BF - (2003) Bush Firefighter Manual
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
BF - (2003) Bush Firefighter Manual THE NEW SOUTH WALES GOVERNMENT A NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) Publication For use by members of the NSW Rural Fire Service Suggested distribution: All BF, BFG and BFS trainees - one copy All Firecoms and bases - one copy Prepared by NSW Rural Fire Service 3/175-179 James Ruse Drive Rosehill, NSW, 2142 Tel: (02) 9684 4411 Fax: (02) 9638 6716 The consultative process for the development of this Manual consisted of: • A “needs analysis” examining NSW Rural Fire Service and kindred organisation accidents, operations, Service Standards, and standard operating procedures; relevant national training packages, and existing national and interstate training materials. • A “wants analysis” consisting of conducting focus groups of members from a wide variety of areas across the state (participation invited through requests for expressions of interest in Service Circulars) and examining formal and informal feedback. • A period of review, trial and comment on the 10 draft chapters of the Manual extending from 1 July 2002 until 30 June 2003, with inclusion of relevant feedback and comment. • Final referral of the manual to NSW Rural Fire Service, Learning and Development Systems section, for endorsement and production. Dedication This Manual is dedicated to the memory of the late Eric Hughes who produced the original Bush Fire Personnel (BP) training modules in the early 1980s. Eric established a competency based training system for bush firefighters in NSW more than a decade before it was introduced generally for vocational training throughout the nation. The BP modules were adopted, in one form or another, by virtually every Australian firefighting organisation, and strong echoes of their content remain in current national fire training material and in this Manual. There is no doubt that the programs initiated by Eric have saved the lives of firefighters and members of the public, and have helped to minimise the losses from fires. Copyright © 2003 - New South Wales Government (NSW Rural Fire Service) Note The use of significant amounts of text in chapters 1 to 4 from national fire modules produced by the Australasian Fire Authorities Council (AFAC) is acknowledged - reproduced with permission. The use of text and graphics from the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service / Rural Fire Service in chapter 6 is acknowledged - reproduced with permission. BF (2003) - Bush Firefighter Manual 1st October Versions 1.1 2004 ISBN 0 9750611 9 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of contents CHAPTER 1 Introduction to Firefighting 1 Introduction 1 2 Basic Principles of Firefighter Safety 2 3 Basic Principles of Fire 4 4 Firefighting Agents 14 5 First Attack Firefighting Equipment 16 Summary 24 Self-Check Questions 26 Activities 27 CHAPTER 2 Bush Fire Behaviour and Hazards 1 Introduction 28 2 Factors Affecting Bush Fire Behaviour 28 3 Bush Fire Development 38 4 Typical Examples of Bush Fire Behaviour 43 5 Bush Fire Hazards and Precautions 48 Summary 71 Self-Check Questions 73 Activities 74 CHAPTER 3 Bush Firefighting Equipment 1 Introduction 75 2 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) 75 3 Hand Tools 89 4 Knapsacks 94 5 Ropes, Lines and Knots 96 6 Ladders 98 7 Hoses and Small Gear 99 8 Water Supplies and Equipment 113 9 Pumps and Pumping Operations 120 Summary 132 Self-Check Questions 135 Activities 136 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 4 Bush Firefighting Techniques 1 Introduction 137 2 Responding to a Fire 137 3 Protecting People from Bush Fires 141 4 Bush Fire Suppression Techniques 142 5 Use of Firefighting Agents 150 6 Control Lines 156 7 Mopping Up and Patrol 159 8 Working as Part of a Team 161 9 Fireground Safety 162 10 Working with Tankers 169 11 Working with Machinery 171 12 Working with Aircraft 172 13 Backburning 176 Summary 181 Self-Check Questions 185 Activities 186 CHAPTER 5 Hazard Reduction 1 Introduction 187 2 Principles of Hazard Reduction 187 3 Hazard Reduction and the Law 197 4 Bush Fire Precautions and the Law 199 5 Participating in a Prescribed Burn 201 Summary 208 Self-Check Questions 210 Activities 211 CHAPTER 6 Immediate Emergency Care 1 Introduction 212 2 Casualty Assistance 212 3 Hygiene Precautions 219 4 Caring for Casualties 226 5 Moving a Casualty 240 6 Critical Incident Stress 243 7 First Aid Equipment and Recovery 245 Summary 248 Self-Check Questions 250 Activities 250 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 7 Bush Firefighting Team Work 1 Introduction 252 2 A Typical Firefighting Operation 253 3 Principles of Team Work 260 4 Crew Resource Management (CRM) 266 5 The Incident Control System (ICS) 275 6 Fireground SOPs 279 Summary 281 Self-Check Questions 285 Activities 286 CHAPTER 8 Radio Communications 1 Introduction 287 2 Communication Systems 287 3 Communications Phraseology 312 4 Communications Procedures 