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FIVE MINUTES IN THE STREET: The 360 Degree Success
The dynamic management of risk is all about effective, informed and decisive decision making during all phases of an incident. The definition of a dynamic risk assessment is: “The continuous process of identifying hazards, assessing risk, taking action to eliminate or reduce risk, monitoring and reviewing, in the rapidly changing circumstances of an Operational incident.”
The fireground often has competing or conflicting incident priorities, demands or distractions before a complete appreciation of all mission critical or essential information and data has been obtained. The effective assessment of the incident scene is much more than the three-sided size-up methodology of past fireground practices. In fact the term size-up doesn't align with the newest directions in firefighter safety and incident command management.
The 360 degree assessment has become the generally accepted standard from which risk assessment is performed and incident action plans derived. The fact that many LODD case studies and reports repeatedly indicate the lack of an effective 360 degree assessment of the incident scene where structural fire engagement is being initiated was a contributing factor or may have contributed to a different incident outcome. The Prince Williams County, VA LODD Report from the April 16, 2007 Marsh Overlook fire that claimed the life of Firefighter Kyle Wilson is attached to reinforce one aspect of effective dynamic risk assessment, by operating companies and personnel.
The questions in the street today are:
Are you using a 360 Degree concept in your strategies and tactics? If not, Why?
What practices and methods are you using as a Commanding Officer or Company Officer to perform a 360 degree assessment of the incident scene and building at a structure fire?
What are some of the key elements and factors that you are looking for?
What’s worked and what hasn’t?
Give us any lessons learned or events that paid off or could have gone differently had a 360 not be performed?
Remember: All command and supervisory personal and operating companies must be able to recognize and appreciate the risks which are present at an incident in order to carry out an effective dynamic risk assessment. The 360 Degree assessment is a mission critical element for effective and safety incident operations.
Don’t for one minute think, it takes too long to perform or that you don’t have time to conduct, especially from a company officer perspective when your deploying tactical assignments. That extra minute to conduct a 360 may make all the difference in the world…..
- Attachments:
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LODDReport.pdf, 9.2 MB -
LODDReportPresentation.pdf, 320 KB
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by John on
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I visualize all 4 sides u/a, but don't do a true walk around 360. In most cases our engine pulls just past the house, so as I'm arriving I view 3 sides. If we have a working fire or heavy smoke showing my crew knows which line to pull without needing to be told, so I leave them to flake out the line while I proceed to the rear of the house.
Which side I walk down depends on what I've seen from the road/front yard. If possible I walk down the driveway side since a high percentage of our homes have a side door that opens to the driveway. This way I can check that door for possible entry or barricade. If the fire/smoke is blowing out the opposite side I walk down that side to the rear so I can gauge fire location and progression better. I then visualize the rear of the structure paying attention to any doors that might give me access to the home.
I personally look for 3 main things. First, where is the fire and extension probability. Second, where are the entry points, are they barricaded (bars/plywood that may slow entry time), and which one gets me closest to the fire the quickest. As a side note, I understand the theory of always approacing from the unburned side. I have also found that quite frequently our entry point from the unburned side is barred or barricaded and would take extra time to enter from. This necessitates approaching from the burned side. Ideal no, but in most cases its quicker and more effective. I understand this may not be your departments SOP or common practices. It's just what our style, opinion, and experience is. Third, I look for porch roofs. If I know that there is a front porch and I need to bail from a second story I can head to the front (side 1) and bail out a window onto the porch roof. Same applies for a rear porch roof egress option. I'd much rather bail out a second floor window onto a porch roof than bail out a window without a ladder.
The biggest challenges I've found that have prevented me from getting a good visual on all four sides have been fences, garages, pit bulls on flimsy looking chains, and downed power lines.
While I don't do a true 360 by physically walking, I do a 360 visually. This has worked for me in most instances, but it may not work for the next guy. I'm always open to tweak my style to hopefully improve as an officer. If this style doesn't work for you, fine, discover what works for you/your department style and do it.
Lt.
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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
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A 360-degree size-up and recon sweep is standard at my department.
It is a standard practice at fires, extrications, and other incident types including alarm system activation and sprinkler water flows.
There are some situations where the 360 either can't be completed or it can't be completed quickly.
If the structure is so large that it would take several minutes to complete the 360, it's probably not going to be completed quickly as a practical matter. Ditto for yards with vicious animals, large obstructions like fences, hedges, or unpassable terrain like lagoons and marshy or swampy areas that are common in the Low Country.
If there are exposures close to the fire building, it may be necessary to broaden the 360 to include the exposures. It's a bad idea to walk a 4 or 6 foot alley between buildings with fire from one building licking the exposure immediately overhead.
If the first-arriving officer can't complete the 360, it is usually delegated to a later-arriving officer. On working incidents, we normally assign the Safety Officer to make frequent secondary 360's as well as assigning a Division C officer so that we keep an experienced set of eyes on the rear of the fire or other incident.
Not completing a 360 gives you a blind spot in strategy and tactics development and in incident safety.
Sometimes it's unavoidable, but we need to complete it whenever we can.
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Permalink Reply by Reg Mathis on
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Just a note to point out that, also included in the 360, you should locate the gas shutoff and power meter.
TCSS
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Permalink Reply by Christopher J. Naum, SFPE on
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Great responses guys...I appreciate the shared insights thus far. One interesting note that I'd like to latch onto...and that's related to incomplete 360's. As Chief Waller stated in his post; "Not completing a 360 gives you a blind spot in strategy and tactics development and in incident safety". This becomes a potential liability when formulating your IAP, based upon your limited tour (180 or 270 etc.) around the structure.
Let me also ask this for consideration: How do you overcome limited 360 tours and resulting information-recon deficit, based upon obstructions and physical barriers?
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That's not always possible, due to overgrowth of bushes and other landscaping at single-family dwelling fires. It also can be a problem on multiple occupancies where there are numerous gas and electrical connections, internal courtyards that aren't accessible from the outside when you do the 360, etc.
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The best way to overcome a limited 360 is to get a complete one as soon as you get the manpower to complete it.
Failing that, getting a look from both sides of a barrier that prevented the 360 helps, as does positioning officers at the B-C and C-D corners to get a two-sided look at an obstructed Division C, or even positioning an officer on an aerial ladder across an obstructed Side C are some options to remedy the problem.
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