By Curtis Rice
To say that there have been many new developments in the science of firefighting in the past few years would be an understatement. It is crucial that we all understand the modern fuel load and its effect on our operations. Moreover, the importance of a complete 360° walk-around (360°) cannot be stressed enough. Yet, lessons learned, close calls, and line-of-duty death (LODD) reports cited in articles, podcasts, and post-incident analysis reports often show that the size-up is incomplete or missing. A 360° may not be possible or practical at every fire because of fences or the dimensions of a building; however, the first-arriving company officer should transmit as a benchmark whether a 360° has been completed or not.
传播建议,360°completed informs responding companies and chief officers of two critical considerations: (1) operations are beginning with incomplete information, and (2) a subsequent arriving company has to perform the 360°. Because every firefighter can’t do a complete walk-around, we teach our firefighters, when possible, to drive past the structure on arrival on scene so they can see at least three sides before exiting their apparatus.
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