Incident Resolution:

ASSESS THE SITUATION

MAKE A PLAN
CONSIDER RESOURCES
IMPLEMENT THE PLAN
(REVIEW PROGRESS AND REASSESS IF NECESSARY)
CLOSE THE INCIDENT

Assess the Situation

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The Incident Commander should first assess the situation, finding out the
nature and scale of the problem and taking account of hazards to crew
members and to other persons who may be affected.

This sizing up of the situation should include:

whether persons are threatened,

whether animals are threatened,
what is the nature of the threat,
is there a fire,
where is the fire,
what is burning,
whether there is a risk of fire spread,
whether there are special risks,
what access is available to persons threatened or to fire.

Make a Plan
The next task for the OiC is to formulate a plan or strategy to deal with the
incident. This should be based on the assessment of the incident, including the
hazards identified. The plan should represent the broad approach to the
incident and should take account of the need for operations to be conducted so
as to provide adequate safety for emergency service personnel and others who
may be affected.

The main broad approaches are:

Offensive - with resources deployed to eliminate the hazard
(e.g. by extinguishing fire - typically with interior fire fighting or, in the case of a build-up of flammable gas where a leak has
occurred in a building, by ventilating the building and arranging
for the supply to be cut off).

Defensive - with resources deployed to prevent escalation of the

incident by containing the hazard (e.g. by pro t e c t i n g neighbouring
buildings from fire spread - typically fighting the
fire from a safe location using exterior fire fighting).

Rescue - with resources deployed to rescue persons or animals

from the hazardous situation.
The order of tasks or objectives in terms of priority would generally be:
search and rescue of persons,
persons directly threatened,
persons not immediately threatened,
persons readily moved,
trapped persons,
search for missing persons,
search of damaged area,
rescue of animals,
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 prevent fire spread,

surround and extinguish fire,
deal with special risks.

Consider Resources
Having made a plan, the OiC should decide the allocation of the available fire
brigade resources (personnel, vehicles, equipment, fire fighting media) to the
tasks in order of priority. Where adequate resources are available, a number of
tasks may be carried out at the same time. (For example, a special risk could
be eliminated while persons are being evacuated.)

Implement the Plan

It is not possible at large incidents for the OiC to take a hands-on approach to
every facet of the incident. Therefore, it is critical that tasks are delegated,
allowing the OiC to maintain an overall strategic view of the incident,
concerning herself or himself with strategic and tactical responsibilities rather
than task-oriented ones.

In implementing the plan, the OiC should consider the scene of the incident as
a number of sectors within which resources may be deployed.

Review and Reassess

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As the situation develops, a need may arise to adjust the plan in the light of
new information, escalation of the incident, failure of the initial plan, etc. The
OiC should watch for developments and should make changes - including
changes in the structure adopted to control the incident - if necessary

Close the Incident

When the tasks are largely complete, with rescues carried out and fires well
under control, the OiC should consider how to bring the incident to a close.
Considerations at this stage will include:
confirming that all persons are accounted for and that casualties
have received attention,
ensuring final extinguishing of fires, ensuring safety, security and stability of
structures,
dealing with media representatives on site (in accordance with brigade policy),
make up of equipment,
reporting availability,
return to station,
restoring operational readiness,
debrief of personnel,
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 welfare of personnel,
reports, pay sheets, etc.

Many of these items may be delegated by the OiC to other officers, where a
number of officers are at the scene, or to crew members.

Reference: Junior Officers Handbook