Los Angeles City Fire Department Departmental Bulletin 24-15 June 1, 2024 PDF

Bulletin No. 24-15 (Cancels 23-08) June 1, 2024 TO: All Members FROM: Ronnie Villanueva, Chief Deputy, Emergency Operations Orin Saunders, Chief Deputy, Administrative Operations SUBJECT: BRUSH FIRE OPERATIONS – 2024 The year 2024 has brought above-norma...

Bulletin No. 24-15 (Cancels 23-08) June 1, 2024 TO: All Members FROM: Ronnie Villanueva, Chief Deputy, Emergency Operations Orin Saunders, Chief Deputy, Administrative Operations SUBJECT: BRUSH FIRE OPERATIONS – 2024 The year 2024 has brought above-normal precipitation to the majority of California, leaving only 2.7% of the state in abnormally dry conditions. 2023 brought record precipitation, with a summer storm that produced measurable rainfall. Coupled with the above-normal precipitation of 2024, this has created an extreme grass load (high fuel loading) throughout the Los Angeles region. 2024 FUELS, WEATHER and RISK MANAGEMENT REVIEW Of the three components making up the fire triangle (fuel, weather, topography), the fuels have been impacted the greatest by the last two years of precipitation, preceded by several years of extreme drought. Grass has become abundant, old-growth vegetation has new growth, and all have started to reduce their moisture content as the precipitation slows or stops. The drying out of the fuels accelerates as the axis of the earth tilts past the equinox and enters summer solstice, allowing more daylight hours and solar heating. Once the fuels have lost enough moisture to reach their flammability range, ignitions start (whether it be from human, environmental or mechanical factors). Dry grass is a receptive fuel bed and carrier of fire. The topography of Los Angeles has remained relatively unchanged, except for the addition of roads and new structures as the City increases in density. Some of these additions have created fuel breaks, while others have added to the wildland urban interface (WUI) threat. Fire behavior predictions need to consider the fuels currently burning and threatened, which slope is burning, what slope is pre-heated by the solar radiation and the presence of wind and/or expected wind conditions. Three forces drive wildland fire: wind, slope, and preheat. When these forces align, fire growth is supported. The fire will burn at maximum intensity when the forces align during fire weather conditions (high All Members June 1, 2024 Page 2 temperature, low RH, wind) and when fuels are at critical moisture levels. Before engaging any wildland fire, adhere to the 10 Standard Fire Orders and mitigate any of the 18 Watch-Out Situations that exist. The 10 Standard Fire Orders Fire Behavior Group: 1. Keep informed on fire weather conditions and forecasts. 2. Know what your fire is doing at all times. 3. Base all actions on the current and expected behavior of the fire. Fireline Safety Group: 4. Identify escape routes and safety zones, and make them known. 5. Post lookouts when there is possible danger. 6. Be alert. Keep calm. Act decisively. Organizational Control Group: 7. Maintain prompt communications with your forces, your supervisor, and adjoining forces. 8. Give clear instructions and be sure they are understood. 9. Maintain control of your forces at all times. After the nine previous orders have been considered, discussed and acted on: 10. Fight fire aggressively, having provided for safety first. 18 Watch-Out Situations 1. Fire not scouted and sized up. 2. In country not seen in daylight. 3. Safety zones and escape routes not identified. 4. Unfamiliar with weather and local factors influencing fire behavior. 5. Uninformed on strategy, tactics, and hazards. 6. Instructions and assignments not clear. 7. No communication link with crew members or supervisor. 8. Constructing line without a safe anchor point. 9. Building fireline downhill with fire below. 10. Attempting frontal assault on fire. 11. Unburned fuel between you and fire. 12. Cannot see main fire; not in contact with someone who can. 13. On a hillside where rolling material can ignite fuel below. 14. Weather becoming hotter and drier. 15. Wind increases and/or changes direction. 16. Getting frequent spot fires across line. 17. Terrain and fuels make escape to safety zones difficult. 18. Taking a nap near fireline. All Members June 1, 2024 Page 3 Common Denominators of Fire Behavior on Tragedy Fires There are five major common denominators of the fire behavior on fatal and near-fatal fires. Such fires often occur: 1. On relatively small fires or deceptively quiet areas of large fires. 2. In relatively light fuels, such as grass, herbaceous fuels, and light brush. 3. When there is an unexpected shift in wind direction or in wind speed. 