This month’s firefighter near-miss topic is “Mayday Command.” The featured report identifies the need to maintain a rapid intervention team (RIT) during the final phases of extinguishment. Fighting a fire is a dynamic activity. Many of the safety elements are predictable if all of the suppression factors are known. One of the strategies used to address the unknown is to assign a RIT. A RIT is the element that tips the “unpredictable” scale in the favor of a fireground commander. This reserve of fresh personnel and equipment may mean the difference in a successful outcome if you hear the words “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday” over the radio.
“We proceeded to a bedroom where the fire damage was significant in search of hot spots. One crew member ascended a scuttle-hole ladder in an adjacent bedroom to better assess the attic space, while the rest of us began accessing the ceiling with pike poles. I momentarily walked to the hall doorway to acquire a PAR when I heard a tremendous noise behind me. Turning, I saw a large pile of debris consisting of heavy roof material in the center of the room where we were operating. One firefighter was against an interior wall with no sign of the second. The firefighter against the wall cried out that the ceiling had fallen on a team member. A mayday call was immediately transmitted…”
Managing a Mayday operation requires coordination of effort and advanced planning throughout the incident. Eventually, the incident will progress to the overhaul stage. When the conditions change, crews are reassigned to accomplish these new tasks. The RIT must stay in place to protect these crews. In the case of this report, the RIT maintained their assignment to protect firefighters still operating in the structure. After reading this week’s report (http://bit.ly/wZLIcj), consider the following discussion points.
- Do the policies for your department define the duties of a rapid intervention team?
- If you were the firefighter trapped in this report, would your crew have sufficient equipment and training to activate the mayday and remove you from this collapse?
- Do you and/or your crew need to train more on Mayday-related skills [search, extrication, Location Unit Name Assignment Resources (LUNAR) report, etc.]? If so, make plans to do so this month.
- As a general practice, at what point during fire operations is the RIT released for reassignment in your department?
- Take a moment to discuss with the crew the last Mayday call you have heard about.
Has an incident involving a Mayday changed the course of your career? Send your report in to www.firefighternearmiss.com today so that everyone goes home tomorrow.
Note: The questions posed by the reviewers are designed to generate discussion and thought in the name of promoting firefighter safety. They are not intended to pass judgment on the actions and performance of individuals in the reports.
