Primary Search Supported By Statistics (www.FirefighterRescueSurvey.com)

I was taught to perform an inadequate primary search. I know there are thousands of other firefighters out there that share the same story.  Over the last decade, UL & NIST have studied the science behind ventilation and fire attack.  These continuing studies are giving us a better understanding of our tactics.  Our citizens can no longer afford to have emotion-based training running the fireground.  

Passion for the primary search is what got Firefighter Rescue Survey started (www.FirefighterRescueSurvey.com). Throughout their career every firefighter has found themselves in a discussion about search, trying to answer some of the most important questions on the fireground: 

What’s the search priority?

What type of search should we perform?

What is thorough, yet still hasty?

How long should each room take to search?

What should we search?

"What is the acceptable delay until we go inside to get the fire victims?" ~ Gary Lane 

Most of us learned how to search from the generation that came before us and that’s just how it was done.  Each generation of firefighter should be better than the last, and with this information, we can almost be sure of it.   

What is the website?

FirefighterRescueSurvey.com is a website that allows us to collect big data on worldwide structure fire victims.  The intent is for firefighters that were actually on scene to fill out the survey. The collected data can be accessed by anyone through the site. 

What is the purpose?

Firefighter Rescue Survey’s sole purpose is to increase the efficiency and efficacy of our searches, which will hopefully lead to an increase in firefighter rescues.

What results do we have so far?

As of 5/5/16, we have collected data on 191 victims.  There’s a lot of information within the data, but here are just a few of the numbers. 

3% were reported “All Out of the Structure"

31% had no reports at all

Victims Located

7% on a Couch

13.5% in Bed

69% on the Floor

Total elapsed time from “On Scene” to “Extricated” with Victim Outcome 

Immediately: 100% Alive                    

Less than 2 min: 67% Alive

Less than 4 min: 55% Alive                          

Less than 6 min: 38% Alive

Less than 8 min: 41% Alive                          

Less than 10 min: 48% Alive

Less than 12 min: 43% Alive                        

Less than 14 min: 17% Alive

Less than 16 min: 67% Alive                        

Less than 20: 0% Alive

20-30min: 0% Alive

How do you see departments using the data operationally?

Our goal is to help departments prioritize their actions on the fireground to best facilitate rescuing victims of fire.  Departments worldwide can use this information to properly train both new recruits and veteran firefighters how to prioritize a primary search. Training divisions can also more clearly define what is thorough, yet hasty. Incident commanders can use this information to see the relationship between time and survival, which shows the importance of assigning the primary search early. 

What can the reader do?

Help spread the word and be an advocate, every documentation matters.  Make sure to stay up to date with the website’s real time data and put those numbers into play in training and on the fireground. If you’re on the fireground with a live or deceased victim, make sure someone on scene visits the website and fills out the survey. There’s also a support section on the website listing areas where we need more help to continue to make this project a success. 

What is the goal for the future?

The end goal is for NFIRS to recognize that there is a need to increase data collection on all structure fire victims and adopt the system. 

Personnel involved in the project:

Nick Ledin                      Eau Claire Fire (WI)

Justin McWilliams          Clackamas Fire (OR)

T. Morrison                     Sandy Fire (OR)

Brian Olson                    Eagle Fire (ID)

Shane Thomas              Clackamas Fire (OR)