Toronto Fire Services Training Note 104.1.12 Rule of Eight PDF

Fire Services Professional Development and Training Training Note FROM: Fire Chief EFFECTIVE DATE: November 20, 2018 GROUP: 100 Firefighting Knowledge and Skills SECT...

Fire Services Professional Development and Training Training Note FROM: Fire Chief EFFECTIVE DATE: November 20, 2018 GROUP: 100 Firefighting Knowledge and Skills SECTION: 104 Incident Management System SUB-SECTION: 104.1 Using the Incident Management System UNIT: 104.1.12 Rule of Eight TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................... 2 THE RULE OF EIGHT............................................................................................. 2 SIZE UP................................................................................................................... 2 RESCUE.................................................................................................................. 3 EXPOSURES.......................................................................................................... 3 CONFINEMENT...................................................................................................... 3 EXTINGUISHMENT................................................................................................. 3 OVERHAUL............................................................................................................. 3 VENTILATION......................................................................................................... 3 SALVAGE................................................................................................................ 3 Toronto Fire Services Training Note: 104.1.12 Professional Development and Training Date Prepared: November 2018 Page 1 of 3 1. INTRODUCTION The Rule of Eight is a tool available to the Incident Commander, to prioritize and organize information. The Rule of Eight is a list of priorities that need to be addressed at an emergency incident. The order of importance is listed from top to bottom. 2. THE RULE OF EIGHT The Rule of Eight is: Size-up Rescue Exposures Confinement Extinguishment Overhaul ------------------------- Ventilation Salvage Ventilation and Salvage shall be inserted into the list of priorities anywhere deemed appropriate to assist in the mitigation of the incident. SIZE UP A size up of an emergency incident shall be performed by all personnel. information from the dispatch weather conditions time of day time of year information provided on route building type and construction occupancy type 360 degree observation of the incident (smoke conditions, fire conditions, reports from civilians, etc.) location of fire department connections and hydrants preplanning information determining the need for additional resources The Size-up is the start of the Rule of Eight. It begins the development of an initial Incident Action Plan (IAP). The deployment of the initial and incoming personnel and apparatus is done to support this IAP. Toronto Fire Services Training Note: 104.1.12 Professional Development and Training Date Prepared: November 2018 Page 2 of 3 RESCUE The Incident Commander must determine if there is: People visibly endangered People reported to be missing or trapped Potential for people to be endangered The Incident Commander must attempt to rescue savable persons or initiate actions that will mitigate the dangerous condition from affecting them, while resources are deployed to perform a successful rescue. The inherent dangers for firefighters and civilians is significantly reduced with the extinguishment of the fire. EXPOSURES When an incident is progressing and it is impacting an area or occupancy other than the initial emergency location it is classified as an Exposure. Action shall be taken to protect or minimize the potential for the emergency to spread to another area. CONFINEMENT Confinement refers to protecting interior exposures by stopping the fire from spreading further in the structure involved. EXTINGUISHMENT The goal of extinguishment is to determine what will be necessary to put out the fire. This includes determining the proper flow rates that will be needed to extinguish the fire. OVERHAUL The primary reason for overhaul is to ensure the fire is completely extinguished. It must aid in determining the cause and origin of the fire, while attempting to preserve evidence. VENTILATION The Incident Commander should consider the need for ventilation and coordinate its implementation as soon as possible. Ventilation can be done at any point while using the Rule of Eight. Ventilation may have a direct impact on creating a flow path and must be coordinated properly. SALVAGE Salvage operations are conducted to reduce damage; this could include covering objects with tarps or plastic sheeting and the removal of valuable property. Salvage can be done at any point while using the Rule of Eight. Toronto Fire Services Training Note: 104.1.12 Professional Development and Training Date Prepared: November 2018 Page 3 of 3