4. When fire responds to topographic conditions and runs uphill. 5. During critical burn period between 1400 and 1700. Alignment of topography and wind during the critical burning period should be considered a trigger point to reevaluate tactics. Blowup to burnover conditions generally occur in less than 60 minutes and can be as little as 5 minutes. A tactical pause may be prudent around 1400 for reevaluating your situational awareness of topography, weather, and fuel. LINE LEADERSHIP AND LEADER’S INTENT The wildland fire environment has become increasingly more complex and demands careful decision-making and effective leadership when choices are made to engage the powerful forces of nature. Supervisors must always balance the risks against the potential gains for all decisions made. The purpose of effective line leadership on a wildland fire is to influence our members – through balanced processing – to accomplish tasks and objectives, often under confusing, hazardous, and uncertain conditions. The most essential element for success in the wildland fire environment is providing good leadership. Effective leaders take charge when necessary, lead from the front and act decisively. In times of crisis, good leadership can be the determining factor if a crew stays focused on carrying out the tasks and objectives of their assignment and contribute to the overall success of the given mission. “Leader’s Intent” is a principle whereby a leader defines what people must do to succeed in their assignments and may include information such as a description of what success should look like at the end of the operational period. The focus is on communicating task, purpose, and end state, which allows members the greatest room for initiative while keeping focused on completing their overall mission. Getty Fire Example: (TASK) Limit the rate of spread of the brush fire to (PURPOSE) maximize the protection of lives and property (END STATE) so the fire is contained within the “box” identified as Mulholland on the North, the 405 Freeway on the East, Sunset Boulevard on the South, and Kenter Avenue on the West. All Members June 1, 2024 Page 4 Task is the physical work to be done. Whether it is extinguishing a spot fire, cutting a line, or attacking a flank, the task defines the specific objective to be accomplished. Purpose provides the context for the action or reason that the action is to be undertaken, and answers the question “why.” For example, a division/group supervisor may direct a task force of engines and brush patrols to a community of residences with the task of conducting a structural assessment. The purpose of the action might be to determine the viability of defending those homes from an approaching fire, if any life safety issues exist, or if operational objectives must be altered. End State provides the leader with an opportunity to describe expectations and what the event should look like on the far end, or when the operational period has been concluded. This might include the parameters of actions to take if the supervisor is no longer able to communicate. Especially with incidents covering a wide area, “Leader’s Intent” is critical because the leader may be disconnected from subordinate officers (company officers) who must exercise discretion when in the heat of battle, often with incomplete information. In alignment with the LAFD culture of safety, line supervisors should actively invite feedback to ensure the health and welfare of all members and confirm their priorities are consistent with the goals of the mission. This process should be through effective communications and all members should be encouraged to utilize crew resource management – where everyone’s concerns and points of view can be freely expressed. It is the responsibility of leaders to look out for the safety and well-being of members in all circumstances. TIER CONCEPT – TAKE INITIATIVE, ENGAGE, AND REPORT (TIER) There are several examples of events in fire service history where – during a time of chaos or crisis – resources are within a dynamic operational area where well-defined command, control, and communication have been disrupted. Whether it is geography, terrain, overcrowded radio channels, disparate frequencies, or other factors – communication is often the first thing to fail. In the absence of specific direction during a dynamic and potentially chaotic circumstance, Officers should utilize their training, experience, initiative, and sound risk management principles to engage their unit or resources in purposeful and meaningful action. At no time should any firefighters unilaterally ignore orders or independently reassign themselves when effective command and control is in place. The TIER concept is not intended to encourage unauthorized