Background

Firefighters working in hazardous or dangerous areas should maintain crew integrity — an arrangement in which two or more individuals enter, operate and exit together so there is help available in the event of an emergency.

Concerns/hazards

Firefighters may need assistance during emergency response situations, if they become injured, trapped, or unconscious.

Actions for employers

Employers should:

  • ensure crew integrity is maintained throughout the emergency
  • develop operational procedures containing entry and exit principles
  • train firefighters on the procedures

Crew integrity

The purpose of crew integrity is to ensure that if firefighters become injured, trapped, separated or unconscious, a team member will be available to assist or call for help.

Firefighters working in any hazardous or dangerous areas should enter, operate and exit in teams. Crew integrity must be maintained while doing any of these activities so no member of the team is left behind or works alone.

When working in hazardous areas, it is important for team members to be in constant communication with each other and incident command, in order to coordinate their activities. This could be established through visual, audible or physical means such as a safety guide rope.

Applicable regulations and acts

Read:

  • Occupational Health and Safety Act
    • clause 25(2)(a) for providing information and instruction to a worker
    • clause 25(2)(h) for taking every precaution reasonable to protect workers

Related

Read firefighters guidance notes: