By Raul A. Angulo
Do your firefighters know what goes into your decision for fire attack? It's more than just "put the wet stuff on the red stuff"—you have to have a strategy and a plan. If the fire chief came up to you at your next fire and asked "IC, what's your strategy and your plan?" what would you say? Be honest. Up until 10 years ago, I would have frozen with a blank stare on my face. My strategy? My plan? The fact is, many times companies show up at a fire and go into action with no plan at all. Everything is shoot from the hip, everyone is playing "catch up," and the fire ends up running the incident.
Seattle (WA) Fire Department Deputy Chief (Ret.) Stewart E. Rose, who helped develop the original National Fire Academy Managing Company Tactical Operations, expanded the concept to formulate a Quick Action Plan (QAP) that includes conducting a risk-benefit analysis, identifying problems, developing strategy and tactics to solve those problems, and assigning teams to accomplish those strategies. The QAP becomes the dynamic foundation for a workable firefighter accountability system.
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