or independent activities, but rather to inspire leadership during times of crisis or anomaly – where perhaps a dynamic circumstance has outpaced the ability of the incident to develop an effective command structure, or where communication between a Command Officer and their resources is limited or All Members June 1, 2024 Page 5 unavailable. In all cases where action was taken under the premise of TIER, verbal notification shall be made to the immediate supervisory position, and documentation noted on the Company Commander’s daily ICS-214. LAFD WILDLAND “INCIDENT WITHIN AN INCIDENT” PLAN INTRODUCTION: In a wildland fire incident setting, an "Incident Within an Incident" (IWI) is defined as any significant accident or medical emergency – risking “life or limb” occurring in the field during an incident that directly involves Department personnel or other assigned resources. Similar to MAYDAY Operations at a structure fire, the gravity of the IWI necessitates establishing an organization and implementing a plan to effectively manage the situation and ensure that appropriate response, medical care, and follow-up occur in a timely manner. This IWI plan is not designed to take the place of standard ICS procedures but to augment such procedures. All routine medical incidents (i.e., non-life-threatening), shall continue to be administered under the established ICS-206 Medical Plan as an injured/ill member (i.e., line-emergency) and shall not be administered as an IWI. When needed, any level of operational line supervision (Division Supervisors, Branch Directors), Operations Section Chiefs (OSC), or the Incident Commander (IC) can request to implement the IWI plan at any time if they determine the scope of the medical incident has exceeded the capabilities of line resources as identified in the ICS-206. The intent of this plan is to establish control of an emergency situation as quickly as possible by identifying responsibilities and procedures. When an incident is declared to be a life-threatening and/or an imminent threat emergency or the status of the incident cannot be determined, it will be identified as an IWI, and the following procedures and assignments shall be implemented. GENERAL PROCEDURES: Field-level / First-On Scene: The highest-ranking member on scene of an IWI shall take any required emergency actions to address the accident or medical emergency and give a comprehensive Emergency Incident Report (see below) to their established direct incident supervisor or the incident communications unit if established. Division Supervisor / Branch Director: The nearest Division/Group Supervisor (first-priority) or Operations Branch Director (second-priority) assigned for that operational period shall assume command of the emergency situation as the “on-scene IWI Commander” to implement the IWI plan until relieved (if necessary) by the OSC, Deputy Incident Commander or IC. The IWI Commander shall take any required emergency actions to address the accident or All Members June 1, 2024 Page 6 medical emergency and ensuring a primary, alternate, contingency, and emergency (P.A.C.E.) plan is in place. Air Operations: Under the normal LAFD aircraft deployment model, upon notification of an IWI, the Helicopter Coordinator (HLCO) will set the priorities for all on-going aircraft missions in consultation with Operations Section Chief to ensure that the HLCO can focus attention on the IWI without distraction from other missions. If necessary, air operations may be suspended or curtailed significantly until the emergency situation is abated. The HLCO will serve as a communications link for poor communications areas and coordinate all air support (including med-evac flights) into the accident scene area. Operations Section Chief: During all situations of significant firefighter accidents or medical emergencies which rise to the level of an IWI, the OSC or IC will be responsible for ensuring that all aspects of the IWI plan are implemented and for documentation and tracking of all situation and resource status. In exigent circumstances where the Branch Director or Division Supervisor is unable to effectively manage the IWI, the OSC will assume full command of the IWI. Similar to existing firefighter emergency policy, management of the IWI will take precedence above overall incident management until the situation has been mitigated. In this circumstance, overall incident management will be delegated to an alternate command staff member while the OSC assumes the duties of the IWI Commander. Ensuring adherence to the communications plan at all levels is critical to an efficient response. Incident Commander: Upon implementation of the OSC role, the IC will provide oversight and serve as the point of IWI status