"WHADDAWEGOT?" IS THE question that responders ask when arriving at the scene of an emergency. In simple terms, size-up is the ongoing process of gathering and evaluating information from first observations as we respond and when we get there. It has been a basic tool of the fire service for generations. The initial size-up the first-arriving company performs is critical to determine priorities and formulate an incident action plan at a fire or other emergency before additional resources arrive. It is crucial for determining the strategy and tactics for mitigating the emergency. Most important, size-up helps identify factors and conditions that could jeopardize our safety. Through the years, the scope of the fire service has widened as our mission has expanded. Emergency medical services (EMS), technical rescue, and hazardous material leaks and spills are now part of our routine responses, so size-up has adapted to include more information-especially for incidents with multiple types of emergencies or hazards. In EMS, we call it patient evaluation; it helps determine the protocols and procedures needed to stabilize a patient. Evaluation and size-up by a hazmat or technical rescue team is much the same process although, because the work often is more complicated, it may take longer.
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