Incident Response Policy Overview

Incident Response Policy

• Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service
• Policy and Procedure document
• Version 24-01: 07/01/2017
• Includes 26 Appendices
• Covers incident response procedures for various scenarios
• Addresses crew member responsibilities, situational awareness, and risk assessment

Risk Assessment

• A dynamic process
• Continuously assesses the operational environment
• Identifies potential risks
• Compares risks to the benefits of an action
• Determines if an action is "worth it"
• Considers life safety, injury prevention, and property protection
• Risks include injury or death

Crew Resource Management (CRM)

• Focuses on team behavior and attitudes
• Prioritizes team safety over individual safety
• Promotes leadership and teamwork
• Encourages input from all team members

Incident Strategies

• Two primary strategies: Offensive & Defensive
• Strategy choice is independent of location
• Only one strategy can be in use at a time

Offensive Strategy

• Personnel actively address the problem
• Examples: Performing CPR, directing water streams at a fire, plugging a leak
• Goals: Correct or stop the identified problem

Defensive Strategy

• Personnel contain the problem
• Examples: Building containment around a leak, focusing water on threatened exposures
• Goal: Prevent further spread or escalation of the problem

Incident Priorities

• The order of importance for addressing incident goals:
  • Life Safety (Account for people in danger)
  • Incident Stabilization (Stop the problem from worsening)
  • Property Conservation (Minimize property damage)
• Ideally, all priorities are addressed simultaneously
• If resources are limited, priorities are addressed sequentially in the listed order

Life Safety

• Ensuring the safety of people, both civilians and firefighters
• Search procedures are mandatory in hazard areas, regardless of reported exits
• The assessment of entry safety and the search are separate processes
• Survivor assessment considers the likelihood of survival given the emergency
• Extreme risk may be taken to rescue people in danger, but MCFRS recognizes life's limitations
• Compartmentation plays a role in survivability
• Separate compartments can act as barriers to hazards
• Conditions within one compartment do not necessarily apply to others

Incident Stabilization

• Aims to prevent the incident from worsening
• Involves stopping the spread of hazards and controlling the situation

Incident Command

• All incidents require an Incident Commander
• The Incident Commander uses available resources to develop a vision for success
• The vision is communicated through clear incident objectives
• The Incident Commander ensures effective command which includes:
  • Situational Awareness
  • Accountability
  • Effective Communication
  • Risk Assessment
  • Established Objectives
  • Initiating and Monitoring Action
• Distinguishes between Primary Unit Officer and CCO command functions
• Complex incidents require a designated CCO operating from a stationary command post
• The CCO attempts to position their command post for visibility
• The first arriving Battalion Command Platform (BCP) should be used unless there is a compelling reason not to
• The Incident Commander designates "Side Alpha" and the remaining sides are designated clockwise

Incident Command Continued

• Exposures are designated based on sides
• The exposure next to a side has the same designation
• Exposures in multi-story structures often include the two floors above and the floor below the fire floor
• Floors are typically numbered up from the ground entrance level, with the entrance level considered the first floor
• Floor designations are separate from functional designations
• Terrace levels are located when the entrance to a living space is through an interior common area but has a ground level exit
• Structures with unusual layouts require communication with command to ensure clear designations

Incident Response Policy

• The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) Incident Response Policy outlines procedures for effectively responding to incidents and managing risk.
• The policy emphasizes the importance of calculated risk-taking, prioritizing life safety while considering property preservation.
• MCFRS accepts calculated risk to save lives and limited risk to save property, but not risk firefighter lives for lives or property that cannot be saved.
• All personnel must be aware of incident risks, take reasonable actions to minimize them, and maintain crew communication and accountability.

Operational Doctrine Statement

• MCFRS actively engages in self-assessment, lesson learning, and operational evolution to continually improve.
• MCFRS recognizes the importance of learning from mistakes, promoting open discussion, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
• Training plays a crucial part in developing personnel and teams to effectively handle adverse conditions.

Incident Command

• There are two recognized methods of managing incident command: Tactical Command and Stationary Command.
• Tactical Command: The Primary Unit Officer is directly involved with their crew in emergency operations; this command method is used for short durations.
• Stationary Command: A Command Post is established and the Incident Commander manages the incident operations from a central location, directing resources.
• Division Supervisor: Responsible for overseeing operations within their assigned area, including resource allocation, completion of objectives, and crew accountability.
• Field Observer: Assigned by Command to gather information about the incident scene to enhance situational awareness.
• Incident Duration Reminders (IDRs): These are provided at regular intervals to track elapsed incident time, assess resource needs, and evaluate structural impact.
• Resource Staging: Units can be staged strategically depending on the situation:
  • Tactical Staging: Units are ready to engage immediately, awaiting directions.
  • Remote Staging: Units are positioned at a distance from the incident.
  • Base Staging: Units are assigned to specific staging areas designated by Command.
• Geographic Designations: MCFRS uses standard designations for structures, including building sides and quadrants:
  • Building Sides: The address side of a structure is referred to as Side Alpha.
  • Building Quadrants: Buildings are divided into quadrants labeled clockwise: Alpha (left front), Beta (right front), Gamma (right back), Delta (left back).
• Greater Alarms: Typically dispatched on a subordinate talkgroup; the first arriving Primary Unit Officer acts as the Staging Area Manager.

Strategic Considerations

• The Incident Commander is responsible for ensuring that operational objectives are established, communicated, and monitored throughout the incident.
• All actions must be coordinated to ensure effective team effort, supporting the Incident Commander's strategy.
• Changes in strategy must be deliberate and communicated clearly.
• Status updates intended for Command should be formatted using the LCAN (Location-Conditions-Actions-Needs) format.