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Home My WebLink AboutSOG 303.01 REVISED 7-2013_Accountability303.01 —Personnel Accountability System Effective: 6/1/2001 Revised: 7/5/2013 Replaces: I. Guiding Philosophy The umbrella that shields incident operations is our ongoing concern for and awareness of firefighter safety, within a system of managed risk. An integral part of our overall risk management system is the ability to physically account for personnel assigned within the hazard zone. We strive to maximize our capabilities so that our members are working in an environment that is as safe as possible. II. Purpose The purpose of this policy is to define the system of personnel accountability to be utilized at all BFR emergency incidents that require worker entry into a hot zone. III. Goals The goals of this policy are to: A. Communicate the responsibilities involved in achieving an accurate awareness of personnel accountability. B. Outline the basic elements of the passport system. C. Discuss passport system implementation. D. Outline passport system termination. E. Discuss the relationship between tactical benchmarks and the personnel accountability system. F. Describe the use of Accountability Officers through the designation of the Accountability Group. G. Describe modifications to the passport system for high rise incidents. H. Summarize accountability responsibilities and rules of thumb to be considered during passport system implementation. IV. Definitions A. Hot Zone — Any area that requires personal protective equipment (PPE), self- contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), or in which a firefighter is at risk of becoming lost, trapped, or injured by the environment or structure. This would include entering a structure that is reported to be on fire, operating in close proximity to the structure during exterior operations, confined space, trench rescue, etc. SOG 303.01 — Personnel Accountability System Page 1 of 8 B. Passport — Plastic card with the crew's names affixed that functions as the crew's ticket into the hot zone. C. Personnel Accountability — The capability to physically account for firefighters assigned to the hot zone. D. Personnel Accountability Report (PAR) — Tactical benchmark that involves completing a roll call of personnel assigned to the hot zone. V. Responsibilities in Achieving an Accurate Awareness of Personnel Accountability A. Accountability involves a personal commitment to work within the established safety system at an incident. B. Command will insure an accurate tracking and awareness of committed resources. Command will be responsible for including accountability as a major element in strategy and attack planning, and must consider and react to any barriers to achieving effective accountability. C. The Accountability Officer will maintain the tracking and awareness of committed resources and communications with Command. D. Division/Group Supervisors will maintain an accurate tracking and awareness of crews assigned to them. This will require the Division/Group Supervisor to physically be in their assigned area and maintaining close supervision of crews assigned to them or by the assignment of Assistant Accountability Officers. E. All crews will work for Command or a Division/Group Supervisor—NO t?ll F,'E LA NCING'. F. Crews arriving on the scene will remain intact, unless split for assignments as directed by Command. A minimum crew size will be considered two or more firefighters. Each crew must have a radio. G. Crews will go in together, stay together (within voice, visual or physical contact of each other), and come out together. Reduced visibility and other risks will require diligence on the part of firefighters to stay together. H. If a radio fails while in the hot zone, the crew will exit unless they have another working radio. All BFR personnel shall be trained on and use the Personnel Accountability System in all emergency operations training and actual emergency operations environments, as defined in this guideline. VI. Passport System Basics A. To enhance accountability and to improve tracking of firefighters in the hot zone, the Passport System will be used. SOG 303.01 — Personnel Accountability System Page 2 of 8 B. Each member will be issued four (4) individual colored name tags, which shall be affixed with Velcro strips on the underside of the helmet near the tailboard: 1. Black — Chief Officer 2. Red — Company Officer 3. Green — Driver/Operator 4. Yellow — Firefighter/EMT C. Each fire apparatus will be equipped with passport cards and a status board. 1. When not in use, the passport will always be located on the dash of the apparatus on the passenger side. A Velcro strip will allow the passport to be affixed to the dash and easily removed. 2. The status board will remain on the Driver/Operator side of the apparatus. 3. The Company Officer is responsible for insuring that the passports on the apparatus responding from his/her station always reflect only the personnel currently assigned to the apparatus. 4. The Driver/Operator is responsible for assisting the Captain in checking the passport for accuracy and moving the passport to the status board when the accountability system is activated. 