The Command System of Fire Incidents - Essay Example

Management of Fire Student’s Name Course Tutor Date Introduction Fire Management All fire incidents should be managed within the guidelines of the command system of fire incident. Systems of organizational fire personnel accountability should be established and well utilized from the initial stages and proceed throughout the period of fire incident management. This is very crucial when considered in terms of the number of personnel involved in any fire fighting management process. It is also expected that organizational fire preparedness should conform to the set standards fire fighting departments in terms of accountability and control systems. All organizations should have very high levels of fire fighting preparedness hence drills should be carried out from time to time to ensure that there is familiarity with roles and responsibilities amongst various departments of an organization. Fire protection services therefore require high level of management between members of an organization and fire fighters. The paper therefore discusses organizational fire management procedures. Recognition of hazardous potential of fire According to Brenner (2011), the organizational pre-fire plans should in essence take note that depending on the course of the fire, there may be production of numerous pollutants. Even though such pollutants may not necessarily be toxic, they should be regarded as potentially dangerous. Since all fire safety plans recommended that building and factory fires be classified as containing hazardous materials, the pre-fire fighting plans should therefore call for precautions for first-responder and subsequent activation of organizational resources and personnel. The first respondents should therefore determine the existence of threats to human safety. Firefighting staff should maintain a safe distance from the fire scene as toxic plume may be blown by wind and get inhaled in the line of duty. First people to respond to building fires should assess the potential dangers of environmental exposures as well as other complications. The incident manager should comprehensively make a tour of the perimeter of the site so as to view all possible angles of the fire, determine the exact location and rate of the spread of fire as well as the location of exposures. It is such initial surveys that will establish whether there are any individuals injured or if any personality is in danger. Nearby commercial buildings, residential homes, or public places should be the first priority for evacuation missions, but this largely depends on the quantity and direction of the plume. As a precautionary measure too, any area that is likely to come into contact with direct smoke should as well be evacuated. Transportation routes leading to the affected area should be closed by the fire fighting personnel so as to facilitate smooth flow of operations and prevent incidences such as loss of life and looting (Fire Safety and Fire Extinguishers, 2012). Recognition of the fire as a dangerous incident The scene of fire should be approached and classified as a dangerous and a hazardous material incident. During the period of size-up the incident team leader should determine the intensity of the fire taking into consideration the possible sources of fuel. He/she should be able to estimate the rate of fire spread so as to make appropriate decisions regarding management and containment of fire. The size-up period provides the fire fighting commander with ample time to determine the possible accessibility of the fire sections and if need be decide on creation of additional access points. After addressing life safety priorities, the second most priority of the fire department is conservation of property. The fire fighting commander should take note of the exact location and types of exposures during the initial assessment. Buildings, utilities and equipment that are in close proximity of the fire should be appropriately protected through direct application of water so as to minimize the effect of radiant heat from the burning materials. In case there are many exposures then the team leader should prioritize their significance during size-up. Assessment of exposures should encompass the possible existence of hazardous materials, heavy fire loads and critical fire fighting equipment which includes water supply pumps. The proximity of utilities both overhead and below-grade should be accessed during size up. Service interruptions become a priority, but consideration should be accorded to the effect of such interruptions on the existing systems of fire protection. Immediate environmental safety concerns The proximity of wild lands, forested areas, bodies of water and similar natural boundaries should be noted by the incident commander during size-up. Given the nature of the location of the fire outbreak, and in this case an organization, the chances for fire spread into other areas are often very high. It should therefore be a priority of the team commander to consider the nature and location of fire in order to mount the appropriate equipment to fight it. In case the fire is overwhelming, additional resources should be solicited in earnest to avoid widespread. The significant concern is the potential of polluting the natural resources and it should be appropriately addressed during size-up. If need be then emergency efforts should be mobilized to contain any pollution. The fire fighting leader should fully understand the potential environmental impacts of the fire and consequently notify the appropriate authorities as stipulated by the pre-fire programs. It is also the work of the fire commander to make sure that there is inclusion of the need for additional fire fighting resources are included in the size-up report. The timely notification of concerned agencies as contained in the Pre-Fire Plans facilitate the timely placement