A Course Designed to Save Firefighters Lives. Firefighter Survival Course2 Course Introduction Instructors –B/C Forest Reeder –Lt. Mike Grazian –FF/PM

A Course Designed to Save Firefighters Lives

Firefighter Survival Course 2

Course Introduction

• Instructors– B/C Forest Reeder – Lt. Mike Grazian – FF/PM Ken Brucki

• Program Goals– Orientation to concepts of self rescue and

rapid intervention– Review of actual scenarios– Practical experience– Train the Trainer focus


Course References

• Illinois Fire Service Institute - Saving Our Own Program

• Firefighter Survival - John Sulka, FDNY

• Firefighter Safety and Survival - • USFA / NIOSH / NFPA Reports• Personal Experiences and Case

Studies• Training


Common Factors in Firefighter Fatalities and

Injuries• Lost or separated from team• Hotter Fires• Malfunctioning SCBA• Inactivated PASS device• Lack of knowledge of self-rescue

techniques


Course Objectives• Classroom• Understand the

concepts of self-rescue• Understand the process

of rapid intervention teams

• Understand the responsibilities of the RIT officer and team members

• Identify some of the basic tools required for SR and RIT

• Practical Exercises

• Self-Rescue Techniques

• Size-up for RIT• Rapid

Intervention Scenarios


Self Rescue Concepts• Before Rapid

Intervention even begins, firefighters must posses the ability to begin to remove themselves from mechanisms that have trapped them– Wires– Debris– Occupancy

Hose Slide


Firefighter Rescue Scenarios

Quick exit using hose slide

SCBA onto unconscious FF

Team assistedSelf


Skills Necessary for Self Rescue

• Knowledge of Building Construction• Fire Spread and Fire Behavior• How to Call for Help

– Mayday, Emergency Traffic– Where are you in building

• How to find the FASTEST way out– Turnout gear protects for only seconds in

flashover– Low air means time to get out

• No more primary, secondary or firefighting operations


Personal EquipmentSuggested Equipment for Self-

Survival

Should be available to EACH firefighter


Must be able to tie handcuff knot around self or downed firefighter (RIT)


Ladder Bail-out

Was ladder placed for rescue, by RIT, or for ventilation?


Getting into a safe refuge area

FDNY found this most overlooked


Performed with minimum equipment

Firefighter Survival Course 14Cable TV, Phone, Ceiling Support, Flex Duct

$5.00 - $10.00


Firefighter Survival Skills Training• Quarterly review of these lifesaving skills is a

must:– Donning / Doffing of SCBA (Reduced Profile Maneuver)

• Other product specific advanced SCBA techniques; quick fill

– Tying of basic rescue knots• Bowline around self• Handcuff knot

– Activation of RIT • Mayday or Emergency Traffic

– Release from obstructions techniques• Swim Method for wire, use of sidecutters

– Hose direction identification by couplings


17Firefighter Survival Course


Cover of Trapped Firefighter




Rapid Intervention TeamsBasic Concepts

• A function of Command• Assembled in teams of 2 or more• Bring rescue equipment to Command• Perform own size-up of scene• May do other functions as long as

available immediately• Most important assignment given to a

company– Protect and rescue firefighters


Personal Skills Required for RIT Assignment

•Size-up Skills

•Building Construction

•Fire Spread and Behavior

•Communications

•Aggressive “Can-do” spirit

•Use of multiple types of tools and equipment

•Ability to act fast under poor conditions


Team Skills Required for RIT Assignment

• Must be familiar with all aspects of assignment– Fireground is not the place to learn– Preparation in training will begin

process

• Ability to function as a team– Identification of key tasks and

positions


NFPA Requirements for RITNFPA 1500 Firefighter OccupationalHealth and Safety

6-5 Rapid Intervention for Rescue ofMembers

- Provide for rescue of membersoperating at emergency scenes- RIT shall consist of at least two fully

equipped members- Flexible structure based on incident

type- May perform other functions but be

ready for immediate deployment- Expand with size- One crew min. for special operations

NFPA 1561 Incident ManagementSystem

4-1 Incident Command

- Shall provide personnel for therescue of individuals operating atemergency incidents if the needarises. Must consist of at least 2members and be available for rescueof personnel if necessary.


OSHA 2 in / 2 out Compliance

• A Rapid Intervention Team should fulfill the requirements as specified in the 29 CFR Part 1910.134 regulation– A minimum of four individuals is required before

entry into the hazard area (interior operations) may begin• Two of the four must be present and ready outside the

hazard area• Must be identically equipped

– Crews in hazard area must remain in either voice, visual or tethered contact with each other at all times• Radio may not be substituted for direct visual contact


The Beginning of Self-Rescue and RIT

• FDNY and Philadelphia– Found common denominators in

many situations– No quick way to mobilize firefighters

to rescue our own– Many names for RIT

•Firefighter Assist Team, Rapid Intervention Crew, Firefighter Rescue Team, etc.

– Idea is still the same


Case Histories

• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania• Memphis, Tennessee• Denver, Colorado• Columbus, Ohio• Burr Ridge, IL

– Other of note not included in this presentation• Hackensack, NJ• Seattle, WA• Philadelphia, PA• New York, NY Must Know Info.


Case Histories Pittsburgh 3 Firefighters

Killed Three Pittsburgh firefighters died on Feb 14, 1995 died at a dwelling fire after they were unable to escape the interior of a building. All three firefighters were together in one room and had exhausted their air supplies.

- 3 other firefighter were rescued from same room, accountability did not identify all who

were lost.

- All 3 had PASS devices that were not activated

- No RIT available to rescue lost and trapped firefighters


Case HistoriesMemphis High-Rise Kills 2

Firefighters2 Memphis Firefighters will killed on April 11, 1994 in a high-rise fire. Both firefighters died when trapped on the fire floor of this building. 1 firefighter became trapped by cable TV wire which had fallen from the ceiling area and wrapped around his SCBA bottle.

- Both firefighters became separated from each other and ran out of air. PASS devices

were worn but never activated.

- Rescue crews lacked understanding of position of trapped firefighters and crawled right past one member


Case HistoriesDenver Office Fire Kills 1

FirefighterA Denver firefighter was killed on September 28, 1982 when he became trapped inside the structure by the failure of lightweight construction members. Numerous attempts at rescue from a confined space through a window frame were unsuccessful.

- Firefighter was separated from his crew when collapse occurred.

- Rescue crews were unable to assist firefighter through window.

- Limited visibility and victim position were factors in the rescue attempt.


Case HistoriesColumbus Commercial Fire

Kills 1 FirefighterA firefighter was killed when he fell through a hole in the floor of a mixed commercial occupancy on July 25, 1987. This firefighter was located early into his entrapment and despite many heroic efforts to rescue him, firefighters were unable to remove him from the hole he had fallen through.

- Numerous attempts to pull and lift firefighter were unsuccessful

- Self-rescue techniques did not work due to altered mental status

- Crews had to abandon structure with firefighter still trapped inside


Case HistoriesPleasantview Firefighter Killed in

Single Family DwellingOn December 6, 1989, Lt. Joseph Samec died while battling a residential house fire in Burr Ridge, IL. Lt. Samec and his crew tried to rapidly exit the structure due to heavy involvement of the basement when the floor collapsed.

- Rescue attempts included face to face and holding of arms/hands were unsuccessful.

- Lt. Samec breached two walls in his attempt to escape but failed to make the stairs and

was found face down on the staircase.


Case Studies - Summary

• May Joe Samec, John Nance, Mark Langvardt, and the 100 other firefighters who have make the SUPREME SACRAFICE every year rest in peace forever.– Their memory serves as a catalyst for how

and why we train– We must learn for these tragedies and

every “near-miss” that occurs– We must revisit these occurrences as often

as possible


Rapid Intervention TeamsRapid Intervention Teams

• Referenced from NFPA 1500, 1992 Edition

• Now in use nationwide as the ultimate in firefighter life safety procedures

• Provides for the rescue of lost, trapped or injured firefighters

• Allows Command to have outside tasks completed while RIT crew is in the standby mode



• Definition– RIT’s are crews of at least two

members who may be called upon to supply rescue techniques to other firefighters operating a the scene of an emergency. These crews will have at least the same level of training and protective equipment as those operating at the scene.


General Purpose of Rapid Intervention Teams

General Purpose of Rapid Intervention Teams

• Purpose– Provide for the establishment of a

Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) within the Incident Management System• Essential function of COMMAND

– Allows for dedicated company assigned to this function

– Meets current federal and local regulatory requirements

– One of the last industries to apply rescue of our own to work place

» Work Place = Emergency Scene


When to have a Rapid Intervention Team

When to have a Rapid Intervention Team

• Utilized at any time firefighters are at risk– structural firefighting*– hazardous materials response– technical rescue– water rescue or recovery

• *during attack and hazard operations


Objectives of a Rapid Intervention Team

Objectives of a Rapid Intervention Team

• Objectives of RIT– Establish a means of effectively

assisting members suddenly threatened by a dangerous situation at an emergency incident

– Provide a means for the IC to initiate an immediate rescue effort.


