Fire drill by Forest Reeder
Fire department policy and procedure should identify specific types of incidents in which a safety officer is due to respond or should be assigned by the incident commander (IC). If no safety officer is assigned to an incident, the IC is responsible for completing the tasks that the safety officer would perform.
Qualifications for the safety officer need to be defined as part of the policy but in general, the safety officer must be trained to at least the same level of those who are operating at the incident. The best case scenario would include having a safety officer assigned at all incidents where members operate in an IDLH atmosphere. At all incidents, standard incident functions must be performed.
Download this firefighter training drill as a PDF HERE.
ALSO IN THIS SERIES
- Safety Officer Drill: Time Management
- Safety Officer Drill: Defensive Operations
- Safety Officer Drill: Incident Communication Red Flags
- Safety Officer Drill: Monitoring Crew Progress
- Safety Officer Drill: Monitoring Scene Operations and Conditions
- Safety Officer: Monitoring Incident Communications
- Safety Officer: Initial Scene Duties
- Safety Officer: Basic Duties
- Safety Officer: Prioritize Hazards
Forest Reeder began his fire service career in 1979. He currently serves as Division Chief of Training & Safety for the Des Plaines (IL) Fire Department. He is a past recipient of the International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI) prestigious George D. Post Instructor of the Year award and has been responsible for the design, implementation and coordination of in-service firefighter training activities as well as a full-service fire training academy program. Forest holds numerous Illinois fire service certifications and holds a Masters Degree in Public Safety Administration from Lewis University.