Toronto Fire Services Incident Observation Form PDF

STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE FIREFIGHTING INCIDENT OBSERVATIONS FORM Date Issued: May 8, 2023 Rescinds: April 30, 2018 Section: Incident and Emergency Operations File Code: G-FFOF PURPOSE Professional firefighters make observations and perform a variety of tasks at every emergency incident they att...

STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE FIREFIGHTING INCIDENT OBSERVATIONS FORM Date Issued: May 8, 2023 Rescinds: April 30, 2018 Section: Incident and Emergency Operations File Code: G-FFOF PURPOSE Professional firefighters make observations and perform a variety of tasks at every emergency incident they attend. A properly completed incident observation form (IOF) is a legal document that reflects what was witnessed and the tasks performed at these events. This SOG provides all Toronto Fire Services personnel with a guideline for accurately completing IOF’s for both fire and non-fire related incidents. Professional completion of IOF’s will ensure that firefighters, as well as Officers, have notes that may be referred to in a court of law. RESPONSIBILITY Platoon Chiefs or Incident Commanders are responsible for directing personnel to complete an IOF, as required (i.e., arson, fatalities, criminal investigations, evacuation of 30 or more people from a structure for more than 4 hours, when requested by the Toronto Fire Investigations Unit) or for any incident which may result in legal proceedings. Company Officers are responsible for ensuring personnel under their command follow this guideline and that their personnel refer to the “Key Information to Note and Report” section of this SOG when filling out an IOF. Company Officers shall review and sign the IOF of each crew member, checking for completeness and neatness prior to submitting them to the District Chief. District Chief’s shall review and sign all IOF’s they collect and ensure they are acceptable before submitting them to the Platoon Chief. The Platoon Chief will do a final review of the IOF’s and complete the section, “Reviewed by the Platoon Chief” on page 5 of the IOF form. File Code: G-FFOF Page 1 of 4  STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE GUIDELINES 1. General Where statements are required by the Toronto Fire Investigations Unit, the request will be made by the Investigator to the Platoon Chief or Incident Commander. The most current version of the form available from the “Forms” section of the intranet shall be used. IOF’s are to be detailed, professional and legible. Authors and reviewers are responsible for ensuring comments are written in a professional manner. IOF’s are not to be completed as a group. Each IOF is that individual’s observations, recollections, and experiences as they relate to the incident. Diagrams shall be hand drawn using blue or black pen. A straight edge shall be used, and a legend may be provided to identify any items of interest. Forms are to be completed using a TFS station computer (NO handwritten reports will be accepted). All IOF’s shall be typed, and spell checked using the blank template. All blank pages shall be marked “Left Blank” and initialed by the author. Signatures will also be in either blue or black ink. IOF’s must be printed on both sides of the paper. IOF’s may be bound together using paper clips. IOF’s should never be stapled together. The Incident Observation section of the IOF is comprised of two parts: Part A: Fire Incident, and Part B: Observations. If the incident is a non-fire incident, Part A is to remain blank. Some examples of non-fire related incidents which may require the completion of IOF’s are: (a) ANY incident of note. (b) When the Officer thinks that there will likely be some form of litigation as a result of the incident. (c) Incidents involving criminal activity. (d) Carbon monoxide poisonings. (e) Unusual medical calls. (f) Negligent care of persons (seniors or children). File Code: G-FFOF Page 2 of 4  STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE Non-fire related IOF observations should include things such as: (a) What was seen, felt and/or heard. (b) The specific time frame involved. (c) The general surroundings and environment. (d) The physical actions of the parties involved. (e) Any pertinent verbal statements (or threats) that were made. (f) Any unique characteristics or identifying features such as tattoos etc. When IOF’s are filled out, the Officer of Note responsible for completing the report in RMS shall click the “IOF” checkbox on the Basic/Supplemental tab in the RMS Fire Report. NOTE: Unless directed otherwise by the Incident Commander, IOF’s are to be competed before going off duty, prior to the end of shift. The District Chief is to pick up the originals and take them to the Platoon Chief’s office as soon as reasonably possible. Original forms, once reviewed and signed by the Platoon Chief, are to be forwarded directly to the RMS section for filing. On Duty Platoon Chiefs will ensure that copies of the IOF’s are provided directly to the Investigator from the Toronto Fire Investigations Unit. Once received by RMS section, an email reply will be sent to the Platoon Chief, Commanders, and TFS Investigations Unit, advising they have been received. At this point, the copies in the Platoon Chief office and Commander’s office are to be confidentially destroyed. Hard copies of IOF’s are not required to be stored on file in the Commander’s or Platoon Chiefs’ office once the RMS section has indicated receipt of same. RMS shall scan and save the received IOF’s in the established Electronic File Saving system (EFS). NOTE: If an IOF is required or requested for incidents that involve a firefighter injury or near miss, personnel must also complete an injury/near miss observation form. File Code: G-FFOF Page 3 of 4  STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE 2. Key Information to Note and Report 1. Whether or not the building was secure. 2. Any unusual fire or smoke conditions. 3. Were smoke or fire alarms sounding on arrival. 4. Were smoke alarms disabled or removed as part of suppression or overhaul. 5. The location, size of fire upon arrival and the size of fire when extinguishing agent was applied. 6. Any delays in applying extinguishing agent. 7. Accelerants found in or around the building. 8. The locations where victims were found prior to rescue. 9. Any people at the call that may be suspect due to the time of day, number of times seen or unusual interest. 10. Your position(s) assigned on the fire scene, including those assigned to fire watch or to maintain scene security following the event. 11. For non-fire incidents, any information, or observations relevant to the incident involved. ATTACHMENT(S) Incident Observation Form Injury/Near Miss Observation Form RELATED SOGS S-CRIT – Critical Injuries to Toronto Fire Services Personnel or the Public G-EMIR – Emergency Incident Reports G-OOFM – Other Agencies (Non-Emergency) – Ontario Fire Marshall File Code: G-FFOF Page 4 of 4