Wash. Admin. Code § 296-305-05000 - Incident management

(1) The fire department must establish an incident management system (IMS) consistent with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security National Incident Management System (NIMS) with written guidelines applying to all members involved in emergency operations.

(a) All members involved in emergency operations must be trained in the IMS system.

(b) Personnel must be trained and qualified by their department in the incident command system (ICS) that meets the requirements of NIMS prior to taking a role at an emergency scene.

(c) The incident management system must be applied to drills, exercises, and other situations that involve hazards similar to those encountered at actual emergency incidents and to simulated incidents that are conducted for training and familiarization purposes.

(2) At all emergency incidents, the incident commander must be responsible for the overall safety of all members and all activities occurring at the scene.

(3) All emergency incidents must be managed by an ICS; the incident commander must establish an organization with sufficient supervisory personnel to control the position and function of all members operating at the scene and to ensure that safety requirements are satisfied.

(4) At all emergency incidents, the incident commander must have the responsibility to:

(a) Assume and confirm command and take an effective fixed physical command position.

(b) Perform situation evaluation that includes risk assessment.

(c) Initiate, maintain, and control incident communication.

(d) Develop an overall strategy and incident action plan.

(e) Develop an effective ICS organization by managing resources, maintaining an effective span of control, and maintaining direct supervision over the entire incident by creating geographical and/or functional area supervisors as appropriate for the scope and size of the incident.

(f) Review, evaluate, and revise the incident action plan as required.

(g) Continue, transfer, and terminate command.

(5) The fire department must develop a risk management policy including rules of engagement that can be used by the incident commander in the development of incident strategies. The risk management policy should include direction and guidance to the incident commander in formulating incident planning relating to the level of risk that may be undertaken in any given incident to save lives and property in as safe a manner as dictated by the situation.

(6) The fire department must establish an accountability system: Written procedures and guidelines for tracking all members operating at emergency incidents.

(7) The incident commander must provide for control of access to hazardous areas of the incident scene. Procedures must identify methods for identification of hazardous areas and communication of necessary protective equipment and other protective measures necessary to operate in the hazardous area.

(a) Control zones must be established at emergency incidents.

(b) The perimeters of the control zones must be designated by the incident commander and communicated to all members.

(c) If the perimeters of the control zones change during the course of the incident, these changes must be communicated to all members on the scene.

(d) Hazard control zones must be designated as hot, warm, cold and exclusion zones.

(e) All members must wear the PPE (SCBA, flash hood, etc.) appropriate for the risks that might be encountered while in the hot zone.

(f) All members operating within the hot zone must have an assigned task.

(g) No unauthorized personnel must enter an exclusion zone that was designated due to the presence of imminent hazard(s) or the need to protect evidence.

(8) Firefighters operating in a hot zone must operate in teams of two or more regardless of rank or assignment. Members of these teams must be in constant communication with each other through touch, visual, or voice means in order to provide assistance in case of emergency.

(9) The fire department must provide personnel for the rescue of members operating at emergency incidents as the need arises.

(10) The fire department must develop and maintain written guidelines for the safety of members at incidents that involve violence, unrest, or civil disturbance. Such situations may include, but not be limited to, riots, fights, violent crimes, drug related situations, family disturbances, deranged individuals, and people interfering with fire department operations.

(11) When members are operating at an emergency incident and their assignment places them in potential conflict with motor vehicle traffic, all reasonable efforts must be made to protect the members.

Note:

Chapters 6H and 6I of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, 2003 edition revision 1, provides information on how to set up traffic control zones during emergency operations on different types of roadways. This information can be accessed for free at the following link: http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/pdfs/2003r1/pdf-index.htm.

(12) Responders must not manipulate equipment that they have not been trained or equipped to use.

(13) In the event a firefighter becomes lost, trapped, seriously injured, has a medical emergency, has exhausted their breathing air, or finds themselves in any other form of life threatening situation they must immediately call for help, using the nationally adopted term "Mayday" to declare that an emergency situation now exists. The fire department must specifically establish and routinely practice standard procedures for managing a Mayday situation.

(14) Emergency scene communications.

(a) Incident radio communication must use clear text terminology.

(b) Incident communication must use the phrase "emergency traffic" as the standard alert for all units operating on the scene to clear the air.

(c) The fire department must specifically establish and routinely practice standard procedures for managing an "emergency traffic" situation.

Note:

The fire department communication center should start an incident clock when the first arriving unit is on scene of a working structure fire or when conditions appear to be time sensitive or dangerous. The dispatch center should notify the incident commander, at an interval established by their policy or procedure, until incident stabilization is achieved.

Notes

Wash. Admin. Code § 296-305-05000

Amended by WSR 18-22-116, Filed 11/6/2018, effective 12/7/2018

Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, 49.17.060 and 29 C.F.R. 1910.156, Fire brigades. 13-05-070, § 296-305-05000, filed 2/19/13, effective 1/1/14.