S- Size up the scene. Just like every incident, the first step is to size up the scene. Do a “360”, walk all the way around the building, looking at the building layout, type of construction, location of windows and doors, fire conditions and victims. Make sure everyone on your team knows what you found during “Size-Up.”

L- Locate the fire. This one doesn’t require much explanation. Determine, as best you can, where the fire is located within the building and make sure to communicate this to everyone on your team.

I- Isolate and control the flow paths. This one is new to many of us. A flow path is the path that moving air takes during the fire. There must be an inlet flow path and an exhaust flow path. The inlet flow path is where the fire is getting the oxygen required to continue to grow. It is where oxygen and air are getting into the building. The exhaust flow path is where the by-products of combustion are exiting the building. This is where the smoke and other gases are “venting” or leaving the building. One of the things that we have learned with these new studies is that we want to try to keep the fire “ventilation limited,” we want to prevent the fire from getting oxygen. This means that if we can control the flow paths, if we can prevent or close an inlet flow path, we can control the fire. Fire needs heat, fuel and oxygen to burn, so if we can limit the oxygen by controlling the flow paths, we can also limit the growth of the fire. Fire also moves along a flow path. If you open an exhaust flow path (a door or window) away from the fire, the fire will burn towards that exhaust flow path. Controlling the openings of the building will control where the fire moves. In the past, we would “ventilate as we go.” This means that we would open as many doors and windows as we could to let the heat and smoke out of the building. What these studies have shown us is that will make fire conditions worse, causing the fire to grow and spread through the building and making conditions worse for both firefighters and victims inside.

C- Cool the fire from a safe location. This may mean applying water from the exterior of the building or it may mean taking the hosepipe in the front door. If there is visible fire from the exterior, we are going to put water on it. Our goal here is to reset the fire to a pre-flashover condition or cool the fire enough to prevent a flashover. Rapid application of water to the fire will make conditions inside the building better for us to operate and improve conditions for anyone inside the building as well. In the past it was thought that this would endanger anyone inside by exposing them to steam burns, but research has shown that rapid application of water is better for any victims still inside. If water cannot be applied from outside because the fire has not yet burnt through to the outside, an attempt to extinguish the fire from inside should be made. If you cannot enter the building due to heavy smoke and a lack of breathing apparatus, the ventilation and application of water should be as close as possible to the location of the fire. Think about the flow paths discussed above.

E- Extinguish the fire. After the fire has been cooled from a safe location, it is time to extinguish the fire. This means reaching the seat of the fire and completely putting it off. The last two items are items of opportunity. This means any time the opportunity presents itself during the incident, we will address these two items.

R- Rescue Rescue used to be the very first item to be addressed upon arrival. It was the number one priority. With this system, our focus is not rescue but rapid application of water. If there is a victim at the window upon arrival, we will execute the rescue. Anytime we locate a victim that can be rescued, we will immediately do so. This also means that we will not delay the application of water to the fire to look for victims. This is a difficult concept for some of us, but studies have shown rapid application of water to the fire will increase the chances of survival of both victims and firefighters.

S- Salvage Salvage is the process of removing and saving items of value from a burning structure. As an item of opportunity, if there is a way to save an item of value without delaying the application of water to the fire, save the item. This component is where we help to build stronger bonds with the community. Salvage shows the community that we care about them and their belongings. It demonstrates our compassion towards the community and shows that we place value in the community and their belongings. Do what you can to save and remove people’s belongings from the fire or dangerous/hazardous areas before you leave the fire scene.

This was just a brief overview of the SLICE-RS concept. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us here at Africa Fire Mission.