Volunteer Firefighting SOGs and SOPs

Every department needs to have a document with the rules governing the department, and no matter whether you call it bylaws or a constitution, the principles are the same.  

As I sit here in the cold, rainy, unpredictable weather of Connecticut, I cannot help but look forward to the next ‘Cruisin for Solutions’… We had a great week of fun and sun, oh yeah, and we learned quite a bit from each other.  

Volunteer fire departments by nature have good times and bad. We have times when we pack the truck like a clown car, and times when we respond with just a driver. Often, our lean times are during daylight hours, which also tend to be our busiest times.  

With all the dangers we face daily as volunteers, it really saddens me to see line of duty deaths responding to, or from an incident. We always believe that it may be the fire that is going to get us, when to often motor vehicle incidents claim the lives of our brethren.  

Today’s vehicles pose many new dangers for First Responders.   

  

Helicopter was summoned because one of the "mechanisms" of the accident suggested a probability of serious injury of more than 20%  

You go to a fire in a garden apartment. You have fire showing from the terrace level with extension to the floor above. The chief tells you, "Engine One, you are the Division One Supervisor. You have Engine Two and Truck One in the division with you." You acknowledge the transmission and then get to work stretching a line. What did you just say yes to?  

The firefighter fell from a bridge after losing balance; the NIOSH fatality report makes scene lighting recommendations  

  

Layoffs of 16 firefighters and seven paramedics could triple EMS response times; overburdened firefighters face greater risk at fires  

Two firefighters were not wearing face pieces at the time of their deaths in a mobile home fire; SCBA did not have PASS devices  

  

He was operating an aerial ladder platform when his head was pinned between the top of the station bay door and the platform railing  

The bus also struck several emergency cones and an apparatus parked at the scene; the report highlights upstream traffic control  

Crews struggled to locate a trapped firefighter; more than an hour and a half passed before they realized another was missing  

  

Firefighters used a positive pressure ventilation fan and should have asked the utility company to immediately cut power, investigators say  

Firefighters acting without their full crew and accountability problems contributed to the deaths of two Buffalo firefighters, a report found  

Two firefighters were killed during interior operations; investigators found a complete 360 degree size-up was not conducted early  

  

  

A girl died after paramedics refused to take her to the hospital in the first of two visits to her home after she had breathing problems  

Two firefighters were killed and 115 firefighters suffered a variety of injuries in the 2007 fire; no water supply for over an hour  

  

  

Three firefighters were injured at a house fire; the first citation is for the lack of an accountability system for tracking firefighters  

Investigators say crews failed to recognize signs of an imminent flashover; firefighters were between the fire and ventilation points  

  

A few columns ago I wrote about the National Incident Management System (NIMS). It was the most polarizing article that I have ever written. But I think most people missed my point about NIMS. Using four "problems" I seek to clarify my position on the system.  

An overhang collapsed and trapped a firefighter in San Francisco, leaving him with burns and a broken leg  

  

The chief was killed when the vintage 1960's off-road vehicle he was driving rolled down a steep slope, pinning him  

A Prince George's County investigation found he frantically searched for an exit and removed his PPE without issuing a mayday  

Firefighter John B. Glaser died May 22 last year inside a burning home when he removed his SCBA to clear vomit from the equipment  

I'll be honest. When I was on a fire company (as a firefighter or company officer) I never liked being assigned as the Rapid Intervention Team (RIT). It was always more "fun" to be part of a search crew, fire attack team, or ventilation group.   

Instead of trying to determine frequency and severity of uncertain situations, we should choose pre-determined courses of action and then engage in serious and continuous self-critique.  

  

Keeping communication open lets you know if your plan is being carried out, and if it's having the impact you're hoping for.  

  

The silo exploded and killed an assistant fire chief after he closed hatches at the top of the structure  

Firefighters have said they did not enter the water because they were not certified to carry out water-land rescues  

Firefighter Christopher Wheatly died last year when he fell 53 feet from a fire escape ladder while responding to a restaurant fire  

A NIOSH report says an incident safety officer and rapid intervention team weren't readily available at the scene  

On her way back from a call, an 18-year-old firefighter lost control, overcorrected and crashed a 28,000 pound tanker  

Firefighters Josh Burch and Brett Fulton were killed while fighting the Blue Ribbon Fire on June 20  

Two firefighters were killed and 19 others injured when a bowstring truss roof collapsed at an abandoned structure  

Use of traditional fire suppression tactics and the unrecognized presence of combustible metals factored into the explosion  

We've had a lot of discussion on the FireRescue1 website lately about proper PPE use in various fire scenarios. But to me, that's not the central question in this video. The bigger question is why we (as a service, and I've done it too) place ourselves at substantial risk to save burning vehicles in the first place?  

How seriously do you value your firefighters? If you have an elite RIT that trains for multiple scenarios, and is made up of the department's best, then you can probably answer in a positive manner.  

If you have a railroad in your jurisdiction, when was the last time you received training on railcar emergencies or exercised a scenario like this one?  

Dr. Stefan Svensson gave a damning indictment of safety within the U.S fire service four years ago, and this year had a follow-up  

  

Two captains entered the burning structure with an uncharged hose line and became disoriented after running low on air