The Company Officer Role in Fireground Safety

What could be more important to a company officer than the safety of their crew? Nothing, really. But ensuring their safety isn’t an easy task, as there are countless hazards on any fireground. In his Wednesday morning FRI session, “Safety and Survival on the Fireground: The Company Officer’s Role,” Jason Hoevelmann–a captain and training officer for the Florissant Valley (Mo.) Fire Protection District and the deputy chief for the Sullivan Fire Protection District–tackles some of these topics.

I had a chance to catch up with Hoevelmann and ask him about his session, and he offered advice to company officers looking to protect their firefighters from fireground risks. I started our conversation by asking a simple question about such a big topic that has the potential to span so many aspects of firefighting and command: “Where do you even begin?” “From the beginning, it’s about culture and setting the tone,” Hoevelmann says. “If a company officer doesn’t believe that something catastrophic can happen, then they aren’t going to be prepared for it. They won’t train appropriately and have the proper mindset to pass along to the crew. Training is more than picking up tools and drilling. There has to be a purpose.” And that purpose often involves more complex topics like fire behavior, building construction and leadership.

Interestingly, Hoevelmann notes that a big mistake company officers make is trying to force a “culture change” on a department. “Culture change happens when you change the individual behaviors over a period of time–it changes collectively,” he says. This change comes through drilling and strong leadership. “If you walk away from a problem, you’ve condoned it,” he says, adding that a safety culture can’t be achieved in one 40-hour class, but rather by promoting a mindset that evolves over time.

Set Clear Expectations
With this in mind, what’s the next step for a company officer looking to improve the safety of their crew? “When you get the crew you’re with, one of the first things to do is sit down with them and lay out your expectations–you will wear your seatbelt, full PPE, drill every day, etc.,” Hoevelmann explains. “You build the trust and respect, and they know where the line is.” That way, when something doesn’t go according to plan, you can revisit the topic and learn why they picked a divergent path. Hoevelmann notes that this can be a long process for certain people and organizations–but it’s a key one. And consistency matters, too. “If you let one guy get away with not drilling, then the whole crew loses credibility,” he adds.

Simple Tasks Make All the Difference
Hoevelmann covers some simple tasks that crews can perform to improve their fireground efficiency and create a safety mindset. He suggests company officers underscore the importance of checking their SCBA (all components), equipment and nozzles, making sure to pay attention to details, even on things that seem insignificant. And check it how you’re going to wear it, he says. For hand tools, take them off the truck, wash them and sand down any rust. It’s about maintenance and looking out for deficiencies, he says. Other tips: Make sure there’s water in the engine. The light on the pump panel may say there is, but that’s an electronic device that can fail, so double check. And check your air tanks. “Little things create good habits,” he explains. And these are the things that matter if you get the worst call of your life. “These are the things that get you out the door.”

Hoevelmann also goes through a list of tools, such as wire cutters and pike poles, underscoring the importance of knowing their limitations. He explains that firefighters often select a tool for a particular reason (like weight for easy carrying) but fail to think about what that tool can actually accomplish. Think about what you’ll actually need the tool to do in a scary situation, and “pick the tool that serves multiple purposes and is most functional,” he explains.

Building Triage
Other important topics for company officers: building construction and preplanning. Hoevelmann says his session focuses much attention on building triage, specifically how to orient yourself to the building by considering the geometry of the building. The placement of certain building features, such as particularly shaped windows, chimneys, etc., can help firefighters determine the location of stairways, bedrooms, etc. And certain types of buildings themselves will have certain features. For example, a square, balloon-frame home will likely have a staircase on an exterior wall as opposed to interior. Identifying these building features can be extremely helpful when it comes to fireground tactics, such as searching, venting, etc., Hoevelmann notes.

Some additional tips:
–    Inward-swinging doors usually indicate bedrooms while outward-swinging doors usually indicate closets or pantries.
–    Small windows are usually located in bedrooms, while large picture windows are usually located in family areas.
–    Note when you transition between floor coverings. If you are moving from carpet to tile, you’re probably moving from a living area into a bathroom or kitchen.

In short, all these issues help firefighters make educated guesses about where to go inside a structure As such, Hoevelmann advises company officers to encourage their crews to study up on buildings in their first due and learn the factors of building geometry that can offer clues to building construction.

Mayday! Mayday!
Hoevelmann discusses a key safety issue on the fireground–calling a mayday. “Mayday is a crisis response, and it reverts back to habits,” he explains. And there are 10 main reasons why firefighters fail to call maydays when they should:
1.    Temporal distortion/perception of time: “When you do things you don’t like, time goes slowly,” Hoevelmann explains. “So we have a poor perception of how much time we have been inside a building.” He recommends training while on air so you have a better gauge of how long you’ve been inside a structure in difficult conditions.
2.    Reluctance to give up: “When entangled, people will fight and fight with the wires before calling a mayday,” he says. “They think they can get out.” Hoevelmann advises calling the mayday as soon as you become tangled, as you can always cancel the mayday if you do manage to free yourself on your own.
3.    Channeled attention/tunnel vision: “We get so focused on what we’re doing that we forget a major step, like determining the seat of the fire,” he says.
4.    Loss of situational awareness: Not seeing the little things or discounting what could happen.
5.    Fear of the Unknown: Not knowing exactly what will happen.
6.    Fear of retribution/failure from peers: “Being looked at as being weak or not a good firefighter will prevent a firefighter who is in trouble from calling the mayday,” Hoevelmann says. “His fear is that when he gets free, he will be scrutinized by his peers.”
7.    Lack of knowledge and training: “Not believing bad things can happen. Lazy firefighters make dangerous firefighters; if they get caught, they realistically may not know what to do, which is inexcusable,” he explains.
8.    Attempts to fix: “A firefighter will make several attempts to fix the problem before he calls the mayday,” Hoevelmann says. “This uses precious air and time. We want them to call the mayday, then attempt to fix.”
9.    Pride: “The firefighter is looked at as a proficient tactician, and he thinks he will look like he doesn’t know what he is doing if he calls the mayday,” he says. “We can all get into trouble; don’t let pride dictate your fate.”
10.    Denial: Not accepting that they are in trouble or need the mayday.  “It’s the attitude that things have always worked out before or this can’t happen to me,” he says.

Leadership Matters
In addition to all the quick tips and tricks on the fireground, Hoevelmann covers some bigger-picture issues related to leadership. Point #1: “Set an example; you won’t have credibility otherwise,” he says. “Have enough fortitude and confidence to correct your crew.” He also discusses the importance of self-reflection, encouraging company officers to ask themselves if they are constantly improving. “Be your own critic and share your deficiencies with your crew,” he says. Setting an example is also key to ensuring that your crew is still safe, even when you’re not there. If you’re on vacation, for example, the person filling in for you should understand what you expect.

In Sum
It may be a huge issue to grasp, but ensuring the safety of your crew–as well as your own personal safety–is the most important of all company officer tasks. Hoevelmann explains that it all comes back to preparation. So get out there and start drilling!