Frequently Asked Questions

Capstone is a private fire and rescue management company supplying professionally staffed fire engine and technical rescue resources. We help our customers manage their risks, reduce their liability exposures, and meet regulatory guidelines for their industry. We do this by employing experienced and certified Chief Officers, Firefighters, EMTs, Confined Space Rescue Technicians, and Site Safety Officers to deliver professional services to all our customers.

Capstone personnel meet and exceed Federal and State Training requirements for all fire/rescue and EMS personnel. This includes NWCG, Pro Board, NFPA and IFSAC. We manage our training credentials with software designed for the fire/EMS and law enforcement entities and can provide proof of qualifications at time of request.

Yes, our employees are qualified in Basic Life Support (BLS) Emergency Medical Technicians, CPR and AED certified. Under certain project specific requirements, ALS Paramedics may be available.

No, we are not a 911 provider. We provide response services under contract on various Federal and State agreements under supervision and command of an Incident Management Team. We also respond to commercial customers requests from services while strictly adhering to the IAFC Private Utilization Guidelines for Wildfire Resources and Federal and State regulations.

• HAZMAT First Responder Operations (FRO) and First Responder Awareness (FRA) is our basic qualification.
• Under certain project specific requirements HAZMAT Tech (24 HR) and HAZWOPER (40 HR) qualified personnel may be available.

For rescue services: We charge based on time and materials. Our teams are billed at an hourly rate. Depending on the location of the project, the length of shift, and the number of days, we may charge per diem and lodging for each crew member. Our rescue equipment vehicle is charged a flat daily rate.

For fire services: Our crews are billed per shift. The rate includes the engine and the staffing for the project. Depending on the location of the project, the length of shift, and the number of days, we may charge per diem and lodging for each crew member.

Our employees are trained to the highest standards and our certifications are likely transferable to all states. We work nationwide as well as international. Currently, we have offices located in California and Texas; however, we perform jobs in other states, such as Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah.

You can call a Capstone Professional at 877.347.3312 to discuss the scope of your project. Our Account Managers will connect you with one of our chief officers to collaborate on the project scope and the number of personnel needed to help your project run smoothly and safely.

A permit-required confined space is a space that meets OSHA's definition of a confined space and contains health or safety hazards.

According to OSHA, a "confined space" has three characteristics: (1) is large enough for an employee to enter fully and perform assigned work, (2) is not designed for continuous occupancy by the employee, and (3) has a limited or restricted means of an entry or exit. A "permit-required confined space" has one or more of these characteristics: (1) contains or has the potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere, (2) contains a material with the potential to engulf someone who enters the space, (3) has an internal configuration that might cause an entrant to be trapped or asphyxiated by inwardly converging walls or by a floor that slopes downward and tapers to a smaller cross section, and/or (4) contains any other recognized serious safety or health hazards. OSHA 29 CFR 1910.146

If "Call 9-1-1" is listed as your rescue plan, you are planning for a body recovery, not a rescue. OSHA states that the rescue team, or responding units, must "Evaluate a prospective rescuer's ability to respond to a rescue summons in a timely manner" as stated in 29 CFR 1910.146 Confined Space. If a person within a confined space has a cardiac arrest and 9-1-1 is called, units may take up to 10 minutes to arrive, in a best-case scenario. Brain death begins in 4-6 minutes. People die in confined spaces most often because there is no rescue team onsite to perform a rescue. It is also important to note that if you are entering an IDHL Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health permit-required confined space, the rescue team is required to be at the space, onsite and ready to perform a rescue prior to entry, according to 1910.134. In addition to the atmosphere causing an injury or a fatality, facilities must also remember that medical-related issues such as heat exhaustion, heart attack or stroke are more often the cause of death when trained medical rescue personnel are not on standby.

Choosing to have a certified Confined Space Rescue Team ensures you are taking every precaution in the event of a medical or confined space emergency. You are giving your employees the best chance of success and survival with a team standing by to provide immediate care, should something go wrong.

• Look for a company who can provide rescue training, as well as perform standby rescue jobs, as they will be more knowledgeable in all areas of rescue and the use of rescue equipment.
• Check the certifications of each rescuer who will be onsite for your project. The certifying agency should be approved by the local state. In California, this would be the CA State Fire Marshal's office, in other states Pro Board and IFSAC are also certifying bodies.
• Check to make sure the rescue company can provide you with their rescue plan for the project you are hiring them for.
• A company who provides an all-encompassing safe rescue service will ask you specific questions about the space they will be entering. What is the scope of work? What known hazards are in the space? How many access points are there to the space? What is the size of the access points? What are the dimensions of the space? Will there be any hot work done in the space or chemicals introduced? How many people will be in the space at one time? How far into the space will the crew members be working? What types of communication methods will be available? What type of ventilation will be provided? Will LOTO be required and, if so, who will be responsible?
• Ask the company what type of documentation they will be able to provide upon request. Do they perform constant air monitoring of the space? Do they have SCBAs as a part of their rescue equipment?
• Are the rescuers also able to perform Basic Life Services in the event of a medical emergency? Emergency Medical Technicians are available on rescue teams from Capstone Fire & Safety.
• How long has the company been around? What other companies have they worked with? What confined spaces are they familiar with? What confined spaces are they not able to perform a rescue in?

