NRFPD

Purpose

The Nestucca Fire District responds to incidents that present an unusually high risk to firefighter safety. This guideline is intended to increase the overall level of safety for fire responders by identifying the requirements for and operation of Rapid Intervention Teams (RIT) at emergency incidents.

Scope

The RIT Guideline is created to provide the District with a viable, consistent means of identifying the requirements for and operation of RIT.

Responsibility

It shall be the responsibility of the Fire Chief, or the District Board of Directors, or their designee, to ensure the guideline is administered in a fair and consistent fashion.

Procedure

Federal and State OSHA regulations require the designation of a back up entry team whenever personnel are engaged in hazardous atmosphere incidents.

The objective of RIT is to have fully equipped rescue teams to immediately react and respond to rescue injured or trapped firefighters or civilians.

During an emergency, when it is learned that members are in trouble in the hazard area, there is a tendency for everyone to want to assist. The result is a non-coordinated rescue effort with communications difficulties. RIT are designed to be immediately available to the incident commander for the purpose of personnel rescue.

This procedure shall be implemented at all incidents where fire district personnel are subject to hazards that would immediately be dangerous to life and/or health in the event of an equipment failure, sudden change of conditions, or mishap.

Examples of where the RIT may be used are:

• structure fires
• hazardous materials incidents
• entrapment
• MVA’s (motor vehicle accidents)
• farm accidents
• silo or liquid tank accidents
• collapse of any structures above ground or accessible with little risk
• any situation that Nestucca Fire District members are trained to handle

The Incident Commander will designate RIT members at the incident. Additional RIT members may be added due to the size or complexity of the incident.

The RIT shall consist of at least two members (preferably four equipped with a radio and other necessary equipment) and shall be immediately available for the rescue of firefighters. All members will be in a ready state, including full protective clothing and SCBA, or whatever PPE and equipment that Nestucca Fire District personnel are trained to handle. The RIT must be able to react immediately to a sudden emergency event at the incident site.

Required Equipment:
The following equipment should be assembled and ready for immediate use by the RIT:

• SCBA donned; face pieces ready to be donned
• Portable radios (including 1 for victim)
• Rescue air supply bag
• Flathead axe and Halligan tool
• Portable hand lamps
• 150’ guide rope
• Hose line

Each rescue situation will be different and may require specialized equipment. Keep in mind that you may need any combination of the following: distributor nozzles, piercing nozzles, come alongs, chains, high rise jacks, sledge hammers, ladders, hand and power saws, luminescent lights, utility straps or webbing, hydraulic jacks, and a Hurst tool with attachments. The list of possibilities is only limited to your situational needs.

Briefing and Recon:
When assigned to a RIT, members shall report to the IC, or designated supervisor, for a briefing on the incident. This briefing should include such information as location and assignments of crews and building information.

The RIT members should continually size-up the building and/or other incident scene for changing conditions. Particular attention should be paid to the location of entrances and exits, access stairs, and water supply sources. The type and location of specialized equipment (i.e., hose, ladders, air bags, extrication equipment, cribbing, jacks, ropes, lighting, power saws, etc.) and other relevant information. The RIT shall request permission from the IC, or designated supervisor, to conduct reconnaissance of the incident scene that is not visible from the command post or another assigned location. Accountability must be maintained during all reconnaissance activities.

Missing personnel:
The RIT should be available for immediate life threatening situations, such as a firefighter trapped, injured, unaccounted for, or other critical situations. An absent member of any crew will automatically be assumed lost or trapped until otherwise determined to be safe.

Company officers must immediately report any absent members to their supervisor, who in turn must immediately report to the Incident Commander.

The Incident Commander must then initiate an immediate roll call. Command officers should consider loss of radio contact as a crew in trouble. The RIT will be sent to the last reported working area of the lost firefighter to begin a search. The Incident Commander must simultaneously adjust on-scene strategies to prioritize search and rescue efforts. During the course of an incident, the Incident Commander may elect to assign the RIT to a tactical function but all members should be immediately available for re-assignment.

The A.W.A.R.E. Principal:
The survival of a trapped firefighter or civilian depends on four critical needs being met:
Air, Water, A Radio, and Extrication. Together, these items form the acronym AWARE. The first two nneds are the most important. First, provide the victim with redundant (primary and secondary) Air supply. Then create a defendable space with Water using hoselines, distributors, or piercing nozzles. With these two needs met, it can buy several hours of extrication time. The next item is to provide A Radio to the victim. Provide a dedicated radio channel to the trapped firefighter and dedicate a person to monitor that channel. This will eliminate the competition for air time. The advantages of A Radio are: the level of consciousness can be constantly monitored and you will know if the victim self rescues. Extrication is the final step. Extrication of the trapped firefighter may take five minutes or several hours to accomplish. If the AWARE principle is followed from the initial report of a trapped firefighter or civilian, the victim will have a good chance of surviving the incident.

Radio designation:
The Incident Commander will assign a radio designation to the RIT. When the RIT begins a rescue mission, it should then be designated by a radio name or number (i.e. RIT). This will prevent confusion and will promote RIT accountability. The assigned RIT members will report directly to the Incident Commander for rescue assignment upon activation.

The single objective of the RIT is to maintain a state of readiness until launched on a rescue mission. The RIT function will continue until the incident has concluded or the Incident Commander determines that the RIt is no longer needed on the incident.