Pre-Fire Planning, Size-Up & Incident Command System
Key Takeaways
- Pre-fire planning gathers critical structural, hazard, occupancy, and water supply data before an incident occurs to drive rapid, informed fireground decision-making.
- The RECEO-VS mnemonic establishes tactical fireground priorities: Rescue, Exposures, Confinement, Extinguishment, Overhaul, Ventilation, and Salvage.
- Initial and ongoing size-up requires systematically evaluating the 13 COAL WAS WEALTH factors from dispatch through arrival and throughout incident progress.
- The Incident Command System (ICS) organizes command, command staff (Safety Officer, PIO, Liaison Officer), and functional general staff under a strict span of control (3 to 7, optimum 5).
- The Incident Safety Officer (ISO) possesses mandatory, independent authority to immediately suspend, alter, or terminate any fireground operation deemed unsafe.
Pre-Fire Planning, Size-Up & Incident Command System
Successful fireground operations depend on structured organization, rapid tactical evaluation, and pre-incident intelligence. Fire officers must transition seamlessly from pre-fire planning to active incident size-up and manage resources effectively using the Incident Command System (ICS).
Pre-Fire Planning & Data Gathering
Pre-fire planning (or pre-incident planning) is the process of gathering comprehensive building, occupancy, and environmental data before an emergency occurs. Rather than replacing on-scene size-up, pre-fire plans supply critical baseline intelligence that allows the Incident Commander (IC) to anticipate fire behavior, occupant life safety risks, and structural collapse hazards.
Key Data Elements Collected During Inspections
- Construction & Structural Features: Type of construction (Types I–V), roof and floor framing systems (e.g., lightweight wood trusses, bar joists, heavy timber), vertical shafts, and utility chase locations.
- Occupancy Characteristics: Primary use, expected occupant load, vulnerable populations (e.g., non-ambulatory hospital patients, school children), and normal operational hours.
- Hazardous Materials & Processes: Storage location of flammable liquids, compressed gases, toxic chemicals, and availability of Safety Data Sheets (SDS).
- Water Supply & Auxiliary Systems: Municipal hydrant locations and flow rates, static water sources, fire department connections (FDC), automatic fire sprinkler systems, standpipe systems, and fire pumps.
- Access & Response Factors: Fire apparatus access roads, key box (Knox Box) locations, security gates, overhead power lines, and structural access points.
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| PRE-FIRE PLAN DATA FLOW MATRIX |
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| [Building Inspection] ---> [Data Collection: Construction/Hazards] |
| | |
| v |
| [Dispatched Incident] <--- [Pre-Incident Plan GIS / Mobile Computer] |
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| v |
| [Initial Size-Up & Fireground Strategy (RECEO-VS)] |
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Fireground Tactical Priorities: RECEO-VS
To ensure fireground operations follow a logical, life-safety-driven order of precedence, fire service leaders rely on the RECEO-VS mnemonic. Developed by Chief Lloyd Layman, this acronym outlines the seven core tactical priorities in structural firefighting.
| Tactical Priority | Category | Operational Description |
|---|---|---|
| R - Rescue | Primary Priority | Searching for, locating, removing, and treating occupants threatened by fire or smoke. Always takes precedence over property conservation. |
| E - Exposures | Fire Control | Protecting uninvolved interior rooms, adjacent structures, or neighboring property from fire extension. |
| C - Confinement | Fire Control | Preventing the fire from expanding beyond its original compartment, floor, or structural envelope. |
| E - Extinguishment | Fire Control | Applying sufficient fire extinguishing agents directly to the seat of the fire to completely extinguish all active flames. |
| O - Overhaul | Property Safety | Searching for hidden fire in voids, walls, and ceilings after main knock-down to prevent rekindle. |
| V - Ventilation | Support Operation | Controlling heat, smoke, and toxic gas movement; performed concurrently across all phases to assist rescue and attack. |
| S - Salvage | Support Operation | Protecting structure contents from water, smoke, and physical damage; executed throughout the operation. |
Critical Note: While Rescue is always the absolute priority, achieving fire confinement or rapid extinguishment is often the most effective method to accomplish occupant rescue by removing the threat.
Initial Size-Up & The 13 Size-Up Factors
Size-Up is the continuous mental evaluation process conducted by officers to analyze existing facts, probabilities, and resource needs. Size-up begins at the time of alarm dispatch, intensifies upon arrival on scene, and continues until the incident is terminated.
