NFPA Journal - May/June 2013 - (Page 68)

— . CODES IN REVIEW . — WILLIS TOWER Wacker Lobby in the Willis Tower. About 25,000 people pass through the building each day. a designation given to those in charge of emergency response until the fire department takes over. All Willis Tower supervisors are sent to emergency response training—one day per week for eight weeks, provided by fire department trainers—to earn the FSD designation. Our approach to emergency situations is that the tenant is the first responder, building security is the second responder, and the fire department is third, which is why training for tenants and building staff is so critical to ensure that the proper steps are taken in the first seconds and minutes of an emergency. The security supervisor radios lobby security and tells him to “make sure the books are out”—that critical building information kept at the lobby fire panel is readily available for arriving firefighters. “We also need an engineer at the fire panel, so make sure that happens,” she tells lobby security. A few minutes later, several CFD trucks arrive in front of the building, lights and sirens going. Tony and I are in the lobby, monitoring the building staff’s response. Tom is up on the fire floor, and Keith is moving throughout the building. Tony watches closely how his crew responds, and we both await the initial crucial point of contact between the actors and the firefighters. Finally it happens. The initial wave of firefighters appears, geared up and ready to go. The initial fire department incident commander (IC) makes his way to the lobby fire panel where the building’s fire safety director (FSD) and engineer are waiting. Critical information such as floor plans, standpipe locations, elevator runs, and more is laid out and available for review. The IC asks a lot of questions—Has the floor been evacuated? 68 NFPA JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 2013 Things were going very well, for the most part. Firefighters made initial contact with staff, gathered the human and written resources that were available, and were given instructions in the use of the building’s life safety communications system. At the same time, though, first responding officers did not request enough information from building staffers on the location of the problem, what the best access was, and what the available communications devices were. The battalion chief was close behind, but those officers still needed to slow down and get that crucial information. Subsequent arriving battalion chiefs took their places at forward fire command, fire attack, search & rescue, and logistics positions. Typically, the deputy district chief would be the overall incident commander, in charge of imposing order on the inherent chaos of the emergency scene. That day, though, I was strictly an observer, and I happened to overhear the lobby control chief ask the OEMC for a deputy chief from an adjacent district to fill in for my absence. While this is not a written directive in the incident command protocol, it was an example of someone taking the initiative to solve a problem as it arose. Thinking “out of the box” is critical in a situation where everyone is multi-tasking, and reporting changes or deviations from standard procedures is equally important. As the exercise went on, the attack engine charged the line with compressed air as a way to simulate problems with pinch points in a charged hose line in confined stairways and narrow hallways. The forward fire command chief, who was in charge two floors below the incident, encountered difficulty communicating with Photograph: Courtesy of Willis Tower/ Tom Van Eynde

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - May/June 2013

NFPA Journal - May/June 2013
Contents
First Word
In a Flash
Perspectives
Firewatch
Research
Heads Up
Structural Ops
In Compliance
Buzzwords
Outreach
Electrical Safety
Wildfire Watch
Treasurer's Report
Work in Progress
Amping It Up
Drill Team
Working Together
Code Process 2.0
Routine Maintenance
Here, There, Everywhere
Section Spotlight
Expo Preview: Exhibitors' Showcase
Looking Back

NFPA Journal - May/June 2013