INCIDENT PERIMETER DEFINED:
The area inside an imaginary boundary that has been determined by safety considerations according to the foreseeable hazards of the particular incident.
All suppression personnel inside the incident perimeter shall be:
* Wearing full protective clothingALL OTHERS STAY OUT !
* Functioning with their assigned company or on assignment by their respective supervisor
* Have a specific assignment of function to perform
Command and staff personnel may necessarily violate portions of this guideline in order to carry out responsibilities. In these situations, they should exercise the highest degree of personal safety.
Enforcement of these rules virtually eliminates "Free-lancers, Wanderers, and Ghosters" in an area where they are exposed to danger.
If apparatus is properly placed, the area between the apparatus and the building is "IN" the incident perimeter, beyond the apparatus is generally "OUT" of the perimeter.
The flexible boundary that determines the incident can be altered by various safety factors, such as:
* Areas subject to structural collapseThe incident perimeter should be no mystery to operating personnel. Where the hazards are not clearly evident, such as hazardous materials incidents or areas where a weakened part of the structure may be expected to fall, the Incident Commander and/or Safety Officer should have a rope or banner tape stretched to define a VISIBLE boundary line. Access to these area, if permitted, must be controlled.
* Areas of potential backdraft or flashover
* Areas of smoke drift
* Areas of falling debris ( a basic perimeter of 100 feet in all directions should be maintained around high-rise buildings and with some high-rise structures and wind conditions a distance of one city block should be evacuated of all citizens.
* Location of the fire in relation to the center of the street and clear areas available around the building.