1. Lesson A
Recognizing Risk

2. Structural Firefighting
Both a skill and an art
Requires:
Accurate observation
Clear thinking
Appropriate decision making

3. Challenges of the Decision-Making Process
Buildings include multiple variables:
Size
Age
Condition
Materials
Features
Engineering
Design

4. Challenges of the Decision-Making Process (cont'd.)
Correct observation about buildings may be difficult
Multiple building variables
Uncontrolled fire
Unknown life hazards

5. Structural Failure
Most buildings hold up to wind, earthquake, and fire explosion
Due to engineering standards and building codes
Structural failure
Small but significant percent of line-of-duty deaths

6. The Need to Improve Safety
Thousands of firefighters are injured or exposed to near misses
We can do better
Only acceptable reason for high level of risk:
Saving a life

7. Smart Firefighting Hallmarks of smart firefighting
Hazard avoidance
Risk reduction
Safety is everyone’s responsibility
Firefighters depend on knowledge and experience, not luck

8. Smart Firefighting (cont'd.)
Risk management and decision making requires:
Good judgment
Experience
Training
Maintain an ongoing attitude of:
Attention to hazards
Time awareness
Continual engagement with changing scene

9. Courtesy of Craig Allyn Rose

10. Risk-Management Guidelines
Recognize hazardous building features
Recognize serious fire conditions
Contents versus structure
Determine if adequate interior attack is possible
Consider time and on-scene staffing
Consider the stability of the structure

11. Risk-Management Guidelines (cont'd.)
Communicate about interior fire environment
Ability/inability to control it
For incoming units:
Provide timely building and fire descriptions
Refuse to embrace the first view
Ensure situational and time awareness

12. Risk-Management Guidelines (cont'd.)
Continue to reexamine assumptions
Refuse to stereotype buildings
Ensure proper communication of:
Changes in building or fire
Reduce:
Exposure to hazardous conditions
Exposure time

13. Courtesy of Craig Allyn Rose

14. Risk-Management Guidelines (cont'd.)
Whenever possible, operate from:
Neutral or safer positions
Load-bearing positions
Reduce exposure to long-span areas
Reduce additional loads to weakened areas

15. Risk-Management Guidelines (cont'd.)
Reduce overloading by water to:
Floors
Flat roof areas
Refuse to allow unnecessary risky behaviors
Do not allow misunderstandings to continue

16. Risk-Management Guidelines (cont'd.)
Do not focus on misleading or irrelevant information
Refuse to base actions on recent similar incidents
Consider other possibilities
Reexamine assumptions

17. Summary Structural firefighting requires:
Accurate observation, clear thinking, and appropriate decision making
Hallmarks of smart firefighting
Hazard avoidance and risk reduction
Safety is everyone’s responsibility
Recognize hazardous building features
Recognize serious fire conditions

18. Summary (cont'd.) Determine if adequate interior attack is possible
Ensure situational and time awareness
Ensure proper communication
Reduce exposure to hazardous conditions
Do not allow unnecessary risky behaviors