RAPID INTERVENTION COMPANIES: THE FIREFIGHTER`S LIFE INSURANCE
BY JIM CLINE, Ed.D.
At 12:30 a.m. on June 24, 1994, firefighters in Boston, Massachusetts, responded to a fire involving a vacant warehouse on a pier in the Charleston section of Boston harbor. At the height of the fire, more than 200 firefighters fought the fire on land and from the water. During the fire, the incident commander was informed that two firefighters were missing. He designated a ladder company to search for the missing firefighters in the warehouse.
Using the hoseline of the missing firefighters as a guide, Lieutenant Steve Mineham and Firefighter Kenneth Callow of Ladder Company 15 began a search for the two firefighters. When they reached the end of the hose, Mineham and Callow had not located the missing men and began backing out of the warehouse. Unfortunately, Mineham became disoriented and was lost in the burning warehouse. Other firefighters made valiant but unsuccessful attempts to locate him. The two originally missing firefighters later were found unconscious and were removed to a local hospital. Mineham`s body was found eight hours later.
This incident illustrates the extreme dangers faced by fire companies designated as “firefighter assist and search teams” or “rapid intervention companies” (RICs).
RICs are used to search, locate, and remove firefighters trapped or lost in a building or area. The company usually is called as part of the assignment on a second or next alarm after the first alarm, depending on the jurisdiction and its dispatching policy. In some areas, a backup company is called on the initial alarm when certain operations are in progress. In underwater operations, for example, when one scuba team enters the water, a backup scuba team is called as a standby company so it can be used for rapid intervention.
RIC OBJECTIVE AND FUNCTIONS
The objective of an RIC should be clear and known to all. The company`s purpose is to locate and rescue trapped or missing firefighters. It has no other purpose and must not get involved with basic firefighting procedures during this very important task. Nothing should deter company members from this assignment, and the members must maintain constant radio contact with the IC during this assignment.
Location. At a fire or emergency, a company (preferably a ladder or rescue company) with sufficient manpower and the essential tools and equipment is designated an RIC and reports to the command post in an area near the IC, except when the fire or emergency is in a high-rise building. In this case, the RIC should be at the operations post on the floor below the fire or emergency. While at the command post with the IC, the officer of the RIC should begin a size-up of the building, noting the location and number of entrances and exits, fire escapes, horizontal exits, access stairs, and any other information that may be useful during a search-and-removal or recovery operation. In some situations, building or floor maps may be available for review prior to entering the structure or area. If a problem should develop, the IC can provide the RIC officer with important information about the last known location of the firefighters in need of assistance, the best way into the building or area, and other pertinent information.
Equipment. An RIC reporting to the IC should have full protective equipment, self-contained breathing apparatus, an extra air bottle per firefighter, portable radios, PASS devices, door chocks, flashlights, life belts, rescue rope, and a guide rope. The guide rope should have markers to identify distance. These markers, usually knots, occur at set distances between markers–a knot every 10 feet, for example. Small knots signify entry and larger knots exit. The knots are placed next to each other and help the firefighters determine whether they are entering or exiting the area, depending on which knot is first, should they become disoriented during the search. If the RIC has adequate manpower, breathing apparatus for the missing firefighters can be made available.
When specialized equipment such as infrared cameras and sound-sensitive equipment is available, it may be used to help locate trapped or injured firefighters. Many rescue units carry this equipment; team members must know how to operate the equipment. When rescue companies are available, their experience with and knowledge of search techniques and specialized equipment should not be overlooked.
Search techniques. Companies designated as RICs should be familiar with specialized group or team search techniques. The method used will depend on the size and complexity of the building or area involved. For small areas, the general search method of Right In/Right Out or Left In/Left Out can be used, with one firefighter always remaining at the door for safety. In larger areas, the team approach using a guide rope tied to a substantial object can be used. A pattern of sweeping the floor with an arm, leg, or tool as the team moves forward is usually employed. Small forays away from the guide rope or hoseline may be possible ( use your personal rope), but voice contact must be maintained to provide continuity for the team. The markers on the guide rope will serve as an indication of how far into the building the team has traveled.
Before entering. It is very important that the IC assign the task of keeping a time check on firefighters operating in the search area. Limitations of the SCBA and stress on the firefighters should be considered and provisions made for manpower rotation and rest periods.
The RIC officer may specify a tool assignment at a roll call; or in the case of volunteer or on-call departments, tools may be assigned when the company is designated as an RIC. During the search, communications between the RIC officer and firefighters may be more efficient if firefighters are called by their assignment, such as the “roof man,” or search position number rather than by their name. This method helps to maintain contact with each firefighter during the search and avoid confusion when firefighters have similar names. Constant verbal contact is essential for safety and maintaining the confidence of the team during this dangerous assignment.
Prior to entering the building or area, the RIC officer should review the mission of the RIC and provide the following information: the number of firefighters missing, their unit number and last known location, the entrance used by the firefighters, their path into the fire area, problems in the building or area, the search technique that will be used, and the communication procedures.
Communication. Before operating, RIC team members must place their portable radios on a separate frequency to the IC; this frequency will be the rescue channel during the search. No other communication should be permitted on this frequency during this very important operation. In high-rise buildings, subway tunnels and other difficult locations, a relay communication system from the RIC to the IC may have to be established.
Entering the building/area. Before doing so, the RIC officer will perform a final check of the firefighters` protective equipment, tools, and radio frequency and then don an SCBA and enter the building or area with the team members.
When the team is in the building or area, team members should attempt to locate a second exit as they begin a search in the fire area. Should conditions begin to change, they then would be able to withdraw from the area and not become part of the problem.
