Pocket Manual

Los Santos Fire Department

1. DEFINITIONS

Los Santos Fire Department: The Los Santos Fire Department provides emergency
medical services, fire investigation, fire prevention, fire suppression, hazardous
materials mitigation, and rescue services to the City of Los Santos.

Incident: An event caused by natural or human factors that requires a response

from emergency services to protect lives, property and the environment.

Metropolitan Fire Communications (Metro): This is the agency responsible for

processing 911 and non-emergency calls from the fire department and subsequently
managing its resources.

Emergency Medical Technician (EMT): This is a technical certification specific to

the Emergency Medical Service. It lasts at least 170 hours. EMTs are trained to
assess a patient and determine if there may be a life-threatening injury or illness.
This means that they can provide an early technical response to patients who need it.

Paramedic (PM): This is a degree that lasts between 1,200 and 1,800 hours and can
be completed in six to twelve months. A paramedic studies anatomy, physiology,
cardiology, medications, and medical procedures. To be selected for the paramedic
course you must be an EMT, and generally have at least six months of work
experience as an EMT.

Emergency Medical Services (EMS): Provides intensive care outside the hospital
and transportation to urgent care for patients with illnesses or injuries that constitute
medical emergencies.
2. INCIDENTS

Depending on the characteristics of the incidents, they are classified as follows:

Structural fire: This is a fire incident that affects homes or buildings that are
inhabited, unoccupied or abandoned.

Forest fire (Brush Fire): An incident involving fire that develops in forest areas that
affect plant fuel, whether grassland, scrub, native trees or forest plantations.

Grass Fire: This is an incident with fire that develops in grasslands without threat to
structures.

Outside Fire: This is an incident with fire that develops in vacant lots, urban strips,
garbage containers or debris that affect public or private areas that are close to
structures.

Rubbish Fire: This is a fire incident that occurs in landfills, dumps, sanitary
landfills or in irregular garbage piles that affect a multitude of waste.

Vehicle Fire: This is an incident with fire that occurs in vehicles such as motorcycles,
cars, scooters, buses or trucks.

Hit and run (Auto vs Ped): This is an incident that involves victims of being hit and
run by a vehicle.

Vehicle rescue (Motor Vehicle Accident or MVA): This is an incident that requires the
rescue of people involving land transportation due to some type of impact, crash,
collision, overturning or ravine.

Medical Emergency: An incident that requires the evaluation and determination of life-
threatening injuries or illnesses.

Physical Rescue: An incident that requires the rescue of people who have lost their
ability to get out on their own due to some type of injury or prevailing conditions.

Confined Space Rescue: This is a physical rescue that takes place in confined
spaces such as inside wells, silos, ponds, boilers, underground chambers, drains,
etc.

Cliff Rescue: This is a physical rescue that takes place in ravines.

Hiker Rescue: This is an incident in which search and rescue efforts must be carried
out on people who are in hard-to-reach places or wild areas, or who are lost or
injured.
 Natural Gas Leak: This is an incident that occurs in structures that present the
uncontrolled emission of natural combustible gas.

Hazardous Materials Incident: An incident involving hazardous materials, in the form

of a spill, leak in progress, or their incorporation into people or animals, which could
affect life, the environment or property.

Uncategorized incident: This is a situation that requires the presence of firefighters

and in which it is not certain whether any of the incident categorizations apply.

3. RESOURCES

Rescue Ambulance: Ambulances, often called rescue, can be considered as

Advanced Life Support (ALS) Units or Basic Life Support (BLS) Units. While ALS
ambulances are manned by two firefighter paramedics and identified as RA-XX, BLS
ambulances are manned by firefighter EMTs and identified as RA-8XX.

Engine (Simple Engine Company): This is the simple resource of a fire truck for
structures. They are identified as E-XX, with the “E” standing for Engine.

Pomp (200 Series Engine): A simple pump truck with specialized equipment for
fires in complex or high-rise structures. They are identified as E-2XX, starting with a 2
to differentiate them from the Engine.

Truck (Ladder): It is the simple resource of a fire truck for fires at heights that
incorporate arms or escalators.

Light Force: It is the double resource of a fire truck (Pump) plus a truck for high-
altitude fires (Truck), identified as LF-XX. The single task force always responds
together as a unit or resource.

Task Force: It is a Light Force resource plus an Engine. The Engine alone is
generally dispatched as a single resource. The task force typically responds to larger
or more complex fires. While the Engine is manned by a full crew of firefighters, the
200 Series Engine (Pomp) is manned solely by a driver and a firefighter to support
the Engine as a work group.
 Posted by @LosAngelesFireDepartment

USAR Task Force: The premier natural or man-made disaster response unit in the
county or the world. It seeks to provide specialized assistance in search and rescue,
medical support, damage assessment and communications.

4. ORGANIZATION CHART

Battalion Chief: Responsible for managing and administering the affairs of the
battalion, including supervising the Station Commanders and following up on
emergencies.

