NIMS
John Scholz, State Coordinator, Maryland Incident Management retired Anne Arundel County Fire Department Deputy Chief and Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute Instructor
Created in 2004, the National Incident Management System (NIMS) provides all responders throughout the U.S. with a common incident-management standard. In 2019, the latest version of NIMS was released without significant changes. As it’s a nationally recognized standard designed to support responders, change came slowly.
Team,
MFRI BULLETIN continued on page 4
Over time the NIMS model has proven to be an effective framework for emergency responders. NIMS is modular, works for any type of incident, is readily expand able, uses common terminology and works for multi-agency and multi-jurisdictional responses. More importantly, this system improves the safety of our responders, enhances communication, and makes the best use of our existing resources. While it has been around for nearly 20 years now, I think everyone would agree it is a sim ple system that can be utilized to manage an academy open house or community event, as well as, a multi-state emergency response event lasting for multiple oper ational periods. However, to be successful NIMS should be employed in the manner it was developed. In the article that follows, Deputy Chief John Scholz, Maryland Incident Management Team State Coordina tor, retired Anne Arundel County Fire Department and MFRI Instructor will talk about NIMS; its history, growth and changes. • A CONTEMPORARY OVERVIEW
SuccessfulInstitutebusinesses, regardless of their size, are organized around various prin ciples for success. Efficiency, proficiency, customer service and product delivery are all terms that are synonymous with busi ness success. To attain these principles, businesses must have in place a frame work or business management model to direct the various organizational tasks and operations. This ensures day-to-day processes are achieved and the attainment of the organization’s goals. Like a private business, it is imperative that EMS, Fire and Rescue organizations also utilize a tried and proven organizational model that can be employed for both business practices, as well as emergency scene operations. Since the 1970’s, EMS, Fire and Res cue organizations have utilized multi ple organizational management model frameworks to meet their needs. While the wildland community had the most experience with these types of proto typical model frameworks, it took a presidential directive to create the Na tional Incident Management System (NIMS). This directive made it manda tory for all EMS, Fire, Rescue, law en forcement agencies and other response agencies to adopt this all-hazards model.
JULY-SEPTEMBER 2022 | VOL.52 | NO.3 UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND MARYLAND FIRE AND RESCUE INSTITUTE
NATIONAL INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AIDS INCIDENT PREVENTION, RESPONSE, AND RECOVERY
Introduction from Michael Cox, Executive Director, Maryland Fire and Rescue
- Unveiling new risk management policy, a new instructor agreement, and a new instructor disciplinary appeals process - Instituting a faculty/staff quarterly training program
2 July - September 2022
The MFRI Bulletin is distributed as a public service of the University of Maryland. The Bulletin is dedicated to the publication of information that will help educate its readers on the subjects of fire protection, emergency medical services, rescue, leadership and training. This publication may contain some articles and illustrations provided by readers. MFRI does not necessarily agree with information nor endorse any products depicted in the Bulletin. Address all communications to Editor at MFRI. For change of address, send mailing label and new address. The MFRI Bulletin is produced entirely in house. We extend our sincere gratitude to our contributors who make this publication possible. As we begin a new fiscal year here at the Institute, it is important to take a few minutes to review our accomplishments and look forward to attaining new goals for the upcoming fiscal year.
- Continuing to utilize new innovations/technologies for group meetings
The Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute of the University of Maryland is the state’s comprehensive training and education system for all-hazard responses. The Institute plans, researches, develops and delivers quality programs to prepare agencies and individuals to protect life, the environment and property.
- Completing the renovation of the Western Maryland Regional Training Center
- Expanding the use of subject matter experts in the development of new programs
- Conducting a review of the instructor selection process
- Initiating the Smartsheet program to begin the process of tracking Institute resources
- Developing/enhancing training programs dealing with emerging issues
- Beginning a formal instructor recruitment program
- Continued development of a web-based, electronic-forms program to replace paper - Reviewing new customer service strategies
While it is easy to list the advances we have made and the ones we will strive to achieve this fiscal year, it is important to recognize and thank the members of the various workgroups who put in countless hours to achieve their assigned objectives last fiscal year. These members of our faculty, staff and instructor corps worked in the most professional manner possible to move our organization forward. Their hard work and dedication directly impact the success of the Institute and the EMS, Fire and Rescue Services in our state.
