Personnel Accountability System Vocabulary Flashcards

Purpose and Responsibility

• The purpose of the Baltimore County Fire Department Standard Operational Procedure (S.O.P. #: TACTICAL OPERATIONS MANUAL #06) is to establish a personnel tracking system to be utilized on all incidents.

• Supervisory Responsibility: At all times, supervisors are responsible for accounting for every person under their command.

• Personnel Responsibility: At all times, personnel must keep their supervisors informed regarding their current whereabouts or assignments.

• Safety Officer and Incident Commander (IC) Responsibility: Both the Safety Officer and the IC are responsible for ensuring the Personnel Accountability System is in place.

  • A Safety Officer must be designated by the IC on all rescues.

  • A Safety Officer must be designated on multiple company incidents where Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) is in use and/or more than one hand line is deployed.

  • The IC and the designated Safety Officer must verify that a formal Command Post and Command Board are established.

  • Upon termination of the incident, the designated Safety Officer must complete a Safety Officer Incident Report and forward it to the Safety Office, unless a Department Safety Officer was on the scene.

  • If a Department Safety Officer arrives, the IC should consider using the originally designated Safety Officer as an aide at the Command Post to continue managing personnel accountability.

System Components and Definitions

• Personnel Accountability Tag (PAT): An identification card featuring a snap ring hook, the member's name, ID number, and a photograph.

• Apparatus Collector Ring: A large ring with a unit identification tag attached.

  • Dimensions: $5\times 3$ inches.

  • Color Coding System:

  • Engines: Blue

  • Trucks: Red

  • Medics: Yellow

  • Squads/Floodlights: Green

  • Brush Units: Black

  • Division/Battalion Chief and Staff: White

  • Special Units: Burnt Orange

  • Utility Trucks: White

  • Replacements for these rings are ordered through Fire Supply.

• Officer Collector Ring: A small ring with unit identification attached.

  • Dimensions: $1-1/2\times 3$ inches.

  • Colors: Identical to the Apparatus Collector Ring system.

  • Replacements are ordered through Fire Supply.

• Accountability Control Board: A device used to record crew, unit, and personnel assignments during Level II accountability situations as directed by the IC.

• Staff Collector Ring: A large ring with an identification tag marked "STAFF," used for all staff and support personnel operating at an incident.

• Point of Entry Control Ring: A large ring with an identification tag attached.

• Makeup Unit Ring: A large ring with a blank unit identification tag, used for mutual aid companies or personnel who do not possess a PAT.

Personnel Tag Colors and Requirements

• Entry (WHITE PAT TAG): Requires NFPA Firefighter I, HazMat Operations (or HazMat Core Competency), Maryland EMS Certified (or CPR/AED), Bloodborne Pathogens training, medical clearance, and annual fit testing.

• Non-Entry (SILVER PAT TAG) - Volunteer: Requires medical clearance, HazMat Core Competency (or HazMat Operations), Maryland EMS Certified (or CPR/AED), and Bloodborne Pathogens training.

• Non-Entry (BLUE PAT TAG) - Career: Requires Maryland EMS Certifications, medical clearance, HazMat Operations, and fit testing.

• Tag Information: White, Blue, and Silver tags must contain the member’s Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial, County ID number with bar code, and a picture ID.

Implementation and Compliance

• Operational personnel are issued two (2) PATs to be kept with their Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

• PATs are considered issued items of PPE and remain the property of the Baltimore County Fire Department.

• Issuance: The Fire-Rescue Academy (FRA) issues tags after a member completes required training and receives written approval from their Company Commander. Appointments with the FRA are required.

• Volunteer Guidelines: Volunteers follow the PAT Tag Application (Exhibit A). Company Commanders can email the full packet and a photo (powder blue background, shoulders up, proper attire) to the FRA. Final approval rests with the Chief Officer of the FRA or the Safety Officer.

• Training: Temporary PATs are issued by the FRA to recruits or Firefighter I trainees. For MFRI sanctioned classes, personnel must comply with MFRI Accountability policy. All training PATs are collected at the end of the session.

• Maintenance: Regular inspection and maintenance of PATs is the responsibility of the Company Commander.

• Lost or Damaged Tags: These must be reported using a Form 58 submitted through the chain of command. Once signed by the respective Division Chief, the member takes the Form 58 to the FRA for replacements.

• Separation from Service: Personnel who resign, retire, or are terminated must surrender PATs to the Company Commander, who sends them to the Safety Office for database removal, destruction, and hardware recycling.

Utilization of Levels of Accountability

• Level I Accountability: The minimum level used during fire and rescue incidents.

  • The unit supervisor is responsible for all personnel on the apparatus and verifying tags on the Apparatus Collector Ring.

  • The unit supervisor retains the Officer Collector Ring.

  • Tactical personnel give their second PAT to the unit supervisor to be placed on the Officer Collector Ring.

  • Only those functioning as part of a company place tags on the Officer Collector Ring (e.g., a driver remaining with the unit keeps their tag).

  • Apparatus Collector Rings stay on the unit unless ordered otherwise.

  • Staff personnel reporting to Command must: report to IC, place PAT on Staff Collector Ring, and await assignment while keeping the second PAT for tactical use.

  • Medic crew leaders retain the Officer Collector Ring.

• Level II Accountability: Used for more stringent requirements (e.g., high-rise fires, confined space/trench rescues, hazmat incidents).

  • IC or Safety Officer implements "Point of Entry Control" via the Accountability Control Board.

  • Members assigned this function use the radio designation "Entry Control."

  • Entry Control Records:

  1. Name of each member.

  2. Company number.

  3. Time of entry.

  4. Assignment.

  5. Beginning air pressure on SCBA.

  • Exit Procedure: Officers report to the Entry Control Officer to retrieve tags. Members exiting at remote points must inform Entry Control immediately.

Personnel Accountability Report (PAR) Protocols

• A PAR is a physical check of personnel reported to the IC via the organizational framework.

• When to Conduct a PAR:

  • Every time an evacuation or tactical withdrawal is ordered.

  • Whenever the incident strategy changes.

  • At the discretion of the IC or Safety Officer.

• Reporting Structure: Division or group supervisors report companies under their command (e.g., "Division 3 is PAR for E-1, E-2, and TK-1").

Missing Personnel Procedures

• If a company is not PAR:

  1. The officer reports via radio: "Engine 3 to Command, I am not PAR."

  2. The IC broadcasts to all tactical talkgroups: "COMMAND TO ALL UNITS, COMMAND TO ALL UNITS, ENGINE 3’S CREW IS TO REPORT TO ANY OFFICER ON THE INCIDENT IMMEDIATELY."

  3. PAR of other companies continues while searching.

  4. Officers reporting found members: "Engine 2 to Command, I have FF Jones from Engine 3’s crew with me."

  5. Once all are found, IC broadcasts: "COMMAND TO ALL UNITS, COMMAND TO ALL UNITS, ENGINE 3 IS NOW PAR."

  6. If members remain missing, IC broadcasts: "COMMAND TO ALL UNITS, COMMAND TO ALL UNITS, ENGINE 3’S CREW (OR FF SMITH FROM ENGINE 3) HAS NOT REPORTED PAR. ANYONE KNOWING THEIR (OR HIS) LAST LOCATION CONTACT COMMAND IMMEDIATELY."

  7. Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) may be deployed based on the last known location.

  8. All PAR actions must follow Unity of Command principles.