FIR Proposal

FIR 2302, Principles of Fire and Emergency Services Safety and Survival 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VII Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

2. Explain the concept of risk management. 2.1 Recognize the impact of risk management on the development of industry response standards.

3. Recognize the importance of standards as they apply to health and safety.

3.1 Explain how standard operating procedures and guidelines contribute to improved levels of safety and health.

Required Unit Resources Chapter 11: Establishing Response Standards Chapter 12: Examining Response to Violent Incidents

Unit Lesson

Introduction Please view the Unit VII Video. Closed captioning will be available once you access the video. In this unit, we will discuss the importance of standards as they relate to fire and emergency service response operations. If you are a member of an organized agency that provides fire and emergency services, your organization likely has some type of standards by which you respond and operate. In this unit, we will examine this issue from a macro, not micro, level to ensure we address most situations that may be encountered. It’s been stated that, “All firefighting is local.” It is understood that there are differences between agencies. These differences include career, volunteer, combination, size, scope, area covered, governance, funding, and so on. The list is simply too long and the differences too varied to attempt to cover all under one umbrella. Our goal is to discuss the topic(s) broadly and allow you, the learner, to interpret, decide, and implement policies and procedures that make the most sense for your individual agency.

Standard Operating Procedures It is 10:30 a.m. on Monday, January 2. Your agency is dispatched to an activated fire alarm at 123 Main Street, which is the biggest commercial building in your response area. Although each learner is reading the same information, the interpretation of this information varies depending on your frame of reference. January in South Florida is quite nice, while January in New Jersey might present drastically different challenges in weather. The address itself is ambiguous, but the biggest commercial building might look very different depending on where you serve. It is for these reasons that a one-size-fits-all approach to the development of standard operating procedures/guidelines (SOP/G) will not be effective or widely adopted. However, there is a starting point. There are commonalities that we, as an industry, should be striving to utilize in the development and implementation of SOP/Gs.

UNIT VII STUDY GUIDE

Emergency Response

FIR 2302, Principles of Fire and Emergency Services Safety and Survival 2

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title

A quick note on SOP/Gs. It is understood that there is a difference between a procedure (must do) and a guideline (must consider). The intent is not to get bogged down in semantics. “Regardless of whether your department uses SOPs or SOGs, they have to be written in a way that addresses most possible scenarios” (Zimmerman, 2021, p. 229). No two incidents are the same. While there may be similarities, such as two motor vehicle accidents on the same roadway, there will always be subtle differences such as time of day, weather, personnel responding, and the identity of the patient or victim. What we should focus on is how we can utilize the concepts of risk management to develop industry best practices that result in SOP/Gs that improve the safety and health of the responders.

National Standards As previously discussed, not all emergencies are the same and not all agencies are the same. However, there are commonalities that can be used as a basis for the development and implementation of national standards. According to Zimmerman (2021), some examples are emergency response, apparatus positioning, incident command, and risk management. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has produced numerous consensus standards that pertain to specific types of emergency response (Zimmerman, 2021). These are listed below.

• NFPA 450, Guide for Emergency Medical Services and Systems

• NFPA 1072, Standard for Hazardous Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction Emergency Responder Personal Professional Qualifications

Emergency Response

There are numerous response patterns for different types of incidents. Perhaps the biggest difference depends on whether your personnel are responding from a fully staffed, full-time fire station or from home or work. There will be differences in the number of personnel responding on each apparatus, which will determine the number of apparatuses that need to respond. How many personnel are needed based on the occupancy and construction? Will there be a water supply from a hydrant or will drafting or water tenders be required? How long will it take to amass the required number of personnel at the incident? Are the resources spread out in a rural or suburban setting or are they closer together in a more suburban/urban setting? Depending on the incident, there may be a need for additional personnel. This can involve a single agency or may require mutual/automatic aid agreements. One of the emerging technologies is to implement a closest unit concept, where Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL) technology dispatches units based on its location in real time, as opposed to a standard run card system. This can be accomplished interdepartmentally and/or with mutual/automatic aid agreement partners as well. There will be variations in personnel and equipment needs for different types of incidents, but the incident does not discriminate as to whether you are a career or a volunteer responder. Therefore, it is important to determine needs in advance and develop a plan for how and from where the resources will be assembled.

Apparatus Positioning A key factor in determining the safety and ability of personnel responding to mitigate the incident depends on apparatus positioning. There are many factors to consider, which include the building’s location, height, landscape, access, traffic, etc. Ensuring that nonessential vehicles are positioned so as not to interfere with the needs and operations at the incident is key. Additionally, if the incident is dynamic or able to move or expand, this will present options that need to be considered such as slope/terrain and wind direction.