To ensure no critical variable is overlooked, officers use the classic 13 size-up factors summarized by the mnemonic COAL WAS WEALTH:
- C - Construction: Building Type I (Fire Resistive) through Type V (Wood Frame), age, lightweight truss assemblies, and structural alterations.
- O - Occupancy: Specific building usage, time-of-day occupancy rates, and specialized operational risks.
- A - Apparatus & Manpower: Initial response resources, responding company capabilities, and incoming mutual aid availability.
- L - Life Hazard: Number, location, condition, and survivability profile of occupants versus structural stability for firefighters.
- W - Water Supply: Hydrant availability, water main volume, static drafting sources, and long-lay supply line requirements.
- A - Auxiliary Appliances: Sprinkler system pressure/flow, standpipe operational status, and fire pump operations.
- S - Street Conditions: Narrow streets, parked vehicles, traffic congestion, road construction, and apparatus positioning obstacles.
- W - Weather: Wind velocity and direction (affecting fire spread and ventilation), extreme temperatures, freezing conditions, and high humidity.
- E - Exposures: Internal voids, shafts, open windows, and nearby external buildings at risk of radiant or convective ignition.
- A - Area & Height: Footprint square footage, vertical story count, ladder reach requirements, and structural collapse zones.
- L - Location & Extent of Fire: Fire origin floor, active burning compartment, working fire vs. fully involved status, and smoke conditions.
- T - Time: Time of day (sleep hours vs. waking hours), burn duration prior to arrival, and elapsed structural fire exposure time.
- H - Special Hazards: Bulk chemicals, hazardous materials, high-voltage electrical feeds, solar PV panels, and structural compromise.
Incident Command System (ICS) Principles
The Incident Command System (ICS) is a standardized, all-hazard emergency management framework mandated under the National Incident Management System (NIMS). ICS enables single fire companies or multi-agency responses to expand or contract modularly without losing organizational control.
Core Incident Command Roles
- Incident Commander (IC): Holds ultimate responsibility for overall incident safety, strategy development, tactical objectives, and resource allocation. Command is established by the first-arriving officer.
- Command Staff: Assists the IC directly with administrative, safety, and inter-agency coordination:
- Safety Officer (SO): Monitors incident operations, assesses hazardous conditions, and holds independent, mandatory authority to alter, suspend, or terminate any action deemed unsafe or immediately dangerous.
- Public Information Officer (PIO): Manages media relations, public statements, and official information dissemination.
- Liaison Officer (LNO): Serves as the primary contact point for representatives from assisting and cooperating agencies (e.g., police, utilities, red cross).
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| INCIDENT COMMANDER |
+-----------+------------+
|
+-----------------------------+-----------------------------+
| | |
+-------v-------+ +-------v-------+ +-------v-------+
| Safety Officer| | Public Info | | Liaison |
| (SO) | | Officer (PIO) | | Officer (LNO) |
+---------------+ +---------------+ +---------------+
|
+-----------------------------+-----------------------------+
| | |
+-------v-------+ +-------v-------+ +-------v-------+
| Operations | | Planning | | Logistics |
| Section Chief | | Section Chief | | Section Chief |
+---------------+ +---------------+ +---------------+
|
+-------v-------+
| Finance/Admin |
| Section Chief |
+---------------+
General Staff (Functional Sections)
When incidents expand beyond the direct control of the Incident Commander, functional sections are activated under Section Chiefs:
- Operations Section Chief (OSC): Directs all tactical operations on the fireground to achieve the Incident Action Plan (IAP) objectives.
- Planning Section Chief (PSC): Collects, evaluates, and disseminates incident intelligence, tracks personnel accountability, and drafts the written IAP.
- Logistics Section Chief (LSC): Provides facilities, services, equipment, fuel, communications, and medical support for emergency responders.
- Finance/Admin Section Chief (FSC): Manages vendor contracts, personnel time tracking, procurement, and financial damage/injury claims.
Span of Control
Span of Control refers to the number of individuals or organizational resources that one supervisor can manage effectively. In structural firefighting and ICS operations:
- Effective span of control ranges from 3 to 7 subordinates per supervisor.
- The optimum span of control is 5 subordinates per supervisor.
- Exceeding a span of 7 requires creating additional divisions, groups, or branches to maintain safety and tactical accountability.
Which tactical priority in the RECEO-VS mnemonic must always take precedence over all other fireground actions?
Under the 13 size-up factors represented by the mnemonic COAL WAS WEALTH, what does the first 'A' represent?
Which Command Staff position in the Incident Command System (ICS) possesses the mandatory, independent authority to immediately alter or terminate any action deemed unsafe?