SCENARIO 1. AN ENGINE IS dispatched to a basement fire in a two-story, balloon-frame house. How is this fire likely to progress? How is this determined? In this case, the fire officer understands the environment the building is in, the likely occupancy including the associated life safety considerations, the building, and the fire’s behavior. Based on this information, the officer develops and implements an incident action plan (IAP).
Scenario 2. An engine is dispatched to a leaking box trailer parked at the local interstate truck stop. A white-over-black placard with the number 1789 is displayed on the side of the truck, and a leak of 60 drops per minute is observed in the area of the rear doors. How is this incident likely to progress? How is this determined?
In any incident, the initial actions taken ultimately set the stage for the successful resolution of the problem. For common incidents such as motor vehicle collisions and structure fires, most fire department personnel are familiar with the appropriate incident size-up, determining the need for additional resources, and IAP. Since hazardous materials incidents are not as common, properly recognizing and assessing the situation are often more problematic.
If you are a current subscriber,login hereto access this content.
If you would like to become a subscriber, please visit ushere.
