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Collapse Rescue Operations
The section of the building is part of a larger block area extending along the Bravo and Delta sides.
There appears to be a V-shaped collapse of the roof with structural compromise into the third floor. You're advised that there are at least 36 occupants living in the primary structure. The first floor has a commercial establishment (neighborhood Bar & Restaurant), the second and third floors are apartments. There is a debris pile on the sidewalk in front of the structure ( Alpha side). Some occupants are observed self extricating and appearing in the street or in window areas. There is no evidence of any visible fire or smoke at the time of your arrival. What are you going to do?
What is your immediate priority and needs?
What are the first five steps in your Incident Action Plan (IAP)?
Assuming you have a least a first alarm assignment consisting of Three (3) Engine Companies; One (1) Truck Company; One (1) Heavy Rescue Company, the Battalion Chief and a Safety Officer either on scene or enroute;
How will you deploy and utilize your resources?
What will you need?
What are the safety considerations?
How long do you plan to operate at the scene? (Logistics and Planning)
What is the risk profile of the building(s)?
What will change IF a fire abruptly erupts from the rear first floor?
Now get to work…...
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jay Nicholson on
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But you could easily have this in other structures as well. People usually only check their roof drain when hell freezes over. A few times a year I read of a roof collapses due to rain. Doesn't really matter what type of construction you have if a few tons of water are laying on the roof.
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Permalink Reply by Christopher J. Naum, SFPE on
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The point on the rain issue is that it will compound the rescue and extrication operations due to settling water, pooling etc. in area voids and basements. The most significant structural collapse that involved multiple fatalities and operations occured in Brownsville, Texas in July, 1988. An occupied department store with clogged roof drains collapsed... look at USFA USAR Report, (attached) issued in 1992
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FA-123 Brownsville.pdf, 913 KB
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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
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Chris,
I discussed this with Mick and asked him to address further operations at this scene, assuming no fire, multiple heavy entrapments, USAR mutual aid resources, 12-hour operational periods, and establishing an Operations Branch. He's the Deputy Director of SCTF-1, so he's more familiar with long-term USAR ops than am I.
Ben
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Permalink Reply by Sarah Turner on
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This is an excellent post. I just used this as a table top exercise at my station, and I learned some things about our local resources. Always a good thing.
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Sarah,
Tell Brent hello for me. I haven't seen him in a while.
Ben
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Permalink Reply by lutan1 on
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I'm maintaining Single Command. There's no sense in setting up Unified Command - the cops and EMS are important, but except for scene security and patient care/transport, this is primarily a fire-rescue scene. If a fire starts, then it's definately all ours.
May be it's a terminology thing (you guys type with a funny accent!) but I would have thought a unified command is the best way to go for any incident such as this, regaradless of who's scene it is.
Crystal balling this scene gets me thinking that in the initial stages this is a fire and rescue incident, then moving into (maybe in conjunction) a fire and recovery incident, before moving into an overhaul and possibly a crime scene incident or similar. Or something along those lines.
The more we work together, the more we can assist each other in our roles.
From a few different resources:
What is a Unified Command?
Although a single Incident Commander normally handles the command function, an ICS organization
may be expanded into a Unified Command (UC). The UC is a structure that brings together the "Incident
Commanders" of all major organizations involved in the incident in order to coordinate an effective
response while at the same time carrying out their own jurisdictional responsibilities. The UC links the
organizations responding to the incident and provides a forum for these entities to make consensus
decisions. Under the UC, the various jurisdictions and/or agencies and non-government responders may
blend together throughout the operation to create an integrated response team.
The UC is responsible for overall management of the incident. The UC directs incident activities,
including development and implementation of overall objectives and strategies, and approves ordering
and releasing of resources. Members of the UC work together to develop a common set of incident
objectives and strategies, share information, maximize the use of available resources, and enhance the
efficiency of the individual response organizations.
The modular organization of the ICS allows responders to scale their efforts and apply the parts of the
ICS structure that best meet the demands of the incident. In other words, there are no hard and fast rules
for when or how to expand the ICS organization. Many incidents will never require the activation of
Planning, Logistics, or Finance/Administration Sections, while others will require some or all of them to
be established. A major advantage of the ICS organization is the ability to fill only those parts of the
organization that are required. For some incidents, and in some applications, only a few of the
organization’s functional elements may be required. However, if there is a need to expand the
organization, additional positions exist within the ICS framework to meet virtually any need. For
example, in responses involving responders from a single jurisdiction, the ICS establishes an organization
for comprehensive response management. However, when an incident involves more than one agency or
jurisdiction, responders can expand the ICS framework to address a multi-jurisdictional incident.
