Introduction

This guidance deals with the hazards that may be present at all types and sizes of emergency incidents or non-emergency events. For clarity this guidance has been developed based on the assumption that a fire and rescue service has received a call for help that results in an electronic record being created, even if it is then determined that resources do not need to be deployed.

The scope of this guidance includes hazards and control measures relating to:

• Corporate guidance for operational activity
• Fire control room operations
• Getting to an incident
• At an incident
• Closing an incident
• Investigations

There are two other sections of National Operational Guidance that should be considered at all incidents; Environmental protection and Incident command.

The Incident command guidance contains topics such as:

• Command of an incident, including situational awareness and decision-making
• Managing an incident, including cordon control and sectorisation
• Resourcing an incident, including additional and specialist resources
• Safety management, including risk assessment, safety officers, emergency evacuation and tactical withdrawal of responders and firefighter emergencies

Given the interdependencies in the topics, it is important that this Operations guidance is read in conjunction with the Incident command guidance.