The size up is the first step an officer or crew performs when they arrive on the scene of an incident, large or small. One key component of the size up is information gathering. The crews inthis week’s featured reportgather lifesaving information during the 360 they conducted.
“We were dispatched to structure fire forty-five minutes before shift change. We had personnel from both shifts on the scene. When we arrived on the scene, we found a restaurant on fire and we did a 360…I noticed several HVAC units on the roof and noted their relation to our entry point. When we entered the building, the visibility was only about three feet. We entered the kitchen and started attacking the fire. A gas line was apparently feeding the fire and we were not making much progress. There was heavy fire underneath the HVAC units, so I advised the crew to move back. We heard the air horn on the engine sound off three times, so we immediately left the building. As we left the building…”
Conducting a swift but comprehensive 360 of a structure or other incident scene is an absolute necessity for making good emergency scene decisions. Some officers will dash around a structure on a dead run so that they can say they conducted a 360, however they would have expended energy better spent elsewhere. Cues about the hazard(s) of the scene need to be noted and registered in the officer’s strategy, tactics, and tasks decisions. A deliberate, focused evaluation of the structure, conditions and resources, at the very least, are essential before operations can actually begin. After you have read the entire account (CLICK HERE), consider the following.
- Do you conduct a 360 on all structure calls (alarms to working fires), and vehicle collisions? Why or why not?
- Who taught you how to conduct a 360? Have any of the factors passed along to you had to change because of today’s fire and emergency incidents?
- Do you consider the 360 the most critical first action upon arrival? Why or why not?
- Are you comfortable letting someone else do the 360 and report back to you or do need to see for yourself?
- Is one 360 enough for incidents? Why or why not?
Has a 360 made a difference on a scene? Let your brothers and sisters know how a 360 made a difference in your service. Submit your report towww.firefighternearmiss.comtoday.
Note: The questions posed by the reviewers are designed to generate discussion and thought in the name of promoting firefighter safety. They are not intended to pass judgment on the actions and performance of individuals in the reports.
