The Australasian Fire Authorities Council (AFAC, 1997), on which the New Zealand Fire Service is represented, have produced a quantitative model of fire brigade operations. The Fire Brigade Intervention Model (FBIM) is an event based methodology, used to model the activities and tasks of the Fire Brigade.
The Model defines events that are likely to occur during a building fire, from ignition through to control and extinguishment.
The Model was developed for use in fire engineering design and in a performance-based regulatory environment, so that the functional role of the Fire Brigade can be incorporated into the building design process.
It provides the framework to measure Fire Brigade tasks on a time-line basis, and to utilise the output of other sub-systems in the decision process.
FBIM includes detailed analysis of time data for Fire Brigade tasks and activities. It is adaptable to suit most brigade types, crew sizes, resource limitations etc, since decisions are incorporated within the expertise of local fire brigade input.
FBIM is structured to address the following fire brigade activities:
Time to:
- notify the brigade
- dispatch resources
- reach kerb side
- access information and
- assess and determine strategy
Time for:
- fire brigade set up (including firefighting safety)
- search and rescue tasks
- exposure protection tasks
- fire extinguishment tasks and
- environmental protection tasks