communication with the Deputy Department Commander and delegation of the Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT). COMMUNICATIONS: Radio communications for an IWI shall be on the established incident command channel. In response to a notification from involved field personnel, the IC/Operations Chief or Communications Unit will declare an IWI emergency and limit all radio traffic on the command frequency to emergency traffic only (similar to existing May-Day procedures). When established, the Communications Unit Leader (COML) will coordinate radio procedures for the emergency. Upon declaration of the IWI, the following emergency incident report information shall be reported by the on-scene IWI Commander to the Communications Unit (or IC/Ops, depending on the current incident organization): All Members June 1, 2024 Page 7 1. Declare nature of the IWI (significant accident/injury). Is it life threatening? 2. If life threatening, request that the designated frequency (command channel) be cleared for further emergency traffic. 3. Who is in-charge of the IWI (on-scene point of contact, by resource, and last name – e.g., “Division A, Captain Smith will be the IWI Commander”). 4. Identify the nature of the incident: a. Number of patients, if multiple b. Patient severity c. Patient assessment d. Location (geographic and GPS coordinates) 5. Identify on-scene medical personnel currently providing care. 6. Identify the preferred method of patient transport (ground transport, air ambulance, hoist rescue). 7. Request any additional resources/equipment needed (Fireline Medics, Rapid Extraction Modules, Heavy Rescue, etc.). 8. Identify any changes in the on-scene point of contact or medical personnel. (See Attachment D.2 INCIDENT WITHIN INCIDENT PROTOCOL; and Attachment D.3 8-LINE INCIDENT MEDICAL REPORT) IMMINENT THREAT: In the event of an extraordinary hazard, or a sudden change in conditions that creates an imminent danger to personnel (e.g., imminent threat of burn-over), members can communicate this information by using the terminology “EMERGENCY TRAFFIC” on the radio to clear the channel and identify the situation. Consistent with the intent and spirit of all emergency message formats, in the event of an “EMERGENCY TRAFFIC” transmission, the IC/OSC may activate the emergency radio tones to ensure radio silence prior to communicating the nature of the hazard. NOTE: Communicating GPS coordinates of members in imminent danger has been identified as a key factor in increasing accuracy and reducing the response time of incident aircraft. If the precipitating event escalates, the IC/OSC should transition to the IWI plan on the command channel. As with all emergency message formats, when the message has been communicated, acknowledged, and/or resolved, the IC/OSC shall state, “Resume Normal Radio Communications.” All Members June 1, 2024 Page 8 Command & General (C&G) Staff Notification: Upon receiving a reported IWI, the IC/Deputy IC, OSC, and Safety Officer (or their delegated representatives) will assemble at a designated ICP location (usually the Communications Unit) to monitor command of the incident. These respective personnel will determine the need for additional C&G staff and other functional representatives. Any further delegation of responsibilities will be handled at this level. Personnel Considerations: Members: Names of injured or deceased individuals, crew names or designators, or other identifying information are not to be transmitted on the radio. The Geographic Bureau Commander/Agency Administrator having jurisdiction over the incident is the only authorized source for the release of such identifying information. Deceased Individuals: Deceased individuals are not to be moved, except to accomplish rescue work or to protect the health and safety of others. Personal effects of the deceased are not to be moved or removed. Flag off the area and keep media from entering the area. Documentation: Each person involved with the management of the emergency will complete a thorough documentation of their respective actions. The ICS-214 form should be utilized for initial notations, while subsequent narratives may be requested by the IC. Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Teams: When established, the Planning Section Chief will consult with the IC, Deputy IC, and other team members to determine the need for a CISMT. A CISM specialist (or team) will always be ordered in the case of entrapment or fatality. After Action Review (AAR): An AAR will be held for each incident that implements these procedures. This review will normally be facilitated by the Deputy IC or Safety Officer and will be conducted as soon as practical after the IWI. When C&G staff members are personally involved in the incident, or where the scale of the incident justifies, a “neutral” facilitator (CISM Specialist), will be used. Participants in the AAR will be determined by the Deputy IC or Safety Officer. IWI CONCLUSION: The primary goal of the IWI Plan is to provide incident personnel with the guidelines to locate, triage, extricate, treat, and transport incident personnel involved in a significant accident or medical emergency within an incident in a quick and efficient manner. Each IWI is different, so it is imperative that a systematic organized response come from all involved members assigned within the affected Division or nearest adjoining forces. This plan, like our established firefighter emergency plan, directly supports the All Members June 1, 2024 Page 9 “Everyone Goes Home” philosophy and will ensure the highest level of safety/response for our members operating in a wildland setting. WILDLAND FIRE REFRESHER TRAINING PLAN The Department’s goal is to have all personnel review and train on wildland fire operations prior to the wildland fire season. The mandatory annual safety refresher training will be accomplished and documented by completing the assigned Monthly Field Exercise for Wildland Incidents on Vector Learning Management System, TargetSolutions Edition. The assigned activity is intended to be conducted as a group whenever possible to initiate discussion among crewmembers and solidify standard operating guidelines. All Department members with emergency response duties shall complete the RTG RT-130 Wildland Fire Safety Training Activity on TargetSolutions, which will include both didactic and hands-on manipulative training in Entrapment Avoidance, Current Issues in the Wildland, Fire Shelter use, inspection and deployment, and other safety issues. TargetSolutions will automatically capture all documentation upon completion. BUREAU COMMANDER RESPONSIBILITIES Deputy Chiefs are responsible for ensuring that the brush firefighting readiness and training responsibilities outlined in this bulletin are completed within their commands by the assigned due date. BATTALION COMMANDER RESPONSIBILITIES Battalion and Section Commanders shall ensure that the Department’s Wildland Fire Training Plan is reflected on Station and Unit F-957s and that personnel receive the training as required no later than June 30, 2024 Battalion Commanders shall survey their respective wildland areas for fuel conditions and assets at risk Battalion Commanders shall ensure the completeness of their evacuation plan kits, and have a working knowledge of the Evacuation Plans and Wildland Operational Plans for their response areas Battalion Commanders shall review predetermined plans with neighboring agencies within Mutual Threat Zones (MTZ) and Initial Attack Zones (IAZ) Battalion Commanders shall review evacuation plans with their respective Los Angeles Police Department Divisions/Bureaus All Members June 1, 2024 Page 10 Battalion Commanders shall meet with Community Groups as directed by their Bureau Commander to discuss evacuation plans, wildland fire preparedness, Ready, Set, Go, etc. STATION/COMPANY COMMANDER RESPONSIBILITIES Survey Wildland Operational Plans to ensure completeness and accuracy Verify all brush equipment, PPEs, “New Generation” fire shelters, and web gear are in good condition, available on all apparatus (including Command Vehicles, Type 1 Engines, Type 3 Engines, Dozers, Patrols, Water Tenders, and Ambulances), and ready for immediate use at a wildland incident Ensure all apparatus have roof-top identification Ensure all pumping apparatus are stocked with “Thermo-Gel” (4 gallons minimum) Ensure a 72-hour supply of both MREs and drinking water is carried on apparatus (for each assigned member) Verify all company commanders have replaced the 2018 version of the IRPG with the 2022 (yellow cover) version, available through the In-Service Training Section (ISTS) Ensure each company has the following documents on the apparatus: a current Frequency Guide Book, a copy of the APX Radio Quick Reference, and a copy of the 2024 Tactical Incident Communications Plan (TICP) Ensure the recommended amount of sanitizing supplies are on each pumping apparatus to support personnel and apparatus assigned to an extended attack incident PRE-DEPLOYMENT The Department utilizes a Burning Index (BI) (Departmental Bulletin No. 03-15) of the National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS) as a basis to determine its commitment to pre-deploy resources at listed BI levels. The Department calculates the BI every evening for the next day’s use. BI 0 to 37 Low BI 38 to 47 Moderate BI 48 to 110 High All Members June 1, 2024 Page 11 BI 111 to 161 Very High BI 162 and above Extreme Wind>25mph + RH