Sharing Task Force/Strike Team Information

Think About It

by Steve Day
Woodward Fire Department

With the number and the severity of the wildfires that Oklahoma Firefighters have experienced over the past decade many lessons have been learned.

The issues involved are numerous and broad in nature. In dealing with these issues we should concern ourselves with the same priorities we use on any emergency calls we respond to.

1. Life Safety

On each incident we respond to, Life Safety starts when we first get the call and doesn’t end until we return to the Fire Station.

2. Incident Stabilization

On each incident we respond to, Incident Stabilization starts when we first get the call and doesn’t end until the incident is brought under control.

3. Property Conservation

On each incident we respond to, Property Conservation is a direct result of the measures we take in the Incident Stabilization stage.

L.I.P. - Life Safety, Incident Stabilization, Property Conservation

These priorities should never change. Now back to the lessons learned with Wildfire incidents.

Large wildfire incidents result in large numbers of firefighters and fire apparatus responding to and operating on a given scene. With this volume of firefighters trying to get information, communications can and do break down. These communication break downs are due to a variety of problems.

• Incompatible radio frequencies result in no two-way communication between units.
• Too many Firefighters trying to communicate on compatible radio frequencies results in an overloaded channel with limited communication.

Lessons learned from this problem have resulted in the formation of Incident Support Teams responding to assist the local Incident Commander. These teams assist with radio communications and accountability of personnel, fire units and other resources. For these Incident Support Teams to be effective there has to be communication and cooperation between these teams and the local and responding fire depts. These relationships should start long before the major incident begins.

Many departments are joining together and forming task force / strike teams.  These teams have a team leader, common communication, stay together on the fire ground, and are often times self-supporting. These teams are a result of local, county and regional meetings that address the need for an organized approach to responding and operating at these large-scale incidents. These teams may be made of departments from a single county, numerous counties and may even include departments from different states. The fire departments that make up these teams saw the need for an organized response and they took the time and effort necessary to develop a working team. These task force teams continue to meet and discuss what is working and what needs to be changed.

As long as these teams continue to form and expand we can expect to see a more organized and safer response to these large-scale wildland fire incidents. The communication issues will continue to be addressed and firefighter safety will improve. If these teams don’t continue to form and improve their operations the opposite will happen. Communications and cooperation between agencies will continue to be a problem.

If the fire departments in your area haven’t formed a task force/strike team you may want to consider this option.

What are the benefits?     

Again, L.I.P., Life Safety, Incident Stabilization, Property Conservation

These priorities should never change.

The OSFA Health and Safety Committee is requesting information from those task force/strike teams located in Oklahoma.

The information needed is:

• Team name.
• Team location.
• Fire Depts., groups and organizations that are part of the task force.
• Policies, procedures or guidelines that the team operates with.
• Contact and activation information.

These teams work. If you have question or need help forming a task force in your area, let us know. We will be glad to help. If you would like to be a part of spreading the word on how your team operates. Lets us know, we need your help.         

What can you do to help? Share your information. Share your ideas. Share your policies, guidelines and protocols.  Our goal is to build a database that we can all access so when these events happen in your area, you will be able to reach the nearest department with the capabilities that you need.

What other incidents can this concept be used for? What will an organized approach to handling these large-scale wildland fire incidents do for firefighter safety?

Think about it.

Send your information to the OSFA, Safety and Health Committee.

Penelope Hanley
c/o OSFA S&H Committee
2716 NE 50th Street
OKC, OK 73111

or email to penelopeh@osfa.info or fax to 405-424-1032, Attn: Penelope, S&H Committee.