Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District Fire Ground Safety PDF

Policy Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District 404 Fire Services Manual Fire Ground Safety 404.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE: This policy describes the District's expectations of its employees when performing Fire Ground Safety Operations, to ensure that all members are fully capable of functioning...

Policy Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District 404 Fire Services Manual Fire Ground Safety 404.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE: This policy describes the District's expectations of its employees when performing Fire Ground Safety Operations, to ensure that all members are fully capable of functioning in their capacity. 404.2 POLICY: It is the policy of the Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District to identify the expectations required of its members when performing Fire Ground Safety Operations, in order to provide efficient and quality services to the community and to provide for the safety of its members. 404.3 FIRE SCENE SAFETY: (a) When arriving at the fire scene, firefighters must wait until the apparatus has come to a complete stop before removing their seatbelts. (b) Wait for the officer's directions before getting off the apparatus. (c) When working at fire scenes, prevent trips and falls by walking rather than running. (d) Do not "freelance"; as an individual or with a crew. Always work in teams of at least two, and do not separate for any reason. Operate within District's accountability system and in the Incident Command System (ICS). (e) Never enter a structure fire by yourself for any reason. (f) Never enter a burning structure if you are not properly wearing your Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) and full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). (g) Avoid entering any structure, which is displaying the signs of "breathing" (back draft). (h) Make sure the Incident Commander (IC) or the group/division officer knows when your crew relocates. (i) Prior to entering a burning structure, the hose line must be opened and operationally tested outside the structure in order to ensure it is fully functional (charged): 1. Pull back on the nozzle valve handle to the "open" position and allow air to escape to the point at which a solid stream of water is flowing from the nozzle. (j) Firefighters must use full PPE, including hoods, gloves and SCBA, for interior firefighting. (k) Firefighting teams within a burning structure must have constant radio communication with the IC/division officer. (l) Interior crews must stay together and must maintain constant communication between each other and the IC outside the structure. (m) If, for any reason, one member of a team must leave the interior of a structure, both firefighters must leave the structure. (n) Do not "straddle" charged hose lines. Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2023/05/22, All Rights Reserved. Published with permission by Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District Fire Ground Safety - 1 Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District Fire Services Manual Fire Ground Safety (o) Open valves to charged hose lines slowly to prevent injuring the firefighters at the end of the hose. (p) Before "shutting down" any charged line, or when a low water situation exists, the pump operator must notify the firefighters at the working end via the radio. (q) Firefighters operating in or near streets or roads must wear their helmets and reflective traffic vests, or full PPE, for visibility to oncoming traffic. (r) When utilizing pike poles to clean out hot spots or while conducting salvage and overhaul operations, always push the debris down and away from your body. (s) SCBA's must be worn during all phases of property conservation and overhaul unless the IC tells you otherwise. Atmospheres that appear clear may have high carbon monoxide or other dangerous gas levels. When atmospheres have been evaluated and cleared with the air meter, the Lieutenant may allow for SCBA use to be downgraded. (t) Always ensure that "running" power tools are never left unattended. 404.4 VEHICLE FIRES: (a) Always use full PPE. including hoods, gloves and SCBA, when attacking a vehicle fire. (b) Prior to attacking a vehicle fire, "open" and operationally check the attack hose line from a safe distance to be sure it is fully functional: 1. Pull back on the nozzle valve handle to the "open" position and allow air to escape to the point at which a solid stream of water is flowing from the nozzle. (c) Use cribbing to chock the wheels of the burning vehicle, when possible, to prevent it from rolling when on uneven terrain. (d) Always approach a burning vehicle that is equipped with a shock-absorbing bumper, from the side of the car; cars that have shock-absorbing bumpers have approximately a 4-inch space between the grill and the bumper. (e) When possible, approach vehicle fires from upwind, from uphill, and in a low crouch, with the hose nozzle opened to the "full fog position". (f) Only "pop" hoods open when there is another firefighter present with a charged and tested hose line, standing by to attack the potential flare up of fire once the hood is opened. 404.5 BRUSH FIRES: (a) Do not "freelance"; as an individual or with a crew. Always work in teams of at least two, and do not separate for any reason. Operate within District's accountability system and in the ICS. In dense smoke, crew members must remain in visual contact. (b) Never attack a brush fire if you are not properly wearing your full PPE, to include respiratory protection where needed. Fires that have been contained, but where active pockets or areas of unburned fuel are still involved will require firefighters to maintain Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2023/05/22, All Rights Reserved. Published with permission by Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District Fire Ground Safety - 2 Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District Fire Services Manual Fire Ground Safety proper levels of protection. The IC should determine/approve the reduction of PPE after the fire has been deemed under control and safe. (c) Maintain communications with your supervisor a minimum of every 15 minutes to ensure accountability and location. (d) For small accessible fires, consider pulling a handline in lieu of placing truck off road or onto unsafe vegetation that may result in damage to the apparatus or the apparatus becoming stuck. (e) Driver/pump operator must be aware of fire conditions and water supply in tank at all times. (f) Do not use the fire apparatus to push trees over that may damage or cause the apparatus to become inoperable. (g) Do not place fire apparatus directly onto burning vegetation. Ensure that the vegetation has been blackened before proceeding onto the burned vegetation. 