3

Developing
an Incident
Action Plan
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Learning Objectives (1 of 2)
• Describe how extinguishment is both an
operational priority and tactical objective
with an emphasis on the relationship
between life safety and extinguishment.
• Evaluate conditions leading to an
offensive or defensive operation.
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Learning Objectives (2 of 2)
• Compare probability of occupant
survival to fire and building conditions.
• List situations when a written incident
action plan is needed.
• Use a case study or actual fire to
develop an incident action plan based
on a risk-versus-benefit analysis.
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Overview (1 of 3)
• Incident Action Plan (IAP) development
– Leads to offensive or defensive tactics
– Derived from an analytical approach to
information gained through size-up
– Should be a simple, concise,
straightforward, easy-to-understand
– Outlines major tactical objectives
– Provides the central focus for operations
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Overview (2 of 3)
• Size-up
– Continuous process
– IAP must remain flexible
– Tactics modified as conditions change
• All activities should lead to completion
of major objectives identified in the IAP.
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Overview (3 of 3)
• Primary strategic considerations
– Life safety
– Extinguishment
– Property conservation
• With sufficient resources, priorities can
be handled simultaneously.
• Extinguishment is normally the most
important life safety tactic.
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Determining Life Safety Needs
• Structural firefighting primary objective:
saving lives
– Life safety is the first consideration.
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Evaluating Structural
Conditions
• Structural conditions bear heavily on
offensive/defensive decision.
• Interior attack should not be conducted
in an unsafe building.
• Offensive attack is conducted to assist
occupants from the building.
– Reevaluation is necessary once the
building is evacuated.
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Estimating Resource Capability
and Requirements (1 of 2)
• Comparing resource capability to
incident requirements during size-up
• The IC must
– Apply sound risk management principles to
ensure fire fighter safety
– When developing a plan, decide what will
be needed to conduct an offensive attack
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Estimating Resource Capability
and Requirements (2 of 2)
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Offensive Fire Attack
• Lives and property are best saved by
conducting an offensive attack.
• A lack of resources could lead to a
defensive decision.
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Developing an
Offensive/Defensive IAP (1 of 3)
• Entire operation is governed by the
offensive/defensive decision
– Initiate an offensive attack whenever it is
safe to do so.
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Developing an
Offensive/Defensive IAP (2 of 3)
• Master stream appliances used to:
– Support rescue efforts
– Push fire away from critical evacuation
routes
– Cover exposures
• During an offensive operation,
coordinate through command.
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Developing an
Offensive/Defensive IAP (3 of 3)
• Offensive changes to defensive
– Actions must be coordinated
– Must never be both
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Formulating an IAP (1 of 3)
• IC
– Sets the objectives
– Decides on tactics necessary to achieve
those objectives
– Assigns units to complete the tasks
associated with each objective and tactic
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Formulating an IAP (2 of 3)
• Focus of the entire operation
• Tactics are directed toward completing
the objectives.
• Objectives are directed toward
accomplishing the overall IAP.
• Should be simple and understandable
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Formulating an IAP (3 of 3)
• Every incident needs some form of
incident action plan.
– Small incidents of short duration: unwritten
plan.
– Larger, more complex incidents: written
plan provides a central focus, eliminates
confusion, and reduces disputes
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Written IAP
• Written action plan should be used
when:
– Resources from multiple agencies are
being used.
– Several jurisdictions are involved.
– Incident requires more than initial transfer
of command.
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Developing an IAP (1 of 2)
• IC establishes objectives.
• Unified command: objectives must
reflect the policies and needs of all
agencies
• IAP becomes more important as the
incident grows in size.
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Developing an IAP (2 of 2)
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Deployment
• Writing tactical objectives is useless
without sufficient resources.
• ICs must follow up and request status
reports.
• Company-level officers must provide
status reports.
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Risk Versus Benefit Analysis
• Risk refers to the risk to fire fighters, not
the risk to occupants.
• Benefit is the expected or potential
benefit to occupants or owners.
– Rescuing occupants would be a life safety
benefit.
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Scenario 1: Single Family

Detached Dwelling (1 of 2)
• Majority of fires in the US
• SOPs may spell out duties of first alarm
assignment.
– IC may need to modify operations
• When SOPs are not being followed
• When the procedures do not fit circumstances
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Scenario 1: Single Family

Detached Dwelling (2 of 2)
• No fire should ever be considered
routine.
– Primary reason for conducting an offensive
operation is life safety.
– Risk is associated with any offensive
operation.
• Usually less in a single-family dwelling versus a
larger occupancy
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Structural Stability (1 of 2)
• Frame building
– Fairly unstable structure and contributes
significant fuel to fire.
– Will have considerable fire involvement
before collapse
• Exception of truss roof and floor construction
– Combustible characteristics of building
provide stability clues.
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Structural Stability (2 of 2)
• Caution should be used when venting
roofs of modern residential buildings.
• Roof ventilation not normally required if
the fire is not in upper floor or attic
– Stable platform or a roof ladder for roof
access
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Scenario 2: High-Rise
Apartment Building (1 of 5)
• Greater risk than single-family detached
dwelling due to:
– Number and location of occupants beyond
the reach of aerial ladders and towers
– Difficulty in ventilating building
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Scenario 2: High-Rise
Apartment Building (2 of 5)
• Size, complexity and danger increase.
• Operations are complicated by:
– Extreme temperatures
– Strong winds
– Blocked stairways
– Locked passageways
– Other factors
• Properly installed, working sprinkler system
reduces danger.
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Scenario 2: High-Rise
Apartment Building (3 of 5)
• Buildings pose extreme life hazards due
to type of occupancy.
– Office buildings (thousands of people)
– Large residential buildings (hundreds of
families, elderly residents)
• Evacuation is more labor-intensive.
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Scenario 2: High-Rise
Apartment Building (4 of 5)
• Fire conditions could be similar to single
family detached dwelling.
– Challenges will be more complex.
• Occupants on fire floor and floors above can be
threatened by the smoke and fire.
– Resource needs are much greater.
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Scenario 2: High-Rise
Apartment Building (5 of 5)
• Fire could be located several floors
above grade level.
– More complex and difficult
• Many floors above fire could be
occupied.
– Search and rescue necessary on many
different levels
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Scenario 3: Church Fires (1 of 3)
• Large, open area to accommodate the
congregation and altar.
• Structural collapse is probable if fire
reaches roof structure.
• Require an unusually high rate of flow
• Use 2½″ (64-mm) or 3″ (76-mm) hand
lines with solid streams to obtain the
necessary reach.
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Scenario 3: Church Fires (2 of 3)
• During times when people congregate,
life safety is a key tactical consideration.
• Long periods of time when the buildings
are unoccupied
– Fire can gain considerable headway before
it is noticed
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Scenario 3: Church Fires (3 of 3)
• Many are not protected by fire
suppression systems or automatic
alarms.
• Older churches may house priceless
valuables.
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Summary (1 of 2)
• An IAP is critical to meeting the three
priorities:
– Life safety
– Extinguishment
– Property conservation
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Summary (2 of 2)
• Safety can be addressed while meeting
these priorities.
– Requires sound application of risk
management techniques