# Checklist - Confined Space, Trench and Rope Rescue > Fire Service Safety Management System, version 0.3.3 (2026-10-25). The Human Factor. Document FSSMS-AUD-P15. > > Canonical: https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/checklist-confined-space-trench-and-rope-rescue > > Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 with the Adopting Agency Grant (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) > > General information only, not legal, medical or other professional advice. Verify every requirement against the current official text of the law, standards and manufacturer instructions that apply to you. Obtain your own legal review and consult your joint health and safety committee before adopting anything. You adopt, adapt, implement and rely on this material entirely at your own risk and on your own responsibility. Full terms: Terms of Use, thehumanfactor.ca. ## 1. Scope This checklist audits three technical rescue programs: [Confined Space Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/confined-space-program) (FSSMS-PRG-15) with [Policy - Confined Space](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-confined-space) (FSSMS-POL-17), [Trench and Structural Collapse Rescue Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/trench-and-structural-collapse-rescue-program) (FSSMS-PRG-16) and [Rope Rescue Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/rope-rescue-program) (FSSMS-PRG-17). It covers service levels and capacity, the department’s own confined spaces and planned entries, emergency rescue, designated rescue service agreements, gas detection, trench protective systems and shoring, the engineer and partner arrangements, collapse zones, rope systems and equipment, skill fade, learning, psychological safety and the three accountability loops. It is one of three sub-notes of audit category 14, Technical Rescue: Heights, Confined Space and Water ([02 Audit Checklist Master Index](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/audit-checklist-master-index)), and rolls up with [Checklist - Working at Heights and Fall Protection](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/checklist-working-at-heights-and-fall-protection) and [Checklist - Water, Ice and Marine Operations](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/checklist-water-ice-and-marine-operations). A discipline the department does not provide above awareness is scored on items 1 to 4, the awareness training in items 17 and 19, and the learning items; the rest of its section is marked not applicable with the reason, and the auditor checks dispatch data for responses that contradict the declaration. Respiratory protection as a program is audited in [Checklist - Respiratory Protection](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/checklist-respiratory-protection), and incident command in [Checklist - Emergency Operations Safety](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/checklist-emergency-operations-safety). Sampling follows [01 Audit Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/audit-program) section 8: every gas detector, retrieval device and shore; every permit from the last 12 months, or 30 if there are more; ten ropes and ten hardware items; for each active discipline, interviews with the team lead and two members and one observation of a drill, an evolution or a rigging check. ## 2. Criteria The CFAI column crosswalks each item to the 10th edition performance indicator it answers [(CPSE, 2019)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/checklist-confined-space-trench-and-rope-rescue#ref-cpse-2019); the 11th edition will be mapped when it applies. | Source | What it requires | Items | |:---|:---|:---| | Provincial or territorial confined space provisions ([J17 Confined Space](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j17-confined-space)) | Definition and assessment; written procedure and its review interval; entry limits; certification; purging and flammable gas rules; attendant and rescue equipment; respiratory and electrical rules; retraining intervals; the conditions of any firefighter exemption | 5 to 13, 16, 17 | | Provincial or territorial excavation provisions ([J18 Excavation and Trench](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j18-excavation-and-trench)) | Depth trigger, slope or support, wall-height rule, ladder and spoil distances, water and atmosphere, trench cages, shoring design; whether a rescue entry has any exemption (often it has none) | 19, 20, 22, 26 | | Provincial or territorial equipment, fall protection and rope access provisions ([J15 Equipment