404.6 TACTICAL POSITIONING: (a) (b) Positioning of operating companies can severely affect the safety/survival of such companies. Personnel must use caution when placed in the following positions: 1. Above the fire (floors/roof) 2. Where fire can move in behind them 3. When involved with opposing fire streams 4. Combining interior and exterior attack 5. Where divisions cannot control position/retreat 6. With limited access # 1 way in/out 7. Operating under involved roof structures 8. In areas containing hazardous materials 9. Below ground fires (basements, etc.) 10. In areas where a back draft potential exists The safety of firefighting personnel represents the major reason for an effective and well#timed offensive/defensive decision and the associate write#off by IC. When the rescue of savable victims has been completed, IC must ask: 1. "Is the risk to personnel worth the property I can save?" (c) When operating in a defensive mode, your operating position should be as far from the involved area as possible and still remain effective. Position and operate from behind barriers if available (fences, walls, etc.). (d) The intent is for personnel to utilize safe positioning where possible/available, in an effort to safeguard against sudden hazardous developments such as back draft explosion, structural collapse, etc. Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2023/05/22, All Rights Reserved. Published with permission by Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District Fire Ground Safety - 3 Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District Fire Services Manual Fire Ground Safety (e) When operating in an offensive mode, be aggressive. Effective interior attack operations directed toward knocking down the fire eliminates most eventual safety problems. (f) Due to the inherent hazards of the immediate fire or incident scene, efforts will be made by command personnel to limit the number of personnel on the fire ground to those assigned to a necessary function. All personnel shall either: 1. Be positioned in staging. 2. Be assigned to a company or division. 3. Having completed an assignment and no other assignments are available # crews should be assigned to a Resource, Staging, or Rehabilitation Division until such time as they can be either reassigned back to an operating area or released to in#service status. (g) The intent of this policy is to minimize fire ground confusion / congestion and more importantly, to limit the number of personnel exposed to fire ground hazards to only those necessary to success-fully control the operation. Individuals or crews shall be re-stricted from wandering about the fire ground or congregating in non#functional groups. If you have not been assigned to a crew or you do not have a necessary staff function to perform, stay off the fire ground. (h) In extremely hazardous situations (large quantities or flammable liquids, LP gas, other hazardous materials, difficult marginal rescues, etc.) IC will engage only an absolute minimum number of per-sonnel within the fire ground perimeter. Self#standing master streams will be utilized wherever possible. (i) In situations where crews must operate from opposing or conflicting positions, such as front versus rear attack streams, interior versus ex-terior streams, roof crews versus interior crews, etc., utilize radio or face#to#face communications to coordinate your actions with those of the opposing crew in an effort to prevent needless injuries. (j) Ground crews must be notified and evacuated from interior positions before aerial master streams go into operation. (k) Do not operate exterior streams, whether hand lines, master streams, aerial master streams, etc., into an area where interior crews are operating. This procedure is intended to prevent injuries to personnel due to stream blast and the driving of fire and /or heavy heat and smoke onto interior crews. (l) When laddering a roof, the ladder selected shall be one which will extend 2'# 3' above the roofline. This shall be done in an effort to provide personnel operating from the roof with a visible means of egress. (m) If possible, when laddering buildings under fire conditions, place ladders near building corners or firewalls, as these areas are generally more stable in the event of structural failure. (n) When operating either above or below ground level, establish at least two (2) separate escape routes/means where possible, such as stairways, ladders, exits, etc., preferably at opposite ends of the building or separated by considerable distance. Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2023/05/22, All Rights Reserved. Published with permission by Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District Fire Ground Safety - 4 Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District Fire Services Manual Fire Ground Safety (o) Many safety principles revolve around action that takes place on the fire ground. (p) For the purpose of our operations, the fire ground perimeter can be defined as: 1. (q) The area inside an imaginary boundary that has been determined by safety consid-erations according to the foreseeable hazards of the part-icular incident. The flexible boundary that determines the fire ground can be altered by various safety factors. All personnel entering the fire ground perimeter shall: 1. Wear full PPE and the required respiratory protection (SCBA). 2. Have crew intact. 3. ALL OTHERS STAY OUTSIDE. Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2023/05/22, All Rights Reserved. Published with permission by Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District Fire Ground Safety - 5