In the event of an injury, who decides whether to continue a live fire burn evolution?

• A. Instructor In Charge
• B. The trainee
• C. Safety officer
• D. Incident commander

Answer: (A)

The on-scene decision-maker for continuing a live-fire evolution after an injury is the Instructor In Charge. This person has overall responsibility for safety during the exercise and the authority to halt, suspend, or resume the burn based on the safety plan, medical needs, and identified hazards. The safety officer supports safety oversight and can pause or stop the evolution if conditions are unsafe, and they may advise on whether it’s safe to continue, but the final call rests with the Instructor In Charge. The trainee does not determine whether to proceed, and the Incident Commander is not typically the on-scene authority for a controlled training burn.

In practice, if an injury occurs, the IIC immediately ensures medical care, evaluates the situation, and decides whether continuing is safe, often after input from the safety officer. The key point is that the IIC holds the ultimate decision-making authority to continue or terminate the evolution.