Inspection, Ladders and Aerial Devices](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j15-equipment-inspection-ladders-and-aerial-devices); [J16 Fall Protection and Rope Access](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j16-fall-protection-and-rope-access)) | Rope, harness and hardware standard; post-use harness inspection; harness and SCBA for a rescue entry; anchorage; rope access code of practice | 16, 30, 31, 33, 34, 36 | | CSA Z1006:23 | Confined space management program, inventory, risk assessment, rescue plans, external service providers | 5 to 15 | | [NFPA 2500 (2022)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/checklist-confined-space-trench-and-rope-rescue#ref-nfpa-2500) | Organizational levels by discipline and hazard assessment of the response area; life safety rope and equipment classes, marking and care | 1 to 4, 30 to 37 | | [NFPA 1006 (2021)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/checklist-confined-space-trench-and-rope-rescue#ref-nfpa-1006) | Rescuer job performance requirements for confined space, trench, structural collapse and rope rescue | 17, 25, 38, 39 | | [NFPA 1550 (2024)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/checklist-confined-space-trench-and-rope-rescue#ref-nfpa-1550) | Incident management, accountability and the incident safety officer at rescue incidents | 12, 27, 28 | | Benchmarks (OSHA, n.d.-c, 29 C.F.R. § 1910.146(k); MLITSD, n.d., GN 1-5, GN 6-4, GN 6-5, GN 6-28, GN 6-41, GN 6-46, GN 6-51); written rescue procedures where the jurisdiction requires them ([J17 Confined Space](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j17-confined-space); [J18 Excavation and Trench](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j18-excavation-and-trench)) | Rescue service evaluation; use history; skill fade; limits of the emergency exemption and contracted standby; trench and collapse response; helicopters; air monitoring; written rescue procedures | 8, 11, 13, 14, 20, 28, 34, 38, 40 | | Lessons [(NIOSH, 2003b, F2002-07)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/checklist-confined-space-trench-and-rope-rescue#ref-niosh-2003b) | A collapse zone and an independent safety officer early wherever a structure can fail | 27 | | Accreditation criteria | Technical rescue deployment objectives by type and level of risk, partner aid and annual appraisal [(CPSE, 2019, criteria CC 5G.1, CC 5G.2)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/checklist-confined-space-trench-and-rope-rescue#ref-cpse-2019); equipment and safety equipment maintained and tracked [(CPSE, 2019, criteria CC 6E.3, CC 6F.1, 6F.4, 6F.5)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/checklist-confined-space-trench-and-rope-rescue#ref-cpse-2019); the safety program [(CPSE, 2019, criteria 11A.1 to 11A.3, CC 11A.5, 11A.6 to 11A.9, 11A.11, 11A.12)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/checklist-confined-space-trench-and-rope-rescue#ref-cpse-2019) | CFAI column | | Psychological safety as a condition of safety [(Edmondson, 1999)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/checklist-confined-space-trench-and-rope-rescue#ref-edmondson-1999) | Members can stop an entry, call everyone off a lip or stop a load, and get an answer to a concern, without reprisal | 43 | ## 3. How to score 1. Score D, I and E for each item 0 to 3, then derive the item score ([01 Audit Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/audit-program) section 5). 2. Both-required evidence codes (D+I, D+O, O+I) need each type before I can exceed 1. 3. Weights C3, K2, S1; L items must score at least 2 or the category fails its legislated floor. 4. Category score = sum(weight x item score) / sum(weight x 3); the effectiveness index uses E. Report each discipline’s section on its own line as well as the total. 5. Record a finding, owner and due date for every item below 3; every major nonconformity (P1 (Imminent) or P2 (Serious) by risk) and minor nonconformity (P3 (Moderate)) goes to the [Corrective Action Register](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/corrective-action-register) within five working days, with the due dates its priority sets. ## 4. Checklist | \# | Item | Stage | Wt | Evid | CFAI | Scoring anchors (1 / 2 / 3) | D | I | E | Score | Finding | Owner | Due | |:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---| | **A. Service levels and capacity** | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | Written service level declarations exist separately for confined space, trench, structural collapse and rope rescue (awareness, operations or technician), approved by the fire chief after