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## Evacuation of Occupants or the Communications of the Command Staff * The building system controls are often built into a desk referred to as the fire command station. * From this location, the Incident Commander (IC) has immediate access to such vital information as: * Floor plans * Stat...

## Evacuation of Occupants or the Communications of the Command Staff * The building system controls are often built into a desk referred to as the fire command station. * From this location, the Incident Commander (IC) has immediate access to such vital information as: * Floor plans * Status of the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system * Fire alarm and extinguishing systems * Elevator return panels * Public address system * Two-way voice communication with upper floors and elevators * Standpipe telephones * Regular telephone lines * A myriad of other sensors and intelligence that may not be available in the chief's car or the command van * Many high-rise buildings have hired private contractors to preplan their building for the fire department. * These plans are often kept in a binder form or on a computer (the binder hard copies are valuable backups), at the fire command station. * These plans often provide a visual diagram of many of the critical building features and systems, such as: * Which staircases go all the way to the roof or to the third subcellar * Which elevators serve what floors * How the standpipe is divided into zones * How the HVAC systems are subdivided, and so forth. * They provide much valuable information that cannot be digested at the height of a serious incident by the officer who is trying to simultaneously deploy multiple fire companies.