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Unified Command is implemented when the major incident functions cross agency or functional lines. In this case, the Hazard Zone is primarily a Fire-Rescue responsibility, so no Unified Command is necessary.
If this incident was caused by a terrorist bombing, then it would potentially be a Unified Command situation based on the law enforcement aspects.
In a NIMS Unified Command scenario, you ask three questions for anyone who wants a seat at the Unified Command post table...
1) Do you (as an agency representative) have statutory responsibility to mitigate this incident? That means, "Do you fight fires, perform rescues, perform patient care, or investigate terrorism or crimes? If the answer is "No", then you don't get to be part of Unified Command. That doesn't mean that your contributions aren't important, but you'll be assigned to a Geographic Division, a Functional Group, or to a bring technical advise to Command through the Liaison Officer.
2) Are you willing to be a co-defendant in any lawsuits that may arise? This one sends most potential Unified Commanders screaming for the exits. Unified Command has authority, but the responsibilty and legal liabilities equal that responsibility. It's amazing how many responders want the authority that comes with being in charge, but they think that they can avoid responsibility and/or liability for their decisions and actions. That's simply not the case.
3) Got your checkbook? If you're unwilling or unable to guarantee agency funding in order to help mitigate the incident, then you don't get to make Command decisions as either the Single Commander or as part of a Unified Command body.
In this incident, medical issues are going to be handled either out of the Hazard Zone, or there are going to be a limited number of medical personnel involved in treating entrapped patients. Those people report to the Fire-Rescue commander, because that is who is in charge of overall incident safety. For example, if the structure needs an immediate evacuation, then the rescuers bail out. Medical personnel are taught to NEVER abandon a patient. However, it is not only permitted, but desirable to abandon a patient if it's necessary to save your own life.
If no terrorist act or crime is involved, then the cops are there for traffic control and crowd control Those duties do not take place in the hazard zone, so the police commander doesn't get a Unified Command seat.
This doesn't mean that the EMS and law enforcement duties aren't important - they are. It just means that the hazard zone is the most dangerous and important part of this incident, and the agency head responsible for life safety and hazard mitigation is the one who should be in charge.
NIMS/ICS was designed for large, complex, multi-jurisdiction incidents. Either Single Command or Unified Command can handle these. Point source incidents like a single building collapse don't require a hydra-headed command structure. Large, widespread incidents like Hurricane Katrina are much more appropriate uses of Unified Command.
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Thanks to both of you for taking the time to share your insights and contributions to this discussion....
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Thanks...stay safe
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Thanks for another great reply Ben- maybe it's just different roles at these scenes that makes me think it would work better. For us, Police would be there for any criminal charges and the arson investigation. (Tony P. may be able to help me out a bit more here, but here the fire brigade have Fire Investigators and the Police handle the Arson Investigation), so for me there needs to be a seemless transition through each phase of the job and I would have thought what better way?
For me, I would have thought the sheer scale of the event would also be a potnetial trigger.
Interesting to read the different perspectives from the opposite sides of the world....
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Permalink Reply by Trainer on
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Great reading. We just completed a full scale drill not unlike this, well we threw in hazmat also, but looking over what you have I think you need U/C. Lets see, first off you are going over the 12hrs thing, ok, now mutable fire, police, you called USAR, we would call on our TRT teams from different areas, point I learned, for every team working, you need 1 in staging, don’t shoot me here I’m going to put in a period and go get a cup of coffee. Public works, Red Cross, Mayor, EMS, way to many for an operational I/C. Make him Opps and set up U/C, if for nothing else, to prepare for the next operational period. It’s all about span-n-control, I believe NIMS says 5-7, but at the top of the ladder I’d make it 5, actually after our drill, I would not go over 5 anywhere. We are lucky here in Illinois, we have 1 call shopping; MABAS(mutual aide box alarm system) and if you have the right box card set up; notify dispatch, and as an example, give me box 163-15, and everything you need is coming. Each card has 5 levels on it and judging by the photo, I would call box163-15 to the 3 alarm.
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