MICHAEL E. COX JR.
Bulletin Staff Editor: Diane May Managing Editor: Jennifer Ginn Graphics: Ana Maizel Contact MFRI tel: 301-226-9921 fax: 301-314-0752 www.mfri.org bulletin@mfri.org
- Conducting a survey of our stakeholders and partner groups
- Enhancing our cache of PPE, tools and equipment with a $500,000 Assistance to Firefighters Grant award
In this new fiscal year, the Institute will continue to follow the roadmap created through our strategic planning process to achieve the following objectives:
- Researching a new information-sharing platform
- Implementing a new test-review analysis program and realizing the full implementation of our tablet testing process
- Continuing to conduct an examination of MFRI policies and procedures
Many of our accomplishments last year were a direct result of the goals and objectives born out of our strategicplanning process embarked upon more than four years ago. Our faculty, staff and instructor workgroups invested a significant amount of time focused on the following:
The Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute Bulletin (MFRI) University of Maryland (ISSN 1074-2298) is published quarterly by the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute of the University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742. Periodical postage paid at College Park, MD 20740. Postmaster: Send address changes to Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute, Bulletin, 4500 Campus Drive, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20742.
- Investigating new equipment and technologies
- Developing a marketing video
MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
CONTOMS is a nationally standardized certification program that was created in 1990 through a partnership between the U.S. Park Police (USPP) and the Department of Defense Medical School (Uniformed Services, University of the Health Sciences, US HHS). It is now a public/private partnership between USPP, US HHS and Chesapeake Health Education Program (CHEP).
Designed to protect the protectors, two major catalysts propelled the creation of the CONTOMS program. In 1966, the first mass shooting in the U.S. took place at University of Texas. After gunning down his mother and his wife, a lone gunman took a collection of weapons to the observation deck of the main building tower on the Texas campus. He killed 14 and injured 31 people before he was shot to death. This tragedy brought to the forefront the need to equip responders with specialized medical training to support law enforcement and special operations. Then in 1988, U.S. Park Police SWAT Sergeant Ricardo Preston suffered a fatal heart attack while running an obstacle course at Fort Meade. The loss of Sergeant Preston, along with the fact that many injuries were occurring during routine training, reinforced the need for medical training for responders. “Law enforcement has also been increasingly in the line of fire,” said Ken Burchell, Branch Chief, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “There has been a growing need to have medical providers who could protect the protectors.”
July - September 2022 - 3
CONTOMS: PROTECTING THE PROTECTORS
CONTOMS continued on page 7 A haze of purple smoke fills the air followed by the sound of gunshots as first responders in tactical gear quickly burst onto the scene. They search for “victims” while keeping vigilant, protecting themselves and each other from potential assailants. “Ok,” calls out one of the instructors. “What did you do right?”
This is Counter Narcotics and Terrorism Operational Medical Support training, better known as CONTOMS.
The week-long, 56-hour tactical training program teaches emergency responders to work as a team through simulated crisis situations. Bringing together fire, rescue, EMS, police, military and medical providers, the training is taught and trialed in low light, confined spaces or with smoke billowing to replicate real-life scenarios.
