Bremerton is an independent city within the boundaries of Kitsap County on the western fringes
of the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area. The city was settled in 1891 after establishment of the Puget
Sound Naval Shipyard. Industry in the area centers around ship repair and the maintenance and
associated support functions for naval operations. Several military installations in the area also support
employment for the population. The population of Bremerton is approximately 40,000.
The city government operates with an elected mayor and city council. The fire chief reports
directly to the mayor. Kitsap County borders the city and provides various support functions, including
disaster assistance and logistics from the Department of Emergency Management. The authority having
environmental jurisdiction is the Puget Sound Air Pollution and Control Agency (PSAPCA).
The Bremerton Fire Department (BFD) provides fire and emergency services through a 52
member department under the direction of a fire chief. The department is organized into the separate
functions of Prevention & Investigations, Training, and Medical, each with a captain as officer-in-charge.
The operations group is organized with a captain serving a shift command on each of the three shifts. All
of the functions report directly to an assistant chief, who reports to the fire chief.
The suppression forces are deployed from three stations, each with an engine and two with a
medic unit. An aerial ladder is normally located at Fire Station 1, but was out of service at the time of the
Kona Village fire. Assigned staffing consists of two people each on medic units and the engines. The
engine officer is a lieutenant, with Station 1 having a third member assigned to the engine and the engine
officer acting as shift commander at the captain rank.
Operations were governed by a set of standard operating procedures. Of particular importance is
SOP #2-22, Incident Command Procedures. These procedures are based on nationally recognized
practices and have served the BFD well. The command protocol is clearly delineated; the first arriving
officer has command until relieved by a more senior officer. Typical operations have the first-arriving
officer retaining command until the incident is controlled or the first-arriving officer is relieved by the
next-in officer. Generally the shift commander from Fire Station 1 would relieve the first-in officer if
appropriate. A staff duty officer (chief or assistant chief) is notified by radio page and has the option of
responding and assuming command. (On the Kona Village incident, the fire chief was notified and was
on the scene within five minutes of the initial report of the first engine.)
Attack procedures call for the first engine to report directly to the fire location and initiate one of
three command options:
1. Nothing Showing Mode; investigate further
2. Fast Attack Mode
A. Need for offensive fire attack
B. Need for life safety (i.e., critical rescue must be achieved in a compressed
time)
C. An incident where the safety and welfare of firefighters is a major concern
D. Obvious working incidents that require further investigation by the company officer
3. Command Mode
Applied in situations that require strong command by virtue of the size of the fire, the complexity
or potential of the occupancy, or the possibility of extension. Such situations require strong,
direct overall command from the outset. In these cases, the company officer will initially assume
a command position and maintain that position until relieved by a command officer.
Typical operations in the BFD call for the first engine to proceed directly to the fire area without
laying a supply line, and to attack the fire from the booster tank while the next available engine
establishes water supply. Additional attack and back-up personnel are deployed as they become
available. The first engine establishes and maintains command until relieved by a senior officer.
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