SOP_NUMBER: 511.19 TITLE: Occupational Safety and Health/Accountability REFERENCE_CODE: IVN10-0001 DIVISION: Facilities TOPIC_AREA: 511 Policy-Fire Services EFFECTIVE_DATE: 2002-04-01 WORD_COUNT: 944 POWERDMS_URL: https://public.powerdms.com/GADOC/documents/105874 URL: https://gps.press/sop-data/511.19/ SUMMARY: This policy establishes safety and accountability procedures for all Georgia Department of Corrections firefighters operating at emergency incidents. It requires firefighters to maintain crew integrity using the buddy system, maintain accountability through equipment tags and roll calls, and defines procedures for lost firefighter situations, emergency communications, and evacuation protocols to ensure all personnel are tracked and safe during emergency operations. KEY_TOPICS: firefighter accountability, buddy system, crew integrity, SCBA operations, personnel accountability tags, company responder board, roll call procedures, lost firefighter protocols, emergency evacuation, Mayday communication, hazardous environment operations, rescue procedures, emergency incident management ======================================================================== FULL TEXT: ======================================================================== |GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Standard Operating Procedures|Col2|Col3| |---|---|---| |**`Functional Area: `**
`SUPPORT SERVICES/FIRE`
`SERVICES`|**`Reference Number: `**
`IVN10-0001`|**`Revises`**
**`Previous`**
**`Effective Date:`**
`NEW`| |**`Subject:`**
`OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY &`
`HEALTH/ACCOUNTABILITY`||| |**`Authority:`**
`WETHERINGTON/HODGE`|**`Effective Date:`**
`4/01/02`|`Page`**`1`**` of`
**`4 `**| ``` I. POLICY: This standard applies to Firefighters operating at an emergency incident. It was promulgated to provide a structured approach for tracking all Firefighters operating at an emergency scene. II. APPLICABILITY: All Department of Corrections Certified Firefighters in State and County Fire Departments. III. RELATED DIRECTIVES: NFPA 1500 IV. DEFINITIONS: NONE V. ATTACHMENTS: NONE VI. PROCEDURE: A. (Guidelines) 1. The provisions of this standard shall be followed whenever Firefighters are required to work in an environment that requires the use of SCBA or where a Firefighter may become lost, trapped, or injured by the environment. ``` |Functional Area:
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`IVN10-0001`| ``` 2. Firefighters operating in a hazardous environment as defined above shall maintain crew integrity and shall use the buddy system. This requires that: a. Crew Firefighters enter and exit the environment together. b. Firefighters remain within either sight, voice, or tactile distance of each other while they are within the environment. No one shall ever be left alone. c. Station Chiefs shall not direct Firefighters to operate independently of their crews. d. Task assignment shall be made through the crew leader. 3. A crew may be divided into multiple teams to perform tasks that do not require the efforts of the entire crew, provided that: a. Each team has a minimum of two Firefighters. b. The Station Chief remains in contact with each team and is constantly aware of their locations. c. A given team enters and exits the hazardous environment together. d. On completion of an assigned task, the team leader reports to the Station Chief for another assignment. B. ACCOUNTABILITY EQUIPMENT 1. Helmet identification tag: A metal plate that identifies the crew to which a Firefighter is assigned is attached to each side of the helmet by a self-adhesive fastener. 2. Personnel accountability tag: A plastic tag that is engraved with the Firefighter’s name and identification number. Every Firefighter assigned ``` |Functional Area:
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`IVN10-0001`| ``` to emergency response duty should be issued a personnel accountability tag. 3. Company responder board: A board mounted on the dash of each apparatus in full view of the company officer or crew leader. The board shall remain with the apparatus at all times unless Command orders it to be removed to locate a lost Firefighter. a. Firefighters shall attach and remove their tags as appropriate. b. The Station Chief shall update the company responder board as required and remove the tag of any Firefighter not on board the apparatus. 4. Passport: A metal tag labeled with the company’s identity that is used to account for each crew operating at an incident. C. ROLL CALL 1. A roll call is a systematic method for reporting to command that all Firefighters operating at an incident are accounted for. It should be conducted periodically throughout an incident to ensure that all Firefighters are safe and accounted for. 2. A roll call shall be conducted: a. When changing for an offensive to a defensive mode. b. When an unexpected or catastrophic event occurs, for example in the case of flashover, backdraft, or structural collapse. c. After an emergency evacuation. d. At the first report that a Firefighter is missing. e. When a fire is declared to be under control. D. LOST OR TRAPPED FIREFIGHTER ``` |Functional Area:
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`IVN10-0001`| ``` 1. In the event that one or more Firefighters cannot be accounted for, a roll call shall be requested immediately by the Firefighter or officer who believes that a Firefighter is missing. 2. If a Firefighter cannot be accounted for during a roll, he/she will be presumed lost until he/she can be accounted for. 3. An attempted rescue will become the top priority at the incident and sufficient resources shall immediately be assigned to conduct the rescue effort. 4. As soon as all Firefighters have been positively accounted for, the rescue effort shall be suspended. E. EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS 1. The term emergency shall be used by anyone on the scene who needs to communicate an urgent message. 2. The term Mayday shall be used by anyone on the scene who becomes aware of or is involved in a life threatening situation. F. EMERGENCY EVACUATION 1. When it is unsafe to continue emergency operations, Command shall order a rapid and complete evacuation from the hazardous environment. 2. An evacuation may be initiated by anyone at the incident, but the order to evacuate must be transmitted through the established chain of command to ensure that everyone can be accounted for. 3. The order to evacuate shall be transmitted as follows: Interior Sector to Command, emergency! Evacuate the building immediately! 4. Command shall immediately order everyone to evacuate the hazardous environment. Example: Maple Street Command, emergency! All units evacuate the building immediately! Repeat, all units evacuate the building immediately. ``` |Functional Area:
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`IVN10-0001`| ``` 5. All Firefighters shall acknowledge the order to evacuate. 6. Station Chief shall conduct a roll call after everyone has acknowledged the order to evacuate. 7. Three long blasts from an apparatus air horn shall also be used as the emergency evacuation signal. ```