Fort Blackmore Volunteer Fire Department, Inc.

S. O. G.’s

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Standard Operating Guidelines

Chapter 1: OPERATIONS

Working Copy | Revised August, 2007

S. O. G.’s

Standard Operating Guidelines

Fort Blackmore VFD was formed in 1991. It has always sought to improve itself through training, resources, and fund raising. To improve it’s level of safety, these Standard Operating Guidelines are being created. To ensure that procedures are created from standard fire fighting practices, the International Fire Service Training Association, IFSTA Essentials, 4th Edition, was consulted. Consult this SOG, Chapter 4, for "Duties of Officers and Firefighters".

Operations

The Fort Blackmore Volunteer Fire Department (FBVFD) uses a standard hierarchy of officers.

Chief

Assistant Chief

1st Captain

2nd Captain

Lieutenant

Rescue Sergeant

These officers are elected from the Firefighters in good standing. Board members are also included in the election process.

The Chief is the head of the Line Officers. His duties are to see that FBVFD operates in as smooth and efficient a style as possible. The Chief’s word is the final "say so". He may operate the Engine/Tanker/Pumper/First Responder/Brush Truck/Utility Vehicle, or designate an operator. He may become the Incident Commander (IC) or he may appoint someone. He may be 1st Fire Team Leader or designate a Leader. The Chief will designate a Safety Officer for on-scene operations.

Officers appointed by the Chief on-scene:

Incident Commander: the Incident Commander [IC] will be the chief or appointed by the Chief; the IC shall oversee the fire attack, or other type of incident, and he/she will also coordinate with the Chief and Fire Team Leader.

Fire Team Leader: shall be the Chief or appointed by the Chief. The Leader shall be an officer or firefighter in good standing with the department, able to follow the Chief’s commands, keeping safety in mind, attack the fire or other type of incident to the best of his/her ability. The Fire Team Leader will coordinate with the IC and Safety Officer.

Safety Officer: shall be appointed by the Chief; shall be an officer or firefighter in good standing with the department, able to follow the Chief’s commands, keeping in mind that his/her on-scene job is to observe all tactical efforts by the firefighters, as well as identifying and acting on/correcting unsafe practices on the fire-scene.

The Assistant Chief backs up the Chief in all matters, and acts as Chief when the Chief is not present. His decisions should be in conjunction with the Chief, unless it is an operational decision and the Chief is not present. He may operate the Department Vehicles or designate an operator. He may be IC or designate one. He may be Fire Team Leader or designate one, etc. He may be Safety Officer on the scene, or designate one.

The First Captain is 3rd in command, under the Assistant Chief and the Chief. His duties shall be coordinating all Firefighters during a dispatched call from Central. He will operate or monitor the operation of the Fire Department Vehicles. If he does not operate the fire equipment he shall designate an operator. He may also be called upon to be IC and/or Safety Officer during a fire department (FD) emergency activity.

The Second Captain is 4th in command, but is basically the same, except he is subordinate to the 1st Capt., Asst. Chief, and Chief.

The Lieutenant is 5th in command, but is basically the same, except he is subordinate to the 2nd Capt., 1st Capt., Asst. Chief, and Chief.

The Rescue Sergeant: is 6th in command, but is basically the same, except he/she shall be subordinate to the Lieutenant, 2nd Captain, 1st Captain, Asst. Chief, and Chief. The Rescue Sergeant is the on-scene AIC for EMS related calls, or his/her designee. Consult the Chapter in this SOG that delineates the Rescue Sergeant’s duties. The Rescue Sergeant is appointed by the Chief during the line-officers’ elections in December.

FBVFD Motos: "Integrity, Community, Service", "Neighbors Serving Neighbors", "Omnis Cedo Domus" { "Everyone Goes Home" }

Safety is our Number One Concern

There can be no real coordination between officers without keeping safety in mind.

Once present on the scene, the IC will designate a Safety Officer, or become Safety Officer.

Fire Hall Preparations

The Fire Hall shall be kept in a reasonably clean state. It shall be cleaned on a regular basis. The bathroom and floors should be clean. The bays should be kept swept. The rolling door windows should be kept clean. The outside of the fire hall should be kept clean, and debris on the apron should be swept or blown off regularly. Snow accumulation in the path of the fire trucks should not inhibit departure. Steps should be taken to keep the lawn mowed and the shrubs low ; this will help truck drivers entering and leaving the Fire Hall see in both directions on Route 65.