Further—in the latest version of NIMS—there are some refinements and additions. The nomenclature for ICS and Multi Agency Coordination (MAC) groups hasn’t changed and the content within those sections has changed only slightly. For example, public information from the 2008 model has evolved to Joint Information System (JIS) and guidance on the development and use of Emergency Operations Centers (EOC) has been added for greater clarity. An interesting enhancement to NIMS is the addition of another guiding principle. In addition to Flexibility and Standardization, Unity of Effort is now the third component. Unity of Effort means coordinating activities among various organizations to achieve common objectives. This enables NIMS
Here are the overarching changes that have been implemented. In 2008, NIMS included five elements: (1) Preparedness, (2) Communications and Information Management, (3) Resource Management, (4) Command and Management, and (5) Ongoing Management and Maintenance. The NIMS refresh in 2017 featured four elements: (1) Fundamentals and Concepts of NIMS, (2) Resource Management, (3) Command and Coordination, and (4) Communications and Information Management. Many believe that “Command and Management” and “Command and Coordination” are essentially NIMS. But NIMS is much more comprehensive and provides guidance on the expectation that responders all work together in a standardized way. Standardization does not begin and end with the Incident Command System (ICS); ICS is but one component of “Command and Coordination.”
4 July - September 2022 MFRI AT THE CONVENTIONMSFA
continued from front page NIMS continued page 8
A contingency of MFRI employees made the trip east to Ocean City for the 130th Maryland State Firemen’s Annual Convention and Con ference. While on-site, MFRI staff led classes, attended meetings and events, and processed applications for fire and rescue certification. Director Cox took to the convention floor to update attendees on MFRI’s objectives and achievements over the past year.
INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER With a background in public education, fire and EMS service, Bob Midkiff joins MFRI as an Instructional Designer. In 1990, he began volunteering with the West Lanham Hills Volunteer Fire Department. He held numerous positions within the department from firefighter through Deputy Chief and is a life member. He also worked as a contract firefighter, Cardiac Rescue Technician and later as a Paramedic Lieutenant with the Community Rescue Service in Hagerstown, MD. In 2004, Midkiff returned to the UMD College Park and received his undergraduate degrees in education and history. He worked for Howard County Public School System as a high school history teacher and went on to complete a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from McDaniel College. He also volunteers with the Maryland Wing Civil Air Patrol.
APRIL ROE PROGRAM COORDINATOR
COMMUNICATIONS
AND PUBLIC RELATIONS SPECIALIST
GARY WARREN INCIDENT COMMAND SIMULATION CENTER COORDINATOR
FACULTY AND STAFF SPOTLIGHT
JENNIFER GINN
April Roe, previously the Operations Program Coordinator, is now the Logistics Program Coordinator.
Gary Warren is assuming the role of MFRI’s Incident Command Simulation Center Coordinator. Warren has been a long-time instructor at MFRI, most recently working in the simulation center as assistant to the former coordinator. Warren has nearly 50 years of fire department experience. He retired as a Deputy Chief. His knowledge, skills, abilities, and real-life command experience will propel him to carry on the mission of this section.
Jennifer Ginn joins the team as our Communications and Public Relations Specialist. She comes on board with experience in communications, public relations, writing, and social media. She was a reporter and photographer for the Capital Gazette newspaper, and covered stories for Arundel Volunteer Fire Department. Her public relations clients included: the B&O Railroad Museum, Living Classrooms Foundation, Giant Food, and the Port of Baltimore.
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BOB MIDKIFF
MFRI Executive Director Michael Cox, FF 1/C Julia Apgar and Annapolis Fire Department Chief Douglas Remaley at the Maryland State Firemen’s Association Awards Ceremony.
Apgar’s contributions to MFRI are appreciated and many.
JULIA APGAR WINS INSTRUCTOR AWARD
6 July - September 2022
Firefighter First Class Paramedic Julia Apgar was awarded the Francis. L Brannigan Instructor of the Year Award at the Maryland State Firemen’s Association Convention and Conference. Apgar was nominated by Annapolis Fire Chief Douglas Remaley and MFRI Upper Eastern Shore Coordinator Jack Beall and the award was presented by Director Michael Cox and MD Fire Service Personnel Qualifications Board (MFSPQB) Chairman Mike Robinson.
INSTRUCTOR HIGHLIGHT
Apgar has a standing reward in her classes. If her students pass their written test the first time, she makes lasagna. This keeps her busy in the kitchen. “In two of her recent EMT classes, 100% of her students passed the certification exam when the national average for passing the NREMT is 67%,” said MFRI Executive Director Cox. He also noted that Apgar logs 800-1000 hours of instruction in most years. “She has the respect of her peers, co-workers and fellow instructors and she is also a mentor to her students,” continued Cox. “Those she has educated have gone on to be paramedics, critical care nurses, flight medics, physician assistants and doctors.”