Assigning Rapid Intervention Teams

Assigning Rapid Intervention Teams

• Dispatch of Equipment-Assignment to RIT– IC should establish the RIT’S whenever FD

personnel are required to operate under hazardous conditions.

– The composition and structure of RIT should be flexible based on the size and complexity of operations. The IC shall evaluate the situation and risks to operating teams and shall provide more teams commensurate with the needs of the situation

– Some scenes may require the establishment of more than one team• Size of structure or complexity of structure



• In the initial stages of an accident, the RIT shall be either:– On scene personnel designated and

dedicated as RIT– On scene personnel performing other

functions but ready to redeploy to perform RIT functions

• As the incident expands in size or complexity, the RIT’s shall be on scene personnel dedicated to that function


Rapid Intervention TeamsRapid Intervention Teams• Reporting to the Fireground

– Companies designated as RIT will bypass staging, and report directly to the IC

– Companies designated as RIT must park their apparatus so as not to interfere with fireground operations

– Must bring minimum specified equipment and be prepared for immediate entry into incident area if required

– Additional equipment may be required after RIT completes own size-up of scene• Incident Command must supply WHATEVER is

determined to be needed


Rapid Intervention TeamsCommand NotesCommand Notes

Rapid Intervention TeamsCommand NotesCommand Notes

• If used for other tactical assignments, the RIT must be replaced another crew– May be used to secure utilities– Force exit/entry around structure

• Don’t place into position where deployment would be delayed

• If the need for rescue is diminished, the RIT may be assigned to other tasks


Primary Tasks for RIT’sPrimary Tasks for RIT’s• Respond to any firefighter reported in

distress• Assess the need for ground ladders• Monitor radio and maintain contact with IC

for quick response if needed• Assess where ff. personnel are located in the

structure and any special tasks they are performing

• Size up structure, walk building to determine these factors

• Appropriate tools carried by members


Rapid Intervention Team Equipment

• Flat head axe/halligan tool

• Sledge hammer or maul

• Search rope, 150’ minimum

• Portable saws• Hand lights• Ground ladders

• Oxygen/EMS• Portable radios• SCBA complete• SCBA spare

bottles


Equipment NoteEquipment Note

• Key word is RAPID. Don’t overload the personnel. Equipment must be available and RIT’s have priority to use it.– Use pre-arranged bags or kits with

most equipment pre-packed and ready to go.• Saves time when arriving on fireground


RIT Size-up Skills

• Building Dimension– Occupancy– Construction Type– Placement of windows, doors, escapes,

porches, etc.

• Tactics– Offensive, Defensive, Defensive to Offensive– Command Operations in place– Ladders and Truck Operations– Time of Operations

Fire Eng. Jan 1998, R. Lasky, B. Hoff


Equipment - Wood Frame, Heavy Timber, Ordinary

• Pickhead axes and pikes• Circular wood-blade saw• Ventilation chain saw• Halligan and sledgehammer• Search rope• SCBA and extra supply• Charged hoseline• Ground ladders


Equipment - Noncombustible/Fire

Resistive• Halligan bars• Sledgehammers• Circular metal-blade saw• Torches• Search rope• SCBA and extra supply• Charged hoseline• Ground ladders


Other Size-up Considerations

• Check with rehab officer on condition of firefighters

• Check with Safety Officer and compare information

• Relocate or add another RIT• Potential collapse and collapse

area• EMS for the RIT available


RIT Size-up of a Structure

1-36

1-58Command Mode Slide 1


Tips from the “Pros”Radio ChannelPositioning

Using RemoteMicrophones

Carry PersonalEscape System

Feedback of twoportables

Identify exits asyou go

Don’t loose contactwith hose/rope

Everyone shouldhave webbing

Close door over apike pole

Buy wire cuttersand carry them

Learn to tie knots 1handed and blind

Concrete nails forwooden doors

Know couplingdirection

Open nozzle atceiling for drops

Open ceilings asyou go

Practiceaccountability


Special Thanks and Acknowledgements

• All Fallen Firefighters, Their Sprit Lives In Us Forever

• Saving Our Own - Illinois Fire Service Institute• Getting Out Alive - Fire Department New York

City• Firefighter Survival - Phoenix AZ, FDNY• Elgin IL - Regional Fire Academy Firefighter

Survival Program• Illinois Society of Fire Service Instructors• Pleasantview Fire Protection District

Documents

A Course Designed to Save Firefighters Lives. Firefighter Survival Course2 Course Introduction Instructors –B/C Forest Reeder –Lt. Mike Grazian –FF/PM