JOHSC consultation, with the scenarios each covers | S1 | K2 | D | CC 5G.1 | 1: one combined or unwritten level / 2: separate signed declarations / 3: reviewed with the last annual appraisal | | | | | | | | | 2 | Each declaration matches measured capacity: rescue-capable hours by time of day are measured, the capability matrices are current, and where a level cannot be staffed the declaration for those hours says so | S1 | C3 | D+I | CC 5G.1 | 1: declared on paper only / 2: capacity measured / 3: a declaration changed because of the measure, or officers confirm the matrix matches their roster | | | | | | | | | 3 | For every level not provided, mutual aid, contracted or task force capability is named with a call-out route in dispatch, tested in the last year | S1 | K2 | D+I | CC 5G.1 | 1: named only / 2: route in dispatch / 3: route tested and timed | | | | | | | | | 4 | Each discipline has a formal, documented annual program appraisal measuring performance against its objectives | S2 | K2 | D | CC 5G.2 | 1: none / 2: appraisals for some disciplines / 3: appraisals for all, with decisions recorded | | | | | | | | | **B. Confined space** | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 5 | Every confined space in department workplaces is in the inventory, classified and signed, with spaces nobody needs to enter locked or barricaded, reviewed within 12 months | S1 | C3 L | D+O | 11A.3 | 1: partial / 2: complete and signed / 3: a station walk finds no unlisted space | | | | | | | | | 6 | The written entry procedure covers assessment, isolation, testing, ventilation, PPE, communication, emergency and written rescue procedures, was reviewed within 12 months, and the JOHSC was consulted | S1 | C3 L | D | 11A.2 | 1: out of date / 2: current and reviewed within 12 months / 3: the last review changed something, and minutes show the consultation | | | | | | | | | 7 | Every planned entry in the last 12 months, training included, has a complete permit on [Form - Confined Space Entry Permit](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/form-confined-space-entry-permit): assessment without PPE or ventilation, isolation verified, readings at three levels, posted, within the validity period the applicable regulation sets ([J17 Confined Space](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j17-confined-space)), closed and retained | S1 | C3 L | D | 11A.3 | 1: permits missing for some entries / 2: every entry has a permit / 3: every sampled permit complete in every part | | | | | | | | | 8 | Atmospheric testing before and during every entry follows the procedure: bump-tested and calibrated instrument, top, middle and bottom, tubing delay allowed, continuous monitoring, and the 10 percent LEL action level applied | S1 | C3 L | D+O | 11A.8 | 1: single-reading practice / 2: permits show three levels / 3: observed at a drill, with members stating the action levels | | | | | | | | | 9 | An attendant is at the opening for the whole of every entry, keeps the entry log, holds evacuation authority and never enters | S1 | C3 L | D+O | 11A.12 | 1: role combined with another / 2: logs complete / 3: observed at a drill, and attendants interviewed say they never enter | | | | | | | | | 10 | The rescue plan is written on every permit; retrieval is rigged or the rescue team is in position before entry; entrants wear a harness on a retrieval line wherever practicable | S1 | C3 L | D+O | 11A.3 | 1: generic plan / 2: plan on every permit / 3: retrieval rigged before entry, observed | | | | | | | | | 11 | Gas detectors are bump tested before use and daily in service (95 percent of in-service days or better), calibrated within the manufacturer’s interval, with sensor records; failed instruments are tagged out | S1 | C3 L | D | CC 6E.3 | 1: logs incomplete / 2: 95 percent bump compliance / 3: every instrument in calibration, and a failed bump traced to its tag-out | | | | | | | | | 12 | The emergency rescue procedure requires size-up from outside, non-entry first, an entry team of two on supplied air with lines, a back-up team of two at the portal, an attendant, a rescue group supervisor, an incident safety officer and a recorded recovery decision | S1 | C3 | D+I | 11A.11 | 1: a role missing / 2: procedure complete / 3: incident records from the last year show the roles assigned and the times | | | | | | | | | 13 | The exemption position is written: emergency rescue by members with current training only, with training, maintenance, inspection and standby entries fully regulated | S1 | C3 L | D+I | \- | 1: unwritten or broad / 2: written / 3: officers state the limits correctly | | | | | | | | | 