Yes, Capstone will be able to provide an emergency response plan for the rescue, as well as a pre-rescue plan, upon request. A JHA or JSA is completed as well. Capstone completes these forms as a part of our normal rescue services.

SPRAT (Society of Professional Rope Access Technician) and IRATA (Industrial Rope Access Trade Association) are both organizations who seek to promote safety and develop standards for rope access.

While similar there are some differences to note:

• IRATA requires 4 day minimum training prior to assessment, while SPRAT minimum training is recommended, not required.
• IRATA membership is exclusive to companies who undergo audits and an application process. SPRAT does not assure quality of their member companies.
• Upgrade requirements for IRATA are currently double what SPRAT requires. IRATA upgrade is a much longer process.

According to OSHA, Authorized Entrants are required to:

• Know space hazards, including information on the means of exposure such as inhalation or dermal absorption, signs of symptoms and consequences of the exposure;
• Use appropriate personal protective equipment properly;
• Maintain communication with attendants as necessary to enable them to monitor the entrant's status and alert the entrant to evacuate when necessary;
• Exit from the permit space as soon as possible when:
  • Ordered by the authorized person;
  • He or she recognizes the warning signs or symptoms of exposure;
  • A prohibited condition exists; or
  • An automatic alarm is activated.
• Alert the attendant when a prohibited condition exists or when warning signs or symptoms of exposure exist.

Attendants are required to:

• Remain outside the permit space during entry operations unless relieved by another authorized attendant;
• Perform non-entry rescues when specified by the employer's rescue procedure;
• Know existing and potential hazards, including information on the mode of exposure, signs or symptoms, consequences and physiological effects;
• Maintain communication with and keep an accurate account of those workers entering the permit space;
• Order evacuation of the permit space when:
  • A prohibited condition exists;
  • A worker shows signs of physiological effects of hazard exposure;
  • An emergency outside the confined space exists; and
  • The attendant cannot effectively and safely perform required duties.
• Summon rescue and other services during an emergency;
• Ensure that unauthorized people stay away from permit spaces or exit immediately if they have entered the permit space;
• Inform authorized entrants and the entry supervisor if any unauthorized person enters the permit space; and
• Perform no other duties that interfere with the attendant's primary duties.

Entry Supervisors are required to:

• Know space hazards including information on the mode of exposure, signs or symptoms and consequences;
• Verify emergency plans and specified entry conditions such as permits, tests, procedures and equipment before allowing entry;
• Terminate entry and cancel permits when entry operations are completed or if a new condition exists;
• Verify that rescue services are available and that the means for summoning them are operable;
• Take appropriate measures to remove unauthorized entrants; and
• Ensure that entry operations remain consistent with the entry permit and that acceptable entry conditions are maintained.

This can depend on the area where the project is and the PAL levels. Best Practice recommendations are:

• Minimum of 150 gallons of water on site, with pump and hose.
• Round Point Shovel
• Pulaski
• 5 Gallon backpack pump
• Fully charged Fire Extinguisher
• Dedicated Fire Patrol personnel

Many of our customers require WEAP (Worker Environmental Awareness Program) training at the start of every project, and throughout its duration. This training provides our employees the important information relative to the environment and/or cultural artifacts within and around the project area. For example, the protected wildlife species or protected plant species around the area are discussed so that our employees can work safely.

Yes, we're very familiar with writing fire plans that address your mitigation, prevention and suppression efforts.

This varies from carrier to carrier. Check with your insurance provider to see if having a 24/7 standby fire resource will help reduce your insurance premiums costs.

Yes, we support many of our clients projects located within or adjacent to National Forest land.

Project Activity Levels are determined by the National Forests. They specifically dictate what types of work and suppression efforts are needed to continue working safely during elevated weather conditions in the National Forests.

Variances can be obtained by submitting a variance form to the responsible jurisdiction. Upon submission, the USFS Fire Chief will review and may grant a variance after review of multiple factors and criteria involved.

