Exercise 1 – Triple Fatality Fire

We will now go back to the beginning, to the triple-fatal fire that occurred 4 years before the El Camino Fire and was the genesis of this program. As you listen to the audio of the fire, take note of several differences between this fire and the El Camino Fire. Ask yourself the following questions as you listen:

  1. What was the incident command structure (groups/divisions)?
  2. Did the ICS structure change or become confusing?
  3. How many companies communicated directly with command?
  4. How much radio traffic was missed?
  5. Why was there so much radio traffic?
  6. Why was the radio traffic so chaotic?
  7. Were the company officers placed in division/group roles prepared?
  8. Why was staging on the same tactical channel as the fire?

What was the incident command structure (groups/divisions)?

  • Division 2, Fire Attack, Rescue Group, Medical Group, Staging

Did the ICS structure change or become confusing?

  • Yes. Division 2 Supervisor was changed to Rescue Group and later did not respond to “Division 2“ on the radio. This was my mistake as the IC.
  • Why was there Fire Attack AND Division 2? Both were redundant. Fire Attack Group was unnecessary. 

How many companies communicated directly with command?

  • Way too many! Several cut in on other transmissions.

How much radio traffic was missed?

  • A lot! Feedback from multiple firefighters attempting to talk on the radio caused communications to become paralyzed, and transmissions to be missed.

Why was there so much radio traffic?

  • A lack of training. We did not have the level of training that you are about to receive.

Why was the radio traffic so chaotic?

  • There was a lot of panic due to the multiple victims. No training had been done to prepare us for this event. 

Were the company officers placed in division/group roles prepared?

  • No. They were given positions in which they were not adequately trained. Again, this was my fault as the IC.

Why was staging on the same tactical channel as the fire?

  • This was normal practice at the time. Later, the SOG was changed so the staging area manager was placed on a separate tactical channel. This reduced non-critical radio traffic on the primary tac channel.
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