each crewmember’s responsibilities upon arrival on the fireground, which allows the crew to quickly and consistently perform given tasks. These assignments can be particularly helpful to volunteer or call departments in which personnel riding a piece of apparatus differ from call to call. In this column, I’ll focus on engine company riding assignments for a general fire response. To make this article applicable to a wide variety of departments, I’ve included standard riding position assignments for both a four-person and a six-person engine crew.

 

Four-Person Engine Assignments

1)      Driver

·        Performs pump operations, including all hookups to the vehicle pump and completion of the water-supply evolution;

·        Provides scene lighting; and

·        Keeps track of logistics (equipment, inventories, etc.).

2)      Officer

·        Provides incident command;

·        Accounts for personnel;

·        Performs radio communications;

·        Provides backup on the hoseline; and

·        Provides tools needed, such as SCBA, a portable radio, a handlight, a small hand tool or other forcible-entry equipment and monitoring equipment/thermal imager (as needed).

3)      Nozzleman

·        Serves as attack-line nozzleman;

·        Wears SCBA; and

·        Utilizes a handlight.

4)       Water Supply

·        Provides hydrant/water supply;

·        Utilizes a handlight and a portable radio; and

·        Once water supply is established, feeds the hoseline to attack-line personnel or initiates stretching the backup line as needed.

 

Six-Person Engine Assignments

1)      Driver

·        Performs pump operations, including all hookups to the vehicle pump;

·        Provides scene lighting; and

·        Keeps track of logistics (equipment, inventories, etc.).

2)      Officer

·        Provides incident command;

·        Accounts for personnel;

·        Performs radio communications; and

·        Provides tools needed, such as SCBA, a portable radio, a handlight, a small hand tool and monitoring equipment/thermal imager (as needed).

3)      Nozzleman

·        Serves as attack-line nozzleman;

·        Wears SCBA; and

·        Utilizes a handlight.

4)      Backup

·        Provides backup on the attack line;

·        Wears SCBA; and

·        Utilizes a handlight and hand tools/forcible-entry equipment.

5)      Break Hose

·        Breaks supply hose at rear of apparatus and assists driver with supply line hookup;

·        Provides immediate ventilation if needed; and

·        Initiates stretch of the backup hoseline.

6)      Water Supply

·        Provides hydrant/water supply;

·        Utilizes a handlight and a portable radio; and

·        Once water supply is established, assists in stretching the backup hoseline/throwing ground ladders.

These suggested assignments are just that — suggestions your department can modify to fit your local conditions or use to build your own program.

 

Bigger Crews

If your department is fortunate enough to have crews larger than six riding on your engine companies, consider this:

  1. • For an eight-person company, consider adding an additional team of two to provide ladder-company functions, which include performing vent-enter-search functions; raising ground ladders and utilizing hand or power tools to force entry, search the building and perform ventilation; and performing immediate overhaul tasks. As a variant to these tasks, you could also instruct this team to assist with the backup hoseline.
  2. • For a 10-person engine company, use the eight-person crew assignments listed above and instruct the two additional firefighters to serve as additional members on the nozzle team and the ladder operations team. Where applicable, these individuals might be senior members or junior officers who could provide supervision to each of these teams.

 

Rules for All Crews

No matter the size of your engine crew, all personnel must be seated with seat belts in place prior to mobilizing the apparatus. The water-supply firefighter(s) should board last, holding the crew cab doors open until the entire available crew is aboard. The firefighter occupying the curbside seat is responsible for communicating the crew status to the apparatus officer, who then confirms with the driver when they can begin to move the vehicle. Once the driver and officer determine the crew is complete, the driver will sound the vehicle horn twice, signaling the vehicle is about to move forward. No additional personnel may board the engine or enter the engine’s bay space once the horn sounds, unless directed otherwise by the engine driver.

 

By following these procedures, firefighters should be prepared to perform their assigned duties upon arrival at each emergency incident. However, before exiting the apparatus, firefighters should confirm their assignment with the apparatus officer, who may make changes as necessary based upon the specific circumstances of the situation. While responding, the officer and the firefighter seated directly behind the officer should transmit all communications between the cab front and rear seating area (unless you’re fortunate enough to have headset communications devices in your apparatus).

