SOP Manual - Cleveland Fire Department

Cleveland Fire Department
Operations Manual
Approaches to Tactical Priorities
The Incident Commander must realize that each of the tactical priorities demands a different approach by
the Incident Commander and operating units.
During a rescue, the Incident Commander must assign companies to locate and remove all threatened
occupants. If necessary, property must be written off to reach this goal.
During fire control efforts, the Incident Commander finds the fire, cuts it off, and puts it out. Some damage
to property may result from firefighting operations.
Property conservation activities move with more caution. Time may be used in a more calculated manner.
The Incident Commander must realize that there will be a trade off between the damage being done by the
fire and the damage done by the fire control efforts. As a general rule of thumb, the damage done by
firefighting forces must be done in proportion to the damage being done by the fire. It is unjustifiable to do
$20,000 worth of damage looking for an overheated ballast on a smoke investigation. On the other hand, if
the fire is destroying property, do not be afraid to beat up the building to make an aggressive effort to get
ahead of the fire and cut it off. It is true that the Incident Commander who worries about beating in a door
can often be found a few hours later trying to confine the fire to the block of origin.
Overlapping Priorities
The intelligent Incident Commander must realize that in some cases tactical priorities must be carried out
simultaneously, such as fire control and rescue operations. The Incident Commander must be able to
allocate units to carry out these multiple priorities simultaneously, while remembering that operations are in
the Rescue Mode until the “All Clear” is given. The effective Incident Commander realizes that tactical
priorities are separate but are always interrelated at an emergency.
The Incident Commander must be able to understand fire behavior and must develop the discipline to mix
functions while keeping them in their proper priority order.
Review, Evaluate, and Revise Attack Plans as Required
Once a plan is in operation, the Incident Commander must receive regular feedback from the operating
sectors and must constantly review the progress of the attack. This part of the system eliminates the need
for the Incident Commander to be mobile and allows him to concentrate on overall Command. Evaluation
and revision of the attack plan become a major safety item for the Incident Commander and the operating
units.
Request and Assign Additional Units as Required
The Incident Commander operates as a resource manager, developing objectives and allocating resources.
These additional resources are the basic mechanisms to out flank and overpower the fire.
The Incident Commander must call for additional resources to stay ahead of the fire, and he must build a
corresponding organization as additional resources are called. The Incident Commander must call
additional resources when:
A. An actual fire situation or potential fire situation exists, and the potential life hazard exceeds the
rescue capabilities of initial alarm companies.
Effective: June 1, 1997 Revised: 5/14/2009 Page | 161
Approved by: Chief Chuck Atchley