Firefighter training drill by Forest Reeder
Next in the Survival Essential series focuses on the necessity and conditions that a personnel accountability report (PAR, or roll call) would be initiated during an emergency. Many National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards–such as NFPA 1500, Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program; 1561, Standard on Emergency Services Incident Management System; and 1521, Standard for Fire Department Safety Officer;–specify conditions and time intervals where this should occur. This is intended to be a formal accounting for the location, status, and condition of each crew assigned to an incident. Some considerations for this roll-call like activity should include:
- When it should occur according to a specific time standard
- Conditions it should occur on based on significant fireground events
- A process for accounting for those in the most-threatened positions first
- A communication system that allows for quick and accurate acknowledgment of crew status
- An emergency procedure should a crew or a member not be accounted for during an incident.
Use this week’s worksheet to guide a discussion of the above points and review local policy for this action on your fireground. This is a survival essential that all members must be made aware of and how they are expected to respond to all possible outcomes.
Download this week’s drill as a PDF HERE.
- Survival Essentials Drill Part 1: The Mayday
- Survival Essentials Drill Part 2: Evacuation
- Survival Essentials Drill Part 3: Do Not Enter
- Survival Essentials Drill Part 5: PASS
Forest Reeder began his fire service career in 1979. He currently serves as Division Chief of Training & Safety for the Des Plaines (IL) Fire Department. He is a past recipient of the International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI) prestigious George D. Post Instructor of the Year award and has been responsible for the design, implementation and coordination of in-service firefighter training activities as well as a full-service fire training academy program. Forest holds numerous Illinois fire service certifications and holds a Masters Degree in Public Safety Administration from Lewis University.
