Author’s Note: In light of the many serious discussions lately, I felt that it was time to lighten it up a bit. Please take this in the spirit that it is given.

Chief: The President of the fire board wants a new fire protection plan for the fire district.

AC: But, there’s nothing wrong with the old plan.

Chief: Yeah, but he says that it doesn’t go far enough to cover all the citizens in the district, especially the unincorporated residents. So, we have to do our duty to secure his place in the annuls of fire district history.

AC: So, it’s up to us to convince at least two-thirds of the department that something they haven’t seen yet will somehow be better for them?

Chief: Exactly.

AC: We will have to raise taxes, reduce services, limit coverage and negotiate better pricing from suppliers. Some districts have already lost their coverage or are operating on a shoestring. I think costs might skyrocket for existing departments and their consumers.

Chief: Don’t worry about it. Talk to them. Maybe they will want to opt in with us. We could charge them, which would hold down our costs and besides; we have four years to get this done. Meanwhile, we will be collecting the tax on it now and for the next four years to pay for the new plan.

AC: So, we’re going to be collecting money on a plan that isn’t in place now, but will be four years from now?

Chief: Go Skippy, but we have to get the new plan passed now! We continue under the old plan for now, but we have to get a commitment on the new plan.

AC: Well, we ARE the two most powerful people on the department, so we should be able to twist some arms. No; that might leave a mark. We’ll bribe them instead.

Chief: Let’s say “persuade”. “Bribe” sounds too…you know; dishonest! Call a meeting and tell them what the President wants. Have it catered. Pay for it out of the fund marked “Blago”. I have to go and check the climate. I’ll be back in a week. Make it happen or else…

AC: Roger that. Enjoy your ski trip.

Later, while the children slept and democracy wept…

AC: OK; let’s call this meeting to order, so that we can vote on the new plan that our President of the board wants. I’d like to see a show of hands of those who support it.

Tom Terrific: Uh, Harry? We haven’t heard anything about the plan. Is there something we can read? Anything about it on C-Span? How can we vote on something that we don’t know anything about?

AC: We do that all the time. Look; this is purely hypothetical; you know; an abstract. I thought I emailed everyone. You should have seen it. OK; show of hands…

Made Mary: Excuse me, Harry, but my moral conscience won’t allow me to do this.

AC: Morals have nothing to do with it! It’s about TEAM. You chose your side when you joined the department. Who said that this is a democracy?

Big Ben: You’ve always said that the fire house ISN’T a democracy!

AC: Precisely, so let’s see those hands…need two-thirds.

Tricky Dick: Harry; just so this isn’t a complete waste of time could you rough something out with regards to a plan?

AC: What? You bunch of sissies act like you don’t trust me. You’re still sore because I didn’t get your club memberships into the last budget, aren’t you?

Well, hell! OK; here’s some thoughts and we’re just spitballin’ here. We’ll increase the fees on the young ones, because they will be paying in longer, but in the end, will get less back. Plus, if it gets too expensive for them, they could work two jobs. They need to burn off all of that Red Bull that they drink anyway. We’ll limit what the older ones get to do, but we’ll raise their rates and tell them that it’s going into a pension fund. What we WON’T tell them is that they can’t collect until they’re 85. We’ll also push the public option on them. That’s right; they’ll get to do all of the public stuff like inspections, fire prevention at the schools and my favorite; pulling the trucks outside and washing them in full view of the public. Besides; what’s their options? OK; get those hands up…

Little Joe: Harry; you can forget my vote. I cannot support anything with a public option that is so public. I think that the pension language as written is appropriate, but the board should limit their involvement in the plan.

Meanwhile…

Chief: How’s it going, Harry?

AC: Damn; I’m three votes short of having the majority.

Chief: Who can we turn?

AC: I’d say Mary, Ben and Joe. Leave it to me.

Made Mary: Harry; it isn’t going to work. I have to think about my friends on this department. I told them that I would always put them first. My word is my bond. I am strong; I’m invincible…

AC: I get it. We need an administrative assistant. You get a hybrid car, a laptop, I-Phone and it pays $40,000 a year for work you’ll never do.

Made Mary: DONE!

AC: Buy your friends something nice.

Little Joe: Harry; about that public option…

AC: Joe; you know that you love getting up in front of crowds and speaking to them about your independent style. You’re the hold out; you want me to beg? OK; I’m begging. We’ll take out most of the public option. Inspections stay in because I plan on raising inspection fees to help reduce the deficit. Can you live with that, you bug-eyed chameleon?

Little Joe: See; that wasn’t so hard was it? Compromise, Harry; give and take. But, according to my math, you are still one vote short and I must say that I’m a little disappointed that I am not playing to role of spoiler this time. No rock star sex for me!

AC: I just threw up a little in my mouth. Sit down, Joe and quit pretending that the recycle bin is a podium.

Big Ben: Harry; this plan as you describe it sounds like an abortion and I cannot support it.

AC: How about I limit the choices to your choices, fund them through a satellite agency, hire SEIU to deal with the protesters and have your kid mow the lawn for us?

Big Ben: We don’t have any grass…ah hah; I get it! But, I already know Mary’s deal and Joe sold out too cheaply. I have my pride. My friends are telling me to “kill this bill”. Unless the language in this plan includes certain exemptions, I cannot support it.

AC: I see. I’ll only offer this once. You get Mary’s deal, plus free beer for a year and a Hooters gift card.

Big Ben: I always liked you, Harry. Count me in.

Chief: Well, Harry; how’d we do?

AC: Chief Pelosi, you can tell Barry that he’ll have his plan by Christmas.

