NFPA 600 Standard on Facility Fire

Brigades

Presented by Chief Philip C. Stittleburg

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What is a Facility Fire Brigade?

• An organized group of

employees at a facility who

are knowledgeable, trained

and skilled in at least basic

fire-fighting operations, and

whose full time occupation

might or might not be the

provision of fire suppression

and related activities for

their employer

Fire suppression is inside the

“walls” of their facility

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NFPA Has a Long History with Fire Brigades

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The Illuminated Broom Award

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When are Fire Brigades Required?

• When a facility decides to have a fire brigade OR

when another code, standard or regulation requires

fire brigades

• Examples of NFPA codes and standards

requiring fire brigades include:

o NFPA 801 Fire Protection for Facilities Handling Radioactive Materials

o NFPA 804 Fire Protection for Advanced Light Water Reactor Electric

Generating Plants

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NFPA 600 • Provides minimum requirements for

o Organizing

o Operating

o Training

o Equipping fire brigades

o Provides minimum requirements for the occupational

safety and health of the fire brigade members

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Applicability • Applies to any organized group of employees

performing fire-fighting response duties including

o Emergency brigades

o Emergency response teams

o Fire teams

o Plant emergency organizations

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Applicability Does NOT apply to facility fire brigades that respond

outside the boundaries of the site where fire involves

unfamiliar hazards

Does NOT apply to medical response, confined space

rescue, hazardous materials response

Does not apply to fire departments complying with

NFPA 1500 (Fire Departments)

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NFPA 600 Facility Fire Brigades • Previously referred to as the

“Industrial Fire Brigade” Standard.

Committee changed title to

FACILITY fire brigade in 2015

• Ensures that users knew that NFPA

600 applies to educational facilities

such as colleges, commercial

facilities such as airports, healthcare

occupancies such as medical

centers, warehouses, governmental

facilities etc.- not just “industry” in the

traditional sense.

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What is the difference between a

fire department and fire brigade?

• Basic difference between the two is familiarity-

o Fire departments fight fires at any facility and do not know the hazards they may encounter

o Fire brigades generally fight fires only within the facility boundaries and will always know the hazards and practice fighting fires on those hazards and

structures

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What are they?

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Roles and Responsibilities • Facility Fire Brigade Management-overall responsibility for establishing

program, written policies, providing equipment, coordinating with local

fire authorities and selecting fire brigade members

• Facility Fire Brigade Leader-Establishes chain of command and

establishes qualifications, training programs, maintains and selects

equipment, establishes plans, provides training

• Deputy Fire Brigade Leader-substitutes for fire brigade leader in his/her

absence and completes tasks assigned by leader.

• Fire Brigade Members-perform duties as assigned in organizational

statement following SOPs and training provided

• Support Members-do not enter warm or hot zones but provide support as

assigned and trained

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Fundamental Requirements-

Chapter 4

• Four types of Fire Brigades

• 1) Incipient stage

• 2) Advanced exterior fire-fighting ONLY

• 3) Interior fire-fighting ONLY

• 4) Both advanced exterior and interior fire-fighting

All fire brigade members must be issued identification

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How many members required for

each type of fire brigade? • No set number established

• Differs from facility to facility

depending on the hazard

• NFPA 600 requires that the

organizational statement and

standard operating procedures

define the number of members

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Organization and Administration

• Written policies and procedures must be

established that include such items as

o Evaluating hazards and assigning duties

o Establishing occupational health and medical and

physical performance requirements

o Establishing baseline proficiencies

o Budgeting for all aspects of the fire brigade including

equipment

o Establishing means of communication

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Organization and Administration

• A written organizational statement must be

established that includes o Basic organizational structure

o Type, amount and frequency of training

o Number of fire brigade members

o Duties of fire brigade members

o Shifts when fire brigades are available

• Management designates and identifies all lines of

authority and duties and responsibilities

• Two Sample Organizational Statements provided in

Annex A

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Other General Requirements

• Written Standard Operating Procedures

(SOPs) must be developed

• A written Incident Management System

(IMS) must be established

• A risk management policy must be

developed

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Training and Education Requirements

• Training coordinator designated to manage training program

• Members must be trained to the level of competency commensurate with their response duties and functions

• Members must meet requirements of NFPA 1081

• Periodic training required

• Fire brigade leader training must be more extensive than that provided to members

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Drills • Periodic drills required that are representative of conditions encountered during an actual fire

• Must perform or simulate actions to fight fires consistent with the expected fires at the facility

• Drills must be evaluated and compared to pre established performance standard

• Training and drill records must be maintained

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Medical and Job-Related

Physical Requirements • All fire brigade members other than incipient fire

fighting must receive physical exam and be certified

as medically and physically competent to perform

duties

• Must be done annually

• Requirements based on the risks and tasks

• Also must meet the job related physical requirements

which are also evaluated annually

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Facility Fire Brigade Equipment

• Fire brigades must be provided

with the appropriate equipment

based on the hazards

• Equipment properly stored and

accessible

• Equipment must be inspected

and maintained

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Fire Brigade Apparatus

• Fire brigade members

operating equipment must be

qualified

• Seatbelts mandatory

• Maintained, serviced and

inspected

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Chapter 5 Incipient Stage Fire Brigades

• Incipient stage fire-Fire in initial stage which can be

controlled by extinguisher or small hose systems without

the use of personal protective equipment.

