PN 342 - Dynamic Risk Assessment

Question 1

PN 0342 - Dynamic Risk Assessment

What are the three main types of risk assessment relevant to incidents and operational training activities?

Answer 1

• Generic risk assessments (GRA)
• Locally produced risk assessments
• Dynamic risk assessment (DRA)

Question 2

PN 0342 - Dynamic Risk Assessment

Whether to proceed with an activity is dependant upon the likely benefits to be gained. In a highly calculated manner, operational personnel will/may what?

Answer 2

• will take some risk to save saveable lives;
• may take some risk to save saveable property;
• will not take any risk to save lives or properties that are already lost.

Question 3

PN 0342 - Dynamic Risk Assessment

Define the safe person concept

Answer 3

“The right person, doing the right job, with the right equipment, at the right time”

Question 4

PN 0342 - Dynamic Risk Assessment

The safe person concept:

All operational personnel must be able to…

(5)

Answer 4

• identify hazards;
• evaluate risks;
• select SSoW;
• implement action to eliminate or control risk; and
• evaluate how effective that action is.

Question 5

PN 0342 - Dynamic Risk Assessment

The process of DRA is completed by undertaking which five sequential steps?

Answer 5

(a) Evaluation of the situation, task and persons at risk;
(b) Select SSoW;
(c) Assess the chosen systems of work;
(d) Introduce additional control measures; and
(e) Reassess systems of work (SSoW) and additional control measures.

Question 6

PN 0342 - Dynamic Risk Assessment

When creating a tactical plan or strategy ICs must consider which 7 things?

Answer 6

• whether there is a need to take any action at all considering the benefit to be gained;
• the speed and weight of attack;
• the hazards and risks that can be reasonably foreseen and assessed;
• the skills of the personnel and the equipment available to them;
• the capabilities and limitations of personnel and equipment;
• whether all of the above fits a planned scenario or could be reasonably adapted to the circumstances; and
• Implementing and maintaining a safe system of work (SSoW).

Question 7

PN 0342 - Dynamic Risk Assessment

Situations where the use of operational discretion may be appropriate include…

Answer 7

(a) rescue a saveable life in the circumstances where implementation of the full policy would lead to an unjustifiable delay, resulting in the potential for greater injury or lives being lost;
(b) tackle a known small fire through a pre-emptive strike, where the adherence to policy would lead to delay and thereby create higher levels of risk for firefighters to extinguish a fully developed fire; and
(c) where no action by the Authority may cause the public to place themselves at risk and therefore escalate the incident (e.g., child in a lake).

　

Question 8

PN 0342 - Dynamic Risk Assessment

Give an example of a priority message that must be sent where operational discretion is exercised.

Answer 8

Where operational discretion is exercised a priority message describing the situation and actions being taken must be sent.

Example priority message: “From ….. at …… operational discretion in use, one firefighter entered canal to rescue child, TMO”.

Question 9

PN 0342 - Dynamic Risk Assessment

Who will be informed when an ops discretion message is sent?

Answer 9

This will inform monitoring officers the Operational Review Team (ORT) and other resources attending or monitoring, enabling them to offer additional support and guidance and start the evaluation process. A Senior Accident Investigator (SAI) will also be informed

Question 10

PN 0342 - Dynamic Risk Assessment

What are the 2 possible outcomes following implementation of Operational Discretion?

Answer 10

• The actions were justifiable and reasonable as the situation was unforeseeable and extant policy/SOP was not in place to achieve the desired outcome; or,
• The actions were unjustifiable as the situation was foreseeable and extant policy/SOP would have provided a SSoW to achieve the desired outcome.

Question 11

PN 0342 - Dynamic Risk Assessment

Topics to be discussed during post incident reviews (PRO, PRC)should include:

(9)

Answer 11

• the accuracy of the risk assessment;
• the effectiveness of operational policies and equipment;
• the success of the strategies or tactics applied;
• the appropriateness of the strategies and tactics employed;
• the level of knowledge and skills demonstrated by teams and individuals;
• the effectiveness of SSoW;
• the reasons why a modified system of work was successful;
• identification of unforeseen hazards or risks; and
• application of operational discretion - reasons for deviating from planned system of work.