- Responds to emergencies when dispatched. He arrives as first officer in chief

and incident commander until being relieved.
- Ensures that Station Commanders work and maintain a high level of
discipline and performance at their stations.
 - Conduct pre-fire planning inspections. Supervises compliance with fire
prevention programs.
- Organize meetings with civil and business organizations in order to actively
promote good public relations.

Requirements:
Four years as a Fire Captain and accredited college degree, or twelve years as a
Fire Captain, or six years as a full-time captain including Fire Captain II.

Fire Captain II: Same designations as a Fire Captain, but commanding a Task Force
Station.

Requirements:
Two years full-time as a Fire Captain, and pass an aptitude test.

Fire Captain: He is responsible for commanding a fire station (Station Commander),

directing the resources of his station, assigning fire personnel to their companies,
maintaining the station's facilities and equipment, and training and instructing his
firefighters to ensure compliance with the department's orders, directives and
policies.

Requirements:
Four years of full-time experience as a firefighter, and completion of fifteen
semesters or twenty-four quarters in Fire Science/Fire Protection at an accredited
university, and six months' experience after acquiring the knowledge.

Fire Lieutenant: A firefighter responsible for the administration and supervision of a

fire company. Requirements: have five years of experience as a full-time firefighter*
and be a Firefighter II.

Fire Engineer: Responsible for driving and operating fire trucks in firefighting
operations. Performs preventative maintenance on trucks, assists in firefighting when
not driving, performs fire prevention activities, and instructs firefighters in hydraulics,
pump theory, and the operation of fire trucks.

Requirements:
Four years of full-time firefighter experience, Type B driver's license, Hazardous
Materials License X, or Type RSTR 50 firefighter license.

Apparatus Operator: Responsible for driving the ladder apparatus of Fire Trucks
(Ladders) or small capacity pumps. Performs preventative maintenance on vehicles,
assists with firefighting when not driving, performs fire prevention activities, and
instructs firefighters in hydraulics, pump theory, and pump truck operation.
 Requirements:
Three years of full-time firefighter experience, Type B driver's license, Hazardous
Materials License X, or Type RSTR 50 firefighter license.

Advanced Firefighter (Firefighter III): A firefighter who has completed the

Advanced Firefighter Academy and the Engine and Truck Academies.

Firefighter II: This is a firefighter who has completed the NFPA 1001 course.

Firefighter: A firefighter who has completed the NFPA 1000 initial firefighter courses.

Probationary Firefighter (PFF): This is a firefighter, recognized as a rookie

firefighter or provie, in his first six or eighteen months of service. It is the lowest rank
for a firefighter in the department after passing the Recruit Training Academy. The
mission of a PFF is to learn how to become a good firefighter, learning techniques
and experience from the firefighters or officers at the station. Probationary firefighters
are fully operational firefighters, able to respond to emergencies and enter structures.
The provies are often responsible for station cleaning and for rescue and equipment
collection operations.

5. COMMUNICATIONS

5.1 Terminologies: Some abbreviations or terminologies used in Los Angeles

Fire Department communications in everyday or radio language are established.

Metro: Refers to Metropolitan Fire Communications, where they dispatch

resources and manage fire incidents.

Control: Refers to LSPD or LSSD in internal fire department

communications.

Roger: The message is received and understood. Don't use Roger when the
answer must be yes or no.

Cancel (cancelled): Suspend reply. Forget the message.

On the air: I'm receiving the message. I have received the message.
Covered: Signal interference.

Code 20: A very important message, commonly used to trigger an ongoing

incident.

Arson Unit (A-Unit): Fire fighting unit.

Available: You are available to respond to a request within one minute. You
are either available or you are not.

Bravo Tango: Bomb threat incident.

ETA: Estimated time of arrival.

Alert 2: From the ground there is a threat that an aircraft may crash or have
an accident.

Alert 3: An aircraft accident has occurred over land.

Blue 2: From the sea there is the threat of an aircraft crashing.

Blue 3: An aircraft accident has occurred over the sea.

Task Force: Refers to the company's set of operations. Ex: Task Force 38 is
mentioned to the E-38, E-238 and T-38.

Incident Commander: This is the commander of the incident, usually the first
officer to arrive at the incident and who transfers command during the course
of the incident. Company Commander > Task Force Commander > Battalion
Commander.

Size Up: Pre-incident reports.

Fire contained: The incident does not present a major threat to property or
lives.

Knockout: When fire inspectors and investigators arrive at an incident when

it is not a hazard, in the final or decay phase to study the causes and
generate reports.

May day: Help.

RIT: Rapid Intervention Teams.

5.2 Radio Usage: The Los Angeles Fire Department communications manual
provides that radio communications shall be arranged through the use of common,
plain English.

The use of LAPD codes, as well as 10-digit codes or other types of numeric
codes, is strictly prohibited in communications.

The way in which communication will be established will be to clearly indicate the call
sign of the person you are calling, then who is calling, and finally the purpose of the
communication. In this way, [named resource], [own resource], [message].

To answer a communicative purpose, it will be enough to say the answer and finally
the resource of whom is called. [answer], [requesting resource].

