FSTFSR 04-04-2012 INFORMATION #1

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i~v To Rm rr•no+~ ~ Z NQZZLE N. , Fireground "Segregation" Command & chief officers should stick to what they are trained to do Dear Noulehead: We recently had a heated dis- cussion in ourfirehouserelated tothe roles of chiefs and company officers on the Fireground. Some people feel that lieutenants and captains can be very good fire com- mandofficers, and that chiefs should stick to coming out only on the bigfires. Others obviously disagreed. What are yourthoughts about who should be doing what? -I Could Be Commandin' in Connecticut Deaz "I Am Not Letting You Be In Command," Company officers generally have a momentary role in fire wmmand~s the firsaarriving officer, condtuting a size-up while getting their company into position. And that may even mean gttdng a quick knock on the fire while in command. Whoa. UK, now you white- shirted, badges-on-bells, DAYGLOW-vest-wearin chiefs, just calm down and heaz me out. I said the above happens rniaally--and quickly (like first-dale quick). The first-arriving officer does the above when a ryr- tem has been developed to ensure that there will be chief-level officers driving something other than a fire appazatus (like a command vehicle) that has the tools and equipment (writing, tracking and talking stuff) to allow that commander [o command the Cue from, or close to, that vehicle, depending on the situation. I am talking about FIREGROUND SEGREGA- TION here. Ever watch a football game? Notice how the coacHer stay on the sidelines so they can make the decisions? Ever notice how the playerr are doing the actual physical work on the field? Now apply that to the fireground. Bottom line: Keep chiefs and company officers separate-just like in football. Before I go any furtheg let me save "someone" from writing in and saying that they dolt have enough staff- ing Tbrthis. Iknow departments in the most coral areas and the most urban dries, and they do dris. When we fonts on the citizens who are experiencing the fire- and not our egos and selfish wants-we can better see that we can make this happen-we just have to WANT it to happen for the sake of the citizens and out troops who are trying to quickly fix the problem. If your depaztment doesrit have the staffing, use autmatic mutual aid. Automatic means that their tones and your tones go ofF at the same time. h's a simultaneous experience and it is lovely. And that response should include plenty of Brief--level ot&Cers so that the command roler can be filled. So what are these command roles? 7}rinlc about your last fire. In the first few minutes, who was assigned to command, acmumabiliry the "Charlie side;' rescue and/or RIT? Who was the incident safety officer? "]here are the basic command-level roles that should be pazt of any reported structure fire first-alarm assign- ment. Sure, MANY of us (including me) have com- manded fires by ourselves, and it has worked out fine. 'That's because we got lucky. We know that the above roles must be filled if we want to maximize our chances for success. And the people in these positions absolutely MUST have the experience, hazard-zone management TRAINING and cettification necessary. When we take lieutenants and captains out of the apparatus and place [hem in command roles, we create some very predictable and problematic outcomes: • TTtere is now no one in charge of that tympany and crew. Are you thinking right now that you trust your people? Are you drinking that they dont need [o have a captain or lieutenant with them? Fine, then how do you justify the existence of the company officers' jobs? Think! They are specifically needed to operate at a supervisory level with their crew. • You are placing company officers in command-level roles. Are they trained? Certified? Experienced? I appreciate tha[ some sergeants, lieutenants and cap- tains would like to be in command, but a better idea is for them to Focus on being the best company officerr they ran be-and then study for the next test. When chiefs "gip-ftop° roles and company officers "abandori' their crews to fill command-level roles, they can create unnecessary risks and predictably bad outcomes. Only in the rarer[ si[uations are chief-level command officers not available to fill ou[ that first-alarm assign- ment Open up your mind and rnnsider how you can get several command level officers to the scene ro allow companies to do their jobs.. When we get seri- ous about our roles, we often can come up with some real (albeit non-traditional) solutions ro the problems of the people who dialed 9-1-I. It's their fire. What's best for them? ~ Z4 FIRERESCUE MAGArINF ~' FER AUARV 20t2 FIREF IG HTER NAtION.COM