Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department Risk Benefit Analysis Go or No Go You Make The Call! Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department

Risk Benefit AnalysisGo or No Go

You Make The Call!



10 Rules of Engagement for Structural Fire Fighting

Acceptability of Risk

1. No building or property is worth the life of a firefighter.

2. All interior fire fighting involves an inherent risk.

3. Some risk is acceptable, in a measured and controlled manner.

4. No level of risk is acceptable where there is no potential to save lives or savable property.

5. Fire fighters shall not be committed to interior offensive fire fighting operations in abandoned or derelict buildings

Risk Assessment

1. All feasible measures shall be taken to limit or avoid risks through risk assessment by a qualified officer.

2. It is the responsibility of the incident commander to evaluate the level of risk in every situation.

3. Risk assessment is a continuous process for the entire duration of each incident.

4. If conditions change, and risk increases, change strategy and tactics.

5. No building or property is worth the life of a fire fighter.

10 Rules of Engagement for Structural Fire Fighting



Risk Assessment/Rules of Engagement

Fire Fighter Injury/Life Safety Risk

High Probability of Success

Marginal Probability of Success

Low Probability of Success

Low RiskInitiate Offensive

operations. Continue to monitor risk factors

Initiate Offensive operations. Continue to

monitor risk factors

Initiate Offensive operations. Continue to

monitor risk factors

Medium Risk

Initiate offensive operations. Continue to

monitor risk factors. Employ all available risk

control operations

Initiate offensive operations. Continue to monitor risk factors. Be

prepared to go defensive if risk increases

Do not initiate offensive operations. Reduce risk

to fire fighters and actively pursue risk control operations

High Risk

Initiate offensive operations only with

confirmation of realistic potential to save

endangered lives.

Do not initiate offensive operations that will put fire fighters at risk for

injury or fatality

Initiate defensive operations only


RISK BENEFIT ANALYSIS

• At a minimum the risk analysis for a structure fire shall consider:– Building Characteristics

• Construction type and size• Structural condition• Occupancy and contents




– Fire Factors• Location and extent of the fire• Estimated time of involvement• What are smoke conditions telling us

– Risk to Building Occupants• Known or probable occupants• Occupant survival assessment

– Firefighting Capabilities• Available resources• Operational capabilities and limitations




• Everyone is familiar with the saying-“there is a fine line between aggressiveness and recklessness”.

• This is the “gray” area of risk management decision making that ALL of us are responsible for.

• Some risks we can avoid some risks we can pass off to other agencies, and some we have to face.

• We do work in a dangerous profession, but one that demands effective management of risk.



• Aggressiveness is a relative term and each of us has a different tolerance level.

• Over aggressiveness is not a reflection of manhood, machismo, professionalism, bravery or courage.

• Controlled and managed aggression; in concert with proper incident analysis and risk management decision making by each of you, is a direct reflection of your dedication, professionalism, and determination to do a good job.





• The FRD is in the process of developing a template for conducting a Risk Benefit Analysis.

• These are considerations all personnel should utilize for training and review.


When conducting a Risk Benefit Analysis you MUST consider and answer the following

questions:

BUILDING CHARACTERISTICS o What is the construction type and the approximate size? o What is the condition of the structure?

Occupied or vacant? o What is the occupancy type?

What are the contents of the structure? o What is the interior fire spread problem? o What is the exterior fire spread problem? o What additional resources may be needed? o What are the exposures and do they present a problem?

FIRE FACTORS o What is the location and extent of the fire? o How long has it been burning?

Estimated time of involvement o What are the smoke conditions telling you? o Where will the fire be in 5 – 10 minutes if your not making

any progress RISK TO BUILDING OCCUPANTS

o Are there known or probable occupants? Where are the people? How do we get them? How do we protect them? Are you doing a blind or focused search?

o What’s your occupant survival assessment? o What is the primary life hazard location? o What is the time of day for this event?

Early morning, mid-afternoon or night? FIREFIGHTING CAPABILITIES

o What are your available resources? What units are on the scene? What activities are completed and what are underway? What units are en-route?

Are they the normal units or has it changed? o Where is the first attack line going too deployed? o Where the second or back-up line should be deployed? o What are your operational capabilities and limitations? o What additional resources may be needed? o Are there any safety concerns?

DRAFT


Two-In, Two-Out

What does it

mean to You?


Two-In, Two-Out

• The term “two-in, two-out” refers to incident scene operations where the minimum number of firefighters (two) may enter an IDLH while a minimum number of firefighters (two) remain outside the IDLH area as the “standby team” to monitor the activity of the interior crew and effect rescue if necessary.



Two-In, Two-Out• This minimum

number applies during the initial stages of operations and may be increased, but never decreased, unless justified by the unit officer in charge (OIC) based on a known or perceived life hazard.


Everyone is out of

the house!

Are you going to do a blind search?

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue DepartmentFairfax County Fire and Rescue Department

• It is imperative that all firefighters operating within any hazardous area always operate in teams of two or more to maintain constant communication with each team member through:

• Visual• Audible• Physical• Safety device• Maintain close proximity to each other to provide

assistance in case of an emergency.

Two-In, Two-Out


Two-In, Two-Out

• Officers must apply effective size up skills before committing a crew with less then four members on-scene.

• If indicators of life hazardindicators of life hazard are present, rescue and support functions may be initiated.




Go or No-Go, You Make The Call!


Go or No-GoGo or No-Go,, You Make the Call!

• What you need to do:– Identify the construction features of the building that

will help to increase or decrease fire spread.– List any construction features that may impact the

safety of crews operating in or around the building.– Identify size-up information.

• What does the situation tell you?

• What is the Benefit to be gained by taking the Risk?– Is this a Go or No Go situation?



You Make The Call!• Identify the construction

features of the building that will help to increase or decrease fire spread.

• List any construction features that may impact the safety of crews operating in or around the building.

• Identify size-up information. What does the situation tell you?

• What is the Benefit to be gained by taking the Risk?

• Is this a Go or No Go situation?












































































We should never take short cuts because we feel it is a nothing “call”. If we habitually lay out supply lines, pull attack lines, wear our PPE properly, carry all the tools, chock

the doors open, ladder the windows for firefighter egress, then we will not be

caught by surprise if the situation deteriorates.





Complacency kills firefighters!

When we let our guard down we allow the situation to control us.




• Where do we fail on the emergency scene?– Lack of strong and visible command.– Failure to control the actions at the scene.– Failure to coordinate the use of resources.– Breakdown in the communications process.

These are all contributing factors to a line of duty death!



Don’t Become a Statistic

Documents

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department Risk Benefit Analysis Go or No Go You Make The Call! Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department