326 Summary 344 Self-Check Questions 347 Activities 348 CHAPTER 9 Rural Fire Brigades 1 Introduction 349 2 The Brigade and the Community 350 3 The Rural Firefighting Organisation 357 4 The People in the Brigade 367 5 Brigade Equipment 372 6 Training and Certification 376 7 Non-Fire/Incident Activities 383 8 Legal Issues 389 Summary 394 Self-Check Questions 397 Activities 398 continued TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 10 Local Familiarisation 1 Introduction 399 2 Brigade Safety Induction 400 3 Brigade Constitution and Members 401 4 Brigade Facilities 402 5 Brigade Equipment and Maintenance 403 6 Brigade Area Familiarisation 405 7 Brigade Information 406 8 Brigade Training 406 9 Brigade Procedures 407 10 The Local RFS District 408 11 Other Bush Firefighting Organisations 409 Summary 411 Self-Check Questions 412 Activities 413 Answers to Self-Check Questions 414 Extinguisher Colour and Pictogram chart 415 Summary of Changes in Version 1.1 416 Acknowledgments 417 1 CHAPTER 1 Introduction to Firefighting 1 Introduction Welcome to the RFS Welcome to the NSW Rural Fire Service, one of the largest and most respected Fire Services in the world. Whether you have become a member of the Service to help protect your own rural property, to provide a service to your community, to learn new skills or be part of a vibrant organisation, we trust that your association with the Service will be rewarding and, above all, safe. You will be using a ‘Workbook’ during your initial training. It summarises the key points of learning, includes the activities you should complete during your training, and explains how you will be assessed to ensure you are competent in all you need to know and do. There are different Workbooks, depending on whether you are doing the standard BF course, the shorter Bush Firefighter Grassland (BFG) course, or the Bush Fire Support (BFS) course for people who are not firefighters but may be providing support (e.g. communications or catering) near a bush fire. You will find the relevant Workbook is much shorter than this Manual because it focuses only on what is needed for your specific, initial training. We hope you won’t put this Manual away after that training is finished, however, as it will help greatly with your ongoing learning after you become qualified. You should refer back to it regularly as you grow in firefighting knowledge and skill. 2 INTRODUCTION TO FIREFIGHTING 2 Basic Principles of Firefighter Safety You may have heard of the “three R’s” of basic education – Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic. In firefighter safety there are also “three R’s” – Responsibility, Reporting and Risk assessment. Let’s look at these in more detail: • “Responsibility” means that you take appropriate care for the safety of yourself and others around you. Everyone else should have done likewise, but you should not blindly assume that they have. • “Reporting” means that you freely and openly exchange information with others. If you see something that is not right, you speak up. If others are concerned about something, you listen. • “Risk assessment” means that you think through the consequences of something before you do it. You identify the hazards involved and take action to eliminate or control them. Safety during firefighting has some important differences to safety in most workplaces. In most workplaces you can usually control the safety of the place itself to a large extent. For example, hazards can often be fenced off or even entirely eliminated. During firefighting you usually don’t have much control over the safety of the place in which you are working. You have to rely much more on being a safe person. This involves four aspects: • Fitness – You should not fight fires if you suffer from a serious chronic disease, are ill, recovering from a serious injury, fatigued, medicated, intoxicated, stoned or severely stressed. Apart from the risk of injury to yourself, you can become a hazard to your fellow firefighters. • Procedures – The fireground is no place for people to do their own thing. You need to work in ways that are safe for you and your fellow firefighters, and not get at cross-purposes with them. RFS standard operating procedures (SOPs) are designed to do that. They are not mere bureaucratic rules, but the result of the (often painful) experience of firefighters before you. INTRODUCTION TO FIREFIGHTING 3 • Training – Firefighting is challenging. Under the stress of a fire, you need to be able to perform satisfactorily. You can’t do that with half-baked skills. It’s not enough to just “know what you are doing”. You have to be able to perform tasks almost without thinking about them. If you can’t, you won’t have the “spare brain capacity” available to also look out for hazards. • Personal Protective Clothing and Equipment – Firefighting is a tough activity. Even normal firefighting activities expose you to wear and tear. You will be issued with personal protective equipment (PPE) for firefighting.