14 | Every employer that names the department as its rescue service has a signed agreement with a measured response time, the employer’s pre-entry obligations, the right to decline spaces and annual drills in the actual spaces, and the JOHSC saw it before signature | S2 | K2 | D | CC 5G.1 | 1: informal arrangements / 2: signed agreements / 3: drills held in each client’s spaces within 12 months | | | | | | | | | 15 | Rescue pre-plans exist for the high-risk spaces in the district, built with the owners, with coverage rising toward 100 percent | S2 | S1 | D | CC 5G.1 | 1: none / 2: some / 3: coverage on target, and a drill held in a pre-planned space | | | | | | | | | 16 | Entrants and rescuers have supplied air or SCBA with escape cylinders, a current annual quantitative fit test for the facepiece they wear, rescue harnesses to the life safety standard, and intrinsically safe lighting and radios | S1 | C3 L | D+O | CC 6F.1 | 1: equipment gaps / 2: equipment on every rescue unit / 3: fit test records match the facepieces in use | | | | | | | | | 17 | Confined space training is current: awareness for every member; entrants, attendants and rescuers retrained within the intervals the applicable regulation sets ([J17 Confined Space](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j17-confined-space)); competent persons and testers assessed annually | S1 | C3 L | D | CC 11A.5 | 1: records incomplete / 2: 100 percent current / 3: a member whose training lapsed was stood down from entry until retrained | | | | | | | | | 18 | The rescue team completed a timed drill in a representative space in the last year | S1 | K2 | D+O | CC 5G.1 | 1: no drill / 2: drill held / 3: timed, observed and compared with the response target | | | | | | | | | **C. Trench and structural collapse** | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 19 | The trench procedure carries the numbers the applicable excavation regulation sets (depth trigger, slope or support rule, wall-height rule, ladder and spoil distances) and the engineer triggers ([J18 Excavation and Trench](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j18-excavation-and-trench)), and every member holds awareness training within three years | S1 | C3 L | D | 11A.2 | 1: numbers missing / 2: complete / 3: members state the depth trigger and the wall-height rule | | | | | | | | | 20 | Incident and drill records show the protective system installed from outside before any entry, and no member entry into an unprotected trench deeper than the trigger in the last year | S1 | C3 L | D+I | 11A.8 | 1: an unprotected entry found / 2: none found / 3: crews describe holding the lip at their last trench call or drill | | | | | | | | | 21 | The trench size-up and safety checklist is completed at every trench incident and drill | S1 | K2 | D | 11A.8 | 1: not used / 2: used at most / 3: used at every one in the sample | | | | | | | | | 22 | Every pneumatic and hydraulic shore is serial-numbered with a manufacturer test within 12 months and a monthly inspection; panels and timber are inspected; tabulated data is carried on the rescue unit | S1 | C3 L | D+O | CC 6E.3 | 1: tests overdue / 2: 100 percent current / 3: a sampled shore matches its record, and the tabulated data is on the unit | | | | | | | | | 23 | An on-call structural engineer arrangement is signed, reviewed within 12 months and reachable through dispatch, with the contact tested in the last quarter | S1 | K2 | D | CC 5G.1 | 1: a name only / 2: signed arrangement / 3: contact tested quarterly | | | | | | | | | 24 | Partner arrangements with public works, the utilities, the building official and the regional task force are written, and the contact list was reviewed within six months | S1 | S1 | D | CC 5G.1 | 1: informal / 2: written / 3: reviewed on schedule and exercised | | | | | | | | | 25 | The annual evolution in real soil was held with shoring installed and documented, and every responding station took part | S1 | K2 | D+O | CC 5G.1 | 1: classroom only / 2: evolution held / 3: every responding station attended, and the evolution was observed | | | | | | | | | 26 | The procedure and practice cover atmospheric monitoring at trenches, the vibration exclusion zone, spoil management and a secondary collapse watch | S1 | C3 L | D+O | 11A.8 | 1: partial / 2: procedure complete / 3: observed at the evolution | | | | | | | | | 27 | A collapse zone is set and recorded at every defensive fire and collapse incident, with the incident safety officer assigned early | S1 | C3 | D | 11A.11 | 1: not recorded / 2: recorded at most / 3: recorded at every incident in the sample, with the