Structure Fire Guidelines
8/29/02
Pre Arrival
1. All Trucks Roll: Remember to go en route, status and arrival on Red 1.
2. Parking:
Personal Vehicles and Tenders: park AWAY from structure, even if first arrival.
Leave keys in PV, either in ignition or on driver’s floor. (Leave keys in FD truck 
ign. at all times).  Get database information from Base
Structure information (construction, propane tank, roof material); # of kids, 
elderly or compromised residents; location of nearest private and community 
cisterns;  bridge carrying capacity if appropriate any other
First-in Engine Priorities: Sizeup, life threat, initial attack
1. Position vehicle for easy exit. Avoid power lines if possible (ladder hazard).
2. Arrival report: On Red 1, go arrival, number of storeys, flames/smoke visible? 
Investigating.

3. SIZEUP: Full 360 of building, pay attention to scene safety.
3.1. Life threat ? Building occupied? How many? Where? Don’t enter without 
SCBA, RIT (see below). Just sizeup first.
3.2. Decide Strategy: Is building salvageable? Are exposures the real threat? Will 
a fire extinguisher do the job?
3.3. Water Supply: Decide portapond location, recommendation for next engine(s) 
placement.  Will you need to move water using more than one engine?  What 
kind of lift or hose length requirements are there?  How much water is available 
immediately (what is carrying capacity of each engine/tender present and 
homeowner’s cistern) and what water is available soon from nearby creek, pond 
or cistern. Don’t agonize; any plan is better than none.
3.4. Consider Mutual aid: SPECIFY the resources requested. See Mutual Aid Map.
Tenders from Boulder Rural, Cherryvale (fast response), Left Hand (Salina, upper 
4M), Sugarloaf (upper Boulder Canyon, Logan Mill).
Engines from Boulder Rural, Cherryvale (fast response), Left Hand (Salina, upper 
4M), Sugarloaf (upper Boulder Canyon, Logan Mill). Also available: Gold Hill, 
City of Boulder (Type I only).
Hand crew and/or Brush trucks from City Open Space/Mountain Parks 
Lookouts from appropriate neighboring districts: Sugarloaf, Gold Hill, Sunshine, 
Boulder Rural, City of Boulder.
Air Cascade: BES and/or Sugarloaf.
Staging: BES.
3.5. Report on Red 1: 
3.5.1. Establish Command.
3.5.2. Describe life threat and scope of fire.
3.5.3. Important! Staging location, announce on Red 1 and Red 3.
3.5.4. Request mutual aid.
4. If Brush 1 is first in, consider access for engines as primary pumper. OK to block in 
smaller engine.
5. If responding to sprinklered structure, supply Fire Dept Connection prior to pulling 
handline.
Second-in Engine
1. Ventilation, ventilation, ventilation.
2. Water supply: portapond and drafting setup
3. Disconnect Utilities: Shut off propane tank. Shut off power; specific breakers/fuses if 
possible. Be cautious if meter is spinning fast; trip small breakers before main switch.
Water Supply
1. If nearest/best supply is limited, i.e. cistern, set up secondary water supply at 
unlimited source: creek, Poorman pond, city hydrant (call Betasso via Dispatch for 
pressure).
2. Supply site needs high volume pump: good use for mutual aid engine. 
3. Consider Tender Routing person(s) and radio frequency (Fern for compatibility?)
Fire Entry:  No Person, No Thing is Worth Your Life
1. No fire entry to fully charged/involved structure.
2. SCBA required for confirmed fire entry.
3. Do not attempt entry until Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) is in place.
4. Hose or rope trail required for entry.
5. Minimum entry team of 3 for hose, 2 for SAR only.
6. Flashlight, radio, entry tools required for each team.
7. RIT: minimum 2 in SCBA, with radio, flashlight, tools.
8. Verify personnel accounting for entry.
Command Considerations
1. Traffic control: lookyloos, staging shuttle, tender shuttle. Ask for SO support for 
roadblock?
2. Call for Victim Advocate.
3. Designate Fireground Safety Officer.
4. IC structure: Ops officer, sectors (exposures, water supply)
5. Verify that personnel accounting is happening at Staging.
6. Set lookouts for spot fires (mutual aid?).
7. Confirm Public Service is en route.
8. Designate Public Information Officer and/or Neighborhood Safety firefighter: 
Communicate whether to evacuate, how to help (Bathrooms available? Coffee?), 
where to watch from (or better, go home and watch for spot fires). Hold on to 
involved homeowners. Request SO assistance, PIO? Media liaison: location and 
access.
9. Rehab: rest, food, water.
10. Reconsider hazards, plan, resources.