• Incipient stage means o Fires can be fought in normal clothing

o Not required to take evasive action to avoid smoke or heat

o Not required to wear SCBAs

o Can fight fire effectively with fire extinguishers OR with handlines flowing up to

473 Liters/minute (125 gpm)

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Incipient Stage Fire Brigades

• Annual training and

drills involving live fires

• Annex of NFPA 600

describes live fire

training safety

procedures

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Advanced Exterior or Interior

Structural Fire Brigades-Chapter 6 • Requirements for both advanced exterior and interior structural

fire brigades are the same

• Facilities may have fire brigades that do only one or that do both

• Fire brigades can only perform the duties as designated and trained.

• Advanced Exterior-Offensive fire-fighting beyond incipient outside an enclosed structure

• Interior Structural-Fire suppression beyond incipient stage or rescue inside of a building or enclosed structure

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Train on what you do…

Interior, Exterior, What are the

hazards you encounter?

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Advanced Exterior or Interior

Structural Fire Brigades

Requirements for protective gear, training, equipment

based on zones

• Hot Zone immediately surrounding a hazardous area, which extends far enough to prevent adverse effects to personnel outside the zone

• Warm Zone outside the hot zone where personnel and equipment decontamination and hot zone support takes place

• Cold Zone-contains the command post and such other support functions deemed necessary to control the incident

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Different Requirements for Hot, Warm,

Cold Zones • Non-fire brigade personnel not

permitted to enter the warm or hot

zones

• SCBA and thermal protective

clothing worn when entering the hot

zone.

• Thermal protective clothing worn

when entering the warm zone

• Must have an established

communications system when

operating in the hot and warm zones

• When in the hot zone, at least one facility fire

brigade member with the capability to call

for assistance remains outside the hot zone

and maintains an awareness of those located

inside the hot zone.

• When operating in the hot zone, additional

brigade members are standing by in the

warm zone with approved equipment to

provide assistance or rescue

• Facility fire brigade members positioned in

the warm zone are visible to command

positions at all times

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Advanced Exterior or Interior Structural Fire Brigades-

Protective Clothing and Equipment

• Thermal protective clothing and equipment for

each member entering hot and warm zones

o Protective clothing, helmets, gloves, footwear meeting NFPA 1971

o PASS devices in accordance with NFPA 1982

o Open circuit self-contained breathing devices in accordance with NFPA

1981

o Closed circuit self-contained breathing devices in positive pressure mode

only

o Approved hoods for hot zone

o Equipment maintenance

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Advanced Exterior or Interior

Structural Fire Brigades • Teams of two or more if

using SCBA.

• Communication

required.

• Must have two

members outside the

area with SCBAs.

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Advanced Exterior or Interior Structural

Fire Brigades-Training and Drills

• Quarterly training

• Semiannual drills

• Live fire training annually that includes props that

simulate or duplicate the hazards and conditions

that could be encountered

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The Relationship of NFPA 600 to NFPA 1081

Standard for Industrial Fire

Brigade Personnel Professional Qualifications

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NFPA 600 references NFPA 1081

• NFPA 1081 shall be used to establish minimum levels

of proficiency in both skills and knowledge to permit

facility fire brigade personnel to safely accomplish

the site-specific response duties.

• Personnel shall meet the minimum job performance

requirements of NFPA 1081 for each site-specific

task expected to be performed by brigade

personnel before their participation in emergency

response operations.

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NFPA 600 - Facility Fire Brigade

Fundamentals Training and Education • Facility fire brigade personnel designated as leaders

shall receive training and education commensurate

with their response duties.

• Annex: Facility fire brigade leaders should be

provided training on the incident management

system. For information on performance standards

for facility fire brigade leaders, see NFPA 1081;

Chapter 4 of NFPA 1021; or other relevant

performance standards.

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NFPA 600 - Facility Fire Brigade

Fundamentals -Training and Education • Only qualified facility fire brigade personnel shall operate facility fire

brigade apparatus.

• Qualified apparatus operators shall have completed formal training using

performance-based standards.

• Facility fire brigade apparatus operators shall have valid driver’s licenses for

the type of vehicle as required by state law or corporate policy.

• Apparatus shall be operated in compliance with applicable traffic laws.

