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NEAR-MISS REPORT

Good incident safety officers must have the right mix of experience, training, dedication & confidence

By Battalion Chief John B. Tippett Jr.

A dedicated incident safety officer (ISO) provides several critical functions on the fireground and other emergency scenes:

• Staying alert for events that may cause injury that occur during the action periods of an emergency.
• Providing the incident commander (IC) with real-time reports from multiple locations on scene. This helps fill the information vacuum in which ICs operate as they try to manage the scene and avoid surprises.
• Serving as a sounding board when it’s not immediately clear how to approach a situation. The safety officer isn’t invested in the fire combat or rescue operation in the same way as the crew is. A working crew can become fixated on their assignment and lose sight of the larger-scale risk involved in incident mitigation, whereas a properly trained ISO is detached from such task fixation.
• Serving as an objective evaluator of the department’s performance at emergency scenes.

Many departments fill the safety function by putting all officers through safety officer training and then “checking that box.” The philosophy that “Everyone is a safety officer” may seem like a good idea, but it lacks practical application for the same reasons that not all people are wired to operate an engine or be a fire chief.

Additionally, this position should not be viewed as a “parking spot” for members biding time until retirement or seeking a less demanding position. The role of the ISO can be filled successfully on a short-term basis by officers with minimum safety training, but the truly effective ISO has an equal mix of experience, training, dedication, confidence and enthusiasm for the job.

Following is one example of a department that had an ISO with the right skills in the right place at the right time. For the full report, visit www.firefighter nearmiss.com and search for Report No. 08-446.

EVENT NARRATIVE
“We received report of a structure fire at approximately 0800 HRS. The chief, first engine company and safety officer arrived at approximately the same time. Fire was coming from the rear of a one-story, wood-frame house. The IC established a command post, the safety officer was making a 360, and the engine crew was initiating an offensive attack through the unburned side of the structure.

“As the safety officer was making his assessment, he noticed that the fire was rolling back into the gable on the rear of the structure. Further, he noticed the color and the ‘weight’ of the smoke, which was dark gray, very heavy and curling back into the structure. He made his report to command and suggested that the members be withdrawn due to the possibility of a flashover.

“Simultaneously, members had advanced the attack line into the structure and had gone from a standing position to crawling on their knees and were experiencing extreme heat. The captain told the firefighters that it was not ‘right’ in the structure and told them to withdraw. This coincided with the IC initiating a defensive fire. The engine crew left the structure.

“As the warning sounded to assume a defensive position, and as the crews were leaving, the structure flashed over. One firefighter received burns to the tips of his fingers, and his facepiece was scorched, but there were no other injuries.”

LESSONS LEARNED
“This incident shows how good communication between command and the safety officer can avert serious injuries at a fire. The captain’s senses were correct and his knowledge of previous fires led him to the right conclusion—that the crew should leave the structure.”

COMMENTS
Although we would be remiss if we didn’t at least acknowledge the good decisions made by the interior captain and the IC, this discussion will concentrate on the benefit of a dedicated ISO.

The speed of fire development often shocks firefighters. By the time interior crews realize they’ve reached the point of no return in the fire-growth timeline, they may not have enough time to get out of the structure. However, the outside, multi-point view of the ISO gives the IC essential information that may not have been relayed, because others on the incident scene are preoccupied with essential tasks.

In this month’s report, the ISO, interior officer and IC reach the decision that it’s “time to go” at about the same time. Not all firefighting crews are as lucky. The dedicated ISO’s eyes and ears, conditioned through a combination of training and experience, help the IC make the decision to withdraw and fight again another day (or just from a different angle).

PREPARATION
• Every fire department should have at least one dedicated ISO.
• The ISO position should be based on NFPA 1521: Standard for Fire Department Safety Officer, as well as assistance from the Fire Department Safety Officers Association.
• Candidates for the ISO position should be experienced, respected department members who are committed to this unique role.
• ISOs should demonstrate their commitment to the roles and responsibilities of the position by maintaining high visibility and involvement at incident scenes.
• ISOs can enhance incident scene working relationships with department members in their actions and activities in non-emergency settings. For example, make an unscheduled visit to a station to schedule a drill, discuss various issues or just eat a meal.

PREVENTION
• Assigning an ISO to the first-alarm assignment ensures the safety position is filled by an individual whose daily focus is on the department’s safety.
• Interim ISOs can be appointed and be used to build out the safety function on the incident scene until the dedicated ISO arrives.
• Departments lacking a dedicated ISO position should consider using an ISO from a neighboring department to fill the position.

CONCLUSION
The dedicated ISO is becoming an increasing fixture in fire departments as the standards, rules, regulations and laws departments are subject to increase. Regardless of the department’s size, activity level or budget, the ISO position in a fire department should be considered as important to the fire department’s mission as the need for an IC on every multi-company working incident. The dynamic nature of today’s incident scene requires a professional who’s dedicated solely to the fire and rescue safety mission. Properly educated, trained and experienced, the ISO enhances the firefighters’ and other emergency responders’ abilities to focus on incident mitigation.

John Tippett is a battalion chief for the Montgomery County (Md.) Fire and Rescue Service and serves as a project manager for the National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System. In 2007, Tippett was awarded the International Society of Fire Service Instructors’ George D. Post Instructor of the Year award.