Two In – Two Out. Friend or Foe? – Part 2
Written by John on January 29th, 2010
PART 2
In part 1, we began to consider the implementation of OSHA two in-two out. Let’s continue with several more considerations.
Customer Service
Several years ago, Alan Brunancini, Chief of the Phoenix Fire Department (ret.), focused attention on the concept of enhancing citizens’ perception of the fire service expending its maximum effort to meet their needs in emergency and non-emergency incidents. Without a doubt, the concept of customer service can maximize public support of the fire service. With that thought in mind, how does the initial company at a structure fire explain customer service to the homeowner(s) who watch their house burn while the initial company protects exposures while waiting for the arrival of another company?
Practicality
Notwithstanding the inherent dangers of fire fighting, the basic principle of structural fire suppression is relatively straightforward-rescue any trapped occupants, protect exposures, and put the fire out (remember the acronym RECEO?). However, while a firefighter (on an initial apparatus to a structure fire) evaluates the need for a search and rescue operation, an additional factor that will be present is the OSHA deviation policy (and no doubt considered by some firefighters). The deviation policy enables less than four on-scene personnel to conduct appropriate operations to save a life where immediate action is necessary. However, such deviation may result in the issuance of a “de minimus” citation, and will result in an investigation by the Fire Department in concert with a written report to the Fire Chief. Therefore, will the firefighter that is contemplating the need for a search and rescue operation also simultaneously consider the potential result of an operation that OSHA would consider a deviation? Let’s consider another example and look at the two personnel that comprise the “2 out” portion of the 2 in/2 out rule. Remember that one person is responsible to account for, and if necessary, initiate a firefighter rescue. The other designated person is permitted to take on other roles as long as they can be immediately abandoned without placing any personnel at risk. Therefore, can a pump operator assigned as a designated person of the “2 out” team and is also responsible for supplying an interior attack line also be capable of leaving the pump and assist with an interior search?
Fireground Safety
If the previous two considerations are debatable, the potential impact of the 2 in/2 out rule on firefighter safety should not be debatable. Sadly, it is debatable. To evaluate this subject, let’s look at two fireground factors: structural stability and flashover. First, gravity and fire simultaneously work together to reduce the structural stability of any structure. The longer a fire is allowed to burn, the weaker a structure becomes (remember, falling debris always have the “right of way”). Secondly, is backdraft or flashover a common modern fireground problem? Answer: few modern firefighters have seen a backdraft, but most modern fireground firefighters have witnessed a flashover. The modern fireground has dramatically changed from buildings that use conventional materials (i.e., wood, wool, paper, cotton, etc) to synthetic type materials (i.e., plastics). It is a fact that the modern fireground environment flashes over 2-3 times hotter and faster than the fireground environment of yesterday. It is also a fact that firefighter deaths and injuries due to flashover conditions have significantly increased. Interestingly and as a side note, one of the most popular training programs on the East Coast is titled “Get Out Alive.” So, let’s apply the preceding two considerations to the implementation of the 2 in/2 out rule: If 3 fireground personnel (if you place the pump operator into the classification of not being able to assist with an interior rescue while responsible for an interior attack line, then 4 initial personnel are not sufficient to meet the 2 in/2 out rule) are forced to wait 2, 3, or 4 minutes for the arrival of the next company before an interior attack is initiated, what is happening to structural integrity and the ability of an interior environment to suddenly flashover during interior attack operations?
In summary, as most fire departments do not and will not initially place a minimum of 4 personnel to a structure fire, does the OSHA 2 in/2 out regulation “go a long way in making one of the most dangerous professions safer”, and/or “the most important advance in fire fighter safety in decades?” As you will be impacted by this new regulation, you make the call because you are being forced to. The administrators responsible for the implementation of the 2 in/2 out rule don’t have to.
