Operational Withdrawal/Abandon Building Guidelines PDF

Standard Operating Guideline (SOG) Operational Withdrawal/Abandon Building Effective Date: 08/01/2010 Guideline Number 04-33A Revised Date: 01/01/2011 Number of Pages 01 1....

Standard Operating Guideline (SOG) Operational Withdrawal/Abandon Building Effective Date: 08/01/2010 Guideline Number 04-33A Revised Date: 01/01/2011 Number of Pages 01 1. Overview The following shall establish a common standard for firefighters working in the Salt Lake Valley to abandon a building or an area in the event of changes, which pose an immediate danger to life or health. 2. Definitions Withdraw from the Building: This communication means that firefighters in and on a building will make an immediate and orderly retreat (with equipment) from the building. Withdraw will occur as a result of changing modes (Offensive to defensive), on the fire ground. Abandon Building: This is an emergency communication that means firefighting personnel must abandon the building. The order to “Abandon Building” indicates an immediate threat to firefighter safety. Firefighters must get out, off and away from, the structure as quickly as possible. Tools, nozzles and hose lines are left behind. 3. Guideline When a need to “Abandon Building” is necessary, any member operating in or around the incident may request to do so as follows: A. Announcement of “Emergency Traffic” shall be given and “Abandon Building” will be repeated three (3) times over all fire ground radio channels. (If it is impractical to make contact with the IC, any fire department personnel at the scene of the emergency can request an emergency “Abandon Building”.) B. Incident command designates apparatus operator(s) to give three distinct blasts of the air horn, repeated 3 times. C. Incident Command directs dispatch to clear the channel and announce, “Abandon Building” and set off the “high-low” alert tones. (Dispatch then announces, “Abandon Building”, repeated three times in succession.) D. Incident Command shall call for a personnel accountability report (PAR). Accountability: Immediately following the “Abandon Building” order, the IC will call for an accountability check from all personnel assigned to individual companies and/or groups, sectors and divisions. It is the responsibility of company officers to maintain crew integrity and get all fire personnel out of the building and collapse zone. The incident will remain in the abandon building mode until all personnel are accounted for and it is verified that all personnel are outside of the structure and collapse zone. Emergency radio traffic restrictions shall remain in place until PAR is complete. Emergency Traffic is the term used to alert all operating personnel of an on scene emergency or imminent danger. Any member operating in or around the incident can request “Emergency Traffic”. At the conclusion of the emergency, the IC will terminate Emergency Traffic by declaring: “All clear, resume normal radio traffic” (NFPA 1561 Emergency Services IMS, Sections 2-2.4.1& Emergency Traffic. 04-33A Withdrawal Adandon Building Guideline (SOG), Page 1 of 1