ABSTRACT
Firefighters approaching an incident scene need to be aware of everything going on around the area. Firefighters need to watch for building fire protection devices such as the fire department connection (FDC), fire hydrants, entrances, people who may have evacuated, important signs, Knox Box® locations, and others (figure 2.1). In addition to the usual size-up issues emergency responders need to address at an incident scene, they also need to be alert for criminal activity such as signs of arson, potential acts of terrorism, or hazardous materials when approaching an incident scene. There are important concerns related to criminal activity or potential terrorism when arriving at a building with the fire alarm activated. Watch for obstructions to fire hydrants and fire department connections. Terrorists may be responsible for false alarm activations at target hazard buildings in an effort to observe fire department operational procedures. This surveillance is undertaken as part of the terrorists planning phase in order to determine effective locations to set up explosive or secondary explosive devices or other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) during a terrorist attack. Firefighters should be on the lookout for suspicious persons who may be watching or photographing their operations. Also be alert for suspicious packages or objects when approaching an incident scene. Remember, the firefighter is no longer the good guy in the eyes of the terrorist and may be the target of terrorist activity along with the public, law enforcement, a building, community infrastructure, or a community event. If terrorist activity is to be successful, terrorists must do an effective preplan of the target. This preplan should look at how emergency responders approach a building or target. It should identify where fire personnel park apparatus around the building, staging areas, command post locations, and response routes. Response personnel should not always travel to an emergency at a particular location by the same route, especially those buildings that may be attractive targets to the terrorist. Unfortunately, firefighters are creatures of habit. We almost always take the same route to an incident scene, park in the same location, place our staging areas in the same place, and put our command post in the same location at every incident scene at a particular location. Responding firefighters generally park in front of the building and enter the building through the same doors almost every time they respond to a specific location. That type of routine response can make the planning of the terrorist very easy! Firefighters should take alternate routes to responses at incident scenes, park in different areas at the scene, and have various locations planned for staging areas and command posts. This will help make us less predictable and less vulnerable to a planned terrorist attack. Taking alternate routes to emergencies in buildings can also serve to locate other impediments to emergency response, such as overhead
wires, closed streets, unusual parking or traffic patterns, as well as other potential pitfalls.
