Policy I Procedure

Fire survival guidance calls

IILONDON FIRE BRIGADE

New policy number: 790

Old instruction number:

Issue date: 23 February 2012

Reviewed as current. 17 April 2014

Owner: Head of Incident Command Policy and Operations Review Team

Responsible work team: Incident Command Policy and Operations Review Team

Contents

1 Introduction 2

2 Fire survival guidance call definition 2

3 Information gathered by Control 2

4 Prioritising calls 2

5 Information transfer to the incident 2

6 Resources and mobilising for FSG calls 4

7 Recording and sharing of information 4

8 Advice to Fire Survival Guidance callers 5

9 Communication with Control 5

10 Post incident support and debriefing 6

Appendix 1 - Examples of messages 7

Appendix 2 - Control information form 8

Appendix 3 - Casualty information poster 9

Appendix 4 - Key point summary - Fire survival guidance calls 10

Document history 11

Review date: 17 April 2017 Last amended date: 9 December 2014

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1 Introduction

1.1 The purpose of this policy is to explain what a Fire Survival Guidance (FSG) call is and to describehow critical information should be exchanged between Brigade Control and the incident ground. Itprovides guidance on how this information is to be recorded for use by incident commanders (IC).

2 Fire survival guidance call definition

2.1 A FSG call is a call received into control where the caller believes that they are unable to leave theirpremises due to the effects of fire, and where the control officer remains on the line providing

appropriate advice. The call continues until either the caller is able to leave by their own means, isrescued by the Fire Brigade, or the telephone line is cleared. It should be noted that a caller mayclear the line after the FSG process has corn menced butthat will not necessarily mean acancellation of that process.

2.2 A variety of incidents can generate multiple calls from occupiers uncertain of the situation e.g. firesin rubbish chutes or stair wells attached to a high rise block of flats. Callers may call control seekingadvice or offeringfurther information such as smoke in the corridor. Duringthese calls controlprovide current fire safety advice to callers that they are usually safest to remain in their property ifnot affected by fire, heat or smoke. Callers will be advised to leave their property if they start tobecome affected by fire, heat or smoke or red ial 999 if they are unsure or need further advice.These calls are not treated as FSG calls.

2.3 Responsibility rests with control to determine that FSG is taking place and not the fi reground . Thefireground will determine whether an incid ent should be treated as Persons Reported not control.

2.4 There may be other events not involvingfire where people are trapped. It is envisaged that theprocesses explained in this policy can be used in these scenarios however control must make itclear if the incidents involve fire or not.

3 Information gathered by Control

3.1 Control manage all FSG calls in accordance with Fire Service Circular 10/93 us ingthe fourprinciples of escape, assess, protect and rescue as set out in Policy Number 539 - Emergency callmanagement.

4 Prioritising calls

4.1 Occasionally control receives multiple FSGs at an incident. All FSGs received by control are treatedwith the same level of urgency, however, in certain circumstances, the officer in charge of controlmay direct call handlers to terminate a call to answer another.

4.2 The IC, based on their situational awareness and the information provided by control, will decidehow to prioritise FSG calls and the actions to be taken on the incident ground. ICs should directresources to those callers at greatest risk (high priority) if practicable. Other callers not seen as atgreatest risk (medium priority) should be allocated resources when available.

4.3 It is important that the process of gathering and recording information does not prejudice therescue of saveable life.

5 Information transfer to the incident

5.1 As soon as control has confirmed that a FSG call is in progress they will contact the incident groundand start to pass over the initial details. At this stage it is likely to be basic information relatingto thenumber of persons involved and their location within the property.

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5.2 ICs should consider allocating resources to maintain a listeningwatch on the appliance radio.

5.3 As the FSG call continues control will gather further information whilsttalkingto and providingguidance to a FSG caller.

5.4 Control will contact the Initial Command Pump (ICP) and pass the information below by applianceradio for each separate FSG call. When passingthis information, control will reference theinformation us ingthe relevantflat/house number.

5.5 Control will attem pt to gather all the information on the Control Information Form (see Appendix 2)and relay this information to the incident as and when it becomes available:

• number of flat/house;• number of persons involved;• location of caller within premises and access point;• condition of their location e.g. heavy smoke, slight smoke;• proximitytofire if known;• latest advice given by control;• time of FSG call,• time updated.

