ON FIRE | by MICHAEL N. CIAMPO
As one year ends and another begins, many firefighters can look back and say they experienced something they never had before and learned something at that incident. Most of these situations were handled properly and safely because of our training and tactical choices. However, many of these difficult emergencies may not have gone so right or we weren’t properly prepared for them. Many firefighters may have been scrambling to come up with a solution to solve the problem. So, in hindsight, do we do enough preparation by training and have the proper equipment for serving the communities we’re sworn to protect?
Life-Saving Rope
In the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), we’re very fortunate to have every company—that’s right, every engine, truck, rescue, and squad—equipped with a life-saving rope (LSR). In addition, all members are being trained on a new kernmantle life-saving rope (KLSR), carrying bag, associated hardware, and procedures to use the equipment. It’s a very large task to train the entire FDNY, but it’s being done so we’re all on the same page and we can continue to save lives with this system.
Many of you might be asking why a rope is needed in your smaller departments. It’s important for you to look at your response district for any buildings taller than the reach of your aerial device, built on large grades, or with no rear access for apparatus or portable ladders or complexes with large, enclosed shafts or courtyards where the aerial won’t reach.
Another thing to think about is, how are you responding into and covering larger metropolitan areas where there are different types of structures that aren’t your bread-and-butter 2½-story private dwellings? Are you ready to respond to the 24-story high-rise residential building when somebody is hanging out the window and cut off from the exit by fire conditions? What’s your game plan now?
We just can’t say, “Let’s bring our rope bag up there,” without any clue of what we’re going to perform. Once you reach the floor above, are you prepared to locate a tie-off point for the rope to begin the rescue operation? One idea is to place one or two six-foot hooks across the bottom span of the door frame to act as anchors if the construction features allow it. If an available member is in the vicinity, he should place his boot on the hook to ensure it doesn’t move. Another option is to punch a hole through the wall and secure the substantial object knot to anchor the rope system. When you’re doing either of these tactics, try to ensure the rope remains in line with the descent point for a safer operation.
You’ll also have to know which knots, hardware, and life belts you’ll be using to perform this operation prior to winging it! As you prepare to exit the window, don’t forget to place the anti-chaffing device over the edge of the window frame/sill or edge of the roof’s wall. Doing so will ensure the rope doesn’t get frayed or cut on a sharp spot, which could jeopardize the rope’s strength, and possibly avoids a catastrophic event from occurring.
As the member being lowered is descending, verbal communication with the victims must be ongoing. Remind them to stay in the window and not to lunge for the firefighter. When you approach them, know where you should stop, usually about shoulder to shoulder. Next, have the victim wrap his arms around your neck and his legs around your waist; hold him in a bear hug while being lowered. There are some departments that use other systems to secure the victim or remove an unconscious victim using the LSR; just ensure that whatever you do use, you know how to use it properly!
It’s very important to remember that you aren’t going to lower the victim all the way to the ground in a high-rise building. You just need to ensure there’s access on the floor below so you can pull him in. Removing the window should be your first priority. Don’t smash the glass out. Glass is sharp and can cut or slice a rope with a load on it, causing it to fail.
At some structures that aren’t so high, you might be able to lower the victim right to the ground if that’s your best choice. Perform a diligent size-up of the conditions when choosing the final destination.
Although you’re focused on the rescue, keep in mind that conditions can change inside the fire apartment. If the engine company is applying water, you may not have to perform the rope rescue. The firefighter at the window may be able to keep the victim sheltered in place until there is a sufficient knockdown, after which you can remove the victim through the interior of the building.
You must practice with rope and associated lowering and anchoring hardware regularly. Each week, FDNY units repack the ropes, and you can be sure many of those doing the repacking go over the knots, talking about situations that can occur and practicing the evolution.
The most recent rope rescue had a very irregular situation: The victim had an arm wedged in a child guard window safety device. A firefighter was lowered with a halligan to bend the guard and release the victim’s arm, while another firefighter picked her up with the rope he was on. Sure, this may have been an unusual event, but with repetitive training, the rescue was still able to be performed.
The preferred methods of removing victims from a building are using the interior stairs, horizontal exits, fire escapes, and ladders. The LSR is our last resort. All firefighters must know how and when to put this tactic into operation under difficult circumstances. The last thing we want to look like is a “dope on the rope.”
MICHAEL N. CIAMPO is a 37-year veteran of the fire service and a lieutenant in the Fire Department of New York. Previously, he served with the District of Columbia Fire Department. He has a bachelor’s degree in fire science from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. He is the lead instructor for the FDIC International Truck Essentials H.O.T. program. He wrote the Ladders and Ventilation chapters for Fire Engineering’s Handbook for Firefighter I and II (Fire Engineering, 2009) and the Bread and Butter Portable Ladders DVD and is featured in “Training Minutes” truck company videos.
