FIRE GROUND OPERATIONS

The following represents the recommended guidelines for use by member departments of the North Suburban Regional Mutual Aid Association at large scale emergency incidents. Nothing in these guidelines dictate internal operations of any department operating at their own emergency incidents, but represents the recommended procedure for use when mutual aid is requested.

I. Definitions
A. Requesting Department: The Department who initiates the request for mutual aid from other area fire departments.
B. Responding Department(s): The Department(s) responding to the request for assistance from the requesting department.
C. Staging Area: An area in close proximity to the emergency scene where emergency resources from the requesting department and responding departments should respond and await an assignment.

II. Command Positions
A. Incident Commander (IC): The person who is the overall commander at the emergency scene. The Incident Commander is responsible for all management functions at the emergency scene, unless delegated to others.
B. Safety Officer: The person who has been delegated the responsibility of monitoring emergency scene operations for safety of emergency response personnel and the public. The Safety Officer shall have the authority to stop emergency scene operations if she/he believes an unsafe condition exists.
C. Accountability Officer: The person who has been delegated the responsibility of coordinating the on-scene personnel accountability system. The recommended accountability system is the North Suburban Regional Mutual Aid Association Personnel Accountability System.
D. Staging Officer: The person who has been delegated the responsibility of coordinating resources at or near the emergency scene that do not have an operational assignment.
E. Sector Officer: The person who has been delegated the responsibility of commanding a specified area or specified function on the emergency scene.
F. Operations Officer: The person who has been delegated the responsibility of supervising tactical operations at an emergency incident under the authority of the Incident Commander.
G. Division Officer: A supervising position at an emergency incident between the operations Officer and the Sector Officer. A Division is a geographical area that encompasses one or more sectors.
H. Group Officer: A supervising position at an emergency incident responsible for a specified functional assignment. A group may operate in several geographical areas of an incident while carrying out their assigned functional task.
I. Planning Officer: The person who has been delegated the responsibility of supervising the collection, dissemination, and use of information about the development of the incident and the status of resources.
J. Logistics Officer: The person who has been delegated the responsibility of supervising logistics such as facilities, services, and materials at an emergency incident under the authority of the Incident Commander.
K. Finance/Administration Officer: The person who has been delegated the responsibility of supervising financial record keeping at an emergency incident.
L. Liaison Officer: The person who has been delegated the responsibility of being the point of contact for assisting and coordinating other agencies operating at the emergency scene. This position should assist other agencies that may not be familiar with ICS.
M. Information Officer: The person who is delegated the responsibility of relaying information regarding the incident to the news media as authorized by the Incident Commander.

B. It shall be assumed the Requesting Department is conducting operations under an incident command system, which includes a personnel accountability system to ensure safety for all personnel operating on the emergency scene. The Requesting Department should already have established Sectors, Divisions, or Branches depending upon the size of the incident. A staging location should be established.

C. The Requesting Department, upon determining its needs of assistance at the scene of the emergency, or needs assistance in providing protection to the rest of its City, may request assistance from other member fire departments of the North Suburban Regional Mutual Aid Association. The request for assistance should specify the type of equipment and/or manpower needed from the Responding Department, specify whether apparatus should respond on an emergency or routine basis, and should also specify a location to which the Responding Department should report.

D. If unable to respond for assistance, the Responding Department shall notify the Requesting Department so that another source of assistance may be contacted.

IV. Identification of Command Positions at Emergency Scene

A. The location of the command post should be clearly identified and announced so that all sector officers and others may readily locate the IC. The Incident Commander shall utilize a safety vest with lettering which states “Incident Commander.” If the Incident Commander is positioned in a vehicle, it should have a blue flashing or revolving light. This light should only be illuminated if the Incident Commander is physically in the vehicle.

B. Sector/Division/Branch Officers should position himself/herself where best able to observe emergency operations in the geographical area they have been assigned to supervise. The Sector/Division/Branch Officer shall utilize a safety vest with lettering which states “Sector Officer”, “Division Officer”, or “Branch Officer.”

C. Safety Officer/Accountability Officer should position himself/herself where best able to carry out assigned duties. The Safety Officer/Accountability Officer shall utilize a safety vest with lettering that states “Safety Officer” or “Accountability Officer.”

D. All other command officers including Staging, Hazmat, Logistics, Finance, etc. shall utilize a safety vest with a contrasting color for lettering.

V. Communications

A. Incident Commander shall assign radio frequencies for tactical use after consulting with dispatch. Unless all agencies operate on a common radio frequency, first consideration should be given to statewide mutual aid, metro mutual aid, and MIMS.

B. Tactical units should use their primary truck-to-truck frequency. Sector commanders should use two portable radios or a scanning radio to enable him/her to monitor communications with the Incident Commander and Tactical Units.

C. Unit identification of companies will be city/type unit number, such as “West Metro Engine 2” or “Plymouth Ladder 11.”

D. Sector/support commanders will identify themselves by assigned function when using radio communications, ie: “West Sector to Staging”, or “Sector B to Command.”

E. All person/units receiving orders will acknowledge by repeating those orders back to the originators.

VI. Responding Departments

A. The minimum manpower for responding units is an officer and a full crew. Responding departments shall respond with personnel according to departmental policy.

B. When a community’s first unit is requested to a staging area, the community may also send separately a command officer to the scene equipped with a portable radio, who will report directly to the Incident Commander, the unit should report to the designated staging area.

C. Unless an incoming unit has received an assignment from the Incident Commander, the unit should report to the designated staging area.

D. Incoming units from the responding department will monitor the assigned command frequencies, but will not report arrival on scene unless given an assignment while en route.

E. When a unit receives a tactical assignment, the unit shall report to the appropriate commander and provide an accountability passport to the Accountability Officer of that sector.

F. Units conducting search and rescue operations will mark searched areas so that other units operating on the scene will understand. This will avoid duplication of work.

VII. Emergency Scene Personnel Accountability Procedures

A. The Incident Commander shall utilize the North Suburban Personnel Accountability System at the scene of mutual aid emergency incidents.