 

If there aren’t enough crewmembers to fill each seat, and thus each task, the remaining tasks must be assigned to assisting units. Crews operating on apparatus designed and equipped to perform numerous functions (rescue pumpers, for example) may find it more appropriate to list the standard tasks by type of incident inside the cab, allowing the crew to split up the tasks while en route to the incident.

 

Conclusion

Standard riding position assignments essentially preplan and develop a mini ICS for a single piece of apparatus. If your department is currently utilizing standard riding position assignments, take a few moments to review your procedure to ensure it’s working properly. If you’re not currently using such a procedure, consider implementing these assignments. Once you decide to put the system in place, train your people on it and practice it regularly. You’ll be amazed at the level of teamwork it produces at your next working fire.

 

Greg Jakubowski is a fire-protection engineer and certified safety professional with 25 years of fire-service experience. He is a Pennsylvania State Fire Instructor and serves as a captain with the Lingohocken Fire Company in Bucks County, Pa. Greg also works as a principal in Fire Planning Associates, a company dedicated to helping firefighters and businesses with pre-emergency planning.

 

SAFE HIGHWAY AND ROADWAY OPERATIONS:

 

As discussed in our CLOSE CALLS Column-Firehouse Magazine, here is the Manchester (CT.) Fire-Rescue-EMS Department's General Operating Guideline for ROADWAY AND HIGHWAY OPERATION.

(CLICK HERE)

With SO MANY fire and EMS personnel struck each year-take a few minutes and compare this general operating guideline to your fire departments current policies. Additional related information can also be found at http://www.ResponderSafety.com

The following sites offer sample SOP's and SOG's used by various fire and rescue departments on the www. One of the most important "foundations" to a FD's "risk management" program is to have written SOG's and SOP's.

A Fire Officers TOP responsibility is to preventing injuries. Developing and maintaining a policy manual consistent with FIREFIGHTER safety and survival is essential. Good, up to date and well maintained SOP's and SOG's give different firefighters, who are all at the firehouse for different shifts or different calls, with different supervisors and officers the ability to train as well as respond to a run safely and with continuity.

The below links (for career, combination and volunteer departments) are provided to help Firefighters and Officers "take a look" and see what other FD's are using. These are samples and should never be used as policy without full departmental review and approval. If any of these apply and you think it could work for your agency, use it as a start to develop one that is fully applicable. The idea is to take some of these and see what might work for your FD but only with the full approval of your Supervisor, Chief, Commissioner(s) and Department/Company Attorney.

Apparatus Riding Assignment SOPs

One of the more common questions we get is for information on SAMPLE APPARATUS RIDING ASSIGNMENT SOP's/SOG's. "ARA's" essentially pre-assign tasks based upon WHAT SEAT a specific firefighter is riding in. Some FD's even find it helpful to place a small sign or placard AT each riding position-so it is clear to the firefighter in that seat exactly what TOOLS, EQUIPMENT and TASKS they will be expected to use and perform. When everyone has been properly trained and then has clear direction of what is expected of them-it's one less thing that may go wrong!

Below are some sample sites as well as some articles that may be of help. Our THANKS to the FD's whose sites we list as well as the two authors of the articles, Jim Williams and Greg Jakubowski.

and here are two articles on the subject as well...

10 Safety Principles
(The are from private industry but are applicable for firefighting)
 
 
  • Plan every job - Have a game plan including what to do if something goes wrong
  • Anticipate unexpected events - Plan for what could go wrong - thus eliminating or reducing the potential hazards
  • Use the right tool for the job - Use the correct tools and procedures
  • Use procedures as tools - Follow SOP/SOG's and all safety plans and policies
  • Isolate the equipment (scene) - Lockout and tagout equipment, crib as necessary, keep unnecessary personnel and the public away
  • Identify the hazard - self explanitory
  • Minimize the hazard - Once hazards have been identified work to reduce the hazard by the use of procedures plans SOG's ETC
  • Protect the person (PPE, Lockout/Tagout, Confined Space Proceures, ETC)
  • Asses people's abilities - Know your crews abilities and skills use them to your advantage, supervise the untrained or inexperieced personnel closer.
  • Audit these prinicples - Reveiw each incident so that leassons learned are applied to the next incident.  Share your learnings with others both good and bad.
 
Submitted by Rob Weissman

Notification

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