Scottys

Question 1

According to the Recommended Practice, Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) operation is based on three functions which conform to the internationally accepted algorithm of basic life support using AEDs. List these functions.

Answer 1

• monitoring the patient’s ECG
• prompting operators to deliver a shock
• prompting operators to carry out basic life support, including CPR.

Question 2

According to Operations Bulletin 2012/03, list the properties of Natural gas.

Answer 2

Natural gas is:
• a fossil fuel which contains 95% methane (CH4)
• naturally odourless but has an organic sulphur compound added to make it more readily detectable
• non-toxic but it is an asphyxiant (excludes air)
• highly flammable and has explosive limits of 5 – 15% in air
• lighter than air and disperses rapidly.

Question 3

According to the SOGs - When providing fire protection for helicopter hot refuelling there are many factors for the FRNSW Commander to consider. List these factors.

Answer 3

The FRNSW Commander should consider the:
• number and size of helicopters using the landing site
• expected number of landings and take-offs
• amount and type of fuel stored on site, and
• availability of reticulated water for firefighting.
If required, the FRNSW Commander should request the attendance of
additional appliances, foam trailers or bulk water supplies.

Question 4

According to the SOG - When providing fire protection for helicopter hot refuelling, list the
information the airbase manager must provide in regard to safety.

Answer 4

The Airbase Manager must provide:
• a briefing on the operational and safety arrangements at the site
• a copy of the airfield emergency plan
• Safety Data Sheets for fuels and hazardous materials on site
• an effective means of radio communication between the FRNSW
Commander and the Airbase Manager

Question 5

Section 27 of the Crown Employees (Fire and Rescue NSW Permanent Firefighting Staff) Award 2023 states the Notice of Transfer that is required to be given by the Commissioner when an employee is to be transferred to a new location and/or a different platoon. List and detail the three provisions for these as stated in this section.

Answer 5

-Seven (7) days notice when the transfer is within the same fire district or within the GSA and on the same platoon,
-Fourteen (14) days notice when the transfer is within the same fire district or within the GSA but to a different platoon,
-Twenty eight (28) days notice when the transfer is outside the GSA or the employee’s current fire district, and such notice shall be confirmed in writing.

Question 6

According to Recommended Practice- List the general safety points that must be observed at all times when using the Attack and Lay Pack.

Answer 6

-Keep all persons not directly involved away from the hose lines. This includes other emergency personnel, bystanders and residents.
-Objects which could cause injury (e.g. forcible entry tools) should be removed from the working area.
-When laying hose, ensure it does not create a trip hazard and that the exit path remains clear.

Question 7

According to Definitions on the Intranet - Describe Backdraught.

Answer 7

During the smouldering phase of a fire, in a confined space, fire gases may be at or above their ignition temperature, but will not have burned because of oxygen deficiency. Suddenly admitting air, by opening doors or breaking windows, may cause these gases to burn rapidly. The sudden release of energy as the gases are ignited causes an immediate and violent pressure rise. If there are insufficient openings to vent the pressure, an explosion will occur. This type of explosion is called a backdraught.

Question 8

According to SOGs, - list your role and tasks if you are the first arriving Station Officer into Staging.

Answer 8

Staging Officer role
Keep track of resources in Staging.
As requested by the IC, release resources to be deployed into the incident.
Advise the IC when spare resources in Staging are low, or fall below the number specified by the IC.
Maintain awareness of the incident communications plan and incident action plan.

Question 9

According to SOGs, - describe the order model of communication and when it must be used.

Answer 9

The receiver of a message repeats a sender’s message and the sender confirms that the receiver has understood the message. Must be used for all incident communications.

Question 10

According to the Recommended Practice for the Multi-head gas detector – Altair 5X, Altair 5X IR and Altair 5X PID, describe the term Time Weighted Average (TWA).

Answer 10

The TWA is the concentration of gas a worker can be continuously exposed to for an eight hour working day, repeated over five days for a forty hour working week.