Truck Preparations

The trucks should be kept in good operational condition. These important steps should be taken to keep FBVFD at peek 10-8 ability. All firefighters are responsible for the maintenance and upkeep and preparation of all fire vehicles and fire equipment. They should attempt to follow these preparation guidelines:

Keep the Trucks washed after each Fire Call

Keep the Truck gas tanks full after each Fire Call, or as soon as possible

Replace hoses that were used during the last Fire Call. These hoses should be flaked out on the floor between fire trucks to dry. They should be returned to the hose beds as soon as possible.

Keep the Trucks full of water

Tools should be returned to tool boxes

The 1½ inch preconnects should be replaced using a Minuteman Load on Engine 709 and Pumper 704. A standard flat lay should be used on the 1½ inch preconnect on 705 – Brush Truck.

Indian Packs (Idiot Packs) should be refilled if used and if stocked on vehicles.

Foam Pro-Pack should be cleaned and maintained for immediate use. Foam should be stocked on all vehicles. Foam eductors should be on all vehicles other than the vehicle stocked with the Foam Pro-Pack.

If Dry Chem. Extinguishers are used at the fire scene, the Chief should be told. He will try to fill the Dry Chem. Extinguisher from a commercial supplier as soon as possible.

SCBAs should be returned to their harnesses. Masks should be cleaned and wiped with an alcohol cleaner and returned to the plastic bag they are kept in; then returned to the SCBA harnesses in their correct pocket. As SCBA bottles are used, the Chief should be informed so that he can fill them using the Cascade System-MAKO Air Compressor, or a Firefighter designee. The MAKO Compressor should be fired up and run for 20 minutes once-a-week.

For more information on Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus, consult Chapter 14 in this SOG.

Portable Pumps should be fueled if used; they should be fired up and run for 20 minutes every two weeks.

Chain Saws should be fueled, oiled, sharpened if used. They should be fired up and run for 5 minutes every two weeks.

A Department report sheet should be filled out with as much information and as completely as possible by an officer or firefighter present at the fire scene, signed, and placed on file for the Chief; the FAXED run-sheet should be stapled to the department information sheet, placed on file for the Chief to enter the fire call into the NFIRS system.

A fresh report sheet should be put in the aluminum report tray if one is used at the fire scene. The tray should be put back in the truck.

The trucks should be maintained on a regular basis; this shall include their engines , tires, and pumps. For more information on Truck Maintenance, consult Chapter 8 of this SOG.

If at all possible, snow chains shall be placed on the designated first-due vehicle before inclement weather arrives.

First Responder Preparations – 711  {See Also Chapter 11 and First Responder SOGs}

The First Responder Vehicle [711] shall be kept in good operational condition. This vehicle should be kept in good operational condition. These important steps should be taken to keep FBVFD at peek 10-8 ability:

Keep the First Responder washed after each Fire Call, if at all possible, or soon thereafter

Keep the First Responder gas tank full after each Fire Call, or as soon as possible

Replace equipment/medical supplies that were used during the last Fire Call/EMS Run

Tools should be returned to tool boxes

If Dry Chem. Extinguishers are used at the fire scene, the Chief should be told. He will try to fill the Dry Chemical Extinguisher from a commercial supplier as soon as possible.

A report sheet should be filled out by a First Responder or officer, signed, and placed on file for the Chief & Rescue Sergeant.

A fresh report sheet should be put in the aluminum report tray if one is used at the fire scene. The tray should be put back in the First Responder

For more information on the First Responder, consult Chapter 11.

The First Responder should be maintained on a regular basis; this shall include its engine, transmission, tires, and pumps.

Consult the Chapter in this SOG that deals with the Rescue Sergeant.

Firefighter Preparation and Training

Consult Chapter 9 of this SOG for more information on Training. There are several ways to keep Firefighters prepared for fire calls:

The Training Officer shall provide sufficient time-on-task for each individual Firefighter’s training.

The Training Officer shall keep a record of what was taught and who was there on training nights.

