Alright, so I’m gonna walk you through how I messed around with accountability boards and passports at a fire scene. It wasn’t perfect, but hey, that’s why we practice, right?
First off, what’s the idea? Simple. Accountability. Knowing who’s inside, what they’re doing, and making sure everyone comes out. We’ve all seen those reports about firefighters getting lost or trapped. This is about trying to prevent that, plain and simple.
Okay, so I grabbed a whiteboard – nothing fancy, just a regular whiteboard. I called it the “Accountability Board.” Then I got some those plastic sleeves, the kind you use for holding documents. Those became our “passports”. We wrote names, roles (like nozzleman, vent guy), and radio channels on pieces of paper and slid them into the sleeves.
The plan was this: Every firefighter entering the hot zone hands their passport to the Incident Commander (IC). IC slaps it on the board. When they exit, they grab their passport back. Clean board = everyone’s out. That’s the theory, anyway.
So, we ran a training exercise. A simulated house fire. I acted as the IC. The first team showed up, geared up, and started to head in. I stopped ’em. “Passports, people!” Some looked confused, but they handed ’em over. I stuck ’em on the board with magnets. Felt pretty official, I gotta say.
Here’s where things got a little messy. The second team arrived. More passports. But the board was getting crowded fast. And frankly, keeping track of who was doing what was harder than I thought. I was trying to listen to the radio, track time, and manage the board all at once. Multitasking nightmare!
Another problem: communication. It wasn’t clear enough who needed to grab their passport on the way out. A few firefighters just wandered out after their task was done, completely forgetting the system. I had to chase them down to get the passports back. Not ideal in a real fire situation.
We debriefed after the exercise. Key takeaways?
- The board needs to be bigger. Seriously, bigger. We had maybe 6-8 firefighters in at a time, and it was already cramped.
- The IC needs help. Managing the board shouldn’t be the IC’s only job. Maybe dedicate someone specifically to accountability.
- Clearer protocols. Everyone needs to be drilled on the passport system. No exceptions. Entrance = passport in. Exit = passport out. Period.
- Consider digital solutions. A whiteboard is low-tech, sure. But maybe there’s an app or software that could streamline the process. Something to think about.
Honestly, it wasn’t a perfect system. Far from it. But it was a start. It got us thinking about accountability in a more structured way. We’re tweaking the system, trying different layouts for the board, and working on making it second nature for everyone to use the passports. It’s a work in progress, but I think it’s a step in the right direction. We’ll be running more drills and hopefully get to a point where it becomes a seamless part of our operations.