Question 11

Section 26 of the Fire and Rescue NSW Regulation 2023 deals with performance of functions. State the provisions of this section.

Answer 11

(1) A firefighter must attend a drill if directed to do so by the Commissioner or the officer in charge of the firefighter.
(2) A firefighter must perform all firefighting and other functions the firefighter is lawfully directed to perform.
(3) A firefighter must serve wherever the firefighter is directed by the Commissioner.

Question 12

According to the GSD for Incident Safety, – it is usually reasonable only to document high consequence risks, however as time and resources increase into a protracted incident what is reasonable to document will change. List and describe the two ways that risks can be documented.

Answer 12

• Radio: In the initial stages of an incident, critical hazards and control measures are included in strategic CAN reports to FireCOM. This ensures that they are heard by other people not yet at the incident, can be logged by the operator, and are recorded on tape.
• Written: A written risk assessment should be used when:
− You can no longer account for all hazards and controls in your head
− You are at a protracted incident and the documentation will assist with reviewing controls and transferring roles
− You have a dedicated Safety Officer to assist.

Question 13

According to the GSD for Incident Safety, - Define what incident safety refers to.

Answer 13

Incident safety refers to the management of the health and safety of firefighters at incidents, and, where relevant, at operational training that uses incident safety processes.

Question 14

When shall an employee be entitled to accommodation whist attending training courses in the GSA as listed under section 48.2.2 of the Crown Employees (Fire and Rescue NSW Permanent Firefighting Staff) Award 2023.

Answer 14

Where an employee attends a course within the Greater Sydney Area (GSA), and if the travelling time to and from the training venue exceeds two (2) hours each way (by the approved mode of transport) or if the return distance from the employee’s residence to the training venue exceeds 175 kilometres, the employee shall be entitled to appropriate accommodation.

Question 15

According to the GSD for Incident Management, list the fundamental principles of the incident management system.

Answer 15

The fundamental principles of the incident management system are:
• Accounting for everyone.
The incident management system focuses heavily on accounting for everyone (called accountability) for the sole purpose of ensuring that everyone is safe. It is about knowing where everyone is, at all times.
• Strong command presence.
The incident management system stresses the importance of having a strong and single command presence from start to finish of an incident, with good situational awareness. It encourages fewer transfers of command, and incident management only ending when the last resource leaves the incident.
• Critical factors determining the objectives and an incident action plan.
The incident management system focuses on identifying a set of critical factors in order to determine an incident action plan, then continuous collection and analysis of information feeding into and changing the plan as required.
• Incident phase and risk management.
The incident management system stresses the importance of incident phase (ie life at risk, expanding, or contained) when assessing how much risk will be accepted, and what the incident action plan will be. It specifies that there needs to be an incident action plan before work starts, and that risk assessment must be continual throughout the incident.
• Simplified communications.
The incident management system stresses that communications must follow the incident structure, with communication only occurring up or down one level. Radio messages are repeated to ensure accuracy of messages received, and take the CAN (conditions, actions, needs) format.
• Incident structure to meet the incident needs.
The incident management system stresses that there needs to be a clear and communicated incident structure which describes, for each resource,their chain of command, lines of communication, and who is responsible for them. It emphasises that everyone must operate within the structure – if they are outside of it, they are unaccounted for and are freelancing.
The incident management system also requires compulsory review and revision, to make sure the incident action plan is on track and operating as it should.

Question 16

According to SOGs- list the 6 components of a AS2419.1 hydrant booster.

Answer 16

• supply hydrants
• main wheel valve
• non return valve
• booster inlets (one for each supply hydrant)
• pressure gauge showing pressure on the boosted side of the connection
• block plan—which shows:
* a diagram of the site
* street mains or static supplies (tanks/reservoirs)
* installed fire pumps
* location of hydrants, booster connections and isolation valves
* any connections to other installed fire protection systems

Question 17

According to the Recommend Practice for breathing apparatus– what is the meaning of working duration.