While just a teenager, Apgar joined her local fire department as a volunteer. She later committed as a career firefighter with Annapolis Fire Department. She joined MFRI as an instructor in 2013 and continues to share her vast knowledge of EMS, ALS and firefighting. “I expect my students to work hard, study and prepare. Just like they would be expected to if they were going to work or volunteer at the firehouse,” said Apgar. “I expect professionalism and integrity, but I also expect that we will have fun and learn. I truly believe the fire service is the best job in the world and I want to share that love with others.”
STEVE MACEIKO
MARCH 1947 – JULY 2022
Upon his retirement from the fire department, Mac became a full-time instructor with MFRI. He thoroughly enjoyed his teaching role.
The program also includes didactic lectures and labs, and concludes with a written test. CONTOMS participants are selected for the program and must retrain every three years to maintain their certification. To find out more about CONTOMS, visit: contoms.chepinc.org.
In one scenario, first responders assessed the condition of a “victim” in the pitch dark. One of them asked, “Are you injured? Can you walk out on your own?” Then, spotting the victim’s gunshot wound, the responder quickly applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. At another station, responders rescued a victim from the upper story of a burning building. Using ropes, they lowered the wounded safely to the ground and then repelled out of the hazardous situation. After progressing through all of the stations in the strong sun and heat, each training group utilized a fabric stretcher and carried their victim up five flights of stairs to the top of the training tower on the MFRI campus.
Challenging the first responders to think through reallife incidents, one instructor walked trainees through an emergency medical situation that he responded to on January 6. Another explained a scene that unfolded during the protests in Lafayette Square Park. The week-long training culminated with responders rotating through eight stations, implementing the skills that they learned through instruction.
Known by many as Captain Mac, he retired as Acting Battalion Chief after 30 years of service with the Anne Arundel County Fire Department. Mac began his fire career at Station 29 in Jessup as a volunteer at age 16. He took an eight-year hiatus from the fire service to serve his country in the U.S. Army.
July - September 2022 - 7 CONTOMS continued from page 3 Since its inception in 1990, more than 10,000 first responders have completed CONTOMS. During a recent program at Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute (MFRI), 25 trainees were led by 15 instructors. Participants included U.S. Capital Haz Mat Response Team, Secret Service, U.S. Park Police, SWAT Team and EMS Medics. Marines from the 8th and I Barracks in DC volunteered to role play as victims.
Surrounded by family, former MFRI Field Instructor and Special Programs Coordinator Steve Maceiko passed away peacefully at his home in Pueblo, CO on July 6, 2022.
The program would later drop the double I and be called NIMS. Also during the ‘70s, the Phoenix Fire Department was developing a system for managing incidents of less than 25 operational units—Fireground Command (FGC). Another early ICS development was developed by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA 1561 – Fire Department Incident Management System). The standard was later named the Standard on Emergency Service Incident Management. As the system was reviewed and practiced, it was becoming more obvious that it would be successful for all hazards, not just fires. In 1990, the National Fire Service Incident Management System Consortium was created. The group was comprised of local, state and federal partners, including FIRESCOPE and the Phoenix Fire Department. Their mission was to evaluate the various programs that were being utilized and agree on one common system that would be effective nationally.
FIRESCOPE ICS was quickly recognized as a best practice for responders to manage a variety of situations such as floods, hazardous materials incidents, earthquakes, and aircraft emergencies. It wasn’t long before FIRESCOPE was recommended to be adopted nationally. The country-wide version was referred to as the two “I” NIIMS or National Interagency Incident Management System.