holder named by role | | | | | | | | | 28 | A building marking system is adopted and trained, and void search is limited to trained members working with shoring, monitoring, entry-point accountability and a rescue plan | S2 | K2 | D+I | 11A.12 | 1: no system / 2: adopted and trained / 3: officers describe the no-freelancing rule and the marking | | | | | | | | | 29 | Respiratory protection for dust (P100 at minimum, SCBA where the atmosphere is unknown) and decontamination after collapse operations are in the procedure and stocked | S1 | K2 | D+O | 11A.9 | 1: absent / 2: in the procedure / 3: stocked on the unit, with fit tests current | | | | | | | | | **D. Rope rescue** | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 30 | The rope rescue procedure states on its face that it is the department’s rope access code of practice, and the working-at-heights program cross-references it with its revision date | S1 | C3 L | D | \- | 1: not stated / 2: stated / 3: cross-reference and revision date current | | | | | | | | | 31 | The two-system rule is practised: main and belay on independent or bombproof anchors rated to at least the minimum the applicable fall protection regulation sets ([J16 Fall Protection and Rope Access](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j16-fall-protection-and-rope-access)), edge protection, an edge attendant and travel restraint at the edge | S1 | C3 L | D+O | 11A.8 | 1: in the procedure only / 2: observed for most systems / 3: observed with no exception at a drill | | | | | | | | | 32 | The pre-rig and pre-lower checklist, including the whistle test by a second trained person, is completed at every evolution and incident | S1 | C3 | D+O | 11A.8 | 1: not used / 2: used at most / 3: used at every evolution in the sample, and observed | | | | | | | | | 33 | Every item in the inventory has a unique ID, NFPA class, marking edition and certificate of conformance, and no recreational hardware is in any kit | S1 | K2 L | D+O | 6F.5 | 1: gaps / 2: complete / 3: a kit check finds every item on the inventory | | | | | | | | | 34 | Logs on [Form - Rope and Rescue Equipment Log](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/form-rope-and-rescue-equipment-log) show a complete use history with pre-use and post-use entries for the last use, in a sample of ten ropes and ten hardware items | S1 | K2 L | D | 6F.4 | 1: under 80 percent complete / 2: most complete / 3: the whole sample complete | | | | | | | | | 35 | Retirement follows the criteria, retired items are cut, marked or destroyed, doubtful items are quarantined, and no item past its service life is in a kit | S1 | C3 | D+O | 6F.4 | 1: no retirement records / 2: records with criteria / 3: none past service life found in the kits | | | | | | | | | 36 | Harnesses worn for firefighting or rescue are inspected by a competent person before reuse, and the record shows it | S1 | C3 L | D | 6F.4 | 1: none recorded / 2: most / 3: all in the sample | | | | | | | | | 37 | Rope and hardware are stored dry, dark and away from fuels, solvents and exhaust, in kits that stay together | S1 | S1 | O | \- | 1: loose in compartments / 2: bagged / 3: kits intact against the kit list | | | | | | | | | 38 | Skill fade is controlled: quarterly drills, an annual competency check per member, an annual timed full-scale evolution, and supervised rigging only for a member who missed two quarterly drills | S1 | K2 | D+I | CC 11A.5 | 1: annual check only / 2: quarterly drills held / 3: the drill log shows the two-missed-drills rule applied | | | | | | | | | 39 | Belayers pass the catch check on the department’s maximum rescue load, and pick-off and rescue of the rescuer are drilled | S1 | K2 | D+O | CC 11A.5 | 1: not checked / 2: checked / 3: observed | | | | | | | | | 40 | The helicopter interface level is declared (awareness by default), a landing zone procedure exists, and nothing is attached to an aircraft except through the operator’s system | S1 | K2 | D+I | \- | 1: undeclared / 2: declared, with the procedure / 3: members state the attachment rule | | | | | | | | | **E. Learning, psychological safety and the loops** | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 41 | Every response, evolution and drill got an after-action review, and the Tier 2 triggers were applied: entry without a complete permit, alarm during an entry, unprotected trench entry, secondary collapse with members in the zone, impact load on a live system | S1 | K2 | D+I | 11A.6, 11A.7 | 1: reviews missing / 2: reviews held / 3: triggered reviews produced recorded changes | | | | | | | | | 42 | The indicators of all three programs are reported quarterly against a baseline | S2 | K2 | D | 11A.3 | 1: not reported / 2: reported / 3: a trend led to a decision in the last year | | | | | | | | | 43 | **Psychological safety.