Three fires that occurred this year in shopping districts resulted in firefighter fatalities. One incident occurred in a small volunteer fire department and the others involved large career departments.

All of the incidents occurred under similar circumstances – they began as offensive interior attacks, but the mode was changed quickly. All the fires appeared to be regular responses, but changed to chaos and uncertainty. From these events we know ho w the emergency scene can change in any community during the first few minutes.

In the last two decades, there have been many drastic changes in the fire-rescue service. It was not long ago that the "business" of a fire department was straightforward. Extinguishing fires using cotton-jacketed hoselines with "knuckle-busting" brass co uplings and heavy smooth-bore nozzles was not always easy, but at least the organizational mission was crystal clear – basic fire protection was the job. In bygone years, education and training could focus on the single dimension of preparing for fir efighting efforts.

Today's "multifaceted" emergency services have a much broader charge. They must deal with many occupational risks and understand all potential hazards. Life safety and risk reduction can mean many things. Prevention is no longer simply spotting the fire h azard; it is public education and community involvement. Hazardous material mitigation, technical rescue, vehicle extrication and especially EMS have expanded the fire-rescue service's role in every community. Juggling these diverse responsibilities will attain a high level of public protection, provided there is a standard approach to incident-scene decision making.

Creating a uniform method of handling the various types of emergency responses is a contemporary challenge facing every firefighter, paramedic and fire officer. As I teach around the country, students will ask, "What are the proper steps to take at an eme rgency scene when we arrive first?" Certainly, the only firm rule is to be self-disciplined. Trying to create a comprehensive checklist of strategic considerations and safety concerns for the different kinds of responses is cumbersome and not practical in a profession in which flexibility is the "password to prosperity." Yet, the question is valid in a legalist society where initial actions and written procedures are not placed just under a microscope – but under a Hubble Space Telescope.

Initial Actions
The first-arriving crew has many responsibilities, so the person in charge must have a sound plan if the responding units are going to work together and interact correctly. The plan must provide structure, be easy to implement, concise enough to cover all the options, broad enough to cover the various hazards and wide enough to address all the risks that a modern emergency service can be called upon to mitigate. Truly, an "all purpose" guide that paves the way for a smooth transition when an incident grows from a routine day-to-day single-unit call to the "small-scale" multi-company incident to the mutual-aid/extra-alarm event.

Key to command and control is the proper positioning of resources (apparatus, personnel, and equipment) from the onset. Frequently, a post-incident analysis will reveal how actions taken in the first minutes dictated the following hours – how critica l decisions made by the initial incident commander, in the moments following the outbreak of a major incident, can make a profound difference in the ultimate outcome. I believe the finest fireground formulas are those easily executed and simple to communicate; those that break down basic duties into practical actions. Every incident commander should consider the following four-step approach:

1. Size-up. This is the mental process of identifying factors that will dramatically impact the outcome of the operation. With a proper evaluation there will be a greater awareness of the situations, an increased understanding of problems, and an o pportunity to make the best predictions and then begin to attack the emergency.

Many articles and a few textbooks cover the different size-up systems. Fortunately, this is one "body of knowledge" that has not changed very much. In 1941, a fire chief named Lloyd Layman wrote about firefighting principles. His book identified 13 critic al elements to help us "get started" at the emergency scene. Later, these points were refined and place into an easy-to-remember mnemonic, "WALLACE WAS HOT:"

Water supply
Apparatus & properly trained personnel
Life Safety
Location/Extent/Access
Auxiliary Appliances
Construction
Exposures


Weather
Area
Special Hazards


Height
Occupancy
Time and seasonal factors

Burton W. Phelps and Edward J. McDonald described more general size-up systems exist to help identify facts and probabilities. Each helps set the tone for appropriate on-scene decision making:

The Sequential System

• Type of alarm - alarm activation or telephone call
  
• Enroute visible signs – fire, smoke, etc.
  
• Arrival on-scene – size & speed of spread
  
• Priority of attack – risk vs. reward ratio
  

Four-Question Method

1. What do I have? (fire, medical, technical rescue, hazmat another agency assistance)
2. What's burning? (Class A, B, C or D material)
3. Where is it going?
4. What (or who) is in its way? (external exposures)

The F.I.R.E. Formula

• Facts – building construction and type of occupancy
  
• Involvement – extent of conditions and critical exposures
  
• Risk – hazard to occupants and emergency responders
  
• Effort – apparatus, personnel and equipment needed
  

2. Establish command. This is a field within the fire-rescue service that has evolved a great deal. At one time, the fire chief was expected to make all the decisions. Now, with the full conversion to incident management, the most effective commanders act as facilitators. This type of incident commander organizes the scene into manageable components by defining areas of responsibility, delegating tasks and identifying geographical areas that require attention or additional resources. This style is more productive than others because it provides versatility and reduces stress.

3. Give assignments. Over the years, the method of allocating resources has significantly evolved. Once it was acceptable and common practice to give assignments to individuals; today, keeping teams together provides for a greater margin of safety.

Orders are dictated by pre-fire emergency plans or a standard operating procedure. My fire department's policy is simple – first and third engine companies to the front; second and fourth engine companies to the rear; and first ladder companies to the front, second to the rear. Pumpers are connected to hydrants. On-scene conditions and information received from dispatch or sector supervisors can modify this procedure at any time. Setting up sectors and a staging area prevents freelancing and gridlock while coordination is assured by giving specific orders and being in constant comm unication with all the operating crews.

4. Track resources. This has been the domain of greatest change. With the adoption of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1500 standard, a huge emphasis has been placed on written documentation for personnel accountability.

On the fireground the best record-keeping system is rudimentary. It does not prevent crews from quickly completing their tasks; yet it is sophisticated enough to keep an accurate list of units by name (for example, Engine 1) and location (assigned to alph a side). Tactical worksheets and incident command planning boards have become standard equipment at a stationary command post. These disposable/inexpensive paper records or reusable laminated sheets can be command's most valuable "tools" when a situation suddenly deteriorates.

Weighing The Risks
The secret to success, as an initial incident commander, is to balance the mitigation of an emergency incident against the risk to health and well-being of the first responders. The goal is to create a system that identifies errors before they have a detr imental effect on life safety. Now is the time to take the lessons from the tragic fires of 1998 – at the Galaxy Supermarket fire in Fairlea, WV; the Beverly Tire store fire in Chicago; and the Pacific Pet Supply Center fire in Los Angeles – and develop an objective action plan for the first few minutes.

By continuously sharpening our size-up skills, perfecting our incident-scene decision making, and developing the self-confidence to take a leadership position when we arrive on-scene as the initial incident commander, we will reduce firefighter deaths and injuries. By learning from the past, we will increase the odds of success in the future.