5. Crew members are responsible for placing their name tag on the passport as soon as they begin their shift/assignment on the apparatus, and retrieving their name tag as soon as their shift/assignment on the apparatus is complete. VII. Implementation of the Passport Svstem A. Company Officers will be responsible for the accuracy of passports, to indicate only those members entering the hot zone. 1. The Company Officer must insure removal of the name tags of those members not entering the hot zone. 2. The name tags of members not making entry into the hot zone should be returned to the member whenever feasible. (i.e., if Driver/Operator remains at the engine to pump). B. Single Company Incidents 1. Company Officers will insure the implementation of the passport system at any single company incident requiring workers to enter a hot zone. 2. The passport will remain on the apparatus dash. 3. The Driver/Operator will assume Accountability Officer's responsibilities. C. One Alarm or Greater Incidents 1. Chief and Company Officers will insure the implementation of the passport system at any one alarm or greater incident requiring workers to enter a hot zone. 2. After assuming command and providing an updated status report, the initial stationary Incident Commander will announce the accountability location (i.e. alpha side, bravo side, etc.) and the Accountability Officer. SOG 303.01 — Personnel Accountability System Page 3 of 8 Example: "Accountability location is near the front door on the alpha side. Accountability Officer is Captain Smith. " 3. For most one -alarm incidents, the initial Accountability Officer will be located near the entry point to the hot zone. As the size and complexity of the incident grows, the Accountability Group may be established by Command. a. When the IC establishes the Accountability Group, the Accountability Group Supervisor will be located at the Command Post. b. A separate tactical radio channel may be designated for Accountability Group operations. c. Assistant Accountability Officers may be assigned as required to account for crews working in each division/group during large or complex multi -company responses. d. Assistant Accountability Officers should be located at the entry point to the hot zone in their assigned division/group to account for the assigned crews working in that specific area. E. Expanding the Accountability System for Escalating or Complex Incidents 1. The first arriving apparatus on each geographic side (A, B, C, D) of the incident will be the initial accountability location for that division. a. The Driver/Operator of the first arriving apparatus will be the initial Assistant Accountability Officer in that division. b. Initially, the passport of the first arriving apparatus to each geographic side (A, B, C, D) will remain attached to the dash. c. As later arriving units arrive on scene, the Driver/Operator assigned initial Assistant Accountability Officer duties will insure that all passports for his/her division are accurate and moved over to the status board. 2. As the command function is further delegated, passports for arriving apparatus will be collected by either an assigned Division/Group Supervisor or a dedicated Assistant Accountability Officer. a. Once the accountability location(s) and dedicated Assistant Accountability Officer(s) are established, the ranking officer of later arriving crews must deliver their crew's accurate passport to the appropriate Assistant Accountability Officer prior to entering the hot zone. b. A Division/Group Supervisor operating within the hot zone will not have passport accountability responsibilities. When the Division/Group Supervisor is operating within the hot zone, passports must remain outside the zone with an Assistant Accountability Officer (i.e., initial Driver/Operator or other assigned officer serving as the Assistant Accountability Officer.) 3. Command must maintain an awareness of which apparatus are serving as accountability locations, and provide this information to companies being assigned to each division (geographic side). 4. Passports will remain with the designated Assistant Accountability Officer near the point of entry to the hot zone. SOG 303.01 — Personnel Accountability System Page 4 of 8 a. Upon entry, the Officer -in -charge will turn over the crew's Passport to the Assistant Accountability Officer. b. Upon exit, passport must be retrieved from the Assistant Accountability Officer. Both the Company Officer and Assistant Accountability Officer will be responsible to see the Passport is retrieved. 5. The accountability status board will contain only the Passports of those crews currently in the hot zone. 6. Crews exiting from a different location (other than their original point of entry) must immediately notify their assigned Division/Group Supervisor and/or the Assistant Accountability Officer of their changed status. Then, the crew's passport must be retrieved. a. Where physical distance/barriers prevent easy retrieval of the passport, and where the crew is being re -assigned to another division/group, a "make-up" passport must be assembled. b. Crew members will provide the new Division/Group Supervisor or Assistant Accountability Officer another name tag. c. Where another "make-up" passport is not available, the individual name tags will be grouped together on the accountability status board to identify the crew. d. The original Division/Group Supervisor and/or Assistant Accountability Officer must be made aware of the change as soon as possible. VIII. Termination of the Passport Svstem A. The accountability system may be terminated following a report of "Fire Controlled," at which time a PAR for all crews must be obtained. 1. Based on a risk assessment of the scene hazards, Command will determine whether to continue or terminate the use of the accountability system. 2. If visibility remains impaired or if a significant hazard exists, Command may choose to extend the use of the accountability system. B. Upon termination of the accountability system and prior to going back in service, Company Officers and crew members will insure that the status board is returned to its proper fire apparatus and the correct name tags are attached to the passport card. IX. Tactical Benchmarks and the Accountabilitv Svstem A. For the Company Officer, a PAR is a confirmation that firefighters assigned to his/her crew are visually accounted for. For the Division/Group Supervisor, a PAR is an accounting for all crew members of all companies assigned to their Division/Group. Reports of PAR's should be conducted face-to-face within the company or with the Division/Group whenever possible. Example: "Engine 4 to Bravo Division, we have a PAR." (All are accounted for.) SOG 303.01 — Personnel Accountability System Page 5 of 8 B. A PAR will be required for the following situations (Command will initiate a PAR of all crews in the hot zone): 1. Any report of a fisl�i r ° �� mll i m � i� '� uml�l�,��r. 2. Any change from 3. Any ,jL fi iiri91 viii.