Question 18

A mobile data terminal (MDT) is installed in every fire appliance. It provides immediate fingertip access to incident information and a range of additional intelligence to help firefighters deal with the incidents they attend every day. List the information the MDT enables firefighters to indicate, view and access as documented in the Toolkit.

Answer 18

The MDT enables firefighters to:
• Indicate their code status.
• View resources and incident details at an incident including address of incident, talkgroup being used, and type of incident.
• View information sent from ESCAD including narrative logs.
• Access mapping data including the location of hydrants, utilities, hazards, and drains.
• Access pre-incident plans for the location.
• Access guidance including Standard Operational Guidelines, Safety and Operations Bulletins, and other incident relevant documents.
• Access weather information.
• Access hazardous materials information.

Question 19

According to the SMIT on salvage and overhaul, describe the purpose of salvage.

Answer 19

The purpose of salvage is to reduce damage from fire, smoke, water, heat, cold or weather during & after a fire. While extinguishing structure fires some additional damage will occur: Effective & timely salvage ensures this is kept to a minimum.

Question 20

According to SOGs, list the four principles to consider when responded to incident involving a gaseous fire suppression system.

Answer 20

• FRNSW may be responded to these incidents as an Automatic Fire Alarm, or to a reported fire.
• Unless there is life at risk, firefighters must wait outside the compartment for the hold time, while the system fully discharges and extinguishes the fire.
• Breathing apparatus must be worn when inside the compartment until the atmosphere is confirmed safe.
• Any activation of the system must be investigated

Question 21

According to the GSD for Incident Management - Australasian Inter-service Incident Management System (AIIMS) has 5 key principles. List and describe the concepts that underpin these principles.

Answer 21

• Flexibility – being able to be applied across all types of incidents.
• Management by objectives – having a set of objectives and a plan for managing those objectives to resolve the incident.
• Functional management – having eight functional areas, or activities, which are core responsibilities of the Incident Commander: Control, Operations, Planning, Intelligence, Public Information, Investigation, Logistics, and Finance. With the exception of Control, the Incident Commander can delegate these functions as required by the needs of the incident.
• Unity of command – having only one recognised Incident Commander, with each individual reporting to one supervisor.
• Span of control – having an individual ideally supervise no more that 5 people (a 1:5 ratio), with variation of 1:3 to 1:7, depending upon the activity, geography, or nature of the incident.

Question 22

According to the SMIT on Psychological Preparedness – list the actions that should be taken following a Potentially Traumatic Event.

Answer 22

• Acknowledge as a team that the incident you just attended has the potentially to be traumatic.
• Acknowledge that there is no right or wrong way to respond after attending a potentially traumatic event.
• Should you or a crew member need to talk; ensure lines of communication are open, talk to colleagues, family, friends or internal supports, ensuing you maintain your boundaries if you are not ready or comfortable.
• Familiarise yourself with available support services should you or someone in your team need them.

Question 23

According to the GSD for Electricity- GSD, list the factors that affect voltage gradient at wires down.

Answer 23

The voltage gradient varies depending on:
• Composition of the ground – eg concrete, road surface, soil
• Moisture content
• Voltage of the electrical source

Question 24

You respond to an automatic fire alarm at an office building. On arrival you find the gaseous fire
suppression system has activated in a data storage unit. You ask employees on site if everyone
has evacuated but they cannot be sure. You have to enter immediately to complete a search.
According to SOGs list the actions you would you take.

Answer 24

-Wear BA and carry charged line of hose or extinguisher.
-Manage door control and entry to prevent influx of air.
-Consider carrying extension face mask.
-Be aware of electrical hazards from energised equipment.
-Remove affected person to a safe atmosphere. Treat with oxygen. Notify Ambulance.

Question 25

Standing Orders includes the topic ‘Reporting Absence from duty’. List the procedures the Station Officer is to follow if a firefighter is absent without notification.

