Rapid Intervention Teams: Saving Their Own

Rapid intervention teams (RITs) represent the most important function implemented on the fireground: a group of firefighters going in and saving one of their own. This group is going to keep us from creating another statistic. However, being a part of this team is usually the job that most firefighters hate; they feel that they are “out of the game” and not a factor on the fireground. With this attitude, is the RIT prepared, in the right mind-set, and ready to go if the catastrophic event of a down member occurs?

The fire service has many thoughts regarding the RIT’s role while operating on an incident scene. Some feel that members need to be masked up so they are ready to deploy at a moment’s notice. However, are they really ready if they are wearing their masks and the masks become fogged up while waiting, reducing their visibility? Are they able to see what is going on around them and conduct a continuous size-up? The RIT can perform limited fireground functions while still maintaining the sole purpose of being ready to rescue a down firefighter.

We can draw a line in the sand over what the RIT can and cannot perform so that members are still ready to act. With this readiness comes the energy needed to execute a plan in the event of a down firefighter. This readiness also includes your typical staffing levels at a working incident and tailoring the RIT duties to them. Some departments have multiple three- or four-person companies responding to these incidents, and it may not be important to have the RIT perform other duties. For other departments, it is vital to have the RIT perform other responsibilities to ensure the safety of the personnel at the incident. In a world where the short-staffed department is becoming a reality in most places, it is important to get the most in performance from all crews operating on the fireground. My department is currently staffed with two-person companies; although it is not the most advantageous staffing model, it is what we have to work with.

(1) Placing ladders for egress at upper levels where work is being performed is vital for firefighter safety. Notice that the aerial is in staging, ready to be deployed to any third-floor window should personnel wander into this area and have an issue. There are also ladders placed to the second-floor windows where operations are occurring. Notice that several of the ground ladders are placed with the tips extending into the windows. Although it is excellent to have ladders in place for egress, any personnel needing to exit in a hurry will be hindered by the tip placement. Remember, the tip of the ground ladder should be placed at the sill or slightly below it for rapid egress. <i>(Photos by author.)</i>
(1) Placing ladders for egress at upper levels where work is being performed is vital for firefighter safety. Notice that the aerial is in staging, ready to be deployed to any third-floor window should personnel wander into this area and have an issue. There are also ladders placed to the second-floor windows where operations are occurring. Notice that several of the ground ladders are placed with the tips extending into the windows. Although it is excellent to have ladders in place for egress, any personnel needing to exit in a hurry will be hindered by the tip placement. Remember, the tip of the ground ladder should be placed at the sill or slightly below it for rapid egress. (Photos by author.)

Size-Up

One key job that needs to be completed on arrival is the RIT size-up by the RIT group supervisor. Just as the incident commander’s (IC’s) size-up sets the tempo for the fireground operation, the RIT size-up sets the tempo for the RIT’s tasks and shows key points if a Mayday is called. Building construction and layout, fire location, firefighter access points, additional egress points, and hazards are just some of the important information that the RIT will gain. Additionally, the RIT size-up will determine if one RIT can handle the situation because of the structure’s layout and overall size. From here, the RIT needs to keep an eye on the structure continuously; just as the IC is constantly sizing up the incident, the RIT must also do the same. Also, it is just as important for the RIT members to perform a 360° check of the incident as it is for the RIT supervisor. This will allow everyone to know what is going on and to understand the potential if a Mayday occurs.

Equipment

What equipment does a RIT need to operate? As you know, this depends on multiple factors such as building construction, type of building, and so on. However, the RIT tarp should function similarly to having squad or truck company equipment laid out for deployment; everything that you may need at this incident to rescue a down firefighter should be there. The tarp’s purpose is for rapid deployment because, in the event of a Mayday, the incident is already spiraling downward, and seconds matter.

In addition to staging the equipment, make sure that it works. How many times do crews just place equipment on the tarp and never touch it again until they need it or put it away? This is a key area of the RIT: equipment staging and readiness.

More Key Tasks

Looking past the size-up and equipment staging and readiness, what other key tasks can the RIT complete? One is deploying ground ladders to all upper-level windows. This provides multiple egress points for personnel and may prevent a Mayday from occurring. Another is deploying a backup attack line. The Mayday to which you respond may be the result of the first hoseline’s having been burned through.

Other tasks include monitoring the radio channels, removing bars or covers from windows to make them accessible, or (for nighttime incidents) setting up lighting at the rear of the structure to prevent falls (RITs do not necessarily need to set it, but they should make sure not to overlook it). The key here is that the RIT should not get caught up in these other duties because it may need to be able to deploy at a second’s notice.

(2) It is important for the RIT to have the equipment it needs laid out and ready for deployment. Here, the RIT is deploying for a collapse with an equipment request for air bags to lift the debris.
(2) It is important for the RIT to have the equipment it needs laid out and ready for deployment. Here, the RIT is deploying for a collapse with an equipment request for air bags to lift the debris.

Typically, there is a minimum of four personnel on a RIT. Two of them may be standing by the tarp, monitoring the radio channels and watching the operation while the other two are throwing ground ladders or removing the bars from the windows, and so on.

Following is an example of potential RIT tasks: At a working basement fire, the third-due engine is assigned as the “two-out” until the arrival of additional units to establish a full-blown RIT. These two personnel, while performing their size-up, controlled the natural gas utility, forced a window for ventilation for the fire attack crew, and removed covers from the basement windows for access. All of these tasks were safety based toward keeping personnel out of harm’s way-even for ventilation. The crew members did not get caught up in performing ventilation; they popped the window that needed to be popped (as coordinated with the attack crew) as they were going about their duties. They were finding out what they could do to make the fireground safer for the crews operating on it so that they did not have to perform their most critical task.

The RIT is not just about rescuing down firefighters; it is on scene for the overall safety of the personnel. Just as we perform fire prevention tasks to prevent fires, the RIT can take actions on incident scenes that prevent a Mayday. That ground ladder to an upper-floor window on side Charlie that the disoriented firefighter found and used to escape safely without needing to call a Mayday was a rescue for the RIT.

We need to look past the point of the RIT just standing around waiting for a down firefighter Mayday and get the team ready to prevent these situations in the first place. The more the RIT feels part of the operation, the better the members will function (should they need to do so). Additionally, it keeps their situational awareness at a high level and assists with continuous size-up. A proactive RIT helps work toward keeping firefighters safe and better prepares them to be a reactive RIT.

ADAM A. HOPKINS is a 16-year fire service veteran and a battalion chief with the Hagerstown (MD) Fire Department. He is also a Maryland state-certified instructor with the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute, a technician with the Washington County (MD) Special Operations Team, an operator with the Hancock (MD) Fire Company, and an assistant chief with the Long Meadow (MD) Volunteer Fire Company. Hopkins has a bachelor of science degree in fire science/fire service management from the University of Maryland University College and has more than 28 national certifications including fire officer IV, incident safety officer, hazardous materials technician, and on-scene incident commander as well as several in the rescue technician area.

“Saving Our Own “: learning from the past
SAVING OUR OWN : TECHNIQUES FOR FIREFIGHTER RESCUES
SAVING OUR OWN : DESIGNING A FIREFIGHTER SURVIVAL TRAINING AID

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