The term fire control is also used in connection with forest fire-
fighting. It then encompasses the whole process of systematically
limiting a fire by preventing its spread and ensuring the geograp-
hical limits set (Pyne, 1997). A forest fire is reported as being ‘un-
der control’ when it is no longer a threat to property over and
above that already affected and when the extingu ishing process
can begin.
It is possible, especially with fires in buildings, to identify two
combined activities that can be thought of as related to fire control,
confinement and extinguishing. When a fire is reported as under
control, this usually indicates that it is no longer spreading and
that the remaining fire can be fully extinguished using the resour-
ces at the incident site. That a fire is under control does not mean,
then, that it has been totally extinguished, but that the risks and
the problems involved have been overcome (Brunacini, 1985 and
2002). This places certain demands on the commander to judge
correctly when the situation is ‘under control’. The commander’s
understanding of the situation can be crucial to this judgement.
One can also reason in a co rresponding way when it comes to oth-
er types of incidents. That an incident or accident is under control
means that its further spread has been stopped and that the major
risks and problems have been overcome, or that there is good rea-
son to assume that this will be the case within a reasonable period
(Payne et al. 1996 and Heikkilä et al. 1993).
In every day language, control is considered as the ability to get
something to perform as it is expected to, as well as to unerstand
how it is done. Control has a physical component – to influen-
ce the actual course of events – and a psychological component
which concerns understanding – how the decision maker/com-
mander forms mental images or simulates various courses of
events menally so as to be able to understand diff erent situations,
results etc.
To control something dangerous normally means preventing
it from becoming more dangerous or escalating. The term con-
trol can in some contexts take on a negative connotation in that
it indicates manipulation. In our context it means to, in various
ways, handle a certain type of situation. This is naturally to goodThe incident
commander is
responsible for setting
the goal of the
operation and
ensuring that the
response operation
stays oriented towards
achieving it.