Firefighter Responsibilities: Riding Control

The control position could be called irons, hydrant, plugs, tools, backup firefighter, C seat or senior firefighter depending on a department’s lingo and terminology. The diversity of terminology is a perfect example of all of the different tasks and jobs that the control firefighter might be responsible for performing during an incident.

When firefighters think of the job responsibilities of the control position, they might think that feeding the hose and leaning on the door frame or wall to keep it from falling over are the only tasks that person might need to accomplish on the fireground. That’s a very misguided perception and an ineffective use of staffing.

Preparation

The control position is the first step to performing efficiently in any position in an engine company. People who are in that position should think about their responsibilities and tasks on the fireground. Although you can’t possibly project and plan for every incident, you can do your best by being as prepared as possible. Aside from ensuring that all of the equipment on the engine is in proper working order, the control firefighter should pay extra special attention to forcible entry tools, saws, hydrant tools and adapters, ladders, hose loads, nozzles and thermal imaging cameras (TIC).

During the incident, the control firefighter might be expected to use these tools with or without help or supervision and get the job done safely, quickly and efficiently.

The right stuff

From a team-building point of view, certain traits, qualities and characteristics are desirable in a control firefighter: experience, knowledge, determination, independence, accountability, discipline, aggressiveness and command presence

Experience and knowledge. Control firefighters must have an overall understanding of fireground operations. They must be familiar with what’s happening at the end of the hoseline, what the officer is directing the nozzleperson to do and how the control firefighter can help to facilitate the advancement of the hoseline. It’s important to note that years of service don’t necessarily equal experience. Five years of experience with a department that runs one or two fires a year isn’t necessarily equal to five years of experience with a department that runs 50 or more fires yearly. With younger and smaller departments, this might be an unavoidable issue. There might be no choice but to put a member who has little experience and knowledge in the control position. That said, chief and company officers must be aware of the past experiences and knowledge of their crew members to have the right person assigned to the right job.

Determination and independence. Control firefighters primarily work away from the nozzle and the company officer and are expected to perform their job with little supervision.

Accountability and discipline. In conjunction with the above, control firefighters must be disciplined, stick to their task, and not be tempted to perform other assignments and “freelance.” When things go wrong, control firefighters must be accountable for their mistakes and use them as opportunities to learn and to teach others. This perspective helps to build confidence and trust with the other members of the crew, because they know that the control firefighter will do the right thing even when no one is looking.

Aggressiveness. Some people believe that the terms aggressive and reckless are synonymous, but that’s invalid. Although aggressiveness can be defined as “hostile or violent behavior,” it also can be described as “determination and forcefulness.” Although control firefighters should carry out their duties and tasks with determination, they also should apply forcefulness and intensity. Lives and property are at risk when the control firefighter fails to perform.

Command presence. Although control firefighters aren’t officers, they are, ideally, the more experienced or knowledgeable firefighter on the crew, and they should have the courage to defend and protect their line. Suppose a control firefighter recognizes that another crew is impeding or will impede the advancement of the line. The control firefighter must address this immediately, because the situation could turn deadly for members and victims if the line can’t be advanced to put water on the fire.

No firefighter shows up to the firehouse on Day 1 possessing all of the best traits and qualities. They are developed over time through experience, knowledge, mentorship and training.

First-due building fire: control responsibilities

When arriving at a working building fire, control firefighters, like any crew member, should depart the engine and begin to size up the scene and the building. They should know how to read smoke to understand what’s going on inside of the building, what will happen to conditions once members enter the building and how bad conditions will become if members don’t intervene.

The control firefighter should assist the nozzleperson with deploying the initial attack line if necessary. Most attack lines can be deployed off of the engine by a single firefighter unless it’s a very long stretch. If it’s a one-firefighter deployment, the control firefighter should continue to size up the building and complete the rest of his/her initial tasks.

While the first line goes into service and the company officer performs the 360-degree size-up, the control firefighter should assess how to enter the structure. This assessment includes making the correct tool choices (e.g., rotary saws, rabbit tool, bolt cutters, irons). The control firefighter should check the primary means of ingress. If the door is open, it should be controlled (not latched) until members are ready to enter the building. If the door is locked, the control firefighter should look for locks and for heat, smoke and other signs of an immediately dangerous to life and health environment before attempting to force the door.

