Hoffman Estates Fire Department Standard Operating Guidelines PDF

HOFFMAN ESTATES FIRE DEPARTMENT STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINES SOG Category & Identification Number: EFFECTIVE DATE: FIRE SCENE OPERATIONS – 009 January 1, 2022 NIMS COMPLIANT SOG Ti...

HOFFMAN ESTATES FIRE DEPARTMENT STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINES SOG Category & Identification Number: EFFECTIVE DATE: FIRE SCENE OPERATIONS – 009 January 1, 2022 NIMS COMPLIANT SOG Title: Search and Rescue Guidelines Revision: 3 APPROVED BY: NUMBER OF PAGES: Re-evaluation Date: Alan Wax January 1, 2026 Fire Chief 6 PURPOSE The need to complete effective search and rescue activities during fireground operations is the most important tactical priority. Once a fire is confirmed, both primary and secondary search operations are to be completed on ALL interior firefighting operations prior to termination of the incident. POLICY A. PRIMARY SEARCH Primary search frequently occurs simultaneously with initial fire control operations, yet the completion of primary search is the number one tactical priority of the Incident Command (IC). Primary search constitutes the rapid, thorough and systematic search for victims in the area impacted by the fire and the smoke it produces. During primary search operations, Company Officers need to maintain strong accountability of their members' whereabouts and maintain effective communication with their company personnel, due to the high life- safety risks of companies involved in primary search activities. As the size and complexity of the involved building increases, so do the life-safety risks, therefore, the need for better systems of accountability. With this in mind, the following primary search guidelines are to be used: 1. During primary search operations in single-family dwellings and buildings of simple layouts, rescuers need only to work in teams of two and communicate frequently with one another. Once a room or area has been successfully searched, a medium-sized object from the room, such as a chair, clothes hamper, or end table, should be left across the doorway threshold to the room. This will indicate to other searchers or suppression personnel that the room or area has already been searched and the area is "all clear." 2. During primary search operations in more complex buildings, rescuers need to use lifelines and other equipment due to increased life-safety risks. In a house fire, a rescuer is only a few feet from a window and an escape to safety, yet many larger buildings are windowless or simple a maze of compartmentalized rooms. Each engine, squad and tower 1  have been equipped with a primary search kit for use in these more complex buildings. The kit contains 200’of kernmantle rope with carabiners at each end and a company nametag attached. The company should adhere to “Rope Assisted Search Procedures,” 3. “Rope Assisted Search Procedures” or R.A.S.P. a. The company should consist of a minimum of three personnel with four being the preferred number. The search team positions are listed below. 1. Position 1: Company Officer – Rope bag, TIC, Radio, Light 2. Position 2: Irons – Forcible entry/exit tools such as a flathead axe and halligan combination. 3. Position 3: H-Tool – Hydraulic door tool. Company officer may substitute depending on building construction. 4. Position 4: SCBA – RIT SCBA emergency air system.  If working in a company of three the H-Tool would be eliminated. Do not eliminate the forcible entry/exit tools or the RIT SCBA!! b. The company officer is the team leader and shall be responsible for the following: 1. Safety of the team.  Accountability  Control of the search process.  Communication with the team, sector officer and/or command. 2. Determine the rope assisted search procedure to be used.  Which safe entry/exit point, doorway, or stairwell will the search start from?  In which direction or pattern will the search progress.  Careful use of personnel off the rope to conduct rapid room searches. During off-rope searches, personnel should stay within sight or voice contact. 3. Determine type of tools to be used.  Use building construction to determine which tools to utilize. c. Rope deployment by the officer. 1. The rope bag consists of 200’ of kernmantle rope. Each end of the rope has a carabineer attached, with the anchor end having a company nametag affixed. 2. Always anchor the rope in an area of safety. Anticipate worsening conditions! 3. It is important for the officer to always keep the rope in his or her hand during deployment to control tension. If this is not done the rope may pull freely from the bag, eliminating some of the guidance and safety that the rope affords. 4. When making an inside turn, the rope should be anchored. This allows the company to exit across the same route that was entered, improving safety. d. Thermal camera use by officer. 1. The camera should be used often, but not continuously. This is known as the scan-and-release method, which eliminates the user from getting tunnel vision. 2. Use the camera to interpret the room contents, doors, partitions, walls, etc.. 3. Use the camera to eliminate searching open areas. 4. Allow the person searching the room to view the camera’s image prior to entry to help provide him with the room layout. 2  5. Use the camera to track the position of company members. e. The irons position is the #2 position behind the company officer and is responsible for the following: 1. Forcible entry and exit 2. Wall breach 3. Ventilation 4. Complete off-rope searches as directed by the company officer. 5. Safety person stationed at doorway as directed by the company officer. f. The H-Tool position is the #3 position behind the company officer and is responsible for the following: 1. Use of the H-Tool to open doors as necessary. 2. Complete off-rope searches as directed by the company officer. 3. Safety person stationed at doorway as directed by the company officer. g. The SCBA position is the #4 position behind the company officer and is responsible for the following: 1. Carry the RIT SCBA unit to supply the company with air if needed. 2. Carry the RIT SCBA unit to supply any victim with air if needed. 3. Complete off-rope searches as directed by the company officer. 4. Safety person stationed at doorway as directed by the company officer. * See Diagram A and B on pages five and six for search team positioning h. The RASP exit. At some point the search team will have to stop and return to their entry point. Having used the rope to complete the search will allow you to make a direct exit, greatly reducing the time necessary to get out. 1. Routine Exit – After the company has completed its primary search and found nothing, the company officer can pick up his or her rope on the way out with no reason for haste. 2. Victim Found – If the company finds a victim, the officer leaves the bag tied off in the area where the victim was found. The company then makes the removal. Leaving the bag allows the company officer to direct another company back to where the search was left off or go back themselves to continue the search. 3. Emergency Exit – If for any reason the company officer decides that the conditions no longer allow a safe search or if command has called for a building evacuation, the company must make an immediate withdrawal. The officer should drop the bag where he/ she is, get all company members on the line in front of him/her, remove any slack from the rope, and direct the company out. Conditions will dictate whether the company can stand or must be on their knees. The officer should be the last person out of the building to maintain accountability. NOTE: If a searcher is without any indicating equipment, the guideline of placing a medium sized room object in the doorway is acceptable. The use of the primary search kits should decrease the chances of rescuers becoming 3  confused and lost, along with increasing our ability to effectively search, by indicating when a room or area has already been searched. B. SECONDARY SEARCH Secondary search usually occurs after fire control has been completed and the IC has reported the fire under control. The purpose of the secondary search is to provide a complete and thorough search of the fire area for any victim, which the primary search may have not discovered. PROCEDURE DEFINITIONS EXCEPTIONS REFERENCES 4 5 End of Document 6