Review of Emergency Responder Standard Operating Procedures/Guidelines (SOP/SOG)

Fire Protection Research Foundation report: “Review of Emergency Responder Standard Operating Procedures /Guidelines (SOP/SOG)"
Authors: Lana Benny
Date of issue: March 2019

Report

Review of Emergency Responder Standard Operating Procedures /Guidelines (SOP/SOG)

The purpose of this Research Foundation project was to collect and analyze SOPs/SOGs from North American fire departments to determine similarities, difference, and trends that will help guide the development of a model SOP/SOG template for NFPA 1700, Guide for Structural Fire Fighting.

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The fire service operates as a para-military organization dependent on clear and predetermined instructions. This allows individuals to know what they are supposed to do as well as expect what others will do. Standard Operating Procedures and Guidelines (SOPs/SOGs) documents provide information on department rules for completing a job, using the knowledge and skills to perform specific operations. A model template for developing these documents will be important when considering techniques and methods used in firefighting based on accepted scientific principals and research in the field of fire dynamics.