Under what conditions is a PAR conducted?

• A. When there are reports of missing firefighters, or changes from offensive to defensive, or at the IC's discretion.
• B. At the start of every shift.
• C. Only after a fatality.
• D. After every 30 minutes of operations.

Answer: (A)

A PAR (Personnel Accountability Report) is the process used to verify that every firefighter on the scene is accounted for and safe. The best answer reflects the common triggers that require a PAR to be done promptly: if there is a report that a firefighter is missing, if the operation changes from offensive to defensive (which often means crews are in different locations or conditions), or at the incident commander’s discretion when conditions warrant a quick re-check. These triggers center on safety and the evolving nature of a fireground operation, ensuring you don’t lose track of crews as the situation changes.

Starting PAR at the beginning of every shift isn’t the same as performing an incident PAR, and incidents call for this accountability regardless of shift timing. Waiting until a fatality occurs misses the proactive safety role of PAR, and applying a fixed interval like every 30 minutes doesn’t match how PAR is used in real operations, where the timing is driven by events and conditions on the scene.