5.6 Control may obtain the name of a caller to assist in identification. Names must not becommunicated by radio.

5.7 The ICP radio operator should write down the information passed to them on a Control InformationForm carried in the cab of all front line appliances. Any other relevant information gathered bycontrol, or requested from the incident ground, additional to that described above must also berecorded on this form. This form is available in quadruplicate allowing distribution where required.The top (white) copy must be retained atthe ICP for passing to the CU. The form allows for theannotation of where the copies are to be distributed if required.

5.8 Once any FSG information is received, the ICP radio operator must confirm the information byrepeating it all back to control to confirm it is correct.

5.9 All FSG call information must be passed to the IC who will decide what action should be taken. Theexpectation is that ICs will treat FSG calls as a priority and consider deploying and increasingresources accordingly.

5.10 In the event that control gets no response from the ICP they will contact an appliance en-route andpass the FSG information to them. The completed form must be passed to the IC on arrival and acopy retained at the ICP. The IC should inform control that they have received the FSGinformation.

5.11 Due to the amount of information being handled the IC should consider usingthe first CommandUnit (CU) to arrive to only deal with FSG calls. Other resources can be utilised or requested toassist with Command Support

5.12 ICs should consider the early allocation of a dedicated hand-held radio channel (e.g. channel 3) forpassing information about FSG calls on the incident ground.

5.13 If control has sufficient resources then M2FH FLON-OPS-01 could be used to free up the mainscheme Firelink radio ifthere are a large number of FSG calls. This may be for use by that incidentalone or exclusively for FSG information howeverthe IC must be aware that in the lattercircumstance only those resources monitoring that channel will hear any FSG information.

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6 Resources and mobilising for FSG calls

6.1 Any number of FSG calls to any build ingtype will attract an enhanced attendance that will includean exclusive collection of resources. Part of the attendance is the equivalent of a 'persons reported'attendance i.e., one Command Unit (CU), one Station Manager (SM) and an FIU, and theremainder will be the exclusive elementwhich will include an additional CU (for FSGC), anadditional SM (for FSGS) and a Pump Ladder with watch manager in charge (for FSGP). It is still theIC's responsibility to send a priority 'persons reported' and subsequent informative message if theincident involves or is suspected to involve persons. The resources with designated FSG attributeswill be additional to any other resources that have been requested or are en-route. If the size of theincident is subsequently increased, the mobilisingsystem will not include these resources whencalculating the additional attendance required.

6.2 Management of FSG calls is resource intensive both in the control room and on the fireground andICs are to take this into consideration when orderingtheir resource requirements.

6.3 Once additional appliances have been ordered, all subsequent orderingstothat incident will have'Fire Survival Guidance in progress at this incident' annotated to the call slip. Officers res pond ingtoorderings will be informed that FSG calls have been received by control. Officers respond ing to anordering or informative must bear in mind that control are extremely busy when dealingwith FSGsand keeptheir information gatheringfrom control to a minimum

7 Recording and sharing of information

7.1 While recognisingthe time-critical objective of saving saveable life, all information regarding FSGcalls m ust be recorded and retained on the incident ground. In the early stages of an incident thiswill be on the Control Information Forms.

7.2 CUs carry a Casualty Information poster (see Appendix 3) to record information on all the separateFSG calls. This eases the transfer of information between CUs. It is recommended that it iscompleted in pen to reduce the risk of information being erased accidentally.

7.3 The Casualty Information poster will also be available on the Forward Recording Information Board

(F RIB) for use at a bridgehead or other scene of operations. This will allow accurate informationtransfer between a CU and scene of operations.

7.4 The Casualty Information poster has been designed to be used at any incident where persons maybe trapped or missing. It is acceptable for the form to be adapted for use at specific incidents byalteringthe headings.

7.5 The Command Support System (CSS) has a messages screen that records messages sent to andfrom the incident ground once a CU has been mobilised. Messages sent by Firelink radio relatingto FSG calls are recorded here. There is also a conferencingfacility on CSS which is available forremote users. Control has CSS access and sensitive information relatingto specific calls can becommunicated by this method. See Policy Number 722— Command s upport system.

