1. Fireground Safety for Company Officers Basic Concepts for Company Officers

2. Safety for Company Officers2 Fireground Safety Officer Responsibilities u Main function is to protect firefighters u Anticipate what could happen well before it does u Work within the Incident Command System u Duties must be performed with or without the “safety officer” being present at scene You may be assigned this function

3. Safety for Company Officers3 Prerequisite Knowledge u What should the safety officer know? Building construction EMS background Rehab profiles Accountability systems ICS Liaison Techniques

4. Safety for Company Officers4 Prerequisite Knowledge u What should the safety officer know? Building construction EMS background Rehab profiles Accountability systems ICS Liaison Techniques u Building Construction structural collapse signs / indicators Truss construction Live / dead loads Impact of fire tactics on structures –GPM’s –Ventilation

5. Safety for Company Officers5 Prerequisite Knowledge u What should the safety officer know? Building construction EMS background Rehab profiles Accountability systems ICS Liaison Techniques u EMS Background Fatigue Stress Heat exhaustion Frostbite Dehydration Triage Needs of EMS crews

6. Safety for Company Officers6 Prerequisite Knowledge u What should the safety officer know? Building construction EMS background Rehab profiles Accountability systems ICS Liaison Techniques u Rehab Profiles Rotation indicators –2 bottle rule Duties of rehab crews Impact on operations –crew depletion

7. Safety for Company Officers7 Prerequisite Knowledge u What should the safety officer know? Building construction EMS background Rehab profiles Accountability systems ICS Liaison Techniques u Accountability Systems Passport or other In use by all members Crews accountability to each other is essential Best use on fireground comes from use in training Movement between sectors

8. Safety for Company Officers8 Prerequisite Knowledge u What should the safety officer know? Building construction EMS background Rehab profiles Accountability systems ICS Liaison Techniques u Incident Command System Safety Officer is part of Command Staff –Sector –Consult / advise Command of actions –Participate in planning process

9. Safety for Company Officers9 Prerequisite Knowledge u What should the safety officer know? Building construction EMS background Rehab profiles Accountability systems ICS Liaison Techniques u Liaison Techniques Understanding of outside agency participation in incident –excavators –utilities Oversight of mutual aid companies –conflicting values?

10. Safety for Company Officers10 Fireground Safety Officer (Sector) u Sector Officer Time Keeping Personnel Count Building Survey Operations Accident/Injury Investigation Stay outside the collapse zone!

11. Safety for Company Officers11 Fireground Safety Officer (Sector) u Sector Officer Time Keeping Personnel Count Building Survey Operations Accident/Injury Investigation u Time Keeping Time of call First entry by crews Duration of interior attack Any significant events –flashover –ventilation –rescue

12. Safety for Company Officers12 Fireground Safety Officer (Sector) u Sector Officer Time Keeping Personnel Count Building Survey Operations Accident/Injury Investigation u Personnel Count Interior crews Where assigned Teams established Accountability system in place and in use

13. Safety for Company Officers13 Fireground Safety Officer (Sector) u Sector Officer Time Keeping Personnel Count Building Survey Operations Accident/Injury Investigation u Building Survey How long burning Determined fire location Integrity of roof/walls/ floors Attention to Truss Minimize exposure under/over large spans Utilities OFF Survey overhead hazards

14. Safety for Company Officers14 Fireground Safety Officer Fireground Operations u Operations Adequate flow/ GPM’s Secondary escapes Attention to ladder work Observe collapse danger zones Smoke volume, color, force Fall hazards u Operations (con’t) Air monitoring Observe rehab profiles Additional hazards –traffic –heat / cold –passive smoke in operations area

15. Safety for Company Officers15 Fireground Safety Officer (Sector) u Sector Officer Time Keeping Personnel Count Building Survey Operations Accident/Injury Investigation u Accident / Injury Investigation Injured to hospital Retain all equipment Order blood / urine tests Respond to hospital for interviews Follow-up reporting after incident

16. Safety for Company Officers16 Fireground Safety Officer Post-Incident Responsibilities u Before leaving scene Secure scene CISD indicators? Legal considerations Brief Command on incident observations u Within 24 hours Develop an incident review form and submit to Chief Participate in critique, CISD Participate in investigations of injuries and fatalities

17. Safety for Company Officers17 Case History