Examples of communications:

(1) [CH: TAC-2, ID: 1]: E-11, RA-811, I need your firefighters with the
stretchers when we get there.

[CH:TAC-2, ID:2]: Roger, RA-811.

(2) [CH: TAC-2, ID: 1]: RA-811, E-211, are you available?

[CH: TAC-2, ID: 2]: Yes. E-211.

(3) [CH: EMS, ID: 4]: RA-811, RA-81, notify RA-911 that a third patient will
need to be transferred to Arbor Vitae.

[CH: EMS, ID: 5]: Roger. RA-911, RA-811, you must respond in Arbor
Vitae for a third patient.

[CH: EMS, ID: 6]: Live, RA-811.

5.3 Channels:

(1) DISPATCH: Communications channel between resources and Metro.

(2) TAC-2: Tactical Incident Operations Channel.
(3) TAC-3: Tactical incident operations channel.
(4) EMS: Operations channel for emergency medical services.
(5) COMMAND: Communications channel between the command staff.

5.4 Dispatch protocol:

 When a fire resource is dispatched by Metro, it will be notified in the following order:
[Resource] advances to [Incident] at [Address], having to notify about its mobilization
in the following manner: [Resource] mobilized, through the dispatch channel.

Example:

[CH: DISPATCH]: Task Force 11 advances to Structure Fire on Arbor

Vitae Street at Central Street, Tactical 2.

[CH: DISPATCH]: E-11 mobilized.

[CH: DISPATCH]: E-211 mobilized.
[CH: DISPATCH]: L-211 mobilized.

Units will arrive at the incident and transmit their operations over the channel
assigned at the time of dispatch, tactic 2.

[CH: TAC-2]: E-211, E-11, feed E-11 and then build a defensive line from
E-11.

If an EMS response resource is to be assigned to an incident reported by the incident

system, it should be reported through the dispatch channel as follows: [Resource]
mobilized to [Incident] at [Address].

Example:

One person reported down on Arbor Vitae Street, Central Street, Little
Mexico.

[CH: DISPATCH]: RA-881 mobilized to medical emergency in Little

Mexico.

6. INCIDENT COMMAND

Incident command is a system for organizing available resources safely and

efficiently to resolve emergencies. The incident command system is modular to allow
the application of only those elements that are necessary in a particular incident.

Incident Commander: The officer competent to exercise command in an incident.

Responsible for managing and administering firefighter resources. You will need to
constantly assess the incident, risks and available resources to generate an action
plan based on prioritizing tactical objectives. It is the authority to determine the
priorities in the emergency and therefore establish the operations in the incident. It is
delegated to the Company Commanders, Task Force Commanders, Battalion
Commanders, in the same order and according to arrival at the location.
 Liaison Officer: This is the liaison officer responsible for establishing effective
communication and coordination with other emergency agencies, governmental or
private, directly related to the incident.

Safety Officer: This is the safety officer responsible for directly advising the Incident
Commander on matters of safety, risks and the environment. You must continually
maintain an assessment of the conditions and tactical operations at the incident
through a dynamic risk analysis.

Public Information Officer: This is the public relations officer, responsible for being
the liaison channel between LSFD and the public and/or the media in any incident.
He is responsible for generating a communication plan and establishing a correct
relationship with the press.

Task Force Commander: The officer responsible for carrying out the decisions and
directives of the Incident Commander in his task force, with whom he maintains close
communication throughout the incident. He is responsible for designing the tactics,
implementing the tactics and communicating the progress and achievements to the
incident commander.

Company Commander: Similar to Task Force Commander, but in his Fire

Company.

Company Commander > Task Force Commander > Incident Commander.

7. BASIC KNOWLEDGE

8. LIFESTYLE
9. INFORMATION CHANNELS

A Day in the Life - Battalion Chief

https://youtu.be/59m8_RYF56g

A Day in the Life - Fire Captain

https://youtu.be/0CSaXIue9aI

A Day in the Life - Safety Officer

https://youtu.be/4PwgyATuiF0

A Day in the Life - Fire Lieutenant

https://youtu.be/wSAoruQlgt4

A Day in the Life - Fire Engineer

https://youtu.be/1BRGhRgeuDw

A Day in the Life - Firefighter Paramedic

https://youtu.be/2hubF94LKxg

A Day in the Life - Firefighter

 https://youtu.be/pEIFG7-cmzY

10. STATISTICS

data.lacity.org
LAFD EMS Incidents: 3,788,187.
LAFD Non-EMS Incidents: 731,074.

2020 Statistical Summary LACFD.

Fire Incidents: 8,574.
Emergency Medical Responses: 330.059.
Other Incidents: 54,239.

11. REFERENCES

(1) https://www.lafd.org/alerts

(2) https://www.lafd.org/about/special-operations/metropolitan-fire-communications

(3) https://www.lafd.org/ti-positions-ranks

(4) http://www.cert-la.com/downloads/radio/CERT%20Radio%20Communications
%20Plan%20Manual%20122110b.pdf

(5) http://www.lafdacs.org/pdf_files/CERT%20Radio%20Communications%20Plan
%20Manual%2005-10-13.pdf