The dynamics of a volunteer fire department blend people with diverse levels of educations, careers, talents, and backgrounds together at a moment’s notice. Within this mix may be members who don’t want to be fire service leaders. Although they may be supervisors or managers at their full-time jobs, they do not want this responsibility at the fire department. Others who have served in fire service leadership situations may have realized they don’t possess the necessary skills and thus avoid the role. Some volunteer firefighters who may have never supervised anyone have however observed good leaders in action and consequently decided that leadership is not for them. Nevertheless, still other members may feel more confident when forced to assume the role of incident commander (IC).
ANXIOUS MOMENTS AND UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
Regardless of the circumstance that places a firefighter in the officer’s seat of the first-arriving apparatus, the first few minutes after arrival will be full of anxiety-there are unanswered questions, possibly misleading or limited information, and the urgency to find out what’s really going on. “Why was the fire department dispatched here?” and “Is this situation a real emergency?” must be answered quickly, so the proper actions can be initiated.
To train volunteer firefighters and build their confidence in these leadership skills, training officers should teach the crucial aspects and fundamentals of the role of the initiating IC. The officers should emphasize that a standard fire alarm dispatch can deteriorate into a life-threatening situation in seconds. If that happens without a command structure in place to ensure safety and organization, it’s too late to start building one! Playing catch-up on the fireground at that point may be impossible. Starting over is a luxury found only in the classroom, not on the fireground.
A veteran firefighter should be able to answer some of the following questions on arrival. However, as the IC, that member must answer every question in a size-up report that he relays back to dispatch.
- What company arrived? Transmit the apparatus number to dispatch on arrival.
- Arrived to what? A vacant lot, a structure, a vehicle?
- What’s happening? Is any smoke or fire showing?
- What are you going to do? Investigate to get more information or pull a hoseline because there is a fire?
After receiving the initial size-up, dispatch uses standard terminology to relay the information to responding companies, which is vital for a safe transition of command. The soon-to-arrive chief officer must know what type of company arrived first to what situation. If the first apparatus on-scene is a ladder truck without a booster tank, a rescue truck, or an ambulance, it has limited fire attack options. The nervous volunteer firefighter assuming command knows the crew should do something, but not what. The chief en route may be able to offer the temporary IC some well-needed advice, based on the relayed information of what company arrived and to what type of situation.
The on-scene conditions and the crew’s action plan are critical safety information a chief officer en route must hear and evaluate. Without fail, the nervous, temporary IC must keep crew safety a top priority. It’s essential for a successful, aggressive fireground operation. Should an incoming company have to rescue the initial crew from a dangerous situation, it cannot make progress toward civilian rescue or fire attack.
The anxious volunteer firefighter IC who never wanted to be in charge has nevertheless made great progress so far without leaving the cab by reporting “Engine 1 is arriving at a house with nothing showing; we’re investigating.” The four most important questions are answered in one short sentence.
TACTICAL PRIORITIES
Once the firefighter IC exits the cab, he may be overwhelmed by information, good and bad. The lone commander with no support staff has little time to sort out the usable information from opinions and speculation. But because of the training department’s diligence, the firefighter in charge knows the tactical priorities and how they must be addressed.
First-in firefighters may have the best opportunity to rescue trapped occupants or to contain a fire so the rescue will succeed. The information the initial IC sees on arrival, the time of day, and the structural type involved influences the tactics chosen for the next step, rescue.
Rescue. Do you remove the occupants from the fire or the fire from the occupants? The first-arriving company’s experience level and crew size, the time of day, the location, and the type and size of the fire influence these tactical decisions.
Removing a smoldering wastebasket from the entryway of a seniors’ living complex is more realistic than trying to remove a large number of residents if the wastebasket is just a few feet from the door. Here, the most efficient rescue is to remove the fire from the building.
Remember, rescue is not body removal-keep moving, searching for the savable occupants. When the first-arriving crew completes a thorough search of the entire structure and declares, “All clear on a primary search,” it has accomplished an important task-everyone savable is out of the structure.
A skilled firefighting crew puts together the most effective search and rescue possible, using every piece of available equipment. If the on-scene apparatus has a thermal imaging camera, they should use it. If it has a second portable radio that will enable a large crew to split up, they should bring it in. Are firefighters wearing department-issued belts or leaving them behind? Two belts connected to each other allow a crew to search a larger area without losing contact with each other.
Is everyone carrying the tools assigned to their seat position? Putting a shoulder or boot to a solid-core door secured with multiple locks will cause needless injuries. If one of the initial crew is injured during initial forcible entry, this will impede the search and rescue.
Don’t allow this to happen by carelessly leaving legitimate tools behind. Following department standard operating guidelines (SOGs) for tool assignments saves valuable time when every second counts. Carrying the assigned tools should be automatic. Don’t leave the apparatus empty-handed.
Fire control. Fire control could take place before, during, or after accomplishing the first priority, rescue. Confining a fire or protecting a fire escape may be the most efficient way to initiate a primary search and rescue operation. Complete and total extinguishment isn’t the priority. Holding the fire where it is so a successful search can be carried out is the main focus at this point.
Once the search and rescue is complete, the crew can switch to fire attack mode. Knocking down the fire and extinguishment is the objective now. For success, skilled firefighters know they must match the hose to the fire. For structure fires, leave the booster or small trash lines on the engine. Following the department’s hose size and structure SOGs should make hose selection easier for less-experienced members.
Property conservation. Should the first-in crew carry out the plasma television or start the primary search for trapped victims? Postpone property conservation for now. Focus on rescue and fire control first; then address property conservation. It’s all about prioritizing.
USING COMMAND TERMINOLOGY
When a volunteer firefighter assumes command, he should use standard command terminology. Studying the differences between a procurement unit and the situation status unit isn’t necessary, but knowing and applying standard command terminology is essential to a well-disciplined command system. Training staff or line officers could instruct firefighters on which terms are critical to safe fireground operations.
EDUCATION IS CRITICAL TO SAFETY
Training the volunteer firefighter on how to initiate the command system takes time. Gaining confidence in using newly acquired skills comes with time and practice. The moment a firefighter achieves the ability to initiate command and assign tactical priorities, the cornerstone for a safe and efficient fireground operation is in place.
JOEL A. HEWITT is chief of Moorhead (MN) Fire Department. His 31-year fire service career includes experience in volunteer and career fire departments.
PAUL G. LANDREVILLE, a 17-year veteran of the fire service, is an NREMT-B with the American Red Cross in St. Paul, Minnesota. Previously, he served as a company officer and training captain.