Once the door is opened or forced, the control firefighter immediately should step back, stay low and briefly observe smoke conditions and the flow path that was created by opening the door. After observing conditions, if safe, the control firefighter should get below the smoke line with a flashlight and rapidly search for victims who might be behind the door and around the immediate area that surrounds the entrance. During this time, the control firefighter should observe the building’s floor plan, noting obstacles and searching for any indication of where the seat of the fire might be. Utilizing the TIC to observe the movement of heated gases might indicate where the fire and heat are originating and where they are going. This search method should be used to assist in search of fire and victims but not be relied on over traditional search methods. Becoming overly focused on the TIC can lead to tunnel vision, which can cause one to miss changes in the environment. Once the control firefighter finishes rapid search, the door should be controlled (not latched) until he/she is ready to make entry with the rest of the attack team. This cuts off the flow path that was created from the door being opened and prevents unnecessary air from entering the structure and feeding the fire.

The control firefighter should help flake out any additional hose and remove kinks. Once the company officer returns from the 360 size-up and the attack team makes entry, the control firefighter should establish control at the entrance and feed hose to the rest of the attack team while still trying to control the front door to limit the amount of air that’s fed into the building. During this time, depending on the obstacles and the building’s floor plan, it might be necessary for the control firefighter to advance back and forth between pinch points to allow the nozzleperson and the company officer to advance smoothly through the building.

Moving/feeding hose

Control firefighters should be well versed in hose handling methods and how to efficiently move hose without gassing themselves (e.g., rolling hose loops, or wheels, into a room to advance hose).

The control firefighter should feed hose to the attack team as it advances. Feeding extra hose into the building/room is good as long as the control firefighter doesn’t create additional obstacles or trip hazards and lays or loops the hose in the building attack over supply.

During this time, the driver/operator might assist the control firefighter by dragging slack up to the front door. However, this shouldn’t be expected or relied on, because, ultimately, it’s the control firefighter’s job to manage this task. Control should continue to move up and down the line and feed slack as needed until told otherwise by the company officer.

Observing conditions

While a control firefighter is hard at work assisting with the advancement of the line, that person must be disciplined and not get tunnel vision. While the attack team is making its push, the control firefighter must observe conditions (heat and smoke) that are inside of the building for any change, as this indicates whether the attack team is improving conditions or if conditions are rapidly deteriorating. If conditions aren’t improving, it might be time to change tactics.

Control firefighters also should watch for any flow path changes, to ensure that the fire doesn’t get behind the attack team and cut off those members from their initial means of ingress/egress. Control firefighters also should listen during smoky conditions for fire crackling, cracking or moving structural elements, and victims.

Backing up the nozzle, extinguishment

If called forward by the company officer, the control firefighter should move forward to the nozzle and assist with maneuvering the hose. Engine companies should be well versed in working together on the hoseline so that movements become second nature and require little to no communication.

Once the attack team reaches the seat of the fire and the company officer determines that the seat of the fire was extinguished, at the order of the officer, the control firefighter should be ready to begin to pull drywall, paneling and any other form of interior covering to expose any hidden fire or hot spots while the nozzleperson continues to make an attack on these exposed areas.

Immediate rescue

There might come a time as a first-due engine that an immediate rescue is imminent, and action must be taken quickly. While the nozzleperson deploys the initial attack line, the control firefighter and the company officer should be focused on the rescue. This is where checking and knowing ladders intimately is essential. The control firefighter might be expected to deploy an extension ladder to facilitate the rapid rescue of a victim who is being threatened by rapidly deteriorating fire conditions.

Second-due building fire: control responsibilities

As noted above, control firefighters are expected to know how to do many jobs. This all starts in the preparation stage with setting up their hydrant bag the way that they want it, checking all hose loads, and inspecting all adapters and appliances.

Upon arriving second due to a building fire, unless ordered otherwise, the primary responsibility of the control firefighter is to catch a hydrant. This person should exit the apparatus, throw the hydrant bag to the hydrant and pull enough supply line to the hydrant to facilitate a safe deployment. Before signaling the driver/operator to continue the lay (if necessary), ensure that the hydrant caps are on tightly except for the main steamer, if applicable. Make sure that the hydrant functions correctly. The control firefighter should fold the hose on the base of the hydrant in a way that allows the hose to pull away in the event that it gets stuck on the engine, to prevent the control firefighter from being struck or tripped by the hose.

After the driver/operator has left and it’s safe to do so, the control firefighter should make all of the appropriate connections on the hydrant and communicate ready-to-send-water to the driver/operator. Once the water supply is established, the control firefighter should regroup quickly with the crew.

If applicable, the next task that’s assigned to the second-due engine is to pull a secondary line (i.e., a line that’s going to a different location than the initial attack crew) or a backup line (i.e., a line that’s of equal or greater flow that’s going to the exact location as the initial attack team to back up for fire attack and protection). All of the same principles of first-due control responsibilities are applicable if a secondary/backup line is deployed.