P-410 Post Incident Analysis

Issued By: OPERATIONS SUPPORT (B. Gray)
Approved By: Doug Trussler, Chief Director
Date of Issue: 1997/09/03    
Revision Date: 1999/11/03; 2001/11/29; 2012/05/08

PURPOSE: 

This policy defines the requirement to perform a Post Incident Analysis (PIA) after structure fires and other significant emergency responses.

SCOPE:

This policy applies to career and volunteer members of Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency (HRFE). 

OBJECTIVE:

To ensure the review of actions taken during an incident by HRFE members and therefore increase the safety and security of those at the next incident. 

DEFINITIONS: 

•    “Post Incident Analysis”- a review of actions taken to mitigate an emergency whose purpose is to determine if specific changes in training, equipment, or procedures should be recommended to make future responses safer and more effective.

•    “Informal Analysis”- a quick verbal review (tail board critique) of an emergency operation, either on scene or back in the station, within “24 hours”.

•    “Formal Analysis”- a facilitated analysis of an emergency response which is held within ten days of the event. Firefighters gather in a common meeting location, and the results are written in a report.

•    “Paper Based Analysis”- an analysis of an emergency response which is conducted more than a week after the event and when firefighters do not meet in a common meeting location. In a paper based analysis, the Incident Commander (IC) and other officers who had relevant command responsibilities at the emergency, gather feedback from their crews, and forward their remarks to a Chief Officer designated to produce an overall analysis of the response. A paper based analysis is appropriate when the number of responders, the duration of the event, or other factors make it impractical to conduct a PIA meeting.

POLICY: 

Post Incident Analysis (PIA) is a required activity. The PIA shall be used to identify and promote successful emergency response practices; to identify and recommend improvements in training, equipment or procedures whenever possible.

The PIA promotes continuous improvement. All PIA activities must be conducted in a way that permits members to identify system strengths and areas for possible be conducted for discipline.

Officers are responsible to ensure that a PIA is conducted after every significant emergency response. This includes (but is not limited to) working fires beyond the incipient stage, motor vehicle collisions requiring extrication, dangerous goods team deployments, technical rescues and mass casualty incidents.

Informal Analysis

Company officers are responsible to ensure that they lead an informal analysis after responses where 15 crews did the work. The IC must ensure that officers and crews from those working companies review and discuss the incident. This can be done at the scene or at the station shortly after the call. Notes are not required, but lessons learned should be shared freely. The IC is responsible to pass any requests or recommendations that come out of the PIA up the chain of command.

Formal Analysis

Chief Officers are responsible to ensure that a formal analysis is conducted when:
•    More than 5 crews were required to mitigate the emergency;
•    The scene was complex or of a long duration;
•    There was significant safety or operational concerns expressed by members operating at the scene; or
•    The IC determines there is value in a formal analysis.

The IC shall request the services of a facilitator, arrange a meeting time and location for crews, attend the PIA session and support the PIA process.
Facilitators shall be trained for this task. The qualifications required and list of facilitators shall be determined by the Divisional Chief of Training. Facilitators may be officers from within the Training Division or Operations Division.

The facilitator shall ensure that they are familiar with the incident. If some of the responders are not able to be present at the PIA meeting, the facilitator should request information from them through a personal meeting, telephone, or in writing.

The facilitator shall facilitate the PIA meeting and prepare a written report outlining observations and recommendations made by on-scene personnel. The facilitator will give the IC an opportunity to review the draft report to check for errors or omissions. The facilitator will distribute finished copies of the report to:

•    Deputy Chief, Operations
•    Deputy Chief, Operations Support
•    Assistant Deputy Chief of Operations
•    Divisional Chief of Safety
•    Divisional Chief of Training
•    Joint Occupational Health & Safety Committee; and
•    Any other party requiring a copy of the report in order to improve operational effectiveness or safety.

Paper/Online Based Analysis

When the number of responders or other factors makes it impractical to conduct a PIA meeting, the Deputy Chief of Operations shall designate a Chief Officer to facilitate a paper or online based analysis. The facilitator shall identify the Command and Support Officers who were involved in the incident. The facilitator will send those Officers a questionnaire to be completed and returned by a specified deadline. The facilitator will prepare and distribute a written report as outlined above in “Formal Analysis”.

Distribution of Information

The Deputy Chief of Operations shall ensure that the final report arising from post incident analysis is distributed as widely and freely as possible. Distribution of the report shall be done with the following considerations:
•    The report shall not identify individuals, and
•    The report will be distributed so that as many firefighters as possible can learn from the report.

RELATED POLICIES & OPERATING GUIDELINES:

•    P-410A

POLICY REVIEW: 

This policy shall be reviewed when/if there are changes/amendments to the methods of analysis used to review incidents.