Emergency Incidents affecting U.S. government personnel and properties ABROAD
(CT:OBO-143; 07-27-2023)
(Office of Origin: OBO/OPS/FIRE)
15 FAM 821 types of Incidents Affecting U.S. Government Property
(CT:OBO-95; 11-29-2019)
Incidents that might affect U.S. Government-held property include, but are not limited to:
· fires
· earthquakes
· floods
· heavy snow or ice that damages roofs
· settlement of ground beneath buildings
· cave-ins
· sink holes
· trees or other natural or man-made items that fall on roofs or intrude into buildings
· use of heavy equipment within or on a building that damages roofs or load-bearing walls
· political violence, terrorist attacks, bombings or other events that affect U.S. property directly or indirectly
15 FAM 822 Reporting emergency INCIDENTS
(CT:OBO-95; 11-29-2019)
Post must notify the Department’s Operations Center (S-ES/O) at (202)-647-1512 of a building emergency. The Operations Center (S/ES-O) will then notify the OBO Duty Officer for all incidents affecting the structural integrity or life-safety factors of U.S. Government property. The OBO Duty Officer must notify the Director of Fire Protection or the Fire Protection Analysis Division Chief immediately upon receiving notification from the Operations Center (S/ES-O).
15 FAM 822.1 Major Fire Incidents
(CT:OBO-95; 11-29-2019)
a. Post must immediately (within 1 hour of the incident) report by telephone a fire incident involving one or more of the following to the Department of State’s Operations Center (S/ES-O) at (202)-647-1512.
(1) Injuries or deaths;
(2) Damage to non-U.S. Government-held property (from a fire occurring on U.S. Government property);
(3) Adverse impact on post operations; or
(4) A fire of suspicious or deliberate origin.
b. The following data concerning the incident should be included in the report:
(1) Date and time of the incident;
(2) Property name (chancery, office annex, warehouse, residence, etc.);
(3) Property address;
(4) Identification of the probable cause of the fire (known, unknown, or of suspicious origin) and circumstances relating to the fire;
(5) Chronological events of the fire incident including all actions by involved U.S. personnel and locally employed (LE) staff;
(6) Description of damage to non-U.S. Government property from fires originating on U.S. Government property, identifying the other persons or parties affected;
(7) Description of interruptions to post operations caused by the fire, including which areas are affected, how long operations will be disrupted, and what resources will be needed to reestablish usual activities;
(8) Number and extent of injuries and deaths;
(9) Report whether the installed fire alarm system activated for occupant evacuation (for residences, report whether the residential smoke alarm activated for occupant evacuation in the residence); and
(10) Report whether host-country fire service responded and whether they extinguished the fire. (Provide an evaluation of their actions and any reports they provide translated into English.)
NOTE: If the incident meets the definition of a Class A or Class B mishap as defined in 15 FAM 964, it must be reported to the OBO/OPS/SHEM Office Director within 12 hours of occurrence.
15 FAM 822.2 Fire Incident Reporting by Electronic Form
(CT:OBO-95; 11-29-2019)
a. The senior management officer must report to OBO/OPS/FIRE within 48 hours all incidents including fire, no matter how small, affecting the structural integrity or life-safety factors of all U.S. Government property, leased or owned; and including tenant agency space to OBO/OPS/FIRE.
b. The electronic reporting form is located on the OBO/OPS/FIRE SharePoint site under “fire reporting.” Damage to character-defining architectural features at buildings included on the OBO List of Significant Properties should be documented and included in the incident report. Unclassified photos of the origin and/or probable cause must also be attached to the report or emailed to OBO/OPS/FIRE. Up to five photos may be attached to the form or photos may be sent to OBO/OPS/FIRE via a separate email.