8 July - September 2022 continued on page 10 organizations with specific jurisdictional responsibilities to support each other while maintaining their own authorities. One could interpret this to be written for large-scale and multi-operational period events or incidents. Who could disagree? But the real focus should span the initial time when an incident begins until it’s declared under control. Incident complexity should not be the determining factor for applying Unity of Effort. The focus and application should begin with every incident regardless of size and complexity or available resources. Unity of Effort pairs nicely with utilizing Unity of Command. Unity of Effort presents an excellent opportunity to move away from emergency-response silos to the more efficient Unified Command (UC). Unified Command as we all know is not a new concept, but all responders would greatly benefit from the positive aspects of jointly developing a single set of objectives and working together to achieve those mutually developed objectives between agencies or departments on a more frequent basis. Unified Command also allows responders to work together with other agencies or jurisdictions, improving efficiency and effectiveness while maintaining focus on their unique responsibilities and Ourmission.path to the latest version of NIMS is an interesting display of collaboration and cooperation. In 1970, devastating wildfires in California over a thirteen-day period resulted in the loss of 16 lives and 700 structures. In response, a stateNIMS continued from page 4 wide program called FIRESCOPE (Firefighting Resources of Southern California Organized for Potential Emergencies) was established. Mandated by Congress and assigned to the U.S. Forest Service, FIRESCOPE was developed to address problems associated with communications and coordination. Simultaneously in 1970, the National Wildfire Coordinating Group was chartered to create wildfire management standards for federal, state and local partners. By 1973 a technical team was formed to research and guide the development of two major components of FIRESCOPE—the Incident Command System and the Multi Agency Coordination System (MACS). By the mid ‘70s the FIRESCOPE team agreed upon common terminology and conducted limited field trials and testing. By 1980 training efforts had components of the newly developing ICS and implemented them to successfully manage several major wildland incidents.
Executive Director Michael Cox welcomed the 28 participants from fire departments in MD, VA and Washington, D.C. Dr. Lori MooreMorrell, U.S. Fire Administrator, gave an overview of the U.S. Fire Administration and the National Fire Academy and applauded participants for working to reduce the effects that fireground contaminant exposure has on our nation’s firefighters.
CONTROLEXPOSURECONTAMINANTFIREGROUNDHOSTSSEMINAR by Mickey McBride, Special Programs Section, MFRI
The seminar focused on educating firefighters to decontaminate their protective clothing immediately after exposure to a fire environment. A career in the fire service presents a variety of unique occupational hazards which includes exposure to fireground contaminants. Studies have shown that contaminant exposure can occur during firefighting and overhaul operations, training, fire investigations, and even while at the fire station. The chemicals created during a fire are numerous and include carcinogenic compounds. Deputy Fire Chief Shawn Downs, District of Columbia Fire and EMS Department presented the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government’s Safety Subcommittee work relating to fireground contaminant control. He also discussed the current Washington, D.C. policy for clothing decontamination.
included breakout sessions led by Washington, D.C. Fire & EMS Deputy Chief Shawn Downs; Retired Baltimore Co. Deputy Chief Gary Warren; MFRI and Retired Howard Co. Assistant Chief Mike Baker. They focused on the successes and challenges of health and safety program development, implementation, and management. These sessions answered questions about what is happening or should be happening, since not all organizations have Contaminant Exposure Control (CEC) policies in place. The four CEC topics examined: 1) Policy Development, 2) Policy Implementation, 3) Policy Management and 4) Current Practices and National Standards. The collected CEC information will be published at a later date.
Dr. Jamie McAllister, Assistant Research Scientist, Department of Fire Protection Engineering, UMD and Technical Director, Firefox, LLC, presented a review of current fireground contaminant exposure policies in National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards and information based on surveys received from a variety of fire departments representing career only, career and volunteer, and volunteer only.