7.6 As soon as resources allow, the IC should give priority to appointing a dedicated officer known as aFSG co-ordinator (minim urn role of SM), to collate record and retain all the information on FSG callsreceived and the subsequent actions on the incident ground. The IC's briefingto this officer mustexplain the communication lines and their limits of authority.

7.7 One of the first actions of this dedicated officer should be to speak by telephone to a supervisor atcontrol to gather the latest information on the progress of FSG calls. The names of callers may be

passed to the incident ground by telephone to aid identification. Contact can be establishedthrough the officer of the watch at control.

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7.8 Control has a "Command unit critical" phone line which has a higher priority than calls to the officerof the watch. This number is programmed into CU phones and must only be used for passing lifecritical information.

7.9 At large incidents a search coordinator may be established. It is vital that information and updateson FSG calls are passed to the officer perform ingthis role. Their priorities and allocation ofresources will be significantly affected by the development and outcome of FSG calls. The searchcoordinator should also keep the dedicated officer dealingwith FSG calls informed of results oftheir searches and any rescues performed.

7.10 All actions taken on the incident ground to resolve the situation must be relayed back to controlwhilst a FSG call is still in progress. This is so that control can pass information which may bebeneficial to the caller e.g. a crew are en-route.

7.11 Document storage is the responsibility of the IC. Policy Number 541 - Command support atincidents provides guidance.

8 Advice to Fire Survival Guidance callers

8.1 Control officers will always use the four principles of Escape, Assess, Protect and Rescue to provideguidance to FSG callers.

8.2 Firstly by ass istingthe caller to help identify a safe, alternative escape route for them to leave theirpremises.

8.3 If this is not possible, then assess the situation by ask ingthe caller direct questions.

8.4 Begin to protect the caller by providingcurrent Fire safety advice to attemptto keepthe caller safe.

8.5 Reassure the caller and reassessthe caller's situation.

8.6 Control officers will remain on the telephone with the caller and assist with rescue.

8.7 In exceptional circumstances an IC may consider informing control that their advice to FSG callersshould be altered e.g. to attempt to leave their property. The IC should remember thatthis advicemay be contrary to National Policy for control staff on FSGs and liaison with the officer in charge atcontrol will be required for agreementto change the prescriptive advice.

9 Communication with Control

9.1 It is vital that control is kept informed of the actions being taken to resolve each FSG call. The factthat control is aware of the actions being carried out on the incident ground will greatly enhancethe advice given to FSG callers.

9.2 Informative messages from the incident ground should also contain an update on progress relating

to those specific FSG calls by both the flat/house number to avoid confusion.

9.3 The outcome of every FSG call must be communicated to control.

9.4 Recorded corn m unication methods between control and the Incident ground are as follows:

• Appropriate main scheme Firelink radio channel.• If control has resources then M2FH FLON-OPS-01 could be used to free up the main scheme if

there are a large number of FSG calls.• Brigade mobile phone.• Fixed phones on CU.• CSS conferencingfacility.• Command unit critical phone line— only for life critical information.

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• CU fax.

10 Post incident support and debriefing

10.1 Those involved in a FSG call from control and those carrying out rescues on the incident ground arelikely to have experienced atraumatic incident. Equally they will have evidence that may assist anysubsequent investigation or inquiry.

10.2 Managers at control and on the incident ground should put in measures to minimise the impact ofthe FSG call on staff. Managers should also ensure that individual debriefs take place to identify theactions taken and any areas that may be improved.

10.3 The Brigade's Advisory and Counselling Services Team are also available to provide any supportstaff may need beyond that which managers can provide.

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Appendix 1

Appendix 1 - Examples of messages

Message from Control

E351 from M2FS priority, fire survival guidance call information.

E351 from M2FS fire survival guidance caller in flat 61, 2 persons in a maisonette, in rear bedroomaccess by front door on 5th floor, premises filling with smoke, above scene of fire, advised to stay by

window, call received at 2300. Additional information bedroom window faces London Bridge over.

E351 repeats message back to control.

Messages from the incident ground

M2FS from E351 from WM Smith at 41 Westfield Towers, 5 roomed maisonette on 4th and 5th floors

75% alight, dry riser, 2 jets, BA in use. One BA crew sentto flat 61 Tactical Mode Oscar over.

