what are your department's standards for accountability? is everyone assigned numbers? what systems do you use for accountability tags? do you have different colors for different rank?-county wide standards? thoughts?-----

_ in my department all the officers have numbers, everyone else used to be issued numbers as well but they kinda stopped doing that because nobody knew their number.we don't have yellow tags we use red for active non-interior( so like the new guys, scene support, truck opperators, fire police and all that- anyboby that cannot wear scba) --all of our scba certified active members are "green-tags" we all thought this was a standard but came to find out that a neighboring department has different accountability standard than in our county and many other counties.-----any comments, thoughts?

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as for numbers our chiefs are 7's, captains 6's, leutenants 9's,and fire police cap.-water rescue cap.-safety officer-and like that are 8's ------so would be like chief is 471and on, cap is 467 and on, lt. is 49-whatever and so on
This one does this, that one does that.... This system is better than that one.

We had that same problem in Harris County. With 53 separate departments, the only continuity in accountability was; there was no continuity. My Chief brought up the idea of utilizing an electronic accountability system county wide at a monthly Chiefs meeting a couple of years ago. I guess someone figured it might work, and the county applied for a grant.

To make a short story long, the grant was approved, almost every department in the county now has or is in the process of implementing the system. A common SOP was implemented, and the system will allow a department on one end of the county to assist one on the other end, and still be able to track each others personnel. (In theory)

I'm sure there will be bugs which will show up, but if it works even half as well as it is supposed to, it will still be better than the old way. Sometimes change is good.
We use a check-in system that all the local depts use which is very helpful for mutual aid.

As you approach the scene you call "check-in" which is on a separate channel from operations. When the command officer acknowledges the page with dispatch they announce the channels for operations and check-in. Certain channels in the county have been designated for these purposes.

For smaller incidents the IC will run check-in. On larger incidents, a second command officer will assume that role. As you approach the scene you call check-in and state your apparatus, location, and names/roles.

Radio Traffic:

Engine: Engine 7, Check-in
Check-in: Check-in, Engine 7
Engine: Engine 7, staged west, requesting check-in
Check-in: Engine 7 requesting checking, list your members.
Engine: D/O Smith, Crewleader John, Firefighters Jones and Stevens.
Check-in: D/O Smith, Crewleader John, Firefighters Jones and Stevens.
Engine: Affirmative.

Then Check-in might tell the apparatus where to stage, or to contact IC on the operations channel for instructions, etc.

Check-in records the names, apparatus, etc. on some sheets designed for this and reports to IC. If check-in and IC are different people, they usu. sit in the same command vehicle. This means IC has everyone's name, which crews go with which apparatus, where each apparatus is staged, etc. And this is standard across the county so when there is a large incident requiring mutual aid, all depts. follow this accountability method.
we have checked into that as well with the new trucks we will be getting but the money factoe is involved- as well as the old guys that don't see the need for computers etc...
We have five tags issued to us using Velcro to mount to our helmets. The tags are plastic, with the firefighter's name on them. Usually, we keep two on our structure helmets, two on our brush helmets, and one spare. We use helmet colors to indicate status. Black for ELFF (who requires a FF I to enter the structure with them or on the brush rig with them), yellow for firefighter, red for captain, white for chief. Each rig has a Velcro board in the door to mount one tag on when responding. This board then is given to the IC, so he knows which apparatus is there and who is on the apparatus.
We are using a two-tag system, which as sone as you get on the fire ground you hand in your first tag, and as sone as you go interior you hand in your second tag. And it not imposable to have the same system with other departments we now have 30 fire department using this one system here in North-Western Ontario.

Everyone goes home
Each member has 4 "name tags" mounted to the underside of their helmet. When reporting for work, the person is assigned their rig for the day. On the rig are two rig plates where each member puts a tag (2 per rig) One plate is red, one is white. At each station there are two unmarked plates mounted on an accountability board.
We have magnets on our helmets and will place a rig designator on them, so on a scene you can tell who is with each rig.

For a fire incident where command and accountability is established, the crews will operate as assigned. Someone will be assigned "accountability" and they will take the red rig plate from each rig. Each person's name assigned to the rig is present and the IC can tell who is supposed to be where. IE, if I called a MAYDAY, the IC could see I'm with Engine 5 and they would know our assignment.

In a larger scale incident, the company officer will take the white rig plate with him/her and will give that to the point of entry accountability officer.
The blank plates at the stations are there in the event a reserve rig is pressed into service and those reporting in will use that plate for their accountability.
ok the way we do it is by using PAR tags
little plastic tags with velcro with our names on them , red for offircers , yellow for FF or drivrs , white for explorers
in the morning u go put ur tag on the passport (plastic with velcro)that says wat unit you in
they are placed by rank ( officer , driver goes upside down , ff etc)
on any big incident they are taking of the truck and given to command
Here is a pic of the tags we use.


Our pumpers carry an accountability board with grease pencil and key rings to make sure everyone is accounted for one way or another.

Black is on scene tag to be left at the scene pump. Red is interior which is left with the interior accountability officer at the door. I know these colors aren't NFPA compliant but we have gotten a number of our neighboring departments to adopt the scheme. It's a start.

I'm pushing for a third tag that will stay with the person at all times, just in case the unthinkable happens.

The county has also started issuing picture ID tags with bar coding for all FD members but this effort is just beginning.
We have tags that clip on the outside of our turnout gear. When we arrive on scene we give them to the pump operator or Ladder Driver or to the IC if the whole crew goes to work. I think it works out ok.
We have 2 tags. ...One is white photo ID that goes on the clip board upon arrival at the scene. Second is a colored tag ( white/yellow/or green) with photo ID that goes on a seperate board when entering a structure or in the hot zone. These are looked after by an accountability officer. When you leave the structure...for example---switching tanks or hydrating---you get your color tag back. When you leave the scene or when the scene is cleared..you go to the truck with the board on it and get your first tag back. That truck is not allowed to leave until ALL tags are gone off the board. Hate to leave and have someone stuck somewhere. (have a funny story about this...but i'll leave it for another topic)
White tag=newbie..basically an observer with intentions of being and interior/exterior man or woman.
Yellow tag=going through BA training...gets to use the hose and run ladders on exterior only.
Green tag=interior/exterior
Exceptions.......When short handed (we are a small rural dept.) A yellow tag can go in with a green tag only...not another yellow. But a white is still observing only..and doing other duties like set up porta-tanks, get a ladder off a truck, hook up hoses....that sort of thing.
those are basically the same as ours we just have CANDOR FIRE and under that it has our name we don't have the numbers anymore

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