Risk Assessment

We have been reviewing the five major common factors involved in line of duty deaths.

In the four previous weeks we have looked at the communication piece and the standard operating procedure piece and the incident command piece, and accountability.

This week we will look at Lack of use or failure proper risk assessment.

For review I have listed the five factors below:

Five major common factors among line of duty deaths are:

Lack of use or participation in Incident Command

Lack of proper risk assessment.

Inadequate communication.

Lack or failure of SOPS

Lack of accountability.

This is a little difficult for me this week because I have been teaching proper size-up and making assessment for a long time. Just recently I attended the firehouse expo in Baltimore and I have heard a number of different speakers say that the 12 points or 14 points of traditional size up that we are all familiar with is "too cumbersome". "I have never used or thought of these 12 things at any fire." "I don't have time to review all of those things"

While I listened patiently to all of the above arguments I think we could change the thought process but the principles have not changed.

I recently got into an email discussion with a gentlemen who described size-up as "what you do prior to starting an aggressive interior attack". I suggested that size-up is what lets you decide if you are going to make an aggressive interior attack.

The fire service has just adopted a method of operation where we have given Sops and we follow them to the letter. The first due company officer may be faced with a set of conditions which do not fit the cookie cutter approach and they must be able to decide to "disengage" and not go interior if the conditions, resources and all do not support it.

Decide upon all of the factors and continue to reprocess them in a circular fashion for the duration of the incident and you will be better off.

Upon arrival ask the following:

What have I got?

Where is it going?

What do I need to control it?

In determining the What have I got? piece we use some acronyms. These are a few of those. WALLACE WAS HOT / COAL WAS WEALTH / LOSE WHAT CLAW but they all break down into these issues:

Life Hazard - Firefighters and civilian

Occupancy - What was in the building, what is used for?

Special Matters - 3 stories in front 2 in rear or vice versa, high tension wires, obstructions and lots of factors not thought of before arrival

Exposures - Internal and external Anything not already burning when we arrive This should help us answer the question of where is it going

Weather - The weather's affect on the fire building but more importantly for your personnel

Height

Area - These two items should be considered as one as they relate to hoseline size and length, ladder height, fire volume, ability to search safely, rate of flow and a lot of those things.

Time - Time of day, week and year have an impact on response conditions and possibly building conditions. Time also has an effect on manpower and personnel such as fires at shift changes, nights etc..

Construction - Do you match your fire attack to what the building will allow. There should be a direct correlation to your attack based upon what you find when you get there.

Location of the Fire - After determining occupants or victim viability determining the location of the seat of the fire is the next priority. The location of the fire should clearly have an impact on how you attack it.

Apparatus and Manpower - What do I need to control it? Do you have the resources to support the fire flow you are trying to produce.

Water Supply - Are you applying the proper rate of flow to sustain fire attack. Do you have adequate water supply to support this rate of flow?

By reviewing the three questions up front and these individual points you should be able to make safer fireground decisions.

Remember when you arrive the life hazard may be zero, 10 minutes later the life hazard has changed because you have entered the building. The location of the fire may not always remain in the same place for long.

Proper risk assessment means that the IC has to think dynamically and adjust for the rapidly changing conditions that the incident is dictating.

Proper risk assessment is a key component in making sure your firefighters return home at night, don't discard or downplay it.