306.00 Regional Personnel Accountability.docx

Standard Operation Procedures Section: 300.00 Guideline: 306.00 Personnel Accountability Effective Date: 1/21/2005 Revision Date: 1/2023 PERSONNEL ACCOUNTABILITY To provide a method of tracking and accounting for personnel at an incident as they move from one functional area to another within the ho...

Standard Operation Procedures Section: 300.00 Guideline: 306.00 Personnel Accountability Effective Date: 1/21/2005 Revision Date: 1/2023 PERSONNEL ACCOUNTABILITY To provide a method of tracking and accounting for personnel at an incident as they move from one functional area to another within the hot zone, while meeting the Minimum requirements of NFPA 1561 and the Texas Commission on Fire Protection 435.13 Standard. BACKGROUND The accountability system should include the following: Incident Commanders are responsible for tracking and documenting company assignments. The accountability officer must actively monitor the status of the inside fire protection personnel and not be assigned other duties. Captains/Company Officers are responsible (accountable) for themselves and their crew. Fire fighters must realize that they are ultimately responsible (accountable) for themselves and should make every effort to stay together with their assigned crew at an emergency scene. Cooperation, good attitude, and commitment are imperative for a successful accountability system. PROCEDURE Personnel Accountability Tags (PATs), passports, responder boards, and company helmet accountability tags are key components of the Personnel Accountability System. PATs will be colored coded for rank. White= Chief Red = Captain Black = Engineer Yellow = Firefighter It is the responsibility of each firefighter/EMS person, along with the Driver/ Engineer and Captain, to ensure their PATs are placed on both responder boards. Both responder boards will be located on the officer’s side of the apparatus in plain view. Company helmet accountability tags are used to correctly identify a member’s company when operating at an emergency scene. All members of the Fire Department shall use company helmet accountability tags. These helmet tags shall have letters and/or numbers identifying company or command assignments (i.e. E212, Q261) Company officers will also carry a backup metal passport with a company identifier, which will clip on the officer SCBA. These passports will be utilized when reporting to Divisions/Groups or to Rehab. These procedures will be routinely followed on the fire ground: All crews will utilize the responder boards on their assigned apparatus. All members will be responsible to attach their PATs to both responder boards in the apparatus by utilizing the Velcro strip. The First Responder Board will be placed on the Captains seat or floorboard of the first in apparatus that has named the Accountability Location during the follow up report. Example: “Q261 is the accountability location on the Alpha Side”. The second responder board will remain on the assigned apparatus as a backup. An Incident Commander may call for a PAR at any point during an operation. As an example: “All fire ground units from command, stand by for PAR.” A PAR is required after any of the following events: “STRATEGIC SHIFT”- change of tactics from offensive to defensive strategy. “Evacuate or Abandon”- an order to immediately exit a structure and/or toxic atmosphere. An “Evacuate or Abandon” order may ONLY be issued by the INCIDENT COMMANDER, SAFETY OFFICER, OPERATIONS OFFICER, or DIVISION OFFICER. Any firefighter/EMS person recognizing conditions that warrant an Evacuate or Abandon situation, should communicate their observations immediately to the Incident Commander, Safety Officer, Operations Officer, or Division Officer. “EVACUATE or ABANDON” WILL BE DECLARED BY EMERGENCY TONES FROM DISPATCH AND COMMAND ORDERING INTERIOR COMPANIES TO “EVACUATE OR ABANDON” THE BUILDING. “PRIORITY TRAFFIC”- used for other emergency communications necessitating immediate attention. Any member can report “PRIORTY TRAFFIC”. Examples include but are not limited to: immediate need for rescue, wires down, a collapse hazard, fire behaving in a rapid unpredictable way, located victim etc. If a crew does not have PAR, the Captain/OIC shall communicate this immediately to Command. The Captain/OIC shall identify the firefighter’s last known location, and the present location of their crew. Hazard Zone Accountability Each level of the incident organization has its own accountability responsibility. No organizational level can do the accountability responsibilities for another level. Company/Task level accountability responsibilities Companies working on the task level have the greatest stake in the accountability system because they operate inside the hazard zone. No hazard zone management system can outperform unsafe behaviors on the task level. Task level responsibilities include: Following all Staging procedures Being properly assigned into the hazard zone by task, location and objective Properly using the passport accountability system Staying together as a company All members attached to a hose line Always maintaining an adequate air supply to safely exit the hazard zone, Maximum depth into a structure - 175 feet - based on air supply No freelancing The following rules will be adhered to at all times on the task level: The minimum number of personnel assigned to a crew or a team operating in a hazard zone shall be two firefighters with both carrying a radio. (When departments respond from outside of the Tri-Cities, the situation may require that they operate with one radio due to a minimal amount of assignable radios carried by Tri-City