Training is no longer just a generic term. It’s not simply about learning how to carry a fire hose or handle a ladder. Today, effective training means understanding the key risks within your district and developing the appropriate tactical responses with your team. You need to visit these locations, become familiar with potential scenarios, and practice your response plans. Be prepared. Reduce surprises related to construction types, building enclosures, and materials you may encounter.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) addresses this critical need through NFPA 1500: Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety, Health, and Wellness Program. This standard calls for a comprehensive approach that includes risk management planning, proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE), regular training, fitness-for-duty evaluations, and structured rehabilitation efforts during emergency operations. Specifically, Section 4.1 mandates that every fire department implement a safety and health program aimed at identifying hazards and ensuring a secure working environment for all personnel.
The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) reinforces these objectives through data and operational analysis. Their findings consistently show that avoidable mistakes, such as deviating from standard operating procedures or neglecting core safety principles, remain leading causes of firefighter injuries and fatalities. Their recommended solution involves strong leadership, crew cohesion, and enhanced situational awareness.
To ensure safety from the top down, the Incident Command System (ICS) is universally applied at emergency scenes. Required under NFPA 1561 and central to FEMA’s National Incident Management System (NIMS), ICS helps manage incidents through defined leadership roles, structured communication, and systematic deployment of resources. Within this framework, accountability is essential. Tools like Personnel Accountability Reports (PARs), along with tag and passport systems, help ensure that everyone on scene is accounted for at all times. Oversight is typically handled by Safety Officers trained according to NFPA 1521.
A PAR is a verbal confirmation from a team leader or supervisor that all firefighters under their command are safe and accounted for. These checks occur at critical moments such as following collapses or flashovers, after mayday calls, or whenever there is a shift in operational strategy, for example, switching from offensive to defensive mode. In essence, they act as roll calls during moments when clarity and speed are essential.
Working alongside PARs are tag and passport systems, which provide physical tracking of personnel. In the tag system, each firefighter carries an ID tag, often metallic or made of durable plastic, marked with identifying information. Upon entering a hazardous area, the tag is given to an accountability officer or placed on a status board. This tag is returned when the firefighter exits, creating a simple but effective method of tracking who is inside and where.
The passport system expands this concept to entire teams. Each fire apparatus carries a board or card with Velcro name tags representing each crew member. When a unit is assigned to a specific operational area, the passport is handed over to a supervisor in that division. As crews move between zones or rotate out for rest and rehabilitation, their status is updated on the board. This gives command staff a clear view of who is working where at any given moment.
These systems prevent freelancing by making sure only assigned and accounted-for personnel are operating within hazard zones. In a mayday event, they enable rapid identification of missing members and their last known positions. This drastically reduces the time needed for rescue. They also make PARs more efficient and reliable by supporting them with tangible records, not just mental tallies.
Fire departments that integrate these accountability methods into their everyday operations, not as red tape but as strategic tools, are better prepared to keep their members safe during critical incidents. Accountability systems are not bureaucratic burdens. They are proven life-saving frameworks.
José Musse, Director of Fire Training Center of Peru
New York City
DESASTRES.org
*The Fire Training Center of Peru (Centro de Entrenamiento de Bomberos Profesionales) is an independent, privately operated organization with no affiliation to the Peruvian government or any official fire service.