• Facility fire brigade apparatus drivers shall be directly responsible for safe

and prudent operation under all conditions.

• Annex For information on performance standards for facility fire brigade

apparatus operators, see NFPA 1081; Chapters 4 through 8 of NFPA 1002; or

other performance standards.

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NFPA 1081 • All industrial fire brigade personnel duties involve initiating

communications, responding to alarms, using tools and equipment, suppression, apply special extinguishing agents, perform a fire safety survey, and completing incident reports.

• All industrial fire brigade personnel shall have a general knowledge of basic fire behavior, operation within an incident management system, operation within the emergency response operations plan for the site, the standard operating and safety procedures for the site, and site-specific hazards.

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NFPA 1081 - Scope and Purpose

• Scope. This standard identifies the minimum job performance requirements (JPRs) necessary to perform the duties as a member of an organized industrial fire brigade providing services at a specific facility or site.

• Purpose. The purpose of this standard is to specify the minimum JPRs for industrial fire brigade personnel. It is not the intent of the standard to restrict any jurisdiction from exceeding these requirements.

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NFPA 1081 - Application • The management of the industrial fire brigade shall

establish instructional priority and the training program content to prepare individuals to meet the JPRs of this standard.

• The JPRs found in Chapters 5 through 8 are not required to be mastered in the order they appear.

• The management of the industrial fire brigade shall establish an ongoing process to ensure that members continue to meet the JPRs of this standard.

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Job Performance Requirements (JPRs)

• The primary benefit of establishing professional qualifications standards is to provide both public and private sectors with a framework of the job requirements.

• Professional qualifications standards identify the minimum JPRs for specific emergency services levels and positions.

• Professional qualifications standards for specific jobs are organized by major areas of responsibility defined as “duties”.

• JPRs describe the performance required for a specific job and are grouped according to the duties of the job.

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NFPA 1081 – Specific JPR Chapters

• Incipient Industrial Fire Brigade

• Advanced Exterior Industrial Fire Brigade

• Interior Structural Fire Brigade

• Industrial Fire Brigade Leader

• Industrial Fire Brigade Support

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Incipient Industrial Fire Brigade

• Transmit and receive messages

• Respond to an emergency

• Return equipment to service

• Complete a basic incident report

• Extinguish incipient fire

• Conserve property

• Exit hazardous area

• Attack an incipient

stage fire

• Activate a fixed fire

protection system

• Utilize a master stream

appliances

• Establish a water supply

• Perform a fire safety

survey

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Advanced Exterior Industrial Fire Brigade

• Utilize a pre-incident plan

• Interface with outside mutual aid organizations

• Use thermal protective clothing

• Use SCBA and PASS device

• Attack an exterior fire

• Conduct search and

rescue

• Conserve property

• Overhaul the fire scene

• Establish a water supply

• Exit a hazardous area

• Perform Rapid

Intervention

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Advanced Exterior Industrial Fire Brigade

• Perform a fire safety survey

• Gain access to facility locations

• Use master stream appliances

• Extinguish an ignitable liquids fire

• Control a flammable gas fire

• Use special extinguishing agents

• Interrupt alarm

conditions

• Activate a fixed fire

suppression system

• Extinguish a Class C fire

• Utilize tools and

equipment

• Set up and use

portable ladders

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Interior Structural Fire Brigade

• Use thermal protective

clothing

• Use SCBA and Pass device

• Utilize a pre-incident plan

• Attack interior structure

fire

• Force entry

• Perform ventilation

• Overhaul

• Exit a hazardous area

• Establish a water supply

• Interface with outside

mutual aid organizations

• Conduct search and

rescue operations

• Conserve property

• Perform rapid

intervention

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Interior Structural Fire Brigade

• Interrupt alarm

conditions

• Activate a fixed fire suppression system

• Use master stream appliances

• Extinguish an ignitable liquids fire

• Control a flammable gas fire

• Use special

extinguishing agents

• Utilize tools and

equipment

• Set up and use

portable ladders

• Perform a fire safety

survey

• Extinguish a Class C fire

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Industrial Fire Brigade Leader

• Assign task and responsibilities

• Develop an initial attack plan

• Implement an action plan

• Coordinate multiple resources

• Implement support operations

• Direct personnel during a training evolution

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Industrial Fire Brigade Support

• Initiate a response to a reported emergency

• Respond to a facility emergency o Building evacuation

o Sprinkler system control

o Electrical power control

o Utility control

o Process control

o Fire Pump/Fire Water operation

o Salvage

o Traffic control and site security

o Escort

o General support services

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Summary • NFPA 600 and NFPA 1081 Correlate

• NFPA 600 - Source document for organizations

• NFPA 1081 - Professional qualifications document

for individual certification

• Specified the minimum JPRs for industrial fire

brigade roles identified in NFPA 1081

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Thank You!

Questions?

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