The Firefighter should try to keep in as physically fit a condition as possible. The risks of fire fighting are many. A firefighter that is not in a physically fit condition puts his buddy and the department in jeopardy.

The Firefighter should try to refrain from activities that will hurt his body and mind.

The Firefighter shall come to training night at least once a month if possible. Twice a month is even better; however, the FD realizes that everyone’s schedule cannot accommodate two nights a month. It is recommended that the Firefighter call an officer and tell them they cannot be at training.

The Firefighter should become familiar with the following equipment:

The operation of a fire nozzle and hose

The operation of a blower

The operation of a fire rake

The operation of a fire swatter

The operation of a chain saw

The operation of a pry bar

The operation of a pike pole

The operation of a Engine/Pumper/Tanker

The operation of a portable pump

The operation of a dry chemical extinguisher

The operation of a foam eductor

The operation of a foam nozzle

The operation of a Foam Pro-Pack

The operation of an Indian Pack

The operation of a Halligan / Axe combination tool

The operation of a negative or positive pressure house fan

The care and maintenance of fire hose

The operation and care of SCBA, PASS Devices, Cascade Systems, and the MAKO Air Compressor System

The Firefighter should become familiar with the following tactics or fire operations:

Foam nozzle on all Classes of fire

Correct ladder use [Ch. 13]

Proper donning of firefighting turn-out gear

Donning and doffing of SCBA

Proper use of turn-out gear during Fire Calls

Exterior Fire Attack; Brush Firefighting

Interior Fire Attack

Classifications of Fire

Classifications of Building Construction

Water Shuttle

Water Relay

Correct fog nozzle use

Correct basement nozzle use; or steam nozzle use

Communications

Talking to the IC

Talking to Mutual Aid Departments

Talking to other Firefighters in the FD

Talking to Central Dispatch [E-911]

Using / Learning "10" signals

Other items that each Firefighter needs to be familiar with:

HAZMAT

Brush Fire Hand Lines

Class "A" Foam Use

Indian Pack Use

Fireswatter Use

Fire Rack Use

Appropriate clothing and footwear for Brush Fires

Fire Behavior :

House Fire

Brush Fire

Car Fire

The Firefighter should be familiar with Fire Line Safety

The Firefighter should be familiar with basic Emergency Vehicle Operations, Vehicle Dynamics and Rollover Characteristics of fire vehicles, and EVOC Guidelines

The Firefighter should be familiar with rules of conduct on a fire scene and in other places where they will be in public view.

Trucks

The Fire Trucks and are kept in the Fire House. Engine 701{a} is kept in Bay #1, close to the man door. Tanker 706 is kept in Bay #2. First Responder 711 and Brush Truck 705 are kept in the Steel Building. Utility 708 is out of service. Pumper 704 is currently on Auxilliary Pumper status, and will be positioned outside the Fire Hall until further notice.

Trucks will be ready to roll. The following table describes the role of each Fire Vehicle. The chart shows fire department policy as to which truck rolls and when it will roll.

Truck

Role

When Truck is Employed

701

Retired

701(a)

First Due Pumper

All Incidents

702

Retired

703

Retired

704

Pumper

Out of Service

Semi-Retired 3/04

705

Brush Unit / Vehicle Fires

10-50s, 10-70s

706

Tanker

2nd Due / when Personnel Available

707

First Responder ◊

Used as First Aid Vehicle On-Scene for Firefighter Safety

708

Utility / Currently

Out of Service

Any Call when Personnel are Available

709

Retired

711 ◊

First Responder ◊

Used as First Aid Vehicle On-Scene for Firefighter Safety

Table: 10-50 Car Wrecks/Car Fires; 10-70 Code 3 House Fire

◊ Full Time First Responder Vehicle – Emergency Medical Services Certified

Note: Remarks should be sent to Officers regarding the implementation of these SOG’s . Also, these SOG’s should be seen as changeable and not set in concrete.

Note: Remarks should be send to Officers regarding the implementation of these SOG’s . Also, these SOG’s should be seen as changeable and not set in concrete.

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Last Updated on 08/07/2007

Contact: FBVFD, Inc., P.O. Box 69, Fort Blackmore VA 24250 | 276-995-2035

WebMaster: J. Currier [responsible for content]