Agenda - 03-15-2011- 8a - Laserfiche WebLink

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28 ORANGE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLWA III. STANDARDS, BENCHMARKS AND RESPONSE PARAMETERS Fire, rescue, and emergency services have evolved in response to a number of emerging benchmarks and standards. These measures are concerned with the nature and safety of emergency response. This section describes the emerging standards and benchmarks used to design fire or emergency medical service systems. These measures and standards do not have the weight of law unless imposed by the appropriate authority, but standards typically are viewed as "industry standards." The emerging ,standards, or benchmarks, which affect personnel needs, firefighter safety, and fire and EMS response times are listed below. OSHA requirements for a minimum of four equipped personnel to be present before entry in a structure fire incident. OSHA requirements for a rapid intervention team (RIT) to be present for safety reasons at working structure fires. OSHA and NFPA requirements for a qualified incident commander and a qualified safety officer to be present at working incidents. NFPA 1710 and industry standardswhich are applicable to the fully-career fire Departments. NFPA 1720 and industry standards which are applicable to the predominately volunteer fire departments. Emergency medical service response time benchmarks which are suggested in NFPA 1710, the American Heart Association Statement on Chain of Survival, and the Eisenberg Model, which discuss the survivability for a non-breathing person and the application of CPR, defibrillation, and advanced life support. DEVELOPING RESPONSE CAPABILITY OBJECTIVES Fire, rescue, and emergency service agencies routinely develop response capability objectives which consider both rapid response and, in the case of fire emergencies, a sufficient number of firefighters to attack the fire. Response objectives must also accommodate variations in fire danger. It is important to {~} MMA CONSULTING GROUP, INC. ZS