1. Reports & Records Firefighter II

2. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2013. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Copyright and Terms of Service Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2011. These materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of TEA, except under the following conditions: 1) Texas public school districts, charter schools, and Education Service Centers may reproduce and use copies of the Materials and Related Materials for the districts’ and schools’ educational use without obtaining permission from TEA. 2) Residents of the state of Texas may reproduce and use copies of the Materials and Related Materials for individual personal use only, without obtaining written permission of TEA. 3) Any portion reproduced must be reproduced in its entirety and remain unedited, unaltered and unchanged in any way. 4) No monetary charge can be made for the reproduced materials or any document containing them; however, a reasonable charge to cover only the cost of reproduction and distribution may be charged. Private entities or persons located in Texas that are not Texas public school districts, Texas Education Service Centers, or Texas charter schools or any entity, whether public or private, educational or non-educational, located outside the state of Texas MUST obtain written approval from TEA and will be required to enter into a license agreement that may involve the payment of a licensing fee or a royalty. Contact TEA Copyrights with any questions you may have.TEA Copyrights 2

3. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2013. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. NFPA 1001: Standard for Firefighter Professional Qualifications (FFII Level) Know/have the requirements for Firefighter I level Know/have the following fire department communication knowledge and skills – Fire department radio communication procedures – Standard operating procedures (SOP) for alarm assignments – Content requirements for basic incident reports – Purpose and usefulness of accurate reports – Consequences of inaccurate reports – Methods to obtain necessary information – Coding procedures – Ability to operate fire department computers and other communications equipment – Ability to complete a basic incident report – Ability to determine necessary codes – Ability to proofread reports 3

4. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2013. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Map Reading Basic map reading skills – Consist of looking at a map and locating specific points – Are critical skills for telecommunicators Automatic Vehicle Locating (AVL) Increases the need to read and use maps Displays the location of a fire department unit on a map as the vehicle moves along the streets 4

5. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2013. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Map Reading (continued) Newest Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems – Contain sophisticated mapping displays – Utilize a screen display – Advise responding units of the Best route Location of the closest unit to a call 5

6. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2013. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Map Reading (continued) Wireless communication devices (such as cellular phones) – Require 9-1-1 calls (placed by a wireless phone) to provide X and Y coordinates for the location of the caller – Provide information that is Translated by computers Displayed as an address or on a map – May include a Z coordinate (the altitude of the caller) to determine if the caller is In a high rise building On a mountainside – Display this information as a graphic representation similar to a map 6

7. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2013. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Communications Center May be equipped with a variety of equipment depending on local capabilities May include the following: – Two-way base radio for communicating with mobile and portable radios at the emergency scene – Tone-generating equipment for dispatching resources – Telephones for handling both routine and emergency phone calls – Direct-line phones for communications with hospitals, utilities, and other response agencies 7

8. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2013. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Communications Center (continued) Computers for dispatch information and communications Recording systems or devices to record phone calls and radio traffic Alarm-receiving equipment for – Municipal alarm box systems – Private fire alarm systems 8

9. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2013. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Alarm-receiving equipment: Fire alarms May be received from the public via – Public alerting systems – Private alarm systems 9

10. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2013. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Alarm-receiving equipment: Telephones Are used to transmit – Voice messages – Computer information – Documents Are the most widely used method for transmitting fire alarms, specifically the public telephone system Are the only method of rapid communication in outlying suburbs or rural settings 10

11. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2013. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Alarm-receiving equipment: Telephones (continued) Have a significant advantage because the telecommunicator can – Ask the caller about the nature of the emergency – Obtain the address – Obtain the callback number Have the option of direct lines, which differ from normal phone lines because – They do not have access to the public switch network – They do not have a dial tone – The line is directly connected between point A and point B 11

12. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2013. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Alarm-receiving equipment: TDD/TTY/Text phones Are designed to allow the hearing- or speech- impaired community to communicate over the telephone system – Telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) – Teletypewriter (TTY) – Text phones (phones that visually display text) Have names that are used interchangeably, but the current term used most often is text phone 12

13. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2013. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Alarm-receiving equipment: TDD/TTY/Text phones (continued) Denote a device that permits communications with the fire department by the hearing- or speech impaired – Every firefighter who answers an emergency phone must have a basic understanding of the requirements for “equal access” to 9-1-1 – Requirements can be downloaded from the link: http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/911ta.htm http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/911ta.htm 13

14. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2013. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Alarm-receiving equipment: Wireless (cellular) phones Rely on wireless technology to receive and transmit voice or digital information Route 9-1-1 calls to the nearest Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) – The nearest PSAP may not be in the same jurisdiction as the emergency – This can be a problem when the PSAP and the emergency are separated by a large natural barrier such as a river, canyon, or deep gorge – It can be difficult to identify where emergency resources are needed when callers do not know or are unable to describe their locations 14

15. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2013. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Alarm-receiving equipment: Radios Telecommunication centers are equipped with powerful base radios Emergency vehicles are equipped with mobile radios Individuals are equipped with portable radios All radio transmissions can be monitored by the news media and the public Radio operators must always use self-discipline and good judgment to avoid embarrassing themselves and the department It is inappropriate to use anyone’s name in a radio message 15

16. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2013. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Alarm-receiving equipment: Computer-aided dispatch (CAD) Uses computer programs to assist telecommunicators with their dispatch duties Can shorten response times Enables dispatchers to handle a greater volume of calls Can reduce radio traffic Can be a system that is simple or complex – A simple system may retrieve run card information – A complex system may Select and dispatch units Determine the fastest route to the scene of an emergency Monitor the status of units Transmit additional information via mobile data terminals 16

17. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2013. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Recording Information Provides a more-or-less permanent record of radio transmissions Two methods of recording information are – Voice recorders – Radio logs 17

18. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2013. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Voice Recorders Document emergency telephone calls, radio traffic, and dispatch information Provide accurate accounts of operations Protect the department and its members in case of litigation Document evidence such as company dispatch and arrival times Are capable of instant playback Record the time of the call automatically 18

19. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2013. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Voice Recorders (continued) Record information that is helpful if a caller – Hangs up or is disconnected – Is excited and cannot be understood – Speaks a foreign language 19

20. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2013. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Voice Recorders (continued) Can run continuously or intermittently – Continuous units Operate even when no transmissions are taking place Use more tape Are more expensive to operate – Intermittent units Run only when traffic is on the air Can miss the beginning of a message because there is a lapse before recording begins 20

21. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2013. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Radio Logs Are used to record the – Time/location/nature of the incident – Location of each activity performed by a public safety unit – Units that responded Are a manual system written on paper Are a chronological recording of each and every activity that has been reported or dispatched over the radio 21

22. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2013. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Incident Reports Every time a fire unit responds to an incident, a proper and complete report must be submitted Statewide data is gathered by a state coordinator and submitted to the US Fire Administration (USFA) under the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS), which – Was developed by the US Fire Administration – Outlines the necessary information needed to complete incident reports – Transfers data from each state to the federal database via the Internet – Allows the entry of various types of data – Has a specific code for each piece of data entered – Has all 50 states as participating members 22

23. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2013. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Incident Reports (continued) From legal, statistical, and record-keeping standpoints, reports are a vital part of the emergency that – Must be filled out completely, using terminology that non-fire service personnel can understand – Are available to the public – Are frequently requested by insurance companies for their records 23

24. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2013. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Incident Reports (continued) The following information should be included in incident reports: – Fire department (name, incident number, district name/number, shift number, number of alarms) – Names and addresses of the occupant(s) and/or owner(s) – Information about the structure (type, primary use, construction, number of stories) – How the emergency was reported (e.g. 9-1-1 call, walk-in, radio, etc.) – Type of call (e.g. fire, rescue, medical, etc.) 24

25. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2013. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Incident Reports (continued) The following information should be included in incident reports: (continued) – Action that was taken (e.g. investigation, extinguishment, rescue, etc.) – Property-use information (e.g. single-family dwelling, paved-public street, etc.) – Number of injuries and/or fatalities – Number of personnel who responded – Type of apparatus that responded 25

26. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2013. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Incident Reports (continued) The following information should be included in incident reports: (continued) – How the fire started – Where the fire started – Fire extinguishment method used – Estimated cost of damage – Remarks/comments (usually a narrative of the incident is written by the officer in charge) 26

27. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2013. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Incident Reports (continued) Most fire departments enter this information into databases at the state and national level The reports can also be entered into a computer by the officer in charge Incident reports are used to: – Evaluate the needs of the department and the community it protects – Justify budget requests, code enforcement, and resource allocations 27

28. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2013. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Resources 0135151112, Essentials of Firefighting (5 th Edition), International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA), 2008. US Department of Justice http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/911ta.htmhttp://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/911ta.htm National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) – Fire Loss in the United States during 2012 http://www.nfpa.org/~/media/Files/Research/NFPA%20reports/Overall %20Fire%20Statistics/osfireloss.pdf http://www.nfpa.org/~/media/Files/Research/NFPA%20reports/Overall %20Fire%20Statistics/osfireloss.pdf – Trends and Patterns of U.S. Fire Losses in 2010 http://www.nfpa.org/~/media/Files/Research/NFPA%20reports/Overall %20Fire%20Statistics/OSfireloss2010.pdf http://www.nfpa.org/~/media/Files/Research/NFPA%20reports/Overall %20Fire%20Statistics/OSfireloss2010.pdf – Trends and Patterns of U.S. Fire Losses in 2012 http://www.nfpa.org/~/media/Files/Research/NFPA%20reports/Overall %20Fire%20Statistics/ostrends.pdf http://www.nfpa.org/~/media/Files/Research/NFPA%20reports/Overall %20Fire%20Statistics/ostrends.pdf 28