C.A.N. Reports
One of the primary responsibilities for the officer is the first arrival report. Although there are several acronyms the most common is a CAN (conditions, actions, needs) report. This is also known as initial size-up. It is a foregone conclusion that the initial size up and subsequent CAN report set the tenor of a given fire not only from an operations standpoint but also having an effect on the mindset of all the firefighters coming to that scene. If you’re calm and collected then everyone else will almost automatically follow that lead.
So, what does a CAN report actually sound like? What information is typically heard in a size- up? First note that initial size up is designed to be concise with as little chatter as possible while at the same time providing all the necessary information to begin fire operations. Example:
“Fire Control, Engine 31 arriving, Ranch with no smoke or fire, open detached garage w/car, possible occupancy, investigating”.
“C” – Conditions
When first arriving on scene simply describe any observations. What are the conditions of the structure? Start with the type of structure i.e. is it residential or commercial? If you can ascertain which of the five types of construction? For residential do you know the typical styles of houses in your area? Is the house a Victorian? A Cape Cod, Colonial, Raised Ranch...? Is there a garage and if so, is it attached and/or a potential exposure? How many floors are there?
Commercial buildings are similar in that you will want to establish the type of construction and how many floors but also add the type of occupancy. For example, a gas station/convenient store will have considerably fewer people than a hotel or strip mall.
Conditions also take into account a host of other possibilities such as:
Is there is any fire or smoke?
Has the structure been evacuated or is there possible occupancy – adults and/or children? Any alarms (audio or visual) going off?
Any of these items can be used during an initial arrival report. For residential structures officers may wish to add some other considerations such as:
The presence of children’s toys in the yard
Slope of the property
Presence of solar panels and/or type of roof tiles
Window alignment showing “balloon construction”
Window size (smaller window showing possible bathroom location)
For commercial structures officers may wish to keep in mind some additional information (although this may not appear in your CAN but should be part of a pre-plan):
Is there access to all sides?
Where is the standpipe/FDC?
Where are the hydrants or other water supply?
In the above example Ranch with no smoke or fire, open detached garage w/car, possible occupancy describes the conditions.
“A” Actions
Now that the conditions have been described what as the officer is going to be done to mitigate the circumstances? If there is nothing obvious such as the presence of smoke or fire then the officer should tell the dispatcher that you are investigating as in the first example. Once additional information is ascertained by conducting a 360 deg. search then an officer can update the actions part of the report.
That said what if there is something going on that is visible such as smoke/fire? In that case identify the side of the building where the condition exists and identify to fire control what you as the officer are going to be doing to alleviate the hazard.
“Fire Control, Engine 281 arriving, raised ranch with smoke and fire from a second-floor window Delta side, Stretching a 1 3/4 line with primary search”.
In this example the action is “stretching a 1 3/4 line with a primary search”. That is what you as the officer are doing to get this fire scene under control. Obviously, fire control will need constant updates. Remember, this is just the initial arrival report provided by the officer of the first piece in who will have to establish command as well. Incident command may then be transferred if the first arriving officer chooses to assist in the operations.
“N” Needs
Now that the conditions and actions have been described to the dispatcher the first arriving officer may, if the situation dictates call for additional resources. Examples would include additional engines for water supply or a truck for ventilation. If there is a chance there are victims then EMS should also be called to the scene.
If there is any doubt always err on the side of caution by requesting additional resources because those supplementary services can always be called off. We have all experienced getting to the fire house and being downgraded and while that might be frustrating always remember it is a much better circumstance to have and not need then need and not have.
“Fire Control, Engine 31-21 arriving, cape cod with smoke from first floor Alpha side. Requesting an additional engine and EMS services”.
In this example, the request for an additional engine and EMS services would be the needs that the first arriving officer/IC thinks they will need to resolve the issue to have the most positive outcome possible.
Signal calling is an integral part of CAN reports. Although CAN reports may be governed mostly by local SOPs call signals are generally universal. Here are the four most common signals:
Signal 10 – After initial investigation no FD services are required
This signal is generally used when a fire company utilizes a chief/officer goes to a scene while dispatch readies an appropriate response but is called off prior to rolling out.
Signal 15 - After initial investigation no danger – resources downgraded
This signal is used a lot for conditions such as an alarm drop when the first arriving company takes no action to resolve the issue. No additional resources are needed. Calling a signal 15 automatically puts all units back in service with no additional call to dispatch.
Signal 20 - After initial investigation not necessary to hold full 1st alarm
This signal is used when a minor issue is found but additional apparatus called as part of the first alarm box can be released back into service.
Signal 30 – All hands on a working fire.
Lastly, drills designed to develop the skill of giving a CAN report are fairly easy to design. To get the most practice in develop a power point showing fire scenes or even residential/commercial structures in your district and telling firefighters to use a radio to describe what they observe. It is important to actually use and key up a radio. This actually works best when one firefighter (Explorers and Junior firefighters too) sits in the engine and calls the CAN report and signal while the rest of the group is observing the same picture/video in a separate room recording their own report for comparison purposes.
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