Reading Smoke Conditions and Risk Assessment OPERATIONAL RISK MANAGEMENT

1. Reading Smoke Conditions and Risk AssessmentOPERATIONAL RISK MANAGEMENT

2. TERMINAL OBJECTIVE At the conclusion of this unit, the students will be able to apply risk management principles to emergency operations utilizing smoke analysis.

3. ENABLING OBJECTIVES The students will: • Discuss risk control measures. • Given photographs of an smoke conditions emergency incident and working in small groups, identify immediate risks to responders.

4. ENABLING OBJECTIVES (cont'd) • Given photographs of an smoke conditions emergency incident and working in small groups, forecast potential risks to responders. • Discuss the importance of recognizing low-frequency/high-severity incidents.

5. ENABLING OBJECTIVES (cont'd) • Discuss the difference between pre-emergency and operational risk management. • Given video segments, identify immediate hazards; determine the need and the method to terminate unsafe operations.

6. INTRODUCTION • "Show time" • Pre-emergency risk management done • Fire Chief can't be at every incident • Incident Safety Officer (ISO) can be assigned at the scene

7. THE INCIDENT OFFICER'S ROLE IN EMERGENCY RISK MANAGEMENT • Pre-emergency risk management measures in place • Safety equipment in use • Proper procedures followed • Survey the scene

8. THE INCIDENT OFFICER'S ROLE IN EMERGENCY RISK MANAGEMENT (cont'd) • The Incident Commander (IC) depends on the ISO to monitor smoke conditions and safety. • Not a game.

9. THE INCIDENT OFFICER'S ROLE IN EMERGENCY RISK MANAGEMENT (cont'd) • IC must look for immediate risks and evaluate the scene for potential risks.

10. THE INCIDENT OFFICER'S KNOWLEDGE OF RISKS • Agency procedures • ISO not usually designated beforehand • Rely on training, experience, safety cues, and intuition on what smoke is telling you.

11. FORECASTING • Emergency scenes are dangerous and change rapidly. • IC must monitor immediate risks and situations that may become dangerous. • The IC must forecast risks. • Not 100-percent reliable.

12. STRUCTURAL FORECASTING TOOLS • The features of the fire building • Fire protection systems • Access for fire crews • Egress for crews working on the interior • Construction type • The age of the fire building

13. STRUCTURAL FORECASTING TOOLS (cont'd) • The potential for extension • Amount of fire involvement • Roof hazards • Time • The IC's tactical objectives • The weather

14. SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORECASTING TOOLS • Incident duration--longer • Technical experts • Rescue teams, properly equipped • Time less of a factor • Passage of time may drop guard

15. Smoke Conditions

33. Activity

34. House #1

35. House #2

36. House #3

37. Commercial #1

38. Storage Center

39. House #4

40. Muffler Shop

41. ACCEPTABLE RISKS • Accept risks that would not be acceptable to nonfirefighters • Minimized by training, personal protective equipment (PPE), SOP's, Incident Management System (IMS), and ISO's • Active, written Risk Management Plan

42. RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN • Emergency responders may risk their lives in a calculated manner to save a life. • Emergency responders may place themselves in situations with moderate risk to save property. • Emergency responders will risk nothing to save lives that are already lost or property that already has been destroyed.

43. RISK MANAGEMENT International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC)--The10 Rules of Engagement for Structural Fire fighting and the Acceptability of Risk

44. UNACCEPTABLE RISKS • Clearly unacceptable • Not always cut and dry • IC may not be aware of risk • Situation may have changed quickly

45. SUMMARY • IC is the onscene risk manager • IC background and experience • Immediate risks • Forecasted risks • Communication between ISO and IC