Size-Up aims to answer which question?

• A. Where is the fire located?
• B. What is the life hazard to civilians and firefighters?
• C. What is the weather forecast for the day?
• D. What is the budget for the response?

Answer: (B)

Size-up focuses on identifying life hazards and prioritizing life safety. When you assess a scene, the core question is what danger to civilians and firefighters exists and how quickly people may become trapped or unable to escape. That understanding drives the highest-priority actions—search and rescue, evacuation, and rapid, safe entry and placement of crews to protect lives. Locating the fire is part of gathering scene information, but the essential purpose of size-up is to gauge where people are at risk and how best to protect them. Weather and budget considerations don’t drive the immediate life-safety decisions being made during size-up.