Answer 25

If a member of your staff is absent, and they have not notified you of their absence, try to contact them by telephone to find out why they are absent. If you cannot contact them, record them as being absent without leave and notify your Duty Commander or Manager. If you have concerns for their welfare, contact your Zone Commander, Human Resources Manager or the Manager Operational Personnel.
When a staff member returns to duty after being absent without leave, contact them personally and check whether there are any underlying problems with which Fire and Rescue NSW could assist, eg through the Employee Assistance Program, Chaplains, etc, noting that you must not request any specific information related to the nature of a firefighter’s illness or medical history.
Request a written explanation of their absence and discuss their options in relation to taking leave to cover their absence. If they cannot show reasonable cause for their absence, they must take leave without pay. Also remind them that sick leave or personal/carer’s leave must be supported by the required documentation.
Ensure that SAM is adjusted accordingly and your Duty Commander or Manager is notified of the outcome. Forward the documentation through your chain of command to the Manager Operational Personnel.

Question 26

According to SOGs – list the procedures you should follow when attending an incident involving underground electrical vault.

Answer 26

• Contact FireCOM to notify the electricity company and to respond the CO2 Tender. Consider notifying other affected services.
• Do not enter the vault – wait for the electricity company representative to arrive.
• Do not approach or park vehicles over entry covers (open or closed) due to the risk of explosion.
• Establish a Hot Zone of at least 8 metres radius surrounding the vault.
• Prepare the necessary equipment. Consider requesting hazmat or other specialists. Consult any pre-incident plans.
• Protect all exposures. Treat all underground vaults, tunnels, pits and vaults as confined spaces.
• Liaise with the electricity company representative on safety and technical issues. Follow all safe work instructions given by the electricity company representative.
• Do not operate any switches without consultation with the electricity company representative.
• Use gas detectors and thermal imaging cameras as appropriate.

Question 27

According to SMIT on MVA terminology – list and describe the 4 recognised types of entrapment.

Answer 27

-Trapped by Compression: the occupant is physically pinned by deformity in the structure of the vehicle.
-Trapped by Confinement: the occupant is only trapped in the interior of the vehicle (i.e. a door is jammed).
-Trapped by Injuries: the occupant is unable to exit the vehicle due the injuries sustained (or are believed to have sustained – spinal injuries etc).
-Trapped by Impalement: the occupant is physically impaled by a foreign object which prevents them from exiting the vehicle.

Question 28

Safety Bulletin 2024-01 identifies actions firefighters must take operationally should they identify fire doors with fire activated bolts. List what firefighters must do.

Answer 28

Firefighters must:
-Inform the IC immediately if fire door bolts are identified.
-Ensure fire attack and search and rescue crews enter with charged lines of hose.
-Identify alternative egress routes should a fire door bolt operate. If trapped by the activation of a fire bolt fire door with no alternative exit, send a Mayday message.

Question 29

Section 29 of the Fire and Rescue NSW Regulation 2023 deals with the occurrence book. State the provisions of this clause.

Answer 29

The officer in charge of a fire station must ensure details of the following are recorded in a document (anoccurrence book) kept at the fire station—
(a)all events of significance relating to the operation of the fire station,
(b)all other matters required by this regulation or the Commissioner’s directions to be recorded in the occurrence book.

Question 30

Safety Bulletin 2010-04 identifies precautions appliance drivers should take before responding from fire stations. List these precautions

Answer 30

-Activate the emergency warning lights to indicate that the appliance is about to respond.
-Check that everyone has their seat belt fastened.
-Check your mirrors and ensure that the surrounding area is clear of people.
-Only proceed when safe to do so.

Question 31

Clause 10 of the Fire and Rescue NSW Regulation (2023) deals with Examinations and Assessments. State this provision.

Answer 31

The Commissioner may set or nominate an examination or assessment the Commissioner considers appropriate as a requirement for a firefighter’s promotion, transfer or appointment to a position.

Question 32

List the exemptions that retained firefighters have when responding in private vehicles to emergency incidents as detailed in the Standing Orders.