RIC members should examine the floor below the fire for the missing firefighters; in some recent cases, firefighters fell through the floor and became trapped below the fire. If the fire originated in the basement or cellar and floors collapsed, firefighters may be found trapped between stock or in water from the hoselines.
During a search, some problems may hamper the RIC. Some examples of such problems and basic corrective actions that may resolve them follow.
RICs IMPROVE FIREFIGHTER SAFETY
In the past few years, many firefighters have been seriously injured or killed fighting “routine” fires. Although an RIC may not have prevented all the injuries and deaths, the availability of an RIC on the scene may have been effective in some of these incidents. Some of the factors implicated in the incidents causing these firefighter injuries and deaths and pertinent comments are given below.
Conditions deteriorated rapidly. This expression generally is used when a routine fire gets out of control and endangers the lives of firefighters. The old adage to expect the unexpected sometimes is forgotten, and complacency becomes the order of the day. Continual training is essential in preventing injuries and fatalities to firefighters.
Poor communication on the fireground. In some cases, the IC was prevented from receiving important information concerning the fire or emergency. When the information finally was received, the fire had gained considerable headway and trapped some firefighters. Having an RIC at the command post provides an additional resource for communication and rescue.
Improper size-up. Inexperienced officers failed to properly size up a fire. Here again, complacency may be a factor when officers fail to consider all the possibilities in their size-up. What appears to be routine or minor from the outside can give officers a false sense of security. The building`s type, construction, contents, use, and age should be considered before rushing in and operating.
Failure to follow basic safe fire principles. Basic principles include operating with sufficient manpower on the scene, not passing fire without a hoseline in place and operating, having a second way out of the fire area, and not entering a large area without a rope or hoseline.
Failure to listen carefully to other units on the scene. It is extremely important to comprehend the possibility of the following situations: water problems that endanger units operating above the fire, delays in response of additional fire companies, structural concerns, and other factors that may affect the safety of the firefighters.
Failure of officers and firefighters to use their self-contained breathing apparatus. They may wear them, but they don`t always use them during fire operations–a dangerous practice. When a problem develops, they may not be able to properly don the face piece or may be overcome by toxic gases present in the atmosphere.
Failure to identify possible problems during fire preplanning or familiarization visits. This factor has led to many firefighter injuries and deaths. The major renovation continues to be a concern to the fire officer. Conditions that may exist in a building after a renovation may make the building more prone to collapse or rapid fire development without the firefighter`s being aware of the problem.
Energy-efficient windows. These windows have increased the number of serious fires and created new problems for firefighters, including delaying the detection of the fire, making it difficult to locate the fire from the exterior, causing a high heat build-up in the fire apartment and adjacent apartments, increasing the potential for flashover and backdraft, making it difficult to vent the double-pane glass, creating a severe smoke condition with the generation of carbon monoxide at the smoldering stage, and limiting the time for searching. Failing to consider the impact of energy-efficient windows at fires has caused firefighters to be injured when conditions changed suddenly.
Failure to detect secondary fires and firefighters going above a fire without knowing it. In cases of arson, this problem may not be readily observed because a fire on a lower floor may be smaller or less noticeable than a fire on the upper floor that is venting out front windows and attracts the most attention. These conditions have caused firefighters to become trapped.
Failure to have a secondary means of egress on the fire floor or the floor above the fire. Securing another way out of the fire area is often not done and therefore jeopardizes firefighters` lives.
Some fire companies do not have PASS devices or their firefighters do not activate them when entering the fire area. This omission makes locating fallen firefighters very difficult and sometimes impossible during fire and smoke conditions.
Freelancing. Firefighters who freelance during fires and emergencies without their officer or the IC knowing of their presence on a floor or within a building or area haveled to some very unfortunate results for some firefighters. When freelancing firefighters become trapped, the IC is unaware of their predicament and therefore is unable to have an RIC assist them.
Deviating from an IC`s orders to a fire company`s orders. Operating in an area without the IC`s knowledge presents serious problems. When a rescue and search are necessary, the unit`s location is unknown, complicating the rescue.
The success of the RIC operation de-pends on many factors. One of the most important is training before the team is needed. Fire companies should avail themselves of training in vacant buildings, buildings with large floor areas, maze conditions, and unusual problems. There appears to be a need to familiarize firefighters with survival techniques, such as that of saving air in the SCBA by controlling the mind and slowing the respiration rate. This procedure will extend the air supply and buy firefighters more time while escaping from the building or awaiting rescue.
All firefighters should be familiar with the team search method, which can be practiced using guide ropes, hoselines, or similar tools. The method used will depend on the situation encountered. However, experience has demonstrated that time, availability, and training are critical factors and quick deployment is essential.
If a rapid intervention company is put to work, another company must be called to the scene as its replacement. It may be in the best interest of ICs to rethink the duties of companies reporting to the command post while awaiting specific firefighting orders. Furthermore, it is incumbent on the IC to think ahead when calling an RIC–to anticipate delays in response due to distance, weather, location, etc. Units at the scene and not working should realize they may be called on to serve as the RIC at a moment`s notice. Bringing the proper tools and equipment to the command post for even the small routine fire may save a firefighter from injury and death. n
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The incident commander briefs a rapid intervention company at an incident. It is imperative that the company stage near the IC and be used exclusively for the purpose for which it was organized. (Photo by Robert Cobb.)
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JIM CLINE, Ed.D., is a faculty consultant with Thomas Edison State College and Rutgers University and a captain with the City of New York (NY) Fire Department. He is a consultant to the fire service and industry and has a doctorate from New York University.
