Bernalillo County Fire & Rescue Standard Operating Guidelines PDF

***Robert Rose, Deputy Chief Operations Greg Perez, Fire Chief*** Purpose: To develop an effective incident organization using the Division/Group system to decentralize & delegate tactical or support responsibilities. Scope: Organization will focus primarily on managing and expanding the Tactical...

***Robert Rose, Deputy Chief Operations Greg Perez, Fire Chief*** Purpose: To develop an effective incident organization using the Division/Group system to decentralize & delegate tactical or support responsibilities. Scope: Organization will focus primarily on managing and expanding the Tactical level (hot/warm zone) of the organization. Definitions: **RMP-** Risk Management Plan **IAP-** Incident Action Plan **IRR-** Initial Radio Report **ETN-** Elapsed Time Notification **CAN-** Conditions Action's Needs General Guidelines: **Organizational Levels** There are 3 operational levels that function at the scene of every hazard zone. They are: - Strategic level - Tactical level - Task level Each level is distinct, each is managed in a different way, and they each have their own set of roles and responsibilities. These have been previously covered but it is worth reviewing in further detail. **Strategic Level -** This organizational level is designed around the Incident Commander (and Command Team) operating in the Command position, working out of a stationary command post. The Strategic level involves coordinating the activities necessary for overall operational control, determining the incident's strategy, and developing an IAP that completes the incident's tactical objectives. **Tactical Level --** To maintain a manageable span of control of the incident, the incident commander can assign Division responsibilities to another officer based on geographical locations. Division Officers are responsible for the tactical deployment and supervision of all assigned resources in their assigned area. **Task Level** - Is where the work is performed by assigned companies. The Strategic and Tactical levels are in place to support the task level. Task level activities are supervised by Company Officers working with the members of their companies directly in the hazard zone. The task level is the most important level on the incident site because it solves the incidents problems while taking place in an IDLH atmosphere that can kill the workers. All activities outside the hazard zone are in place to support units working on the task level. **First Arriving Officer/Mobile Command** For the majority of the local incidents we respond to, the responsibility for managing all 3 organizational levels is handled by the Officer of the first arriving Engine Company and they will become the initial Incident Commander for the incident. In most cases, this initial, well-coordinated attack wave usually eliminates the incident hazards and there is no urgent need to upgrade the positions on the Strategic or Tactical levels. Incidents that are not quickly controlled, are escalating, or are significant in scope and size upon our arrival, must have the Strategic and Tactical operational levels upgraded as required. The strategic level of command on these types of incidents will usually be the 1^st^ operational level that is upgraded. When the initial arriving Battalion Commander, arrives on scene and transfers command from initial arriving officer, they assume responsibility for the strategic level of the operation. This command transfer significantly improves the Incident Commander's position and ability to perform and manage the 8 Functions of Command and the corresponding strategic safety requirements for the entire incident operation. **Offensive Hazard Zone Tactical Level Supervision General Guidelines** The Division Officer's plan always needs to fit into the Incident Commander's plan. They will need to continually size-up the critical factors and apply the Risk Management Plan by making sure that the actions are always matching the conditions within the division. Officers must develop the Incident Action Plan for their Division that facilitates the completion of the tactical priorities for their assigned area. All personnel need to balance the amount of air we bring into the hazard zone with the amount and duration of the work that must be performed and completed in the hazard zone. The "2 bottle" rule will be in effect, crews will recycle once and then report to rehab after their 2^nd^ bottle is depleted. Officers must make an early resource size up and call for the resources that will be required to perform the necessary tasks while safely managing the workers air supplies. The goal of the resource deployment is to always have enough workers assigned performing the work, to have enough workers that are assigned to On Deck positions that are ready to go to work, and then have enough of a tactical reserve in staged positions, waiting to be assigned to go to work. Command must use the "3-deep" deployment model to supply a steady, adequate stream of resources. This approach to deployment places ready-to-go resources in all the key operating positions around the incident site and it greatly enhances firefighter safety and effectiveness. As working companies properly manage their air supplies and cycle out of the hazard zone, On Deck companies should be positioned to quickly take their place. This deployment model also allows exiting companies to actually have a face-to-face briefing with the Division Officer and the company that is relieving them. This reduces the amount of radio traffic on the tactical channel and streamlines the communication process for the entire incident. Command should avoid automatically assigning more resources to established division. Once the organization is implemented, these Division officers should report back to Command with a C.A.N. This allows Command to operate on the strategic level, serving as a resource allocator to the Division. **Hazard Zone -- Defensive Tactical Level Supervision General Guidelines** A defensive situation is where the incident problem has evolved to the point that lives and property are no longer savable, and offensive tactics are no longer effective or safe. The entire defensive strategy is based on protecting firefighters. **Firefighter safety is the No. 1 defensive priority. NO FIREFIGHTER SHOULD BE INJURED ON A DEFENSIVE FIRE.