Phoenix Regional In-Transit, On-Deck Company Recycle Procedures PDF

PHOENIX REGIONAL STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES IN-TRANSIT, ON-DECK, COMPANY RECYCLE M.P. 201.01A 05/21-R Page 1 of 4 The purpose of this procedure is to establish a stand...

PHOENIX REGIONAL STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES IN-TRANSIT, ON-DECK, COMPANY RECYCLE M.P. 201.01A 05/21-R Page 1 of 4 The purpose of this procedure is to establish a standard deployment approach to communicating company arrival to assigned work areas, to define On-Deck deployment and Company Recycling. IN-TRANSIT In Transit is the time it takes for a company to reach their assignment area after receiving an order. It often varies due to: Distance between staging and the incident Size of the incident perimeter Amount of equipment the company needs to assemble The Incident Commander (IC) or Sector Officer will lose direct accountability of these companies while they’re In Transit. It is the responsibility of the Company Officer to monitor the tactical radio channel while In Transit. Upon arrival to the assignment area the Company Officer must provide a radio announcement to the IC (i.e., E-1 On Deck in North Sector) or report face-to-face with the Sector Officer that the company is intact and in the assigned area. ON-DECK On-Deck is defined as a tactical function within a Sector for layering of resources in forward positions. On-Deck is not an independent forward staging location. On-Deck companies should be located just outside the immediate hazard zone, safely distanced from the entrance of a tactical position/Sector. On-Deck crews will be supervised either by the Sector Officer or Company Officer of the On-Deck crew and will remain On-Deck until assigned by the IC or Sector Officer. The most likely assignments for On-Deck companies are: Rapid Intervention Crew Reinforce a position within an assigned sector Crew relief within an assigned sector Any other tactical position assigned by the IC The IC should coordinate with the Sector Officers to provide effective resource levels in each Sector to manage the tactical objectives, work/rest cycles, as well as reserve or layered resources to respond to changes in conditions or a Mayday. Once the IC has deployed units to the critical sectors around the incident scene, the IC must then take a proactive aggressive approach to assigning additional resources to those sectors. This is best achieved by assigning staged resources as On-Deck crews to those areas as soon as they arrive in staged positions. Layering On-Deck crews around the fireground will also provide the IC with the tactical reserves to manage the standard work cycle or sudden and unexpected events.  PHOENIX REGIONAL STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES IN-TRANSIT, ON-DECK, COMPANY RECYCLE M.P. 201.01A 05/21-R Page 2 of 4 Assigning On-Deck crews is done simply by contacting a staged company and directing them to go On-Deck in a specific Sector. The order would sound like this: “Command to Engine 5, go On- Deck on the north side of the structure, Engine 1 is your accountability location, you are assigned to North Sector.” A crew assigned to an On-Deck position will need to park their apparatus in a manner that doesn’t block access to the scene. Crews must be intact with full PPE, forecast the need for and collect all the necessary tools/equipment (including the RIC Bag) and report directly to their assigned location. Upon arrival, the On-Deck company must contact the IC or their Sector Officer and inform them that they are in position and ready to go to work. On-Deck crews must remain intact, in a ready state and monitor the tactical channel at all times. On-Deck crews must also size up the area that they are assigned to, this size up should include: Locating the structures entrance/exit points in their assigned area Interior and exterior conditions Unit ID of crews operating inside the structure Approximate location of interior crews Identify which crews are operating each hose line When an On-Deck crew is used as a relief crew, the Company Officer should do a face-to-face and transfer information with the Company Officer exiting the structure. The information transferred should include: Interior conditions Routing instructions to the work area Interior obstructions Additional tools/resources required Sector objectives COMPANY RECYCLING Recycling is defined as a timely and efficient means of air replacement and re-hydration of companies while maintaining their sector assignment. Recycling of Companies does not necessitate communication with the IC. The Sector Officer is responsible for the position and function of assigned companies, including companies that are recycling. Companies operating within a sector will require the refilling of air and fluid replacement in predictable time frames. If conditions permit, a company work cycle could be up to 2 to 3 air cylinders. To maintain a steady stream of resources in critical sectors, crews being relieved and exiting their sector should recycle themselves in a timely manner. Companies being relieved and recycled will remain in their assigned sector, follow established exposure reduction and decontamination guidelines, refill  PHOENIX REGIONAL STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES IN-TRANSIT, ON-DECK, COMPANY RECYCLE M.P. 201.01A 05/21-R Page 3 of 4 their air supply, and re-hydrate then report back to their Sector Officer or the IC that they are ready to go back to work. Command/Sector Officers have the option of assigning/requesting a Utility Company to geographic sectors. Utility companies assigned to geographic areas on the fireground will help expedite the recycle of companies within the sector. Company Officers should forecast the length of time they will be working in an assigned sector and should bring spare air cylinders if necessary. This will enable a company to recycle close to their sector in a timely manner when a utility truck is not available in their sector or area. The Sector Officer may need to request additional resources to replace On-Deck crews or have recycled crews assume vacated On-Deck positions. Sector and Company Officers are responsible to monitor the welfare of their personnel at all times and determine if sector recycling or a formal rehab is appropriate. At large scale incidents Command may establish Rehab Sector. Most of the time, crews that are assigned to rehab will be placed back in service after rehabbing. Rehab Sector may be located quite a distance from the work area and this distance creates the potential for: Command losing direct accountability of companies in transit to rehab Difficulty reassembling and reassigning crews in a timely manner from rehab DIRECTION FOR ON-DECK COMPANIES The Regional Operations Consistency Committee is charged with ensuring all Automatic Aid Partners act as one-entity for the purposes of emergency service delivery. When assigning On- Deck Companies, the IC may provide specific direction to those companies as needed. For example, the IC may: Direct the On-Deck Company to spot on a hydrant or lay a second supply line. Direct the On-Deck company to focus their efforts specifically on operating as a Rapid Intervention Crew for the assigned Sector. For example, “Command to Engine 273, go On- Deck for Rescue on the south side of the structure, Engine 207 is your accountability location, you are assigned to Interior Sector.” In the instance of any critical need, like treatment of a civilian victim rescued from the fire, the On- Deck company should be directed to initiate treatment. If this occurs, the IC will assign another fire company to go On-Deck for Rescue reporting to Interior Sector. Note: Regional consistency is critical, especially in a Mayday situation. The best practice for regional consistency in a Mayday situation is for the IC to organize the incident in a consistent  PHOENIX REGIONAL STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES IN-TRANSIT, ON-DECK, COMPANY RECYCLE M.P. 201.01A 05/21-R Page 4 of 4 manner and for the Sector Officer to manage the resolution of the Mayday situation within their sector.