of such bodies into the fire fighting command structure and participation in the fire incident. The initial size-up report should be well communicated by the team commander to enable other responding units to comprehensively understand the extent of the incident. The report should therefore include description of the incident, safety concerns, and declaration of strategy as well as location of the emergency response post amongst others (The Prevention & Management of Scrap Tire Fires, 2012). The essence of establishing control The organization and incident managers should develop at a speed that is way a head of the professional deployment of firefighting personnel and resources. As a necessary measure of managing a major fire incident, the fire fighting commander should be able to control, direct, and precisely track the functions and functions of all agencies involved in the operation. The most effective tool in fire management is an intact command structure that an incident team leader can effectively use to contain a major fire outbreak. The command structure come in handy for the incident commander for it is useful in establishing objectives of the incident, developing appropriate action plans, determining the best strategy, predicting the results as well as continual sizing-up of the incident and amending operational plans. Incident management The scene of fire commander should map out the tactical responsibilities of the fire incident with the emergency response team of the organization. In many fire incidences, experience has demonstrated that sectoring of the following functions from the earliest possible stages is very vital: Constant supply of water Well coordinated communications and information Appropriate resources and materials Health and safety of the fire fighting personnel and the public Conservation of the environment Suppression of fire It is important to establish a command post with appropriate facilities such as radio and telephone communications. Accountability measures of the command post should be adequately monitored. The post should therefore have easy accessibility irrespective of its location. The command post should be located out of the way but relatively close to the incident to enable the incident commander to have a good view of the operations. However, the commander should be prepared to shift the post if there is shift in the direction of wind that may expose the fire fighters to the hazardous products and materials of combustion (Wordpress.com, 2010). Development of incident communications It is very important to the success of firefighting operation that the incident commander oversees the establishment of an effective system in earnest for timely utilization by the personnel. Highly portable mobile communication gadgets with reliable frequencies come in handy during such periods of emergency response in providing effective and reliable means of communications while other equipment such as fixed telephone are vital for management of information as well as contacting other agencies. In a fire incident, the communication system should match the system of command so that there is timely response in managing the incident. Personnel engaged in fire fighting and any other potentially hazardous undertakings should be in the state of direct communication with operating outside of the incident area, as mandated for by the fire accountability system of the personnel department. Outside agencies and aid providing organizations should be incorporated in the structure of communications as required based on their system of deployment within the existing system of command. For purposes of clarity, radio communications should be carried out in a well articulated and a clear dialogue as opposed to coded language that can be a source of dangerous confusion. The communications manager and the fire fighting commander should be adequately prepared to expand the system of communication as the incident grows in magnitude (NFPA 1600, 2007). Conclusion Fire departments are very critical the world over in protecting people and the environment through emergency response to control escape of hazardous materials. It is important for organizations and the general public to consider any fire incident as potentially harmful for it may contain hazardous materials that may contaminate the environment. In all stages of fire fighting operations, environmental protection officials should significantly be involved especially in emergency operations and planning since their expert advice may reinforce the command system of the incident commanders for the overall management of the fire. The overall success of firefighting depends on the level of organization of a given fire department thus proper management of an incident stretches from the safety of the fire fighters, the public, environment and management of the operations. Effective organizational fire management calls for acknowledging the significance as well as reality of organization fire, thus to operate under the pretence that organizational fire incidences is non-existent and if it may exist, can be quickly eliminated is a fallacy.   References Brenner, R (2011). Organizational Firefighting. Web. 2 April 2, 2012 from http://www.chacocanyon.com/essays/firefighting.shtml Fire Safety and Fire Extinguishers. Web. 2 April 2, 2012 from http://www.ilpi.com/safety/extinguishers.html NFPA 1600 (2007), Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs. Web. 2 April 2, 2012 from http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/pdf/nfpa1600.pdf Organizational common sense and wildland firefighting (2010). Web. 2 April 2, 2012 from http://orgtheory.wordpress.com/2010/01/30/organizational-common-sense-and-wildland- firefighting/ The Prevention & Management of Scrap Tire Fires. Web. 2 April 2, 2012 from http://www.rma.org/scrap_tires/scrap_tires_and_the_environment/fire_prevention.pdf Read More