SOGs and SOPs

Standard operating guidelines (SOGs) and standard operating procedures (SOPs) are essential components of fire department training and operations. They spell out the do’s and don’ts for fire department personnel, sometimes as strict requirements and other times as recommended best practices. While SOGs provide an overview of best practices, SOPs detail what is expected of personnel during emergency response and non-emergency activities and how to meet the expectations. SOGs and SOPs are not to be confused with fire department policies, the guiding principles used to set direction for an organization.

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Tenn. fire chief credits NIMS in treatment plant search
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One of the first officials on the scene was Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller, a certified instructor in the National Incident Management System
Stop, evaluate and decide
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Keeping communication open lets you know if your plan is being carried out, and if it's having the impact you're hoping for
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NIOSH: Insufficient warning to motorists in Pa. LODD
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Volunteer Fire Police Captain Donald Mellott was hit by a vehicle while responding to a two-car crash last year
Our concept of risk/benefit analyses needs to change
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Instead of trying to determine frequency and severity of uncertain situations, we should choose pre-determined courses of action and then engage in serious and continuous self-critique
Rescue of firefighter highlights need for well-designed RIT
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However your department accomplishes the RIT function, make sure those crews are highly-trained, well-equipped, and diligent
Report: LODD shows need for SOPs on clearing blocked SCBA
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Firefighter John B. Glaser died May 22 last year when he removed his SCBA to clear vomit from the equipment
Report: Critically burned Md. firefighter lacked survival skills training
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A Prince George's County investigation found the firefighter frantically searched for an exit and removed his PPE without issuing a mayday
NIOSH: Wash. fire chief's death shows need for retrofitted vehicle safety
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The chief was killed when the vintage 1960's off-road vehicle he was driving rolled down a steep slope, pinning him
Lessons learned from structure collapse close call in SC
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Five firefighters were on the second story of a house when the floor tilted, causing three firefighters to fall
NIOSH: Firefighters neglected collapse risk in Calif. close call
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An overhang collapsed and trapped a firefighter in San Francisco, leaving him with burns and a broken leg
Revisiting the NIMS debate
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We have to be careful with NIMS as with the many other blind orthodoxies we are encouraged to accept
Close call with armed patient prompts changes at Calif. fire department
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A firefighter became trapped in a room with the patient who suddenly brandished a gun toward the four firefighters who were there to assist her
Establishing working fire mutual aid SOGs
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Chief Ernie Rhodes highlights the advantages to establishing Standard Operating Guidelines for working fire mutual aid responses.
NIOSH: Uncoordinated ventilation caused flashover killing Ill. firefighter
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Investigators say crews failed to recognize signs of an imminent flashover; firefighters were between the fire and ventilation points
SC department cited for OSHA safety violations
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Three firefighters were injured at a house fire; the first citation is for the lack of an accountability system for tracking firefighters
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