Chief: Well done, Assistant Chief Harry Reid. Well done.

Ha, Ha, Ha; Merry Christmas.

TCSS.

Art

This article is protected under federal copyright laws and cannot be re-produced in any form without the expressed written permission of Art Goodrich aka ChiefReason. This article appears under The Adventures of Jake and Vinnie© umbrella.

Visit www.chiefreasonart.com on www.fireemsblogs.com.

Since there has been a lot of discussion lately on firefighter safety and risk assessment, I thought it presented a golden opportunity to take it a step further and use this medium in a constructive manner.

So, I would like to use your expertise for developing a living, breathing document that anyone could take back to their department and use.

I have the start of what I feel can be improved upon by those who reply. With each reply, we will either cut content or add content. I will edit the article to reflect the changes and in the end, we will have a risk assessment plan that we can all be proud of.

So, how about it? Do you have something to add?

Then, let’s go!

Your Fire Department’s Risk Assessment Plan

(Insert Number) – Structural Firefighting: Rules of Engagement

• All structural fire fighting operations involve an inherent level of risk to firefighters.
• The exposure of fire fighters to an elevated level of risk is acceptable only in situations where there is a realistic potential to save known endangered lives.
• All feasible measures shall be taken to limit or avoid these risks through risk assessment and application of safety policies and procedures.
• No property is worth the life of a fire fighter.
• No risk to the safety of fire fighters is acceptable in situations where there is no possibility to save lives or property.
• Fire fighters shall not be committed to interior, offensive firefighting operations in buildings that are known or reasonably believed to be vacant or unoccupied.
• The following guidelines are to help determine what is an acceptable risk.

(Insert Number) – Acceptable Risk Defined

• A basic level of risk is recognized as a measured and controlled effort that is employed to save lives and property.
• These risks are not acceptable in situations where there is no potential to save lives or property.
• A higher level of risk is acceptable only when there is a realistic potential to save lives.
• This elevated risk must be limited to operations that are specifically directed toward rescue and when there is a realistic potential to save the person(s) that are in danger.

(Insert Number) – Risk Assessment Plan: Preface

Following the preface, there will be guidelines to determine how much risk is acceptable at a structure fire incident.

 A major component of the process is utilizing the Pre-Incident Plan information.  Anyone reasonably expected to respond, including mutual aid companies and the officer-in-charge should review the information as part of the risk assessment.

Mutual aid companies will be furnished with Pre-Incident Plans and if requested, upon arrival will report in, confer with the Incident Commander, conduct a risk assessment and  communicate the information to the Incident Commander before engaging in any assigned duties.

Offensive attacks will commence only when lives are at high risk or if the overall risk for protecting property is in our favor.

THERE ARE NO STRUCTURES WORTH THE LIFE OF A FIREFIGHTER!

Therefore; aggressive, interior firefighting will be deployed only after a sound size up and risk assessment has identified type of building construction and life safety threats.

As part of the initial size up and risk assessment, ventilation will be a tactical priority if the decision is made to initiate an aggressive, interior attack.

In addition, sound strategy and tactics with safety as the determining factor will lead our efforts.

Otherwise, a defensive attack will be made outside the structure with attention towards protecting exposures.

It is important to know that once the fire has extended to a level that it is no longer safe for interior firefighting, an evacuation command will be given. All crews will remain together and exit the structure immediately upon hearing the command.

Unnecessary risk will never be acceptable. Officers will not put saving property above the safety of their crews. Unacceptable risk is just that; unacceptable.

Where risk cannot be completely eliminated, the goal will be to minimize it as much as is practical.

Once the decision to go interior is made, the first in crew shall not advance beyond the safe zone of five (5) feet without conducting an interior size up and conveying the information back to the Incident Commander (IC).

Upon leaving the safe zone to advance the interior attack, the interior officer-in-charge must conduct ongoing interior size ups and report changes in conditions to the Incident Commander (IC), who may determine from that information to discontinue with interior tactics.

A combination of experience, training and education will be the foundation for making good decisions.

Everyone from the firefighter up to the chief MUST COMMIT to improving their training and education, with the end goal of going home after the shift without serious injury.

We owe that to our families, our fellow firefighters, our community and ourselves.

(Insert Number) – Risk Assessment Plan

•  It is the responsibility of the Incident Commander (IC) to evaluate the level of risk in every situation. This risk evaluation shall include an assessment of the presence, survivability and potential to rescue occupants. When there is no potential to save lives, firefighters shall not commit to operations that present an elevated level of risk.
• An incident command system (ICS) shall be established, beginning with the first, arriving crew at the scene of every incident. The Incident Commander must conduct the initial risk assessment to determine the risk to fire fighters. The initial risk assessment will determine the strategy and tactics to be deployed.
• The responsibility for risk assessment is a continuous process for the duration of each incident. The Incident Commander shall continue to monitor conditions to determine if the level of risk has changed and a change in strategy or tactics is necessary.
• The incident commander shall assign one or more safety officers to monitor and evaluate conditions to support the risk assessment plan.
• If the Incident Commander does not assign a safety officer, then the IC shall be responsible for performing these duties.
• At a minimum the risk analysis for a structure fire shall consider:

  Building Characteristics

• Construction type and size.
• Condition of structure.
• Occupancy and contents.

Fire Factors

•  Location and extent of the fire.
• Estimated time of involvement.
• What the smoke is telling us.

Risk to Building Occupants

• Known or probable occupants.
• Occupant survival assessment.

Fire fighting Capabilities

• Available resources.
• Operational capabilities and limitation.