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# Establishing Collapse Zones Once the possibility of collapse has been recognized, the IC must take the necessary steps to remove everyone from its path. This should be done well enough in advance to allow for a neat, orderly withdrawal from the structure, as opposed to a helter-skelter rush. An o...

# Establishing Collapse Zones Once the possibility of collapse has been recognized, the IC must take the necessary steps to remove everyone from its path. This should be done well enough in advance to allow for a neat, orderly withdrawal from the structure, as opposed to a helter-skelter rush. An orderly withdrawal allows time to locate all of the members and ensure that everyone brings out their equipment. In an emergency evacuation, it's drop your tools and run! The portable radio is the usual means of initiating the withdrawal. After issuing the order to evacuate, the IC should contact each unit individually and confirm that they have received the order. If a unit fails to acknowledge, its members must be sought out and advised. Emergency evacuation requires some additional means of communicating for those who aren't equipped with radios, as well as for those who may not have heard the call because of background noise. One method is to instruct all apparatus on the fireground to turn on all audible warning devices - sirens, air horns, electronic sirens for a full minute, or until so ordered by the IC. Members within the structure should be able to hear that kind of racket and recognize it as the emergency evacuation signal. Members who have withdrawn from the structure should rejoin their companies and prepare for a roll call. Using audible warning devices this way isn't without problems. The noise can prevent members from hearing verbal or radio messages that may be critical or sounds like creaking or cracking that may indicate collapse. In one instance, members evacuated a building because they heard sirens only to find that another responding unit had just arrived, making lots of noise.