California Public Resources Code, Sec. 4428

• No person, except any member of an emergency crew or except the driver or owner of any service vehicle owned or operated by or for, or operated under contract with, a publicly or privately owned utility, which is used in the construction, operation, removal, or repair of the property or facilities of such utility when engaged in emergency operations, shall use or operate any vehicle, machine, tool or equipment powered by an internal combustion engine operated on hydrocarbon fuels, in any industrial operation located on or near any forest, brush, or grass-covered land between April 1 and December 1 of any year, or at any other time when ground litter and vegetation will sustain combustion permitting the spread of fire, without providing and maintaining, for firefighting purposes only, suitable and serviceable tools in the amounts, manner and location prescribed in this section.
• (a) On any such operation a sealed box of tools shall be located, within the operating area, at a point accessible in the event of fire. This fire toolbox shall contain: one backpack pump-type fire extinguisher filled with water, two axes, two McLeod fire tools, and a sufficient number of shovels so that each employee at the operation can be equipped to fight fire.
• (b) One or more serviceable chainsaws of three and one-half or more horsepower with a cutting bar 20 inches in length or longer shall be immediately available within the operating area, or, in the alternative, a full set of timber-felling tools shall be located in the fire toolbox, including one crosscut falling saw six feet in length, one double-bit ax with a 36-inch handle, one sledge hammer or maul with a head weight of six, or more, pounds and handle length of 32 inches, or more, and not less than two falling wedges.
• (c) Each rail speeder and passenger vehicle, used on such operation shall be equipped with one shovel and one ax, and any other vehicle used on the operation shall be equipped with one shovel. Each tractor used in such operation shall be equipped with one shovel.
• (d) As used in this section:
  • "Vehicle" means a device by which any person or property may be propelled, moved, or drawn over any land surface, excepting a device moved by human power or used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks.
  • "Passenger vehicle" means a vehicle which is self-propelled and which is designed for carrying not more than 10 persons including the driver, and which is used or maintained for the transportation of persons, but does not include any motortruck or truck tractor.

Capstone is compliant with Senate bill AB-2380

Please visit https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB2380 for the most up to date information on this Senate bill.

We do not normally provide a private homeowner with an engine and personnel as a resource during a wildfire emergency; however, it is considered on a case-by-case basis.

We do have a program that allows for engine(s) to be retained throughout the wildfire season. Certain parameters must be met and contracts must be in place prior to the wildfire season starting.

Upon dispatch from your Insurance carrier we are hired to perform the following tasks:

• Assess and triage your property.
• Take photos and document property condition in accordance with Insurance carrier requirements.
• Take immediate mitigation efforts by wetting down wood piles, pulling outdoor patio cushions, removing propane tanks, and light vegetation removal to assist with defensible space.
• If property is in imminent danger, they would apply a foam, gel or long-term retardant product.

• Gel and/or foam is usually applied directly to a structure. Its efficacy usually lasts 2-48 hours depending on weather and fire conditions.
• Long Term Fire Retardant is usually applied to vegetation to create a 20'-50' perimeter around the structure and ingress/egress areas may also be treated. Its efficacy usually lasts 4-6 months or upon receiving 1/2" of rain or more.

No, we do not cut down trees. We may remove limbs as an effort of mitigation for defensible space.

Yes, local authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) is the primary responder during the incident.

Yes, Capstone engines are capable of drafting water from a pool, a pond, or a reservoir for use if necessary.

We recommend consulting resources on wildfire preparedness and defensible space. Please speak with a Capstone Account Manager for additional resources specific to your location and property type.

Capstone can augment your current ERT so you can easily keep specialized employees working on their primary tasks, where they are needed the most. Capstone can augment project support in addition to emergency response. Capstone is also trained in highly specific scenarios regarding HazMat, Flammable liquids and Confined Space Rescue, where your ERT may have gaps.

To support our Industrial Fire customers, our Industrial Fire Brigade firefighters are trained on Advanced Flammable Liquid Industrial Response course held at TEEX, Texas A&M Engineering University.

Capstone supplies Type 2/3, Type 6, and Type 7 fire engines that meet and/or exceed NWCG typing guidelines.

Zodiac, similar to those used by Navy Seals.

Capstone uses primarily CMC Rescue equipment and SCOTT rebreathers. All equipment is tested and maintained per NFPA and OSHA regulations. We have rescue trailers and light rescue trucks outfitted with state-of-the-art gear.

Capstone can provide ventilation for small spaces, depending on the needs of the project and the spaces being entered. Ventilation is usually provided by the contractor for larger spaces.

To augment our current clients services, we regularly offer the following training courses for their employees:

• Confined Space Awareness Training
• Fire Extinguisher Training
• CPR & AED Training

For additional training services, please speak with a Capstone Account Manager on specific course offerings. We have developed health and safety programs for various companies and trained their employees for certification in these areas.