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MAY 2002
Question: I am a company officer with the Pineville Fire Department in Pineville, Louisiana. We are trying to improve our fireground communications capabilities. We have heard that some departments have predetermined hand signals for the fireground. Do you recommend this, and do you have any suggestions as to where to find some information about them? Answer: I have to answer you from two sides of my career, at least to encourage you in your search for improved and improvised communications on the fireground (emergency scene). In the "ole days," there were no radios; or the department thought that only the officers knew stuff to transmit, and we had to devise some method of communications for an efficient company. The inefficient companies already claimed yelling as their method of choice. We had to signal the pump operator to start water, increase pressure, shut down etc. But now there are radios at both locations. In the truck, we had secondary hand signals to indicate to the chauffer which floor to put the aerial to if the objective changed after leaving the truck. During search, the team leader would tap and point for objectives for each of the "players." On the roof during cutting operations, we had to devise safety signals when we were issued rotary saws because they cut so fast and the operator had funnel vision. The roof edge came too close to his feet too fast. We needed a safety person for that job and hand signals to "keep cutting" and "stop immediately." Most need for hand signals was eliminated by the use of portable radios at almost every location, and now almost every firefighter and officer has one. However, there are still times when hand signals are necessary and vital. You should write or call departments in your state or locale that have the services that I am talking about. Hazardous Materials — Encapsulated operational personnel need to communicate with each other as they do with the backup team and the decontamination teams. Dive Rescue — Hand signals, as well as rope signals for underwater search operations from the tether, are very important. Confined-space Operations — Hand signals from cramped areas to the logistical supply post and to one another are vital. Safety — Hand signals are necessary when perating in a dangerous situation at routine fires: roof cutting at top-floor fires, aerial-entry signals, victim removal situations, and more. In the old days, a simple tap on the back of the engine officer controlling the fire on the fire floor was a contract that I was going above him for a search of the floor above. That signal meant that he must not leave without accounting for me and that I would not change locations without notifying him, but that was the old days. Today no one understands that or even listens! Good luck in your search. You have lots of reasons to assemble the problems and a great department to establish the solutions that work for you. Put them in an operating procedure for all the shifts! Question: I had a single-story, wood-frame structure with heavy fire at the rear of the structure. The first-arriving engine company was on scene about a half-minute prior to my arrival. The captain of this engine company gave a moderate size-up but didn't establish a command prior to my arrival. Once on scene, I did establish command. The officer of the first-arriving engine company went immediately with a 1¾-inch handline to the rear of the structure to make, I presume, a survey of the fire conditions. The rear of the structure not only involved heavy fire, but the electrical utility was also involved with fire. The engine-company officer had to be told by me that he needed to make entry, but not in the rear area, to the unburned location and advance to the burned area. All occupants were in the structure. I immediately made written documentation, with visual aids, of this incident and forwarded it to my chief of operations. The officer in question was suspended prior to this incident for another similar violation. My superiors have started procedings to demote this officer. I believe I was correct in my actions in the tactical procedure of extinguishing the fire, but should I have made it quite clear to my superiors that my documentation was for this officer to be trained further in strategy and tactics and NOT to be punished in such a fashion that he be demoted? Answer: Let’s talk about the positive things that happened here first. The officer of the engine arrived and gave a size-up! You say moderate, though I have not a clue what that means. Suffice to say that he made a transmission of scene survey. He also stretched a line and was trying to commit it to the firefight! Great! After that, things went downhill so fast that it was like falling off a cliff. As far as failing to take command is concerned, I have to give him the benefit of the doubt. I have some friends, to the west of me, who believe that we should have a command presence for a match stick. With today’s manning, if one responder takes command and the second becomes an Initial Rapid Intervention Team member or one of the two who are OUT for the IN people, and the other pumps water, we have no one thinking about doing anything with the fire! I believe that at a structure fire that is a routine interior firefight, the first two handlines should be committed and six people should have begun “truck work” before a formal incident commander is identified in the street. The first-arriving officer can be interior attack command and transmit information to incoming units but get water on the fire.This also means forcible entry, search, ventilating the thing vertically first (almost always), and supporting with horizontal venting and outside entry. I believe it is virtually impossible for a first arriving first-line supervisor to step out of the system at a structure fire and “call all the shots” of everything else coming in without costing some type of efficiency with well-trained and experienced engine units and trucks. But then again, there are some department units that have to be told each thing they must do. Next are your other problems. If the line was stretched and operating from the outside rear of the structure, you have a training and identification problem. You have a tactical task being used that doesn’t fit the strategy indicated. Outside streams don’t belong at an interior offensive fire attack. (That is kind of me). The officer in question either doesn’t have a clue — your problem; won’t follow orders or SOP’s — your problem, inform the department in writing; or he is having problems with his “guts,” which is his problem, and yours as well. Next, you say that you had a solution that was contrary or different from the actions the department took on your report. What did you expect? If you wanted to handle it by training, start at the low end: you control that! Attack the problem from the lowest level of supervisory rank on the shift — YOU! Document, for sure, in some folder or other, but take some action at the scene and follow up. If you duck your problem — “calling the cops right away” — expect action. A good department will assume that if the problem got out of the shift supervision, it is more serious than outlined. There are two rules of leadership that are not in any book.
Have fun. Question: Is there an NFPA code on auto fire extinguishment and, if so, what are the specifications? Can you recommend any articles, etc., online that I can go to and get additional information on same? If you have any experience that you can share with me on this topic relative to what to look for, how to approach, etc., that you can share, that would be great! Anything you can help me with would be very appreciated. Answer: I do not believe any NFPA codes exist for automobile fires. However,
That’s all I can make out of this question. * * * * * Write if you agree or don’t agree or on anything. Tbrennan@firenuggets.com BACK TO Q & A TABLE OF CONTENTS © Copyright Firenuggets.com 2002 • Click here for Terms and Conditions of Use |
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