** Members say they can stop an entry, call everyone off a lip or stop a system before loading, and that officers thank the call; stop calls and good catches are recorded and above zero; concerns get an answer within 15 days; no reprisal case in the last year | S1 | K2 | D+I | 11A.2 | 1: none recorded / 2: some recorded, answers late / 3: members at a career and a volunteer station describe a stop and its answer; no reprisal findings | | | | | | | | | 44 | **Accountability loop: Confined Space Program.** Owner, doers, verifiers, feedback (with the 15-day answer to the member) and closure (escalation on the schedule the item’s priority sets) are named and working, and every deficiency is in the register with an owner and due date | S1 | K2 | D+I | 11A.1, 11A.2, 11A.3 | 1: table present, roles blank / 2: complete, and the owner can explain it / 3: the loop test holds on a real event from the last year | | | | | | | | | 45 | **Accountability loop: Trench and Structural Collapse Rescue Program.** As item 44 | S1 | K2 | D+I | 11A.1, 11A.2, 11A.3 | 1: table present, roles blank / 2: complete, and the owner can explain it / 3: the loop test holds on a real event from the last year | | | | | | | | | 46 | **Accountability loop: Rope Rescue Program.** As item 44 | S1 | K2 | D+I | 11A.1, 11A.2, 11A.3 | 1: table present, roles blank / 2: complete, and the owner can explain it / 3: the loop test holds on a real event from the last year | | | | | | | | **Loop test.** Walk each program’s loop test (section 12 of each program) with its owner on a real event from the last year. If none exists, use this one: a member reports that a retrieval line in a station kit has no log and was last used in a training entry with no permit on file. The line should be quarantined that day; two items (the orphan line and the missing permit) should be in the register within five working days, rated P2 (Serious), with the rescue team lead as owner; the member should have an answer within 15 days; and within 30 days every kit should have been checked against its logs and every training entry in the year checked for a permit, with the change notice and the quarterly update showing the closure. ## 5. Effectiveness questions Answer from observation or interview only; record the evidence. 1. **Watch the first minutes.** At a no-notice confined space or trench drill, watch the first-arriving crew: who becomes the attendant or holds the lip, when the atmosphere is measured, and whether anyone moves toward the opening or onto the lip before monitoring and protection are in place. The programs are working when the crew holds the scene and names the attendant before anyone moves. 2. **Pick a rope from a station kit** and ask the member who last used it to walk through its history and the last system check before loading. The program is working when the log, the member’s account and the rope agree, and the member names who did the whistle test. 3. **Ask three rescue team members separately, one of them a volunteer:** “In the last year, have you stopped an entry, called people off a lip or stopped a load, or seen someone do it? What happened to that person? Did a concern you raised get an answer?” The programs are working when they describe a real stop, the thanks it got and an answered concern. ## 6. Interview and observation prompts 1. (Deputy chief or program manager) Show me the declarations and the measure that says you can staff them at 2 p.m. on a weekday. 2. (Rescue team lead) Show me the permit for the last training entry and the entry log beside it. 3. (Atmospheric tester) Bump this detector and tell me the action levels and the tubing delay. 4. (Attendant at a drill) What do you do if the entrant stops answering? 5. (Program manager) Show me the agreement with the last employer that named the department as its rescue service, and the drill in its space. 6. (Shoring custodian) Pick a shore: show me its last manufacturer test and this month’s inspection. 7. (Incident commander) Who is your on-call engineer, and when did dispatch last test the contact? 8. (Officer) Where was the collapse zone at the last defensive fire, and who held it? 9. (Rope team member) Show me the last pre-lower checklist and tell me who did the whistle test. 10. (Observe) A rigging evolution: anchors, belay, edge protection, tie-in at the edge, commands. 11. (Everyone) Who would you tell if you saw an unsafe entry, trench approach or rope system tomorrow, and what would happen? 