Battalion Chief Units) Crews or teams always go in and come out together. All personnel shall be in contact with their Company Officer by either: Voice (radio) Vision (TIC), Touch (hose line) Any member whose job assignment is to operate outside of the hazard area is NOT to enter the hazard area without the express permission of the member's company officer. NO member shall operate in the hazard zone alone. - Tactical level accountability responsibilities Whenever two to three or more units are assigned to one geographical area, a tactical level boss should be designated for the area. Before (or shortly after) a 3rd unit is assigned to the same geographic area, supervision should be upgrade with a command level, entry point (Division/Group) supervisor. The hazard zone tactical level of the incident organization is managed by Division/Group (D/G) supervisors. Operating in Groups is a function that requires the highest level of coordination. If operating as a group, Group Leaders must ensure they maintain accountability of their assigned companies by voice, vision or touch. A better option may be assigning Hazard Zone workers to Divisions. When the IC assigns companies to an operational area, the officer in charge of that area is responsible for managing the companies assigned to the area. In many cases, the initial tactical level responsibility may be assigned to the first company officer assigned to the area. As the span of control and or the risk increases, a command level officer should be used to replace the initial Company Officer D/G supervisor. Here is the list of the responsibilities for a Chief Officer assigned as a Division/Group boss: D/G Plan matches IC Plan Risk Management in the D/G Complete Tactical Priorities in the D/G Positions always match conditions in the D/G Implement and manage the D/G IAP Coordinate w/ other D/G's when needed Manage the Passport Accountability System Assist with D/G Air Management Manages Work-Rest Cycles Manages On-Deck crews Manages Recycle & Rehab Strategic level accountability responsibilities The IC manages strategic level accountability by strict command & control; deploying resources to specific tasks, locations and objectives; maintaining the whereabouts of all resources in the hazard zone; maintaining an accurate tactical worksheet, and ensuring that frequent CAN and situational awareness reports are delivered from the key tactical areas of the operation. The key to strategic level accountability for escalated incident operations is to build an effective incident organization. It is the IC's responsibility to account for all resources until delegated to tactical level supervisors. The IC does this by assigning D/G responsibilities to company officers and/or command officers. These officers physically position themselves in their assigned area and manage their piece of the incident operation. This places strong supervision, management and leadership in forward positions where the hazards are present. Organizing in this fashion greatly enhances firefighter safety and is the most significant tool at the IC's disposal to increase his/her strategic level capability, especially for escalating incident operations. Unit accountability must be maintained throughout the incident. The IC must be able to ascertain the accountability status, the location and the tasks being performed for each company operating in the hazard zone. This can be done by either direct contact with each individual company or by delegating these responsibilities as required to D/G officers assigned around the incident site. - Tactical worksheets: The best way to remember something is to write it down. This is particularly true when you're managing something as dynamic and dangerous as a fire. The strategically placed IC (working out of command post) has a continual deployment-management challenge to somehow keep track of what is happening. As more responders show up, go to work, and the incident starts to "move fast and spread out," these dynamic conditions can quickly exceed the IC's mental capability to maintain a current awareness of "who's where, doing what." A major deployment-management function involves the IC performing the on-scene "bookkeeping" activities required to keep track of all the responders assigned to the incident and their ongoing operational status. The system also must account for the work in progress, the work still to be completed, and everyone's safety. A tactical work sheet is the best, basic form that the IC typically uses to record resource details and work activities. PAR's PAR: A Personnel Accountability Report (PAR) involves calling all companies and confirm that all personnel assigned to a crew, or multiple crews assigned to one (1) geographic area of the hazard zone working under the supervision of one (1) tactical boss, are accounted for and have an adequate air supply to safely exit the hazard zone Upon exiting from the hazard zone, a company must transmit a PAR to either the IC via the tactical channel or directly to their D/G supervisor. Reports of PAR's should be conducted face­ to-face with a D/G supervisor whenever possible but will probably take place by radio transmission. All other PARs will be driven solely on the IC's discretion. The IC must drive the PAR to avoid multiple units contacting him/her first. Unless a Unit DOES NOT have a PAR, they should maintain radio silence until contacted by the IC to report their PAR. A formal PAR should be conducted for the following circumstance: Changing from an offensive to defensive operation Other situations that may require a roll call include: Missing or unaccounted-for members. Sudden, unexpected events in the