As a chief officer, the most significant and stressful emergency you will face is a lost or trapped firefighter. Therefore, you must have a well-thought-out and well practiced standard operating procedure (SOP) in place to help you handle this high-stress situation flawlessly. If you already have one, it’s always worth reviewing. And if you haven’t written an SOP for finding lost or trapped firefighters, as soon as you’ve finished reading this article, convene a working group covering all ranks of your department to begin the process.
To determine whether a member of your team is lost or trapped, you must account for each firefighter on scene. The personnel accountability report (PAR), or roll call, is the surest way of doing this.
Overview
Once command has been established, the incident commander (IC) should receive notice of regular time increments from dispatch, and all units operating on the fireground should be required to report back to command at a set time. In most departments, the 10-minute interval notice from dispatch is standard, as is a 20-minute interval roll call or PAR. Remember: You must ensure this time notification starts from the dispatch time, not on-scene arrival time. The fire has been burning longer than you’ve been on scene, and you must keep this in mind as you work.
Some situations will require roll-call checks at 10-minute, rather than 20-minute, intervals; others, even more frequently. This is your job to determine as the IC. Remember: The only way to ensure roll call goes smoothly every time is to train and practice it daily, even at the most mundane incidents. It’s truly a matter of life and death.
Sample Roll Call SOP
- To ensure the safety of personnel, dispatch will announce the duration of the incident every 10 minutes. Example: “Dispatch to Main Street Command, you have been operating on the scene for 10 minutes.” This shall continue until command advises that the event is stable and the timer is no longer necessary.
- The IC shall determine the welfare of personnel under their command at 20-minute intervals (this will be termed “roll call”). This may be done visually or via radio, if necessary. At 20-minute intervals, all personnel on the incident scene, including those operating in non-hostile areas, will be roll-called by the appropriate group/division officer or the IC.
- The IC shall acknowledge dispatch’s 20-minute notification and initiate a roll call. Example: “Main Street Command to all personnel operating: Stand by for roll call.”
- Group/division officers shall account for all personnel under their command and be prepared to report this when called by the IC.
- Unit officers shall report the total number of personnel assigned to their unit and indicate the number of people operating outside of the hazard zone. This will only be required for the unit’s initial roll call or PAR. Example: Engine 1 responds with three people. The officer and firefighter enter the hazard zone, while the driver remains outside with the engine. At the first roll call, 20 minutes into the incident, the unit officer will respond: “Engine 1 has two inside, driver outside Engine 1 is PAR.” The proper response for additional roll calls will be “E-1 is PAR,” indicating the total number of personnel assigned to the unit and those operating in the hazard zone are accounted for. The IC can verify the information on the unit’s passport.
- The IC shall be responsible for the welfare of units/personnel not assigned to a group/division, i.e., outside truck person, engine driver.
- After all groups/divisions have been roll called, the IC shall document the time and note on the command board that all personnel were accounted for or which personnel were not accounted for. Important: A person or crew unaccounted for shall not stop roll call from other divisions/groups. Roll call must continue to determine if more than one person or crew is unaccounted for.
- If any personnel cannot be accounted for, the group/division officer shall report the status of missing personnel as “unknown” and give the IC their last known location and name. Group/division officers shall then initiate search procedures within their own area. All other groups/divisions operating on that incident shall maintain their current positions and assignments unless otherwise directed by the IC. The IC will activate the rapid intervention team (RIT).
- The IC may initiate a roll call to check the status of personnel anytime they deem necessary. Some situations in which this shall be done include, but are not limited to: 1. Report of a member or crew missing or trapped; 2. When a unit/crew cannot be contacted in the hazard zone after three consecutive attempts at radio contact; 3. Sudden hazardous change on the incident scene; 4. Conditions deteriorate and evacuation is ordered; 5. A change from an offensive to a defensive mode; or 6. When the incident is declared under control.
Conclusion
As the IC, or as any chief officer, you must monitor all tactical operations on scene. You must have good communication with your division, group and unit supervisors because if communications break down, mistakes happen. The key to ensuring communication takes place: training repeatedly on your accountability system and roll calls (PAR).
Remember: Use the system on every call so it becomes second nature. And as you are responding to an incident, or listening in at your office, keep in mind what I was told many times by an old, salty fire chief: “Nothing is as good or as bad as the first reports of excited officers would have it.”
Sidebar: Cases to Remember
Following are three recent incidents that resulted in line-of-duty deaths and demonstrate the importance of effective and timely communication.
- www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200509.html. On February 19, 2005, a captain died after being trapped in a one-story, wood-frame dwelling. Recommendation: Fire departments should train firefighters to communicate interior conditions to the IC as soon as possible and to provide regular updates.
- www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200619.html. On May 14, 2006, a lieutenant died while operating on a two-story dwelling fire. Recommendation: Fire departments must ensure all firefighters are trained on proper radio discipline and operation to communicate with the IC.
- www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200619.html. On Dec. 30, 2006, a firefighter died and another was severely injured after being struck by a collapsing awning during the overhaul phase of a fire in a one-story commercial building. Recommendation: Fire departments should ensure that switching from offensive to defensive operations is coordinated and communicated to everyone on the fireground.