Jeffrey Stull, President, International Personnel Protection, discussed NFPA’s campaign for Fire Service Contamination Control and related research projects. He highlighted the progress to date made by fire departments implementing NFPA 1851, Standard on Selection, Care, and Maintenance of Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting, highlighting Chapter 7: “Cleaning and Decontamination” which states If implemented properly, it reduces health and safety risks to firefighters who are exposed to hazardous products in the fire environment and by way of hazardous chemicals. Fire Chief Randy Kraus, Port of Seattle Fire Department and Chairman of NFPA 1500, discussed the future of NFPA 1500 and associated standards related to contaminant exposure control. He also gave an overview of NFPA 1585, Standard for Exposure and Contamination Control, a proposed, new standard outlining minimum requirements for an exposure and contamination control program for emergency services incident scene operations and training. The draft standard contains minimum criteria for exposure and contamination control in emergency-services facilities, vehicles, and apparatus during procedures at an incident scene or at any other area where emergency service members are involved in routine or emergency
MFRI
In May of this year, MFRI hosted the UMD grant-funded seminar entitled “Fireground Contaminant Exposure Control—Approaches and Challenges Faced by the Health and Safety Officer.”
Theoperations.afternoon
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On March 1, 2004, Homeland Security released the first National Incident Management System, with the intent to capitalize on jurisdictions and agencies that were already using ICS across disciplines of law, health, public works, and fire and to expand those capabilities, providing greater capacity to handle a variety of situations beyond fire department activities.
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This directive is aimed at strengthening the security and resilience of the United States through systematic preparation for threats that pose the greatest risk to the security of the nation, including acts of terrorism, cyber attacks, pandemics and catastrophic natural disasters. National preparedness is the shared responsibility of all levels of government—the private and nonprofit sectors as well as individual citizens. Everyone can contribute to safeguarding the nation from harm. While this directive is intended to galvanize action by the federal government, it is also aimed at facilitating an integrated, allof-nation, capabilities-based approach to preparedness.
In 2005, Governor Ehrlich signed into effect Executive Order 01.01.2005.09 adopting the National Incident Management System for the State of Maryland. The first two paragraphs of the order encapsulate the intent. It reads: The President of the United States, in Homeland Security Presidential Directive-5, directed the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to develop and administer a National Incident Management System (NIMS) to provide a consistent nationwide approach for federal, state, local, and tribal governments to work together more effectively and efficiently to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from domestic incidents, regardless of cause, size, or complexity; In order to facilitate the most efficient and effective incident management it is critical that federal, state, local, and tribal organizations utilize standardized terminology, organizational structures, interoperable communications, consolidated action plans, unified comand structures, uniform standards for planning, training, and exercising, comprehensive resource management, and designated incident facilities during emergencies or disasters. The order further discusses the need to be coordinated and that NIMS standardized procedures for managing personnel, communications, facilities, and resources will improve the state’s ability to utilize federal funding that enhances local and state agency readiness, maintains first responder safety and streamlines incident management processes.
Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5 (HSPD-5) was also specific that the Incident Command System was no longer regarded as a system for only the fire service. from Today NIMS ICS is successfully used by all the agencies in both single and unified command situations. As discussed previously, the possibilities are limitless when agencies bring their resources together to manage any incident from simple to complex. The common characteristics of NIMS ICS improves our management platform for diverse incidents, while allowing each jurisdiction and agency to maintain their unique strategic and tactical response and responsibilities.
In 1993, the IMS Consortium completed its first document entitled the “Model Guide for Structural Firefighting.” FIRESCOPE then incorporated the model procedures into their organizational structure. These changes allowed fire service personnel to apply ICS effectively regardless of where they are working in the U.S. The National Fire Academy, which was an early adopter of FIRESCOPE ICS, incorporated the “Model Guide for Structural Firefighting” into their training as well.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health investigates serious injuries and deaths in the United States. Reviewing their files over the past four years, the following incidents suggest that improvement could be made in the area of incident management. There are many more incidents marked by poor communications with the Incident Commander or issues with accountability—actions that are associated and can be improved with good command and control but that definition was not specifically identified. The point of reviewing is not to point out the deficiencies of others but to consider that while progress is being made toward improving the profession, incident management can be improved upon. This issue is not wholly a fire service concern. All areas of public safety would benefit from improvements in this area.
Presidential Policy Directive 8 (PPD-8): National Preparedness signed March 30, 2011 established national initiatives that develop a common approach to preparedness and response.
