Michael Petroff
Regional Advocate

Checklists provide a systematic approach to actions necessary to complete a task. The fire service has long used checklists for daily equipment readiness and service. The use of command checklists has broadened with the Incident Management System and Field Operations Guidebook. An excerpt from the 2007 Firescope Field Operations Guide is as follows:

The following is a checklist applicable to all ICS personnel:

1. Receive assignment from your agency, including:
   1. Job assignment, e.g., Strike Team designation, overhead position, etc.
   2. Resource order number and request number
   3. Reporting location
   4. Reporting time
   5. Travel instructions
   6. Any special communications instructions, e.g., travel frequency

The need for incident documentation lends itself to the use of checklists to record action taken. Some fire officers voice the opinion that checklists diminish the intelligence level of the officer and that training and experience outweigh the need for checklists. However, normal and abnormal situations call for the use of checklists to ensure consistency and to assist less experienced personnel.

The safety and loss control efforts of the fire service are similar to those of service, transportation and manufacturing occupations. Studies of accidents or near misses show similar "acts of omission" across all occupations. Situational awareness and lack of training/experience lead the list of contributing factors. Checklists could be considered a risk management tool. Three recent events brought these issues to my attention. Two of the events were aircraft incidents, one successfully concluded, and one fatal.

Pilot experience, training and situational awareness were cited as potential causes of the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407, February 2009, in Buffalo, New York. The pilot and copilot were heard on cockpit voice recorders sharing their fear of flying in icy conditions and remarked on how much ice was on the wings. Fifty lives were lost at this incident. During the investigation, the instructions contained in the aircraft flight manual and checklists will be reviewed thoroughly.

The "Miracle on the Hudson" involving U.S. Airways Flight 1549, January 2009, resulted in no loss of life. The training and experience of Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger were a significant factor that resulted in the successful landing of the plane on water. During a television interview, Captain Sullenberger stated that after hitting the water, he and the copilot expressed their surprise that the landing was not as violent as expected and immediately went to the evacuation checklist. In an interview with Air & Space Magazine, Captain Sullenberger commented on the use of other checklists throughout the emergency including the "loss of thrust" and "ditching" checklists.

Captain Sullenberger said, "Not only did we not have time to go through a ditching checklist, we didn't have time to even finish the checklist for loss of thrust in both engines. That was a three-page checklist, and we didn't even have time to finish the first page. That's how time-compressed this was."

Despite the lack of time to complete the checklists, Captain Sullenberger and his crew followed those checklists until the passengers had been evacuated.

1. THROTTLE OFF
2. FIRE LIGHT: DEPRESS
3. FIRE EXTINGUISHER READY LIGHT: DEPRESS

These are the first steps of the "Immediate Action Procedures" that are part of an emergency situation checklist for aircraft similar to the Airbus 320 flown by Captain Sullenberger. The steps are listed in BOLD on the checklist and are Immediate Action Procedures. These items must be performed immediately to prevent a problem from becoming a catastrophe. In an article by Matt "Boom" Daniel, in Industry News, Daniel spoke of crew selection, training, and discipline as factors needed for safety in times of critical failure. In aviation, the steps called for in an emergency checklist are far too important to be left to memory. Only "Immediate Action Procedures", usually only three to four steps are "memory items". The following important steps require the use of checklists.

Near the end of the run of the television show "ER," Dr. John Carter was about to undergo kidney transplant surgery. The overanxious, almost arrogant surgeon in charge was about to proceed when Dr. Peter Benton stepped in and insisted on the use of a pre-surgery checklist. The use of the checklist revealed a critical "omission" that was discovered before surgery. That omission would have had fatal results.

David Dodson lists the benefits of fire service checklists in Fire Department Incident Safety Officer, 2nd edition Cengage Delmar.

1. A reminder of things that need to be done
2. Keep you on track in a "distracting" environment
3. Lend themselves to uniformity when transfer of "command"
4. Archiving (documentation) simplified
5. Format easy to use and easy to modify when needed.

Dodson also lists limitations of checklists including:

1. Over simplification
2. Failure to revisit items once "checked"
3. Limitations of checklists specific to incidents (a separate checklist for hazmat or confined space
4. Checklists imply an order or importance, when completion of the tasks may need to be prioritized.

Checklists are useful and can be valuable for individuals assigned to unfamiliar positions or situations. Checklists provide a discipline to the task being performed for a seasoned officer. No matter the familiarity of the situation, checklists should serve as a reminder of the importance of the task and lead to a safe outcome.