BY WALTER LEWIS
Since the early 1900s, firefighter rescue teams have been prepared to rescue our own. As the years passed, their popularity became more commonplace in the fire service. Teams of instructors helped create fantastic programs that brought low-tech, easy-to-perform maneuvers to the forefront of the training arena, and rapid intervention teams (RITs) everywhere have benefited. All of these offer options for when the worst-case scenario arises.
The following is another option to consider. Members of the Orlando (FL) Fire Department’s heavy rescue company developed it to help remove a downed firefighter from the ground floor or a basement in situations where you have limited access, personnel, and equipment. It is not feasible for second-floor rescues.
This applies to the “unconscious downed firefighter” scenario. Once the downed firefighter is located, quickly check the emergency bypass valve. This gives the most likely indication of whether the victim’s main problem is biological (i.e., heart attack, stroke, heat related, and so on) or mechanical [out of air, self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) malfunction, and so on]. In the case of the SCBA emergency, an air exchange or buddy breathing tether operation should be done, based on the necessary solution and your department’s SCBA capabilities. Radio this information to the RIT Command officer (who might not be the incident commander) as you silence the PASS device. This will allow for better communication between rescuers and reduce some of the situational tension.
Once you discover the victim, the lone rescuer drags the victim to the entry window for removal (photo 1). In this case, we will consider the scenario in which there is room for only one rescuer.
| (1) Photos by author. |
Once at the window area, the rescuer places the victim face down with his head toward the window (photo 2). Then the rescuer places his right foot between the victim’s legs, as high up as possible, and his left foot about hip level to the victim so the rescuer can crouch slightly over the victim.
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With the left hand, the rescuer grabs the top of the victim’s SCBA bottle as his right hand grabs the bottle’s neck area (photo 3). The rescuer lifts the victim up and then rocks backward to bring the victim up to his knees (photos 4-5).
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The rescuer should be careful not to pull just the top of the victim’s SCBA backward; this will cause the victim to bend backward instead of being lifted onto his knees and likely cause injury and delay the removal (photo 6).
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The rescuer can also bring the victim up on his knees by grasping the lower end sides of the SCBA, anchoring the victim’s feet and pulling back (photo 7). The rescuer’s feet must be placed so that they create the leverage needed to bring the hips up and allow the downed firefighter to rock backward. This technique is especially useful when the downed firefighter has not used his SCBA waist strap.
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The rescuer then summons the straight ladder, which is placed through the window, preferably butt end first (photo 8). If the tip end is used, the victim’s knees may push the roof hooks downward, causing the hooks to get hung up at the windowsill.
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The rescuer then places the victim on the ladder, face down. If possible, the rescuer should put one or both of the victim’s arms onto the ladder to prevent them from hanging freely and catching on anything when being removed and to help keep the ladder rungs from compressing the victim’s airway (photos 9-10).
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When directed, outside firefighters grab the ladder and use it as a lever, pulling down (photo 11). The rescuer can also assist by grabbing the end of the ladder and lifting as the other members pull downward. Once the ladder is level, it can be slid out of the window (photo 12). The rescuer should watch for the victim’s arms or items on the front of the victim’s coat that may be hanging through the ladder (photo 13).
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Once outside, the ladder can be used to bring the victim to an appropriate area for treatment (photo 14). If the rescuer used the buddy breathing tether, he should disconnect or exit as the victim is removed. Air transfill from the rescuer to the victim or a separate RIT air source such as a RIT air pack is the ideal choice if the victim is out of air instead of a shared airline from rescuer to victim. If other firefighters in the area need to be rescued, repeat this procedure each time it is needed.
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As noted above, this operation works only with ground-level and basement rescues. With personnel limited to three or four firefighters and by using only a straight or roof ladder for a mechanical advantage, you can rapidly remove an unconscious firefighter using this tactic.
WALTER LEWIS, a 20-year veteran of the fire service, has served the past 15 years with the Orlando (FL) Fire Department, where he is assigned as a covering officer.
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