12. (Everyone) What one thing about confined space, trench or rope rescue would you fix first? ## Jurisdiction requirements This chapter relies on the following legal requirements, which differ by province and territory. Check your jurisdiction’s section on each topic page before adopting it. | Topic | What to check in your jurisdiction | Page | |:---|:---|:---| | Written Procedures and Committee Consultation | Whether the committee or representative must be consulted on the written entry, trench and rope procedures and on rescue service agreements before they are adopted or changed (items 6, 14) | [J06 Written Procedures and Committee Consultation](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j06-written-procedures-and-committee-consultation) | | Incident Reporting and Investigation | Which collapses, structural failures and confined space asphyxiation or poisoning events must be reported to the regulator, even with no injury, and how fast (items 27, 41) | [J08 Incident Reporting and Investigation](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j08-incident-reporting-and-investigation) | | Respiratory Protection, Fit Testing and Breathing Air | How often entrants and rescuers must be fit tested and by what method, and the SCBA or supplied-air requirements for a rescue entry (item 16) | [J14 Respiratory Protection, Fit Testing and Breathing Air](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j14-respiratory-protection-fit-testing-and-breathing-air) | | Equipment Inspection, Ladders and Aerial Devices | Whether tools and rescue equipment, such as gas detectors, shores, ladders, ropes and harnesses, must be inspected at set intervals with records kept (items 11, 19, 22, 33 to 36) | [J15 Equipment Inspection, Ladders and Aerial Devices](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j15-equipment-inspection-ladders-and-aerial-devices) | | Fall Protection and Rope Access | The rope rescue equipment standard, harness inspection after use, anchorage strength, any rope access code of practice, and the conditions of any fall protection relief for emergency services (items 30, 31, 33, 34, 36) | [J16 Fall Protection and Rope Access](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j16-fall-protection-and-rope-access) | | Confined Space | The definition and assessment rules, the written procedure and its review interval, the entry permit or certificate and its validity, atmospheric limits, attendant and rescue requirements, retraining intervals, and the conditions of any firefighter rescue exemption (items 5 to 13, 16, 17) | [J17 Confined Space](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j17-confined-space) | | Excavation and Trench | The depth that triggers protection, the slope, shoring and cage rules, engineer requirements, ladder and spoil distances, atmospheric testing, written rescue procedures, and whether a rescue entry has any exemption (items 19, 20, 22, 26) | [J18 Excavation and Trench](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j18-excavation-and-trench) | ## References Center for Public Safety Excellence \[CPSE\]. (2019). *Fire and emergency service self-assessment manual* (10th ed.). Commission on Fire Accreditation International. CSA Group. (2023). *CSA Z1006:23, Management of work in confined spaces* (3rd ed.). Edmondson, A. C. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. *Administrative Science Quarterly, 44*(2), 350–383. https://doi.org/10.2307/2666999 National Fire Protection Association. (2021). *NFPA 1006, Standard for technical rescue personnel professional qualifications*. National Fire Protection Association. (2022). *NFPA 2500, Standard for operations and training for technical search and rescue incidents and life safety rope and equipment for emergency services* (consolidates NFPA 1670, 1858 and 1983). National Fire Protection Association. (2024). *NFPA 1550, Standard for emergency responder health and safety* (consolidates NFPA 1500, 1521 and 1561). National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health \[NIOSH\]. (2003b). *One career fire fighter dies and another is injured after partial structural collapse: Texas* (Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation Report F2002-07). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Occupational Safety and Health Administration \[OSHA\]. (n.d.-c). *Permit-required confined spaces* (29 C.F.R. § 1910.146). U.S. Department of Labor. Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development \[MLITSD\]. (n.d.). *Firefighter guidance notes* (Section 21 Advisory Committee; individual notes revised to 2026).