NIMS continued
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After a two-year absence due to mandated COVID restrictions, the John W. Hoglund Maryland Officers Seminar was held earlier this year. The program focused on fire department leadership concepts. Keynote speaker Assistant Chief Schelly Olson spoke on lessons learned as one of nine firefighters who tragically lost homes while fighting the “East Troublesome Fire Storm” on October 21, 2020 in Grand County, CO. She provided perspectives from a personal and professional lens on trauma/PTSD, work/life integration, mindset, recovery and resources.
3. December 9, 2018 – 0358 hours – Three-story apartment building fire – Massachusetts Lack of incident management and command safety; numerous command and control-associated challenges were also cited.
Skills are regularly practiced amongst organizations such as the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute (MFRI), the Maryland Department of Emergency Management (MDEM), and the Maryland Incident Management Team (MDIMT) to name a few. But we need to recognize that skills that are learned and not regularly practiced will be lost. There has been improvement over the past 52 years due to increased support, education, resource management, preparedness, and exercise. We must continually find ways to improve together.
JOHN W. HOGLUND MARYLAND OFFICERS
1. November 13, 2019 – 0100 hours – Three-story residential multifamily fire – Massachusetts Lack of incident management and command safety
The next day, Chief Brian Crawford of of the Plano, TX and Shreveport, LA Fire Departments presented an informative program, “The Set-up of Successful Leadership.” He provided a key concept helpful to firefighters as well as fire chiefs: “wherever you find yourself—make the absolute most of it.”
Chief John Buckman, past Director of the Indiana Fire and Public Safety Academy and former President of the IAFC finished out the weekend with his program, “Officers Do Your Job.” It focused on personal and team traits/strengths and responsibilities of effective officers. His recommended measuring stick for personal effectiveness is: ”Would your mother be proud of you?”
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The seminar’s success is a result of MFRI’s strong partnership with the Maryland Fire Chiefs Association, Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service, Maryland Fire Service Personnel Qualifications Board and the Maryland Council of Fire-Rescue Academies.
SEMINAR HELD SUCCESSFULLY
National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) Investigations (Contributing Factors – from the Executive Summaries)
While completing applications for federal grants, the organization offers a quick check of a box or a short narrative to communicate that they are NIMS compliant. But are we really NIMS compliant? Nationally, emergency services agencies and organizations have been actively working on standardizing and thus improving how emergencies and events are managed since 1970. Fifty-two years of evolution and there are still opportunities for improvement.
Saturday included two outstanding presentations by Dr. Richard Gasaway, an authority on situational awareness and high-risk decision making during high-stress, highconsequence work environments. His first program entitled “Paradigm Shifting: Getting Outside Your Comfort Zone” provided an acute perspective on how future changes in fire and EMS will impact how departments will operate. This was followed by “Developing Thinking Responders.” Dr. Gasaway emphasized that responders are judged on the “outcome” of decisions made, and often make those decisions based on “what to think” rather than “how to think.” He provided tips in using situational awareness for good decision making, critical thinking and problem solving.
The four “C”s: Command, Control, Coordination, and Communications are at the forefront of success or, if not used, the object for failure. It is impossible to remove risk from emergency services. Risk will always be a factor and brave men and women will be exposed to that risk. The good news is using a system—NIMS ICS—reduces risk by providing objectives, strategies, and tactics that are clear to everyone. Additionally, being accountable for those operating in an environment that is immediately dangerous to life and health, NIMS ICS enables a swift response with resources and rapidly gives responders the greatest chance of survival. NIMS ICS provides the tools for the toolbox when needed. The tools do not take away responders’ abilities to do their job or be aggressive, but it does provide a safety net.
2. September 16, 2019 – 0808 hours – Propane explosion, office building – Maine Fire departments should ensure incident commanders initiate a defensive strategy and communicate the incident action plan (tactics) during initial operations of a hazardous materials incident. The strategy and incident action plan are revised based upon the tactical objectives taken to mitigate the hazard.