M2FS from E351 from WM Smith at 41 Westfield Towers, reference flat 61. One adult female and onechild rescued from flat 61 by BA crew via internal staircase, sufferingfrom smoke inhalation Tactical

Mode Oscar over.

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Appendix 2

Appendix 2 - Control information form

White copy CR Yellow copy

Control Information

Blue copy Green copy

LONDON FIRE BRIGADE

Premise number:

Number of persons within location:

Location within premises and access point:

Condition within premises (heavy smoke/fire etc):

Proximity to fire (if known):

Advice to caller from control:

Time call received by control: Time updated:

Additional information:

F6178

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Appendix 3

Appendix 3 - Casualty information poster

Premise number

Number of personswithin location

Location withinpremises andaccess point

Condition withinpremises (Heavysmoke/fire etc)

Proximity to fire (ifknown)

Advice to callerfrom Control

Priority given by IC(HIM)

Names/ages/genders

Time FSG receivedby Control

Time actioned

Time resolved

How resolved

Additionalinformation

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Appendix 4

Appendix 4 - Key point summary - Fire survival guidancecalls

Information on task or event

• Number of flat.

• Number of persons involved.

• Location of caller withinpremises.

• Access point.• Condition at their location,

e.g. heavy smoke, slightsmoke.

• Proximitytofire if known.• Latest advice given by control.• Time of FSG call.• Time updated.

Information about Resources

• Control Officers.

• PDA.

• Exclusive FSG attendance.• Dedicated officer (Minimum

Role SM) should collate,record and retain informationon FSG calls.

• Search Co-ordinator should beestablished at large incidents.

Information about Risk andBenefit

• IC's decision to makepersons reported (notcontrol).

• In exceptional circumstancesan IC may considerinforming control that theiradvice should be altered(May be contrary to NationalPolicy).

• Loss of Com ms.

Gathering and thinking

••

••

Objectives

Save life.Protect property.Manage information from control.Maintain crew safety.

Communicating

• Main scheme radio.• Brigade mobile phone.• Fixed Phones on CU.• Critical phone line.• Names should not be communicated by radio.• Informative message to include update on

F SG.• Outcome of each FSG must be communicated

to control.

Controlling

• BA Entry Control Procedures• Safety Officers• Casualty Information Poster• FSG Co-ordinator• Control Information Form• Control will remain on the line

Plan

• Appoint a dedicated officer (minimum role SM) ASAPto collate, record and retain all the information on FSGcalls received and the subsequent actions on theincident ground.

• At large incidents asearch co-ordinator may beestablished.

• It is vital the information and updates on FSG calls arepassed to the officer performingthis role.

• The search co-ordinator should also keep thededicated officer dealingwith FSG calls informed ofthe results of their searches and any rescuesperformed.

• In exceptional circumstances an IC may considerinforming control that their advice to F SG callers bealtered e.g. to attempt to leave their property ratherthan stay put. The IC should remember that thisadvice may be contrary to National Policy for controlstaff on F SG calls and liaison with the officer in chargeat control will be required for agreement to changethe current advice being given.

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Document history

Assessments

An equality, sustainability or health, safety and welfare impact assessment and/or a risk assessment waslast completed on.

EIA 26/01/2011 SDIA 17/04/2014 HSWIA RA 26/01/2011

Audit trail

Listed below is a brief audit trail, detailing amendments made to this policy/procedure.

Page/para nos. Brief description of change Date

Page 1 Changed owner from Head of Operational Procedures to Head ofOperational Assurance.

24/10/2012

Throughout The word premise has been replaced by premises throughout. 16/05/2013

Throughout Attendance to FSG calls has been simplified to one singlemobilisation action. Mobilisation will be attribute driven. Clarityprovided across varying sections. The reader should considerthewhole documentto understand the changes in context.

17/04/2014

Page 2 & 10 Key point summary removed from page 2 and KPS flowchartadded as appendix 4.

08/09/2014

Page 11 'Subjects list' template updated. 09/12/2014

Subject list

You can find this policy under the followingsubjects.

Control room Fire survival guidance (FSG)

Firefighter emergency Flowchart - Key Point Summary (KPS)

Incident command / management Incident management

Mobile Data Terminals (MDT)

Freedom of Information Act exemptions

This policy/procedure has been securely marked due to:

Considered by:(responsible work team)

FOIA exemption Security markingclassification

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