Introduction
This guidance should be read in conjunction with:
Person at risk – A person involved in any situation that exposes them to a risk of injury, illness or death.
Evacuation – The immediate and urgent movement of people away from a threatened or existing hazard.
Persons reported – These are incidents involving people believed to be physically at risk from fire, for example trapped by or in physical contact with a fire. ‘Persons reported’ incidents may involve people within in a building, vehicle or area involved in fire.
Trapped – Incidents involving people at risk who may be unable to reach a place of safety due to:
- Their ability
- The location of the incident and how it is developing
- Hazards preventing them from leaving, or their perception of those hazards
- Physical limitations of the environment
- Physical entrapment
Survival guidance may be provided to help people at risk to stay safe until they can be rescued, or the hazards controlled.
When managing emergency calls where the caller or other members of the public are at risk, fire control personnel should provide appropriate safety advice and reassurance to callers. This advice should:
- Ensure the safety of members of the public, operational personnel and other emergency responders
- Help to prevent escalation of the incident
- Assist people at risk getting to a place of safety
- Assist operational personnel in the rescue of people at risk