It takes more than four firefighters to rescue one of our own
During my second reading of the April 1998 issue of Fire Engineering, I noted that photo 8 on top of page 18 of Training Notebook (“Saving Our Own: Removing a Downed Firefighter from a Tight Room and Window”) shows five firefighters removing a downed firefighter. A sixth firefighter could also be considered, assuming the rescuer inside has a “buddy.”
Photos in many articles lately have illustrated that a four-member rapid intervention team (RIT) is not adequate. Officers who have a hard time justifying the four-member RIT team`s doing nothing just need to look at the staffing needed to rescue one of our own.
Also, this situation points out that additional planning and preplanning are needed when establishing and implementing policy on this very important topic. If we cannot get proper staffing levels for first-in attack, let us all start addressing resources to rescue our own. We deserve that much.
Kevin Endres
Lieutenant
Tuscola (IL) Fire Department