^ „ami' at the incident - flashover, backdraft, structural collapse, MAYDAY, etc. 4. By all crews reporting an ii 5. At every i . .. � ��;��.�i��.......................................................� 6. At a report of lt��,��t i�pn;�`� �q)/ m m d. m 7. Any condition causing the Officer toilili o�� ( t�i��l,"ii" � t� III �� 8. Any time Command feels it is necessary. X. Accountabilitv Officers and Accountabilitv Grou A. The Accountability Group Supervisor will be assigned under the Safety Officer. B. The Accountability Group Supervisor's responsibilities include: 1. Developing and implementing a plan designed to track and account for all personnel working in the hot zone. 2. Ensuring that Assistant Accountability Officers are implemented in each Division/Group as necessary. 3. Requesting and managing Accountability Group resources efficiently and effectively. 4. Providing progress reports to Command. 5. Insuring PAR's are initiated upon completion of appropriate tactical benchmarks or as needed. XI. Modifications to the Passoorf Svstem for Hiah Rise Incidents A. Multi -story or high-rise incidents present only a minor modification in the standard approach to the passport system. 1. The first apparatus to each geographic side of the incident remains the initial accountability location. 2. Companies will deliver their passports to the initial Accountability Officer to be placed on the status board of the initial accountability apparatus, prior to entering the structure. 3. Once a Lobby Division is established, all crews reporting to the building will deliver their passports to the Lobby Division Supervisor. 4. The Lobby Division Supervisor will be responsible for collecting the Passports of the initial companies as soon as possible (may use incoming crews reporting to the building to pick them up). 5. Once the Resource Group is established, the Resource Group Supervisor will collect the passports of all crews assigned to fire combat positions. 6. The Resource Group Supervisor will assign Assistant Accountability Officers at each point of entry to stairwells, etc. 7. Passports for crews assigned to the Lobby Division or any Support Divisions/Groups operating on scene (non -hot zone crews) will be maintained by the Division/Group Supervisors. SOG 303.01 — Personnel Accountability System Page 6 of 8 XII. Summary of Accountabilitv Responsibilities and Passport Rules of Thumb A. Accountability will work only with a strong personal commitment to the safety system. This commitment involves the following responsibilities: 1. FIREFIGHTER/EMT — Responsible for ensuring that his/her name tag is on the passport and doing his/her part to maintain crew integrity. 2. DRIVER/OPERATOR — The Driver/Operator of the first arriving engine to each geographic side (division) of the incident becomes the initial Accountability Officer. He/she is responsible for collecting the passports from crews assigned to the division and managing accountability until relieved by an Assistant Accountability Officer or Division/Group Supervisor. 3. COMPANY OFFICER — Responsible for insuring the accuracy and currency of the passport and maintaining crew integrity. a. The passport must reflect only those personnel entering the hot zone. b. The passport must be turned in at the point of entry and retrieved upon exit. 4. DIVISION/GROUP SUPERVISOR — Responsible for accounting for all crews in his/her assigned division/group, and maintaining an awareness of their exact location. a. The Supervisor works closely with Assistant Accountability Officers to ensure accuracy of passports and tracking of crews in the hot zone. b. In those situations where the Division/Group Supervisors must enter the hot zone, passports will continue to be managed by the initial Accountability Officer or assigned Assistant Accountability Officer. 5. ASSISSTANT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICER — Responsible for teaming up with the tactically -assigned Division/Group Supervisor and managing all accountability for that Division/Group. The Assistant Accountability Officer must collect all passports from Driver/Operators, apparatus, and/or the tactically -assigned Division/Group Supervisor. The Assistant Accountability Officer must maintain close coordination with other Accountability Officers. 6. ACCOUNTABILITY GROUP SUPERVISOR — Responsible for coordinating all Accountability Officers assigned to the incident and the overall system. Causes PAR's to be initiated at the completion of tactical benchmarks or as needed. Reports to Command or the Safety Officer. 7. COMMAND — Responsible for implementation of the accountability system used to track the location of all crews. Must advise later assigned crews of which apparatus is serving as the accountability location for passports in a particular division/group, and the Assistant Accountability Officer who will be receiving passports at a particular point of entry. B. Passport implementation should consider the following basic rules of thumb: 1. Passports never enter the hot zone. 2. Passports must be maintained at the point of entry to the hot zone by the initial or designated Accountability Officer. 3. Passports must reflect only those personnel currently in the hot zone. SOG 303.01 — Personnel Accountability System Page 7 of 8 4. The Officer -in -Charge must turn in the crew's passports upon entering and must retrieve the passports upon exiting the hot zone. SOG 303.01 — Personnel Accountability System Page 8 of 8