Command System The use of an incident management system has become the standard, especially after the introduction of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) in 2004 (Zimmerman, 2021). As incidents grow in size and complexity, the implementation and use of an incident management system (IMS) becomes essential for the

FIR 2302, Principles of Fire and Emergency Services Safety and Survival 3

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title

safety of everyone involved. IMS concepts such as manageable span of control contribute directly to the safety and health of the personnel operating at the incident.

Risk Management As discussed in Unit IV, there are six steps for addressing risk management: defining the context, identifying potential risk, assessing and analyzing the risk, developing alternate plans, deciding on and implementing an action, and evaluating and monitoring the results of that action (Zimmerman, 2021). This concept can and should be applied to the development and implementation of SOP/Gs. Through a comprehensive process of information collection, both before and after emergency incidents, the SOP/Gs should address all the services delivered by your organization.

Violent Incidents When we consider the fire service as an all-hazard industry, we consider the various types of nontraditional (nonfire) incidents to which we are expected to respond. These include, but are not limited to, incidents involving hazardous materials, weapons of mass destruction (WMD), civil disturbances, school or public shootings, clandestine drug labs, building collapses, special events, and so on (Zimmerman, 2021). There simply is not an emergency that we are not expected to participate in on some level, especially when lives are at stake. The training, education, and experience required to perform at a high level while operating with other response agencies from local, state, regional, and federal agencies is extremely important. It is also important to have policies and procedures in place for mitigating these types of large-scale, complex incidents that will most likely require a unified command and have a high demand from the media. In the aftermath of incidents like the Pulse Nightclub Shooting in Orlando, the NFPA created a consensus standard, NFPA 3000, Standard for an Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response (ASHER)Program. This standard addresses the entire process of dealing with such an event. Unfortunately, there are many high-profile incidents which can be referenced in recent history, including the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida and the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Please use your favorite search engine or the CSU Online Library to learn more about these incidents and how emergency responders handled them.

Conclusion For the fire and emergency services to remain viable, we must continue to improve our ability to perform at all types of emergency responses.

Reference Zimmerman, D. (2021). Fire fighter safety and survival (3rd ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.

https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781284206128

FIR 2302, Principles of Fire and Emergency Services Safety and Survival 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VII Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

2. Explain the concept of risk management. 2.1 Recognize the impact of risk management on the development of industry response standards.

3. Recognize the importance of standards as they apply to health and safety.

3.1 Explain how standard operating procedures and guidelines contribute to improved levels of safety and health.

Required Unit Resources Chapter 11: Establishing Response Standards Chapter 12: Examining Response to Violent Incidents

Unit Lesson

Introduction Please view the Unit VII Video. Closed captioning will be available once you access the video. In this unit, we will discuss the importance of standards as they relate to fire and emergency service response operations. If you are a member of an organized agency that provides fire and emergency services, your organization likely has some type of standards by which you respond and operate. In this unit, we will examine this issue from a macro, not micro, level to ensure we address most situations that may be encountered. It’s been stated that, “All firefighting is local.” It is understood that there are differences between agencies. These differences include career, volunteer, combination, size, scope, area covered, governance, funding, and so on. The list is simply too long and the differences too varied to attempt to cover all under one umbrella. Our goal is to discuss the topic(s) broadly and allow you, the learner, to interpret, decide, and implement policies and procedures that make the most sense for your individual agency.

Standard Operating Procedures It is 10:30 a.m. on Monday, January 2. Your agency is dispatched to an activated fire alarm at 123 Main Street, which is the biggest commercial building in your response area. Although each learner is reading the same information, the interpretation of this information varies depending on your frame of reference. January in South Florida is quite nice, while January in New Jersey might present drastically different challenges in weather. The address itself is ambiguous, but the biggest commercial building might look very different depending on where you serve. It is for these reasons that a one-size-fits-all approach to the development of standard operating procedures/guidelines (SOP/G) will not be effective or widely adopted. However, there is a starting point. There are commonalities that we, as an industry, should be striving to utilize in the development and implementation of SOP/Gs.

