Using SimsUshare to Practice a Fire Size-Up

A fire size-up is a critical part of any emergency response plan. It’s usually the beginning of the process by which firefighters determine how to attack a fire and what resources are needed to put it out, as well as what additional resources are needed. A proper size up can make all the difference between success and failure, but it takes practice and experience. Here are some tips on how SimsUshare can help you work on fire size-up training. 

What is a fire size-up?

First, we must define what a size-up actually is. A fire size-up is an assessment of the current incident, and is usually followed by your assessment on what will be needed to mitigate the situation.

It involves assessing the size, location, fuel load, ventilation potential, and other factors that affect the behavior of the fire and its control.

The information gathered during a size-up helps responders plan their strategy & tactics in order to minimize risk to themselves, and save lives and property at risk.

A high degree of situational awareness is essential for success when conducting an accurate size-up due to all of the variables involved with fires.

A proper assessment will help firefighters determine if they need to wait for more assistance or go ahead with their strategy with limited resources; all while helping them save time and potentially lives by knowing exactly what they’re up against when they arrive at the scene of an incident. Fire size-ups should be conducted continually from the first alarm all the way through the point of the fire being extinguished, because the situation at hand will constantly evolve.

How do you conduct a fire size-up with SimsUshare? 

There are several steps that need to be taken in order to conduct a size-up, each of which will help you get closer to assessing the situation as well as determining what type of equipment and personnel needs to be deployed for managing it. It’s important that you take your time with these steps so that you can make good decisions about how best to tackle the problem at hand.

The first thing you need to do when conducting a fire size-up is assess the situation. SimsUshare makes this easy by allowing you to navigate around different areas of the scene as you would on the fireground. This means taking stock of all potential hazards, such as fuel load, terrain, and structures involved with the fire, as well as whether there are any victims inside, how many potential victims there are, and where exactly they are located. Once you’ve determined where possible dangers are located within the simulation, then it’s time to communicate your findings and figure out a plan for rescuing victims and containing or extinguishing the blaze, just as you would with a real-life scenario.

You also need to make sure that you are aware of how big or small it is, what type of material it’s burning, and if there are any obstacles in the way like fences or trees. 

A fire size-up doesn’t stop when extinguishing efforts begin, however. In order to properly get a fire under control, the size-up must be conducted periodically while on-site by many different personnel. SimsUshare allows multiple people to view a simulation at the same time, meaning that certain crew members could be assigned to sizing up the scenario while others work to figure out a plan.

As the simulation conditions evolve, proper communication must be maintained.  Only by constant communication within the crew can the exact plan be carried out in order to agree on the correct strategy to tackle the fire. SimsUshare helps you carry this out efficiently, effectively, and safely.

How can a fire simulator help you sharpen your size-up skills? 

Fire training has been a critical component to firefighter success for many years. In order to truly understand the reality of fire, it is necessary that you have also experienced what it feels like firsthand. One way to do this safely is by using an intense and realistic fire simulator which mimics a real-life scenario from the safety of your computer or tablet. 

Firefighters need skills beyond just their physical abilities––they must also be able to size up a situation quickly in order to determine the best course of action. This means being able to take note of all factors at play: how big the fire is; whether or not there are any dangerous materials nearby; if anyone needs assistance; etc., before deciding on an appropriate course of action that will work given those variables.

For the sake of safety, firefighters are trained not to enter any building until they have a thorough idea of what is going on inside, and have determined that the risk is worthwhile. This can be difficult if you don’t know how big the fire is, where it started, or how fast it’s spreading.

By developing a variety of potential ‘what if’ scenarios with SimsUshare, based on your first-due target hazards, you can sharpen your team’s size-up skills and then improve the quality of their size-up reports. You can note pitfalls in the communication of the crew or their assessment skills in a controlled, safe scenario and work on fine-tuning them behind the scenes to prepare for real situations. You may just see a problem that you didn’t even know could happen and be able to help your crews solve it before it becomes a big problem instead of having to learn from experience first hand. Using SimsUshare, your crew can practice dealing with everything from small fires in residential areas, to large-scale industrial fires where a single mistake could cost many lives.

This virtual experience will help you sharpen your skills so that when you are faced with real emergencies such as this, your personnel will have developed the ‘muscle memory’ to make appropriate decisions that save lives!

In conclusion…

A fire size-up is an essential initial step to putting out a fire as safely and effectively as possible. A firefighter’s primary objective is the safety of all personnel at the scene, and with fires being unpredictable in nature, it’s important for them to know what they are up against before rushing into any situation. One of the most efficient ways for firefighters to practice how to size-up and tackle a fire is by utilizing a realistic fire simulator like SimsUshare.