** Arrangement becomes a major critical factor with defensive fires. The way the main fire compartment/area is arranged to its neighboring exposures will dictate our operating positions on a defensive emergency scene. All exposures, both immediate and anticipated, must be identified, searched and protected. The first priority in defensive operations is personnel safety; the second is exposure protection. The defensive perimeter and collapse zone must be identified and all operating units will remain behind those defined boundaries ---*this perimeter must not be crossed. Division Officers who are in charge of defensive operations should manage the defensive perimeter 1 ½ times the height of the structure.* *Water supply becomes a critical factor when managing defensive operations. Division Officers will need to coordinate with Command in establishing uninterrupted water supplies with sufficient enough flows to control the problem and/or protect exposures.* Division Officers should also shut down all small-diameter handlines (unless they are being used to directly protect exposures). This diverts water into master-stream devices that can apply large amounts of water directly on the fire and the exposures. These actions also reduce creeping. No member shall enter the hazard zone of a defensive fire area. Any structure that has defensive fire conditions over a short period of time shall not be entered by any personnel to perform any overhaul or loss control of any kind. On defensive fires with exposures, Division Officers managing exposure protection in the offensive strategy, will follow the same offensive strategy guidelines in Function 5 - Strategy and IAP. Specific procedures: **Subdividing the Incident Scene** Command must have a system in place where the rate of assigning companies to the emergency scene doesn't exceed their span of control. Command accomplishes this by forecasting and establishing geographic and functional responsibilities that divides the incident scene into smaller, more manageable tactical sub-divisions. **Tactical Subdivisions**: on Type 4 and 5 local incidents are typically referred to as; Divisions, or Groups (D/G). Command must correctly name the different work areas on the incident site to help eliminate any confusion on the fire ground. ICS/NIMS use the terminology of Divisions and Groups: - Division is a geographical subdivision of the incident site - Group is a functional work group that is not tied to a specific location Incident Commanders manage strategic level accountability by controlling both the position and function of all hazard zone units using a tactical worksheet. Therefore, groups **shall not** be utilized inside of the hazard zone. All units assigned into the hazard zone must be assigned to a specific geographic location where they will be responsible for the completion of all tactical priorities in their assigned area. **Geographic Landmarks:** The Alpha side of any structure will be the front door, unless otherwise indicated. In situations where there is any confusion on the building's landmark the initial arriving officer must make it clear where the Alpha side is located if not the front door. The subsequent sides (Bravo, Charlie, and Delta) will be named accordingly in a clock wise direction from the Alpha side. **Exposures:** We identify structures exposed to the main fire occupancy by their proximity to the sides of the main fire occupancy (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta). Starting with the closest and moving away from the fire to the next exposure and so on, a numerical value starting at 1 will be added to the exposure name and increase as much as is required. See table to the left. When command can give the exposure number and the occupancy type/apartment number it greatly enhances our directional sense of awareness. **Floors:** Identified by stories above and below ground level. Using the terminology "Divisions", the individual floor will take on the same floor number as the Division (floor 2 becomes "Division 2). Exception will be on residential structures with a single basement. These sub-divisions will be identified as "basements". The 2 main functional areas a Division Officer must manage are: - The **Tactical** level requirements to run the Division - The **Embedded Safety** requirements to run the Division Division Officers are responsible for the following basic **Tactical** functions: - Size-up the Division's critical factors - Apply the risk management plan making sure that the Division's actions are always matching the conditions - Develop the Division's Incident Action Plan within the IC's overall Strategy and IAP - Supervise the work in the Division's - Redirect the Division's activities as required - Request additional resource from the IC as required, always maintaining a tactical reserve within their assigned Division's whenever possible. - Coordinate with other Division's as required - Provide progress reports to the IC - Monitor personnel safety, accountability, and welfare in their Division's, and - Release companies from the Division as operations are completed The deployment of units into an IDLH hazard zone **must** be managed around crew accountability and the times directly connected to the air supply of working firefighters. Division Officers are responsible for the following basic **Embedded Safety** functions for the work area are: - Managing the Division accountability - Assist with the rotation of companies in and out of the hazard zone - Manage on deck crews - Manage the recycle and the rehabbing of crews - Monitor the Division for any significant safety hazards A single Division Officer can routinely manage both the **Tactical and Embedded Safety** requirements for their assigned division. Supervising 5 companies within an IDLH, maxes out the span of control for 1 person. If more companies are needed, the IAP needs to be reevaluated and the incident command structure should be expanded to fit the incident needs. References: *Blue Card Command SOP's, October 2018 update, Blue Card Command™*