COMMUNICATION ORDERS
COMMING SOON
WATCHOUT SITUATIONS
COMMING SOON
REFUSING ASSIGNMENT POLICY
Placerr County ARES policy on refusing an assignment requires the individual to immediately inform their supervisor and/or served agency representee they cannot safely complete the task as given, and document the refusal using the criteria in the risk management process. The supervisor and/or served agency representee must then notify the safety officer (or Section Chief/IC) immediately. The individual should also explain the reasons for the refusal, and if another resource is assigned, the supervisor and/or served agency representee must inform them of the previous refusal and its reasons.
Procedure for refusing an assignment
Inform supervisor: Directly tell your supervisor that you are turning down the assignment and explain why.
Document the refusal: Use the criteria outlined in the risk management process (such as the 11 Standard Communication Orders or Watch Out Situations) to document the turn-down.
Notify safety officer: The supervisor must immediately inform the Safety Officer. If there is no Safety Officer, they must notify the Section Chief or Incident Commander (IC).
Communicate with new resource: If a supervisor asks another resource to perform the assignment, they are responsible for informing that resource that the assignment was refused and the reason why.
Submit a SAFETCOM form: If an unresolved safety hazard or an unsafe act occurred, submit a SAFETCOM form to document the incident.
Reasons for refusal
An individual can refuse an assignment if they determine it to be unsafe based on criteria such as:
Unsafe conditions or practices
Environmental factors that make the work unsafe
Lacking the necessary qualifications or experience
Using defective equipment
A violation of established safe practices