Command hacks for volunteer fire departments

Over the past century, incident command has evolved through our lived experiences and the expansion of modern firefighting tactics and equipment. As fire service equipment improved, interior operations extended deeper into structures, which impacted operational control of the fireground.

By the 1970s, after a significant outbreak of wildfires in California, FIRESCOPE was developed to address the increased span of control and the number of units operating on very large events. FIRESCOPE was a moment of change for the fire service and is the foundation for today’s incident command system.

After 9/11, the U.S. Fire Administration recognized the need for a national incident command system and developed the National Incident Management System (NIMS). Most states require NIMS 100, 200 and 700 to be completed by all firefighters. And while NIMS is a good starting point for developing local command systems, it is still geared toward multi-operational period events. What about our many smaller, everyday incidents that still require command?

Furthermore, with the long history of incident command in the fire service, why do we continue to see issues of command, communications and modern fire tactics show up as major contributing factors in NIOSH firefighter line-of-duty death reports? Even today, some organizations lack a standardized fireground operations system that includes a command officer. And for many volunteer fire departments, the command function becomes even more challenging due to a lack of responders. Here we’ll review four key command hacks that can elevate incident command for any VFD.

Hack 1: Develop a consistent command function

The command function for many volunteer fire departments falls on senior officers, even the fire chief. In fact, for many organizations, the command function is not filled until the chief gets on scene.

This is hack #1: Develop a consistent command function for every event regardless of the type or size of the incident. If you are hosting a spaghetti feed, build a command structure. If you are responding to a motor vehicle incident, build a command structure. Create an uneasy feeling for your members when command is not present; this will reinforce the need for command.

I often hear, “But we don’t have enough people responding to designate a command person.” I would argue that this sole excuse is the number one reason why it is even more critical to fill the command function on the front end of an incident.

Taking this hack one step further, it’s critical to create a training system to study and practice the command function. Chief Alan Brunacini’s eight functions of command are a good place to start.

[Read next: The impact of Alan Brunacini: What all firefighters should know about ‘America’s fire chief’]

Emphasize the command function during training and always assign a command officer. Again, creating a culture that emphasizes utilizing the command officer is critical. By employing the command function for training, and even social events, your members get to practice radio communications and working within a structured system. By building a command system, the organization becomes safer and more efficient with limited staffing and, in turn, can become more aggressive to better serve the customer.

Hack 2: Develop standardized responses

For many volunteer organizations, the number of responders (even apparatus available to responders) varies by the time of day, day of the week or other factors out of our control. Add the increased challenge of recruitment and retention, and daily response becomes a guessing game of who or what will respond. This makes it critical to develop standardized tactical plays that identify what apparatus are needed, how you respond, how you communicate and how you manage mutual or auto aid partners.

Let’s break this down. What types of incidents do you respond to in your community? Structure fire with hydrants? Structure fires without hydrants? This simple difference of having water supply or not impacts the response plan. Build your response plan to meet your community’s needs and the capability of your membership. As you build your local response, make sure to document it, then share it and train on it.

Additionally, it’s vital to develop, train and reinforce a common communication plan that includes initial scene size-up, transfer of command, expansion of command to include additional command functions, and common fireground terminology and means to communicate. Scene size-ups must be practiced and consistent regardless of who arrives first. Build a step-by-step flow chart system to reinforce consistency in your size-ups. Next, identify how to transfer command from the initial member to a designated command officer, plus how to expand the command system to have pre-identified radio channels for divisions or groups. Also, ensure that your system uses common terminology for all events so everyone is on the same page when they hear radio communications.

The final piece standardizing your response is to develop common fireground tactics or plays. Just like a football coach calls a play and the players know how to run the play, a command officer calls a play and the firefighters go into action to run the play. Again, this is local and must be developed based on what you bring to the scene. We utilize a play system that features multiple structure fire plays, wildland attack plays, water supply plays, and vehicle extrication plays. The plays become the foundation for much of our training, but more importantly, they build confidence, efficiency and effectiveness on the fireground.

Hack 3: Build mutual-aid/automatic-aid partnerships

With the continued lack of resources for many volunteer departments, the need for mutual aid and automatic aid is imperative. Who do you call? What’s the process for requesting additional resources? These are extremely common challenges of volunteer command officers.

We use two systems to help with mutual and auto aid:

1. Red Book: This resource consists of every organization in our county and what resources they have. It includes contact information and a list of addition specialty resources. This is a vital tool for our command officers.

2. Field Operations Guide: Over the last 10 years, we have worked to build response alarms for specific incident types and geographic locations. The “Alarms” create an automatic response structure to include our neighbors. This provides faster aid to incidents and frees up the command officer to focus on other priorities. The FOG includes rules for engagement, expectations, communication practices, staging rules and special information for those unique events like hazmat, rope rescue or animal rescue calls. By creating a countywide FOG, we are developing better, more seamless operations with our mutual-aid partners. The FOG becomes a vital tool for command officers.

Hack 4: Run command with confidence

You’re in command – now what? Here are a few lessons that have helped me over the years:

• Breathe. Taking command of an incident can be overwhelming, so remember to breathe and stay calm.
• Stay in the vehicle. There is a natural instinct to get out of the vehicle and become too hands on during an incident. Try to stay in – or at – the vehicle.
• Trust your people.
• Position yourself strategically to monitor the incident.
• Utilize your dispatch center for assistance.
• Have multiple radios, and assign a fireground channel.
• Have a notepad to track resources. Technology can help with the use of mobile data units or tablets, but I still find myself using a notepad.
• Remember that you are not responsible for what initiated the incident (you didn’t start the fire), but you are responsible for what happens once you arrive, so stay in control of your emotions.
• Call for additional resources early; you can always cancel them.
• Don’t let your ego impact your command presence or decision-making.

In sum

Command is essential and must be developed, trained on and continually reinforced in both training and real-world events. If your organization is truly committed to serving your citizens with aggressive fireground operations, then the command function must be trained on to the same level as we train on hose movement, ladder work or any other fireground skill.

Remember, the command function is not synonymous with fire chief! Train all your members on the basic eight functions of command. Use the command function for every event. Build a command system that you train on with your mutual-aid partners. Create a true fireground system that is predictable during an unpredictable incident.

Better Every Shift: Jason Caughey on command training, tactics