Fireground Operations and Incident Command
This section covers Fireground Operations and Incident Command: how a commander establishes control, sets objectives, sectors the incident and communicates decisions. The exam tests command roles, tactical priorities, dynamic risk assessment and multi-agency coordination.
Establishing command
- Declare command early and confirm the incident command point (ICP) and command support.
- Keep a single incident commander; any handover must brief hazards, objectives, resources, actions and safety.
- Set clear incident objectives and select an offensive, defensive or transitional mode.
Sectorisation and communication
- Divide complex incidents into sectors with named boundaries, such as fire sector, search sector and staging.
- Add functional roles (operations, safety, logistics) when span of control is exceeded.
- Use plain language, confirm receipt and apply JESIP principles with other services.
Worked example
A two-storey house shows smoke from a first-floor window and a reported missing person. The commander declares command, appoints an entry control point, a safety officer, a fire sector and a search sector, and sets objectives: rescue, confine fire and protect exposures. Two BA teams enter with a main jet while a covering jet protects the adjacent house. Reasoning: the life risk drives offensive mode, but entry control, water supply and a safety officer must be in place before commitment.
Traps
Not declaring command; sectors without boundaries; freelancing; transferring command without a briefing; confusing tactical priorities with tactics.