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Who is using the PASSPORT accountability system?
I was introduced to PASSPORT for the first time at academy class last week. It seems simple enough for the individual firefighter but complicated as all get out for the IC, safety officer, etc. Anybody using it and what do you think? Also, where do you keep your tag? We keep ours velcroed under the brim of our helmets.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Thomas J. Cahoon on
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The Passport system has alot of advanges. The accountability tags as we call them allow all personnel to tag up initially on the truck they respond on for full accountabilty. Once the truck is on location the passport itself can be transfer to command by the engineer or officer for a full accountability of manpower on location. If you arrive in your POV then you would tag up with command first thing. We also velcroe 4 tags under the brim of our helmets. The 4 tags allow you flexabilty on location. Once intial accountabilty with command has been established you can then tag up with resourses or operations for assignment on the scene. The whole idea of tagging up is to follow your steps through on scene to make sure of course that you come home on every call. The velcroe on the helmets has been proven throughout the fire service. The tags will not fall off your helmet. Just think for a second not only does command knows your on scene but every area of duty that you have performed allows us to track your every move. Most departments when they adopt this system have of course master accountabilty board set up making it so easy to move manpower from one location to another being velcroed on the board. The passports that hold the tags also velcro on the board but even better they will stick to your helmet or gear so that your officer has a par at all times. Many departments use them for meeting accountabilty for attendance. I personally like the idea myself and have our Explorers (Junior FF's) tag up at ever general meeting and event. The only thing to remember is to make sure you recover your tags. The system is different but does a great job you just have to make sure that your SOG's reinforce the system for usage on every call.
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Permalink Reply by Mick Mayers on
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The PASSPORT system is plenty simple for the firefighter and just as simple, in my experience, for the designated officers. If anything, it gives you a visual cue as to when you are about to exceed your span of control. I have posted several responses to questions on PASSPORT, but will have to look up the links to them later when I have some time.
Our department used varying versions of the clips, tags, etc. for years before accountability was cool (1988 was our first foray into incident accountability, but we have been advocates and users of ICS WAY before a lot of departments, back in 1984). None of the ones we used provides the ease and visual prompts that PASSPORT does. The tags, in fact, I considered a total pain when running a large incident, because I couldn't quickly check against a PAR for the units under my control and it's even worse if you are a division or group sitting out in the field somewhere and not at the CP.
None of this is meant to draw any criticism of other accountaiblity systems; in fact, DOING accountability to me is more important than NOT doing it and whatever works for your department best should be what you use. However, I have been in the business for a long time in the role of incident management and this is one of the best products I have had the experience with in all of those years.
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Permalink Reply by Jason Brooks on
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This is probably one of the easiest systems to use that I have ever seen. We use it at most of the departments in our area. It is easy to move units, personnel or whatever as the incident changes. This can't get much simpler.
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Permalink Reply by Spanner 122 on
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We use this as well, although, one tag, one card. You tag on to the passport, card in to the scene. cards stay on passports at all times until you are coming out of the hot zone. If you are on scene at a larger call and Stage two (or more) accountability has been set up, then you wear your card on the D ring of your helmet when you are not in the hot zone.
We have a dedicated pump to handle accountability, makes it a lot easier for IC and Safety, they can check with accountability at any time to confirm crews are where they should be. We have also added handy-talkies as well as our radios, for better communication and to free up radio traffic when IC needs to speak with Accountability. it works really well... it's good to have more than one set of eyes and hands on the accountability board and gives you a runner to collect passports if need be.
Tags and cards are kept on the passport in the front of the rig when we arrive on shift, taken off when we leave. While we are off, the tags stay on the velcro where the vehicle identifiers would be (when on shift), card goes to the D ring on the back of the helmet.
We run accountability scenarios once a week, Chief likes to make a change to one rig, scratch out your location and give you a new one to make sure the person running the par is on their toes and taking things seriously.
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Permalink Reply by FireRescue51 on
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Hey we use the id card we use to use the velcroed under the helment but i was able to look into gettin the id caard machine and since then the tag hang by a hook on the back of the helment and since we have the new NXG scott air pack they have a sems unit in which each air pack has the pack number velcroed on it and the tag on the pack goes on your id card and the id cards which you have two get hooked on the oic door for the safety officers gets and has them on the ic board.
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Permalink Reply by Brian Dumser on
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My department (Chicagoland area), uses small ID tags that are velcroed unser our helmet brims. We then stick one on each of the two vehicle passports. One goes to the IC and the other stays in the rig.
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Permalink Reply by Doug Vetter on
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Take a look at the Operational Guideline on www.IMSAlliance.com. It will help explain how to use the Passport Accountability System.
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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
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I completely agree with Mick's analysis. I'd add that the PASSPORT system is the best way to quickly assess your span of control. If there are more than seven unit PASSPORTs on your tactical board, you've exceeded the proper span of control, and you need to add a Branch, Division, or Group to reduce the span of control to a manageable level.
The PASSPORT system also lets you add information to the company identifier by simply writing on the tag with a grease pencil. It also gives you a way to quickly make up additional tags at the scene, which doesn't work as well with the dog-leash tag systems.
Still another PASSPORT advantage is that the tags velcro in place on the tactical board or command post board, which lets you write additional unit-specific information next to the tag. The most critical piece of information is the company's entry/on air time. That gives you a pretty good idea of how critical a company is on air if they get into trouble on the interior. Other tag systems don't make it easy to do that.
PASSPORT works in the rain, it works in snow, it works in high wind, it works when the electricity is off.
It is not an electronic bailout notifier like some "accountability" systems, but it tells you where your people actually are and what they're doing...as long as you keep the span of control small enough to be able to track your units.
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Permalink Reply by John Perry on
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We use it, as well as our m/a departments. It works. Look around, get informed, there might be some \thing better out there. Cons; name tag goes missing alot, Helmet id's melt away, Pro's quickly put teams in service, little training required for use{as long as we can remember, to sign out} I Have operated as IC, staging, and on teams, the problem as I see it, is the work sheet or command board. I recommend that you find 1 thats fits your needs, not someone else. Good luck, keep safe John
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Permalink Reply by Dave on
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We use a riding list. When the company officer fills out the shift report and sends it to the district chief the computer makes two copies of who is on the truck for the shift. One copy stays with the officer the other copy stays in the truck. When we go to a multi alarm the driver of the TCU will pick up the riding list from the truck. when the companies clear the scene they have to check out with the TCU and ensure all members are accounted for and pick up the trucks copy of the riding list. Dont get much simpler then that.
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Dave,
PASSPORT uses a primary and a secondary passport. The primary goes to the IC for his command board and the secondary stays in the rig. PASSPORT has all of the benefits of a riding list plus the tactical/command post benefits of physically representing the company and what they're doing right under the IC's nose.
Ben
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