Answer 32

A retained firefighter who has received a call and is responding to the station or to an incident in a privately owned vehicle has no exemption from the Australian Road Rules and must observe the road rules applicable to all drivers.
The intent of the definition of emergency worker and emergency vehicle does not support the practice of response in privately owned vehicles. Therefore, retained firefighters driving their private vehicles have no exemption from the rules that apply to all other road users

Question 33

The Fire and Rescue Act 1989 and the Australian Road Rules grant exemptions, in certain circumstances, to the drivers of Fire and Rescue NSW vehicles from complying with the Australian Road Rules. State the situations as listed in Standing Orders when FRNSW vehicles are permitted to travel in a bus, tram, transit or truck lane.

Answer 33

-when responding to a call of fire, hazardous materials incident or other emergency
-when returning to station after proceeding to the scene of a fire call, hazardous materials incident or other emergency.
At all other times, drivers of Fire and Rescue NSW vehicles must comply with the Australian Road Rules.

Question 34

According to the FRNSW fatigue management procedure permanent firefighters, what is the definition of fatigue?

Answer 34

An acute or ongoing state of tiredness that leads to mental or physical exhaustion. In most cases, fatigue results from a lack of restorative rest or sleep.

Question 35

According to the GSD for Incident Management- every person at the incident must behave in a manner that ensures that they can be accounted for. List the behaviours of officers not in command that destroy accountability.

Answer 35

Some specific behaviours that destroy accountability are: With officers not in command-
-Tasking firefighters to undertake unauthorised activities – ie activities outside of the incident action plan.
-Changing the incident structure – ie deploying firefighters, or poaching or adopting crews.
-If of a higher rank than the IC, arriving and working outside the incident structure but not assuming formal command.

Question 36

According to SOGs, list the benefits of effective management at incidents?

Answer 36

-Provides a safe working environment for those at the incident.
-Effectively and efficiently controls the incident.
-Minimises the impact on life, property and the environment.

Question 37

According to the eAIRS Data Management Policy, describe the roles and responsibilities of the reporting officer?

Answer 37

The Reporting Officer is responsible for the accurate recording of the attendance of the first arriving crew, as well as actions taken, equipment used and observations. The task of completing the eAIRS report may be delegated to another member of the crew who attended the incident however the officer in charge of the first arriving appliance remains accountable for the incident report.

Question 38

According to the heat stress minimisation fact sheet-exertional heat illness (EHI) occurs in otherwise fit and healthy individuals during vigorous activity while wearing PPC which inhibits the body’s ability to cool effectively. List and describe the three factors that increase the risk of EHI in firefighters found in the fact sheet.

Answer 38

1. Vigorous work demands – the build-up of significant metabolic heat whilst working.
2. Wearing of PPC – inhibits the body’s ability to cool effectively.
3. Extreme environmental heat – including high atmospheric temperatures and high radiant heat.

Question 39

According to the Clean firefighter policy describe the aim of onsite decontamination.

Answer 39

The aim of decontamination is to ensure zero exposure for firefighters, with all contaminates removed and left at the incident, where possible. All PPE, including boots, require cleaning before leaving the incident.

Question 40

According to the Clean firefighter policy state the definition of exposure.

Answer 40

Exposure: occurs when a harmful substance enters the body through a route (i.e. inhalation, ingestion, or dermal/ocular absorption). Exposure to a hazardous substance may create a risk of harm or illness.

Question 41

According to definitions on the Intranet- describe flashover.

Answer 41

Flashover is a stage in the development of a fire in a room or compartment when the heat from the fire raises the temperature of all the room’s contents to their ignition point simultaneously.The room becomes totally engulfed in flames

Question 42

The Quarantine and malfunction of equipment and personal protective clothing procedure outlines the procedures to be taken if equipment or personal protective clothing fails at an incident or drill, and it is not a safety incident. List these procedures.

Answer 42

If equipment or personal protective clothing fails at an incident or drill, and it is not a safety incident:
-complete a NIIENMS form
-notify the Manager Equipment Management Unit
-quarantine the equipment or personal protective clothing.
The Manager Equipment Management Unit will investigate the incident in consultation with the Health and Safety Branch and the equipment manager