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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 Mike Schlags (Captain Busy) Retd on
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I was first introduced to this concept after teaching a class for the Portland FD in the 80's. Here's how my department adapted the system that currently employs our Passport System...
A total of four (4) tags are kept under the firefighters helmet brim. Why four? It's a given that someone will lose tags, and it's always good to have redundancy. When you come on shift, one tag goes on the passport board that is handled by the first in engineer for the accountability component. A note here... we use mutual aid that would not be covered under a master printout... The tags or clips or whatever, seem to handle documenting who ever shows up at the incident.
One tag is placed on the Captain's door with velcro. The purpose of this is to enable anyone to go to a fire engine, open the door and see who is on the rig. Again, relying on a list wouldn't work because people leave during the shift sometimes and the list would have to be constantly updated...
One tag is given to the Captain and using velcro on the tag, is placed on the portable radio. Why? Well, when you do the highrise thing... the Captain has the Passport Tags all together and can easily hand this to the accountablity officer on scene.
And the fourth tag is an extra, just in case you lose one of the other three...
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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
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Mike,
We do something very similar, with a couple of differences.
We issue six name tags per firefighter.
One for the primary passport on the engine, one for the secondary passport on the engine. Since we cross-staff the medic, we also put one nametag on the medic primary passport and one on the secondary. The other two are spares for when you get moved to another station and forget to take yours, or for Hazmat/COBRA/USAR team deployments, etc. The officers usually carry the primary company passport velcroed to their coat collar, with the backup in the rig. The primary goes to the Command Post with the officer, so there's no 50-meter dash to the rig if it's forgotten.
We also added a local twist to how the names go on the tags. The first name (top of the tag) is the officer. The second name is the FAO (engineer/chauffer) and is carried upside down. The third name is the nozzleman, and the fourth is the hydrantman, for the days when no one is off or moved to another station.
The reason we carry the driver's tag upside down is that if the crew is interior, the upside-down name tag lets the IC know that the driver is outside pumping the engine instead of inside with the crew. That way, if there's a MAYDAY or other need for a PAR, the officer only has to track the crew members that are actually with him.
We identify the apparatus and FAO together, for example: "Engine 1" is the engine and the attached driver. "E1" is the officer and the rest of the crew.
If we have a four-person crew with both operating interior, as with our truckies, it's "Truck 6A"and "Truck 6B".
It took some getting used to, but it's a good system and it works for us.
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Permalink Reply by Bill on
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We do use the passport system on the rig we ride on or assigned to. The tags with the names on them are on velcro and if i am officer for the day I wear the passport under the brim of helmet and hand it to the command officer or division officer upon arrival. If we are first due and go interior, the command officer goes to our engine and grabs the passport from our dashboard. I think it works well with discipline from the officer to follow it. It is policy in our department.
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Permalink Reply by Brian Dumser on
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We do the same thing here, Ben. Except when you go off shift and forget to take your nametag off of the passports in the rig, they're posted on the "wall of shame" for everyone to see until you come back and take it. And yes, mine have been up there a few times!
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If our firefighters forget to remove their name tags from the passports at the end of the shift, their relief just does it for them. We have extra velcro strips near the officer's seat in the apparatus, and all of the off-duty firefighters' name tags are carried there. They're on the rig, just not on the passport.
We also have velcro tabs on the seat pedestal of each riding position for unusded helmet fronts. That way, extra helmet fronts stay on the rig as well.
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