15 FAM 823 Securing and Protecting the Fire Scene
(CT:OBO-95; 11-29-2019)
a. The incident commander (normally the Regional Security Officer or Assistant Regional Security Officer) controls access to the fire scene. The entire fire scene must be secured immediately after a fire has been extinguished to preserve evidence and a security presence must be maintained until OBO/OPS/FIRE complete their analysis/examination of the fire scene and authorize release of the scene to post for remediation.
b. Do not disturb or remove fire scene debris without authorization from OBO/OPS/FIRE investigators. Posts should make thorough videotape and/or photograph records of the fire itself, the fire scene, damage to neighboring property and anything of interest for use in an investigation or inquiry.
c. After receiving OBO/OPS/FIRE's authorization, the incident commander may selectively authorize access to the fire scene by:
(1) Post medical, DS personnel and those assisting DS personnel to remove human remains;
(2) Local firefighters performing fire control/extinguishing operations;
(3) Post personnel or others to remove fire debris to prevent further damage to property or threat to life in areas away from the main fire;
(4) Post personnel to remove or secure classified and sensitive records, equipment, or to resume critical operations. Personnel must photograph or document removed items (See 12 FAH-1 Annex B 2.3-3);
(5) Post personnel to remove/salvage cultural heritage objects, in collaboration with the Office of Cultural Heritage (See 15 FAM 700);
(6) Local fire investigators or police conducting official investigations in non-sensitive areas; and
(7) Facility Maintenance senior staff to ensure safety and continued equipment operations.
d. Post must act to preserve photographic data and evidence recorded by key cameras and other monitoring systems, which the Diplomatic Security Command Center (DS/TIA/CC) normally can access at many posts when no damage to equipment or supporting network has occurred. Post must contact the DS/TIA/CC as soon as possible for guidance on preserving recorded video information. Post has primary responsibility for ensuring all evidence is preserved. As soon as possible, unless post has confirmed that DS/TIA/CC or other group has assumed responsibility, post must download all recordings from the recording devices associated with all post cameras and/or other monitoring systems and secure them as evidence in accordance with proper evidence handling procedures. Properly maintain this evidence; do not classify it unless not doing so would jeopardize/violate security safeguards. The decision to classify recordings is at the discretion of (or in coordination with) the RSO.
15 FAM 824 Fire investigations
(CT:OBO-95; 11-29-2019)
a. As soon as possible after being notified of a fire, OBO/OPS/FIRE will dispatch a team of trained fire/arson investigators to fires that resulted in serious injury or death; those where the cause is arson or is of a suspicious nature; those causing extensive damage or significant disruption to official activities; or those deemed to be of special interest to the Department of State.
b. Fire-related mishaps involving injury, illness, or death that meet criteria for Class A or B mishaps under Department of State policy will be investigated and reported using 15 FAM 964 requirements. An Office of Fire Protection official, in OBO/OPS/FIRE, will be assigned to any Class A or B board conducted by OBO’s Office of Safety, Health, and Environmental Management, in the Directorate for Operations (OBO/OPS/SHEM). In addition to addressing the root causes of the fire event, the mishap board report must evaluate the impact of Department of State organizational systems, procedures, or policies on the fire event. The report also could contain recommendations for specific modifications to such procedures and policies. Both OBO/OPS/FIRE and OBO/OPS/SHEM receive copies of the report, and OBO/OPS/SHEM coordinates with the Department of State’s Designated Agency Safety and Health Official (DASHO) to meet 15 FAM 964 requirements. OBO/OPS/FIRE reports findings and recommendations for corrective action to the Director of OBO, who informs the Accountability Review Board’s Permanent Coordinating Committee. (See 12 FAM 032.)
c. OBO/OPS/FIRE will investigate Class A fire-related mishaps involving property loss. OBO/OPS/FIRE may investigate Class B fire-related mishaps involving property loss, or delegate them to post.
d. For fires of suspicious origin, OBO will notify the Bureau of Diplomatic Security’s Office of Special Investigations (DS/DO/OSI). If necessary, DS/DO/OSI will conduct a criminal investigation into violations of U.S. Government extraterritorial laws concerning the destruction of U.S. Government property.
e. DS/DO/OSI may refer cases to the appropriate office of the Department of Justice if the investigation reveals the fire may be the result of a criminal or negligent act.
15 fam 825 THROUGH 829 unassigned