hazard zone. A mayday (depending on the circumstances). Anytime the IC feels it is necessary. – Responder Board/Passport Accountability System When properly used, these systems will increase firefighter safety and provide Incident Command and D/G Supervisors with a means to track the location and function of all firefighters working in a hazard zone. The hazard zone will be defined as: any area that requires the use of an SCBA to operate in. Accountability Hardware Accountability equipment for each piece of apparatus shall consist of: Passport (kept on officers SCBA or one of crew’s SCBA) Example: MICU or Brush Helmet accountability tags Responder boards Personnel accountability tags Grease pencil All response chiefs carry a D/G management board Responder Boards Application and Use Responder boards are permanently marked with the company identification. Personnel accountability tags of the crewmembers assigned to each apparatus are affixed to the responder board. Both responder boards are kept together on the apparatus dash at the company officer position or passenger side. A Velcro strip will allow the responder board to be affixed to the dash and be easily removed. Each Company officer will be responsible for ensuring that the responder board reflects only the members presently assigned to the company. Responder boards shall reflect only those crewmembers who are about to enter the hot zone. When entering the hot zone with a partial crew, such as when an engineer remains at the engine to pump lines, the Company officer must remove the nametags of those members not entering the hot zone. The nametags of these members may be returned to the member, placed on the Company officer's helmet Velcro strip or placed in his/her coat pocket. Implementation of the accountability system will occur at any incident that requires the use of an SCBA. The use of the accountability system will commence as the first unit arrives on the scene. The first arriving company will give a scene size up and assume command. In the follow up report, their accountability unit identification and geographic location will be announced, "E-271 will be the Alpha side accountability location". As staged units are assigned, Command will give assignments, which will include their respective accountability unit identification and geographic location. Each crew/unit will deliver their responder board to the Captain’s seat or floor board of first arriving engine/quint. When the engineer charges the stretched hose line with water, the engineer will use grease pen to put the interior crews’ unit on the discharge valve at the pump panel. As crews are rotated on that discharged line, the engineer will update that discharged line on the pump panel. This will provide a reference point it there is a need to find lost or trapped firefighters. As additional companies arrive to the accountability location, their responder boards will be put on the Captain’s seat. The fourth engineer to the incident will retrieve the responder boards from the first arriving engine and will take to the command vehicle. The Incident Commander will keep the responder boards in the command vehicle until the incident is terminated. Terminating the responder board system When the incident is terminated, officers will retrieve the responder boards from the command vehicle. The officers will them put them back on their apparatus’s dash. Tactical Level Passport Accountability When D/G supervision is transferred from a company officer to a command officer, it elevates D/G management with a true tactical level boss vs. a working boss. This greatly facilitates the completion of the D/G objectives, it enhances the accountability process and it increases firefighter safety in the D/G. Command officers assigned to manage a D/G, will need to be fully turned-out. The officer will need a D/G accountability and air management board to assist in running the accountability process and managing the work/rest cycle of the companies assigned to your work area. A company being assigned to a location that already has a chief officer in place in the D/G, will report to the D/G officer face to face, give him/her the company passport, and await an assignment from the D/G officer while remaining intact as a crew. Companies exiting the hazard zone will perform a face to face with the D/G officer. One item to cover in the face to face communication is the physical condition of the crew exiting the hazard zone. D/G and company officers are responsible to monitor the welfare of their personnel at all times and determine if D/G recycling or a formal rehab is appropriate. If the company is able to recycle, they will retain their assignment to the D/G, and the D/G officer will retain the Unit's passport on their accountability board, noting the company is recycling. If the company is sent to rehab, the D/G officer will return the passport to the Unit being sent to rehab and they will notify command of the status change of the company ("Command from Charlie Division, I'm sending E-262 to Rehab and I need another engine company to replace them"). General passport rules: Passports will be maintained at the point of entry in the warm zone. Group leaders must ensure they maintain Accountability by voice, vision or touch with their assigned crews at the Group level. Functioning in Groups takes a great level of coordination. A better option may be assigning Hazard Zone workers to Divisions. Passports will be retrieved by crews if re-assigned outside the hazard zone. When D/G management is bumped up to a command officer, all passports are managed by the D/G officers who are responsible for the units in that work location.