Truck Company Duties

Lansdowne Fire Company Truck Company SOP/ SOG (Proposed)

TRUCK COMPANY RESPONSIBILITIES: A. Search B. Rescue C. Force Entry D. Ladders E. Ventilation F. Recon of fire and building conditions G. Salvage H. Overhaul I. Utilities J. Elevated Master Streams

RIDING ASSIGNMENTS: This guideline is to reflect standard operations and may be deviated from by the unit officer or command officer to meet operational needs of a specific situation. Unlike the Engine Company, the Truck Company has many responsibilities that can be both physically and mentally demanding. Although all members of the department need to be familiar with the roles of both the Engine and the Truck Company, members riding the Truck should be more experienced and better trained for those duties that are required to be performed. Truck Company personnel must recognize that they may be called to perform these duties unsupervised and at greater personal risk than that of the Engine personnel. Operating above or ahead of the fire in heavy heat and smoke conditions without the protection of a hose line is not uncommon.

Truck Company Chauffeur (TCC): It is the responsibility of the TCC to transport the crew to the scene in a safe manner, position the apparatus for best operational utilization and utilization of other units. The TCC is considered part of the Outside Truck Crew. The TCC should be familiar with the operation of all equipment on the truck including but not limited to the operation of the ladder, generator, cord reels, scene lights, portable fans, ground ladders and other portable equipment. Initial arrival duties should include placing the ladder into operation, scene lighting (outside & inside) controlling utilities (disconnecting and providing) and placement of ground ladders. The ladder should be placed to assist with making any obvious rescues. If no obvious rescues are indicated then the ladder shall be placed in a state of readiness including being used as an initial egress or access point to the building. If vertical ventilation is going to be needed, the TCC may initiate roof ventilation later to be assisted by the Roofman. The TCC is responsible for the accountability of equipment used from his apparatus. It is extremely important that the TCC monitors all radio traffic and operations on the fire ground. The TCC should be ready to assist with almost any task.

-Equipment: Full personal protective equipment, SCBA(when needed), and portable radio.

-Position: Driver side front

Truck OIC: The Truck Boss should assist the TCC with map book information, traffic conditions, and the positioning of the truck on the scene. The Truck Boss leads, oversees, directs and is directly responsible for and accountable for his crew and their safety during all operations. The Truck Boss is usually considered part of the Inside Truck Crew however may change his assignment based on the needs of the operation. When operating with the Inside Truck Crew the Truck Boss will provide the Incident Commander or Operations with pertinent information including the location of trapped occupants, progress of searches and fire conditions. The Truck Boss is responsible for initiating the primary search with the rest of his crew. If arriving to an incident first, the Truck Boss will give a size up and establish or pass the command.

-Equipment: Full personal protective equipment, hand light, SCBA, portable radio, TIC, and any hand tool.

-Position: Officer side front

Hook Man: The Hook man is part of the Inside Truck Crew. The Hook man will work directly with the Irons man to force entry, search and ventilate the building from the inside. It is the Hook mans responsibility to provide protection to the Inside Truck Crew in the event that fire conditions do deteriorate. Even though it is capable of extinguishing much more, the water can should only be used for fire extinguishment as a last ditch effort. It may be used for life safety or for an extremely small fire such as a rubbish can or mattress. The primary responsibility of the Hook man on arrival is to gain access to any areas where obvious rescues are to be made and remove those people from the area. If there are no indications of obvious rescues then the primary search will be initiated starting in the area of the fire. This is to be done while gaining access and checking fire conditions and extension. If the primary search is complete and the Hook man is not reassigned, the Hook man should make his way to the Engine to assist with opening up and exposing any hidden fire.

-Equipment: Full personal protective equipment, SCBA, hand light, 6’ NY hook and 2 ½ Gal water can.

-Position: Directly behind the driver seat

Irons Man: The Irons man is part of the Inside Truck Crew and will work directly with the Hook man to force entry, search and ventilate the building from the inside. The Irons man will assist the Hook man with forcing doors, walls or windows as needed. The primary responsibilities of the Irons man on arrival are to gain access to any areas where obvious rescues are to be made. If there are no indications of obvious rescues then the primary search will be initiated starting in the area of the fire. This is to be done while gaining access and checking fire conditions and extension. The Inside Truck Crew will report conditions and findings to the Truck Boss and in his absence they will report directly to Operations or Command. If operating with a four-man Truck crew the Truck Boss may assume some of the duties of the Irons man.

-Equipment: Full personal protective equipment, SCBA, hand light, 30” halligan bar, 8 lb flat head ax, portable radio, Hydra-Ram, K-Tool.

-Position: Directly behind the officer seat

Outside Vent Man (OVM): The OVM is part of the Outside Truck Crew. The OVM will work with the Roofman and TCC however they may not be in direct physical contact. They will maintain radio contact as needed. On arrival at a building fire it is the OVM that is primarily responsible for gaining access and ventilating the area where any obvious rescues are to be made. If no obvious rescues are to be made then the OVM will begin horizontal ventilation and laddering of the building starting in the fire area and working away. The OVM is also responsible for outside recon of the building (360 if possible). The OVM when laddering should also make all efforts to ventilate that area completely and remove any obstructions that would hinder secondary egress. If operating at a large area building the OV after completion of the above task will meet up with the Roofman.

-Equipment: Full personal protective equipment, SCBA, hand light, portable radio, 3” NY hook, halligan, ladder, and rope.

-Position: Driver side rear bench

Roof Man: The Roof man is part of the Outside Truck Crew. The Roof man will work with the OVM and TCC however they may not be in direct physical contact. They will maintain radio contact as needed. On arrival of a house fire the Roof man will assist the OVM with rescuing any trapped occupants if needed. The Roof man will also assist with ventilating and the placement of ground ladders. If the TCC is unable to perform roof ventilation the Roof man will initiate it and will later be assisted by the OVM. If operating in at a high-rise or apartment building with interior stairs, the Roof man will need to get access and open the roof hatch or bulkhead door at the top of the steps immediately. Once on the roof the Roof man should cautiously walk the perimeter of the roof checking for any visible people trapped on the floors below. The Roof man should also report fire conditions and use any natural large openings to assist with vertical ventilation.

-Equipment: Full personal protective equipment, SCBA, hand light, portable radio, 6’ NY hook, halligan, ladder, saw and life saving rope.

-Position: Officer side rear bench Ladders, Lights, and Fans 1&2(LLF1&2): The LLF is part of the Outside Truck Crew. Members that do not or are not permitted to operate inside of a building generally occupy the LLF positions. Their primary jobs are to assist the crews with throwing ladders, stretching cord reels with portable lights, and placing fans where and when directed. Members operating as LLF should know where all equipment is on the truck. They should also have an excellent working knowledge of that equipments operation.

-Equipment: Full personal protective equipment, hand light, portable radio, ladders, cord reels, portable lights, and fans.

-Position: Rear fold down seats