Fireground Accountability Policy PDF

Policy 302 Chesapeake Fire Department Policy Manual Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2023/03/29, All Rights Reserved.Published with permission by Chesapeake Fire Department Fireground Accountability - 1 Fireground Accountability 302.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE The purpose of this policy is to increase firefight...

Policy 302 Chesapeake Fire Department Policy Manual Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2023/03/29, All Rights Reserved.Published with permission by Chesapeake Fire Department Fireground Accountability - 1 Fireground Accountability 302.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE The purpose of this policy is to increase firefighter safety by establishing accountability systems for keeping track of all personnel operating at the scene of an emergency incident. 302.1.1 DEFINITIONS Definitions related to this policy include: Personnel Accountability Report (PAR) - A roll call of all operations members assigned to an incident at specified times; a PAR is designed to account for each member’s location and activity and to verify his/her safety. 302.2 POLICY It is the policy of this department that supervisors periodically account for members working under their direction at emergency incidents and that all members participate in accountability systems. 302.3 RESPONSIBILITIES A personnel accountability system shall be established and implemented using thorough training procedures. This system should constantly monitor the status of all emergency personnel, both of department members and personnel from assisting agencies, during emergency incidents from their arrival until their official release from the incident. A personnel accountability system should be used primarily to track personnel, not resources. However, on small incidents one individual may be responsible for tracking both personnel and resources. A written personnel accountability system, such as the Incident Command System (ICS) Form ICS-201 for Incident Commanders (ICs) or some similar process, should be used and a status board and/or passport system or equivalent should be maintained. Individual crew names shall be posted in a conspicuous location in the cab of department vehicles. Supervisors are responsible for participation in the accountability system by tracking all personnel under their direction on emergency incidents. Personnel should be accounted for from the time of dispatch to the time of demobilization. Supervisors should implement sufficient tracking methods for personnel at the individual, company, division, group and unit levels to account for personnel during all phases and at all locations of an incident, including travel between locations and assignments. The IC should designate an accountability officer to monitor who is in charge of each area, what crews are assigned to each area, where each area is located and the area assignment. Division or group supervisors should be assigned to keep track of all crews under their supervision. Company Officers should know the location and assignment of each firefighter in their crew. Chesapeake Fire Department Policy Manual Fireground Accountability Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2023/03/29, All Rights Reserved.Published with permission by Chesapeake Fire Department Fireground Accountability - 2 All members are responsible for participating in the accountability system, including checking in at approved locations. This includes members who arrive on-scene individually or in privately owned vehicles. 302.4 REPORTING Ongoing, routine strategic and tactical accountability at all emergency incidents, including wildland fires, should be accomplished through periodic reporting or visual observation. This can be accomplished through concise reports that include conditions, actions and needs, also called a CAN report. Members should also make the following reports: • Emergency situations • Inability to meet objective with revised timeline and/or resource requests • Notification of completed actions • Change in strategy • Change in fire conditions, such as crossing planned control lines 302.4.1 PERSONNEL ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT (PAR) For structure fires, a PAR should be conducted every 20 minutes for personnel at the scene. In addition, PARs should be conducted after any change in conditions that may alter or affect firefighter safety, such as an increase in fire conditions, fire crossing planned control lines or trigger points or after ordering an emergency evacuation of an area. A PAR should be conducted for each division, group and organizational element where operations personnel are working, including those personnel involved in water shuttle operations. If any person involved in the operation is unaccounted for, emergency procedures, including notification to the IC, should be initiated. When a "May Day" is issued, the Incident Commander shall maintain essential suppression operations, if possible, to control the incident. All suppression operations around the missing team shall be suspended.All units should be prepared to engage in search and rescue if necessary. A PAR should be conducted if the identity of the missing team is unknown. The PAR may be suspended if the identity of the missing team is confirmed. The IC may discontinue regular PARs when incident stabilization is achieved and hazards are sufficiently reduced.