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Section Four: On-Scene Operations and Critical Tasks SECTION FOUR: On-Scene Operations and Critical Tasks On-scene operations, critical tasking, and an effective emergency response force are the elements of a standards-of-coverage study that aids in determining appropriate staffing levels, the number of companies needed, optimal deployment strategies, and the priority duties to be performed on the fire ground or emergency incident scene. A fire department must be able to determine what tasks need to be completed in order to have a positive influence on the outcome of the situation, and the number of personnel and apparatus required to complete those tasks in an effective manner. On-Scene Operations The variables of fire growth dynamics, along with property and life risks, combine to determine the fire ground tasks that must be accomplished, and to a certain extent the order in which they must be accomplished, to preserve life and mitigate loss. These tasks are interrelated but can be separated into two basic types: fire control and life safety. Fire control tasks are those related to applying a fire suppression product, most generally water, on the fire, and removing the products of combustion from an enclosed environment. Life safety tasks are those related to finding trapped, disoriented or incapacitated victims and safely removing them from the structure or shielding them from the hazard. Fire control tasks are generally accomplished by using one of two methods: o Hand-held hose lines are mobile and produce water flows of up to 250 gallons per minute (gpm). These are generally used during interior or offensive firefighting activities. o Master streams are generally used from stationary positions, and produce a flow of up to 1,000 gpm. They are used primarily during exterior or defensive firefighting activities. The decision to use either hand lines or master streams depends upon the stage of the fire, the threat to life safety and adjoining property, and the specific strategy and tactics employed by the fire incident commander when sufficient firefighting resources have reached the scene. If the fire is in a pre-flashover stage (a phenomenon causing the spontaneous ignition of all combustibles in a room), firefighters can make an offensive fire attack into a building by using hand lines to attack the fire and shield trapped victims until they can be safely removed from the structure. If a fire is in its post-flashover stage and has extended beyond the capacity or mobility of hand- held hoses, or if the structural damage and the threat of collapse present a significant risk to the safety of firefighters on scene, the structure will be declared lost. In this situation, master streams are positioned to extinguish the fire and keep it from advancing to surrounding exposures. First-arriving firefighters may use a transitional "defensive to offensive" strategy (discussed below) to limit or remove an environment suspected of presenting an immediate 36