Command Failure

Command Failure

Here’s an interesting item that was recently posted on the FireGeezer( http://www.firegeezer.com/ ) regarding Command Systems Failure. Excepts from the posting and from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune are included.

The questions for reflection and dialog are:

Have you experienced incident situations in which command decision making has been less than timely, command has not been implemented or command has exhibited signs of a melt-down?

Share your examples, how those deficiencies were overcome at the immediate time and what were the corrective actions, if any after the fact.

What defines the level of competencies and skills required to be possessed by an incident command?

How do you overcome inept Incident Command during an incident operation, when you know things are not going right and its becoming self-revealing that the commander is failing to command?

Report Overview

Inadequate preparation and the misreading of conditions by Oak Grove Fire Department commanders allowed a March house fire -- in which an 86-year-old man died -- to go unchecked for up to 10 minutes and build out of control, according to an investigator's report released Friday.

The report's theme -- a "delay to action" -- echoes many of the concerns expressed by angry Oak Grove firefighters, who said indecision and delay by superiors during the March 5,2008 fire may have cost the life of the occupant.

The report, never blames the occupant’s death on the Oak Grove Fire Department. But it does say that the department's commanders "allowed the fire to build and destroy any chance for early control" and that "aggressive ventilation and speedy attack" by the department "should have resulted in prompt fire control."

"Delay and indecision was the result of inadequate procedures and preparation, incomplete training and inexperience," the report states.

It cites the department's lack of an Incident Command System, in which one officer takes command during an emergency. It questioned the lack of authoritative command and control of officers. It also questioned why a ladder was not brought to the second floor, where the occupant was observed when the fire erupted.

The July 11, 2008 published report on the fire department’s actions provided the following insights :

The Fire Department did not have an Incident Command System in place to manage the scene of the fire…

As a result of an “incomplete evaluation” of the scene, command misread fire conditions and delayed implementation. This delay allowed the fire to develop unchecked for 7-10 minutes.

Delay and indecision was the result of inadequate procedures and preparation, incomplete training and experience.

However, procedural and policy issues faced by Oak Grove Fire Department did not contribute to the occupant’s death.

Inept communication delayed crews’ ability to effectively manage the fire.

“The central theme presented in this review is a ‘delay to action,’” wrote the consultant hired to conduct the review. “If Command had ordered the prompt entry of the attack line, ordered aggressive ventilation, and followed with a timely order for a ‘primary search’ — this report would not have been written.” Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune

References:
http://www.firegeezer.com/
http://www.startribune.com/local/north/24541629.html?page=1&c=y