UNIT VII STUDY GUIDE

Emergency Response

FIR 2302, Principles of Fire and Emergency Services Safety and Survival 2

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title

A quick note on SOP/Gs. It is understood that there is a difference between a procedure (must do) and a guideline (must consider). The intent is not to get bogged down in semantics. “Regardless of whether your department uses SOPs or SOGs, they have to be written in a way that addresses most possible scenarios” (Zimmerman, 2021, p. 229). No two incidents are the same. While there may be similarities, such as two motor vehicle accidents on the same roadway, there will always be subtle differences such as time of day, weather, personnel responding, and the identity of the patient or victim. What we should focus on is how we can utilize the concepts of risk management to develop industry best practices that result in SOP/Gs that improve the safety and health of the responders.

National Standards As previously discussed, not all emergencies are the same and not all agencies are the same. However, there are commonalities that can be used as a basis for the development and implementation of national standards. According to Zimmerman (2021), some examples are emergency response, apparatus positioning, incident command, and risk management. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has produced numerous consensus standards that pertain to specific types of emergency response (Zimmerman, 2021). These are listed below.

• NFPA 450, Guide for Emergency Medical Services and Systems

• NFPA 1072, Standard for Hazardous Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction Emergency Responder Personal Professional Qualifications

Emergency Response

There are numerous response patterns for different types of incidents. Perhaps the biggest difference depends on whether your personnel are responding from a fully staffed, full-time fire station or from home or work. There will be differences in the number of personnel responding on each apparatus, which will determine the number of apparatuses that need to respond. How many personnel are needed based on the occupancy and construction? Will there be a water supply from a hydrant or will drafting or water tenders be required? How long will it take to amass the required number of personnel at the incident? Are the resources spread out in a rural or suburban setting or are they closer together in a more suburban/urban setting? Depending on the incident, there may be a need for additional personnel. This can involve a single agency or may require mutual/automatic aid agreements. One of the emerging technologies is to implement a closest unit concept, where Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL) technology dispatches units based on its location in real time, as opposed to a standard run card system. This can be accomplished interdepartmentally and/or with mutual/automatic aid agreement partners as well. There will be variations in personnel and equipment needs for different types of incidents, but the incident does not discriminate as to whether you are a career or a volunteer responder. Therefore, it is important to determine needs in advance and develop a plan for how and from where the resources will be assembled.

Apparatus Positioning A key factor in determining the safety and ability of personnel responding to mitigate the incident depends on apparatus positioning. There are many factors to consider, which include the building’s location, height, landscape, access, traffic, etc. Ensuring that nonessential vehicles are positioned so as not to interfere with the needs and operations at the incident is key. Additionally, if the incident is dynamic or able to move or expand, this will present options that need to be considered such as slope/terrain and wind direction.

Command System The use of an incident management system has become the standard, especially after the introduction of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) in 2004 (Zimmerman, 2021). As incidents grow in size and complexity, the implementation and use of an incident management system (IMS) becomes essential for the

FIR 2302, Principles of Fire and Emergency Services Safety and Survival 3

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title

safety of everyone involved. IMS concepts such as manageable span of control contribute directly to the safety and health of the personnel operating at the incident.

Risk Management As discussed in Unit IV, there are six steps for addressing risk management: defining the context, identifying potential risk, assessing and analyzing the risk, developing alternate plans, deciding on and implementing an action, and evaluating and monitoring the results of that action (Zimmerman, 2021). This concept can and should be applied to the development and implementation of SOP/Gs. Through a comprehensive process of information collection, both before and after emergency incidents, the SOP/Gs should address all the services delivered by your organization.

Violent Incidents When we consider the fire service as an all-hazard industry, we consider the various types of nontraditional (nonfire) incidents to which we are expected to respond. These include, but are not limited to, incidents involving hazardous materials, weapons of mass destruction (WMD), civil disturbances, school or public shootings, clandestine drug labs, building collapses, special events, and so on (Zimmerman, 2021). There simply is not an emergency that we are not expected to participate in on some level, especially when lives are at stake. The training, education, and experience required to perform at a high level while operating with other response agencies from local, state, regional, and federal agencies is extremely important. It is also important to have policies and procedures in place for mitigating these types of large-scale, complex incidents that will most likely require a unified command and have a high demand from the media. In the aftermath of incidents like the Pulse Nightclub Shooting in Orlando, the NFPA created a consensus standard, NFPA 3000, Standard for an Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response (ASHER)Program. This standard addresses the entire process of dealing with such an event. Unfortunately, there are many high-profile incidents which can be referenced in recent history, including the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida and the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Please use your favorite search engine or the CSU Online Library to learn more about these incidents and how emergency responders handled them.

Conclusion For the fire and emergency services to remain viable, we must continue to improve our ability to perform at all types of emergency responses.

Reference Zimmerman, D. (2021). Fire fighter safety and survival (3rd ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.

https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781284206128