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Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on August 29, 2009 at 9:03pm

evacuation message on the radio and a long steady blast on the air horn from the rigs on scene

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Permalink Reply by Ron Ayotte on August 29, 2009 at 10:46pm

Massachusetts has a statewide evacuation signal.... al the apparatus on the scene give short blasts of their air horns for 30 to 60 seconds... there's no mistaking that it's time to get out of dodge.

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Permalink Reply by Bill on August 30, 2009 at 11:11am

I understand the horns and radio transmissions we also use the sems device for the SCBA's. However the withdrawal from the building needs to be systematic. If fire is on two floors of a 3 wood and you have crews working on all 3 floors and the roof. If you evacuated everyone at once it could lead to someone getting cut off by fire. There needs to be a progressive plan to withdraw orderly from the building. This is what I am working on. Any thoughts ?? Bill

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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on August 30, 2009 at 11:33am

The Incident Commander gives the order "ABANDON, ABANDON, ABANDON" on the radio, followed immediately by the Morse Code "SOS" with air horns. The SOS signal is 3 short blasts, then 3 long blasts, then 3 short blasts, then a short pause, then the signal is repeated.

We take a PAR as soon as the evacuation is complete.

That one is for boots-and-a**holes bailouts if the building is coming apart and a retreat in good order will not get the firefighters out in time.

For simply changing the attack mode from Offensive to Defensive, the Incident Commander announces that "We are going Defensive, all personnel exit the building", then does a radio roll call by company to ensure that they all got the order. We also do a PAR to confirm everyone is out after going Defensive.

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Permalink Reply by art on September 24, 2009 at 11:39am

there are radio transmissions on the radio and on the voice and alapha pagers here. we also use air horns

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Permalink Reply by FETC on September 27, 2009 at 4:48pm

Bill,

OK I understand on your follow up comment, that you are concerned with abandoning critical positions on the fireground in which may cut off firefighters (on upper floors) It can happen...

OK, so a progressive commander, at some point, in his or her head must during the re-evaluation of conditions / status of resources / and the probable future events... they must determine they are probably not going to get this done with the amount of fire vs. resources, and be progressive to start removing crews from the most severe threat BEFORE they dump the building.

At the NFA, they call this operating in the marginal mode. Operating in an offensive attack to achieve a benchmark. Now if the OIC can forecast the future, before he or she suffers a catastrophic event that would cause an immediate all-out, then he or she would systematically retreat companies from said uppers floors. More often then not, the OIC misses the forecast, sometimes hidden or not informed as well as he or she needs to be from interior reports... and gets caught.


If they get caught, we use the following: The OIC declares all units to evacuate the building on the fireground tactical channel. Apparatus Operators blow the 3 rounds of 3 long blasts of the air horns. The OIC switches back to the dispatch channel, requesting dispatch tone the said department's PL alert tone, and announce Per orders of Chief So and So, All units operating at the Main Street Fire in Smalltown USA, evacuate the building, repeat evacuate the building.

The Command Team: Operations and the Accountability Officer are also simulataneously trying to complete a PAR on the fireground. This PAR usually is announced just after the last set of air horn blasts on the fireground channel, then all division officers (not the entire division) are requested to report to accountability for face to face PAR.

TCSS
FETC
www.fetcservices.com

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