Time is critical at an incident. Most firefighter deaths on the fireground happen within the first 30 minutes of arrival. This doesn't suggest that crews do things faster to minimize injuries or fatalities; it demands that they analyze the factors present as they relate to the passage of time.

The responsibility to monitor time rests squarely on the incident commander's shoulders. He or she must consider the elapsing time as a key factor to determine the extent of risks to be taken.

Evolution factors

A fire within a structure doesn't start when companies arrive at the scene. The fire may have been burning undetected for some time. Therefore, fire companies must estimate at what point in the evolution they are arriving.

The time at which firefighters intervene in structure fire events has changed significantly. Years ago, many times fire companies arrived after flashover had occurred. The structures were made with conventional building methods and materials, which allowed for longer interior operations before the threat of structural collapse. Personal protective equipment also was not as technically advanced as it is today, so firefighters relied on their knowledge of fire behavior and the feeling of temperature on their skin to determine the amount of time that they should remain engaged in an interior attack.

Conversely, in today's fire service intervention in a structure fire is earlier because of early notification technology. Firefighters often enter buildings just before flashover occurs, placing them in a potentially deadly atmosphere. Firefighters enter the building and rooms with advanced PPE, which they rely on rather than on fire behavior knowledge and experience to determine the right time to get out.

Construction has changed, making rooms more airtight, while compartmentalization and energy conservation have made flashover more expedient. Furnishings have changed as well, with plastics and petrochemical products replacing wood and other Class A combustible materials.

Changes in intervention time and structure construction demand an accurate prediction of the time for firefighters to safely conduct interior operations; that is the time left before the threat of the structure failing. Several predictable factors influence this.

Fire location

Fires in a basement or attic space burn structural components and greatly reduce the amount of time available for firefighters to engage in an offensive interior attack. More importantly, they also are less visible and are detected only by more critical observation and experience.

Extension probability

If the smoke is issuing from eaves and attic vents, the fire has engaged the structure and/or attic space. If smoke is issuing from a single window, it remains a room-and-contents fire.

Fire size and smoke conditions

If smoke conditions are gray, that indicates that only room and contents are involved; if the smoke is brownish-yellow, the fire has engaged the structural components.

Building construction

The size of lumber used in the construction style will affect the amount of time remaining before partial or entire collapse of a structure being attacked by fire. The construction method used will affect the amount of time available for safe fire operations. Fire-resistive construction, compartmentalization and other features must be considered.

The incident commander must analyze these critical factors in a short period of time to determine whether firefighters should engage in an offensive interior attack, and if so, how much time there is to safely remain engaged inside the burning building.

Command responsibilities

Time passes in an exact, specific, predictable manner. An incident commander can't control, supervise, direct, manage, change or ignore it. However, he or she must control and change the actions of fire companies based on that time. Those actions must be consistent with the point in time at which crews intervene in the fire, the amount of time that has elapsed, and the amount of time that remains for crews to operate in an interior offense.

Fireground leadership means critically tracking the elapsed time of the incident and taking the initiative to change the actions of firefighters when their margin of safety is compromised. Because the IC is focused on strategy and tactics, a great deal of time can pass without he or she realizing it. Then, as time progresses, the actions of primary search, checking for extension and ventilation seem to take forever.

In contrast, time is skewed for the company officer engaged in physical work within the hazard area. Tasks involving strenuous work can seem to take a lifetime to accomplish when in fact only a few minutes have elapsed. This makes it difficult to estimate how long firefighters have been working.

Various methods are used to monitor elapsed time at incident scenes. For example, many command vehicles are equipped with devices to track elapsed time. The devices range from boxes with colored lights to egg timers to stop watches attached to command and control boards.

Another method is to have dispatchers announce the elapsed time over the fireground radio channel, for example in 10-minute intervals. NFPA 1561, Emergency Services Incident Management System, states that elapsed time intervals should be provided by the dispatch communication center.

There are distinct advantages to having dispatchers provide this function. First, the incident commander can initiate the elapsed time notification with a verbal request over the radio. He or she can stay informed without becoming distracted by turning on a device, pushing another button or watching a clock in the command vehicle.

Another advantage to using a dispatch advisory of elapsed time is that everyone at the incident scene hears it. The advisory of elapsed time over the air can serve as a cue for companies in offensive positions at the scene to provide the IC with status reports and time on air.

Once the incident commander receives status reports from key positions, he or she can confirm or change the strategic mode in which the incident is operating and announce this over the air as “offensive mode” or “defensive mode.” All this can be cued by the announcement of the elapsed time over the tactical radio channel. My experience has been that the incident commander may want to control the status reports being provided by retrieving them one company or sector at a time to avoid “walking on” each other over the radio.

For these reasons, the best option for the IC to monitor elapsed time at the incident scene is to use the dispatcher advisory method. Armed with this information, the incident commander can provide fireground leadership and, when necessary, take the initiative to change the actions of firefighters when their margin of safety is compromised.

Time is of the essence on the fireground. An adequate system of monitoring elapsed time is crucial to getting firefighters in and out safely.

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Pat Dale is the assistant chief in charge of fire operations for the Olympia (Wash.) Fire Department.