Cold Weather Operations

December 2025

SOP 3.2.30 – Click to review

As winter weather approaches us, we will see single digit temperatures and at times, temperatures dropping below 0 degrees and winds more than 40 mph, blowing snow, ice conditions, etc. During extreme weather conditions, IFD Firefighters will have to take certain precautions to keep personnel, apparatus and equipment functioning properly.

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Types of Cold Weather Conditions:

• Lower Temperatures
• Snow
• Sleet
• Freezing Rain / Rain
• Wind / Wind Chill
• Frost
• Ice / Black Ice – Roadways and Sidewalks
• Shorter period of daylight
• Reduced visibility due to weather

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Personal Protection:

• Clothing
• Layers
• Warm socks
• Spare gloves
• PPE worn appropriately and correctly
• Extra socks and gloves to replace wet cold clothing
• Dress if as you are going to be outside for a long time – YOU MAY VERY WELL BE!

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• Tip: Keep a bag on the apparatus with extra gloves, hoods, hats, and/or socks to switch out with wet ones

Crew Considerations:

• Rotate crews on fire scenes or special operations to have fresh and warm personnel
• Rehab – Look for a warm place
• If none is available, you have the option of calling for Foam Support-23, its available with tents & heaters. Also, you can call for a warm IndyGo Bus.
• Other places to warm up:
• Cab of apparatus
• Ambulance
• Buses

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• Ensure to rest and rehydrate with warm fluids if possible

• Be sure to monitor crew health conditions

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• Hoods absorb moisture also including perspiration from your face and head

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• Remember that the body looses heat a lot faster with wet clothing than dry

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• Outer shell of PPE can absorb water
• can freeze and create “thermos effect”, keeping you cold inside.

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On Scene Considerations:

• Leave all nozzles at least bail half open on the apparatus so if they freeze on runs you still can get water through them

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• If you are standing RIT, stick your regulator inside your coat to keep it warm

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• Along with RIT, if there is a rig near by leave the RIT pack in the cab to avoid it freezing

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• Keep extra oil dry or a 5 gal. bucket of salt/ice melt to throw around the apparatus on fires or around a vehicle while on a car wreck, or under ground pads for outriggers

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• Keep the pumps circulating and water dripping from somewhere while on extended runs (Fire, EMS, extrication etc.)
• Put your pumps in recirculation while the engine is idling. Keep that water moving!
• If you don’t know how to perform this – have your primary engineer show you – Then record it as training

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• Incident commanders start salt trucks early in the incident to assist through the ops.
• Remember IndyGo can be used for warming buses for crews and victims

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On Scene Considerations cont.:

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• Remember when offensive or defensive and flowing, a lot of the water is freezing and not leaving the building.
• That is a lot of extra weight to an already weakened structure. Be careful during overhaul.

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• When you are back at the fire house get an air compressor and make sure you get all the moisture out of your air pack connections and regulator

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• Roof ops - make sure to use a roof ladder and spot icy/snowy roofs. You might be able to see location of fire based on areas that are melted.

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• Secure ground ladders with webbing or tools to avoid them from slipping on icy surfaces. Extension ladders may become hard to extend or retract

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• Hoses may become brittle or hard to move

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• When breaking down hose lines (supply or handlines), lines have potential to freeze, and area could become extremely slippery due to drainage and be more of a fall hazard

Hydrant Considerations:

• Frozen Hydrants can be a concern. Notify command/or control of a non-working hydrant.

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• Citizens Energy will notify IFD during extreme weather conditions and start their hydrant fire watch program. They will continue it for 2 weeks and then re-evaluate – weather dependent.  A 24/7 Hydrant technician will respond to working fires, arriving as quickly as possible.  If there is an issue – they will help mitigate – if there’s not – they will do the post use inspection. The technician will let the incident commander know they are there, and then stay out of the way, unless you need them.  If you need anything from Citizens – non-hydrant- related, such as boost in water pressure or utilities – you will still need to communicate that through dispatch.

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• Be aware that snowplows or residents may cover hydrants while clearing streets or driveways causing a conflict with the location on your MDT map. - keep an eye out for rods or large piles to indicate their location.

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• You may have to lay a longer supply line in the chance you are unable to find one close to the residence or reverse out. 2^nd Due Engines may have to lay a line for the 1^st Due a line if they are unable to locate one close.

Additional Considerations:

• Keep your approach and sidewalks at the firehouse clear of snow, use salt if you have it.

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• Health experts say that it is as important to stay hydrated while working in extreme cold, as it is in hot weather; stay hydrated throughout the day.

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• If you have a total breakdown on the street and you are waiting for a tow-truck; dump your tank on the curb side of the vehicle so the water will go down the sewer, take off all outlet caps; pull all your drain valves.
• Advise fire control of your situation; call for the IFD Shop Car and DPW for salt or sand if the water is causing a hazard due to freezing

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• Realize that extreme cold is taxing on firefighters and equipment if you need more resources; call for them. (Like mentioned earlier, call for extra manpower, DPW for a salt & sand truck on large fires if water is freezing and causing a hazard. Call for Foam Support-23 if you need warm re-hab, IndyGo for a warm bus etc.)

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• It’s great idea to carry a jug of windshield de-icer on your apparatus, it prevents couplings from freezing and will de-ice nozzles and couplings. Works great on frozen couplings and nozzles if you are having trouble separating them

• Course/Activity: Firefighter Safety and Survival
• �ISO Code:  Should Populate Automatically to Company training
• �Codes:  None
• �Location of Training: Location you trained, typically your firehouse
• �Locale: The station doing the training
• �Date: date of the training
• �Hours: 2.5
• �Event Description “September 2025 Monthly Training”  and a brief description of training
• �External Instructors: Person or Persons providing the training for the company
• �Attendees: Enter everyone’s name, including those listed as the instructor, yes people can be listed as both attendee and instructor.
• �If you have a prepared training program that would benefit the department, send an email to Chief Steve Clegg Steven.Clegg@indy.gov the training will be reviewed and sent out department wide via monthly training if approved.