PHILADELPHIA FIRE DEPARTMENT OPERATIONAL PROCEDURE # 38 DECEMBER, 2001

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1 PHILADELPHIA FIRE DEPARTMENT OPERATIONAL PROCEDURE # 38 SUBJECT: RAPID INTERVENTION TEAM (RIT) 1. PURPOSE The purpose of this Operational Procedure is to define the responsibilities of a Rapid Intervention Team (RIT), and provide guidelines and procedures for the RIT s dispatch and operations. 2. DEFINITIONS 2.1 RAPID INTERVENTION TEAM (RIT) The sole purpose of the RIT is to be immediately available to assist a firefighter who CSN becomes trapped or is in distress. The RIT, which will be an additional ladder company, will be automatically dispatched once "2 and 2" have been placed in service on all Tactical Box or Full Box assignments. Additionally, on special operations such as river emergencies, confirmed confined space rescues, hazardous materials responses, etc., the Incident Commander may request a RIT to respond at any time, if deemed necessary. 2.2 RIT EQUIPMENT All RIT members will have donned SCBA s, with their face masks in the standby position. Firefighters in ladder companies will be assigned RIT tools, in addition to the regularly assigned tools. A SCOTT RIT-PAK tool kit (see Section 5.4.1) will be carried on every ladder apparatus. This tool kit will augment the tools already carried by the ladder company. The RIT should be prepared to quickly go into service with the following equipment: life belts, at least one rope for rescue/guidance (NFPA approved), hand tools for cutting, 2 portable radios, forcible entry tools such as halligan and ax, saw with multi-purpose blade, rabbit tool, hand lights ( sling mode to allow for use of hands), and a Ferno basket stretcher which may be used to carry the RIT equipment to the RIT staging area. If the opportunity permits, RIT equipment may be laid out onto a salvage cover, etc., for easy access and identification. Rescue 1 s listening devices as well as thermal imaging cameras carried by the Haz-Mat Unit, Rescue 1 and the Police Helicopter, can also assist the RIT. 2.3 MAYDAY MAYDAY RADIO TRANSMISSION This term shall be reserved ONLY to report a member who is in distress, lost, trapped, out of air, or down; when a collapse has occurred or is imminent; or where any other circumstance that can seriously injure or kill the firefighter is present. 1

2 OPERATIONAL 2.4 EMERGENCY EVACUATION SIGNAL A signal ordered by the Incident Commander when emergency incident scene conditions dictate the urgent need to order the immediate departure of all members from the area of imminent danger. Once removed from the structure, companies will perform an immediate roll call and report their personnel accountability status to the sector commander/incident Commander. (Refer to Operational Procedure #19, Philadelphia Incident Command System, for additional information.) 3. RESPONSIBILITY 3.1 ALL MEMBERS It will be the responsibility of each member to exercise the appropriate control dictated by his/her rank in the implementation of this operational procedure. 3.2 RIT COMPANY OFFICER The RIT officer will insure that all members of the company are familiar with the duties of the RIT. 4. PROCEDURES 4.1 DISPATCH Fire Communications Center (FCC) will automatically dispatch an additional ladder company as the RIT on all Tactical Box or Full Box assignments, once "2 and 2" have been placed in service. Additionally, on special operations such as river emergencies, confirmed confined space rescues, hazardous materials responses, etc., the Incident Commander may request a RIT to respond at any time, if deemed necessary The RIT will respond at emergency speed Via fire radio, the dispatcher shall notify the assigned unit of its designation as the RIT Via fire radio, the dispatcher shall notify the Incident Commander of the identity of the responding RIT. 2

3 OPERATIONAL If the FCC receives a report from the emergency scene that the RIT has been placed in service to assist a firefighter who becomes trapped or is in distress, the FCC will dispatch an additional ladder company to serve as a RIT, at emergency speed When notified by the Incident Commander that a RIT has been deployed on the fireground, the FCC Supervisor will notify the appropriate Deputy Chief. 4.2 COMMUNICATIONS The RIT will operate on the designated emergency scene frequency and remain in direct contact with the Incident Commander. If deployed, the RIT officer should attempt to establish radio contact with the firefighter in trouble. If this is not possible, the time and place in which the firefighter in distress was last seen should be determined. To limit radio traffic, the Incident Commander may switch the companies on the fireground actively fighting the fire, to another frequency For clarity, emergency scene designation will be RIT followed by the company numbers: i.e., - COMMAND to RIT Although the unit s primary mission is to rescue a trapped or lost firefighter, team members must remember their personal safety is a top priority and proper communications are essential to safe operations. The members included in the search must be in constant communication with the Incident Commander or his/her designate, and provide frequent progress reports on: a. Hazards encountered b. Barriers/obstructions c. Victim location and condition d. Any needs 4.3 MAYDAY - MAYDAY RADIO TRANSMISSION The radio transmission MAYDAY MAYDAY will be used by a lost or trapped firefighter to report his/her status as having an emergency, and in need of an urgent rescue. 3

4 4 OPERATIONAL Any member may use the MAYDAY transmission to report a lost or trapped firefighter. This report should occur as soon as a firefighter perceives that a situation is rapidly developing, which is a direct threat to his/her life or the life of another firefighter. Ideally, the transmission should occur on the fireground frequency, however, the Incident Commander must be aware that circumstances may dictate that the transmission could occur on another channel. Upon receiving this report the Incident Commander shall notify the dispatcher that he has received a MAYDAY report, and if needed, request additional assistance The use of the term MAYDAY will mandate that all other radio transmissions temporarily cease. This allows the firefighter, making the report, adequate airtime to complete his/her transmission without interference, which will allow the needed help to be activated immediately The Incident Commander will make an emergency-scene wide announcement when the MAYDAY emergency is under control. 4.4 EMERGENCY EVACUATION SIGNAL If an evacuation is necessary, the Incident Commander will notify an on-scene fireground apparatus to sound its air horn in continuous sets of 3 blasts. If more than one apparatus is used, the air horns must be synchronized until the Incident Commander is asured that the evacuation is complete. (Due to the size of the building, and as situations dictate, this notification process may have to be repeated multiple times.) Additionally, the Incident Commander will notify all companies on the fireground of the emergency evacuation by making an announcement, twice, on the fireground radio frequencies, i.e., ATTENTION ALL COMPANIES, ATTENTION ALL COMPANIES ON FIREGROUND (GIVE ADDRESS), BY ORDER OF (INCIDENT COMMANDER OR HIS/HER DESIGNATE) URGENT EMERGENCY EVACUATION." All members will leave the area of hazard immediately and individual company roll calls will be conducted at this time. It is imperative that all companies acknowledge the evacuation and take immediate steps to evacuate the area and account for all their members. A suggested location for this roll call would be to have all members return to their apparatus, until all are accounted for. Hydrant Roll Call Slips will be collected. This is a critical component to accountability in that it establishes the number and degree of potentially distressed members. Members absent from roll call must be assumed lost or trapped until accounted for and this information must be reported to the Incident Commander/Sector Officer without delay.

5 OPERATIONAL 5. GUIDELINES 5.1 EMERGENCY SCENE GUIDELINES The RIT must be prepared to go into service at a moment s notice. The RIT s activity at the emergency scene should be consistent with their mission: assisting a firefighter who becomes trapped or is in distress Upon arrival, the RIT officer shall report to the Command Post, unless otherwise directed by the Incident Commander. When directed by the Incident Commander, the RIT officer, accompanied by another member of the RIT, will survey the entire incident scene performing a quick, thorough size-up. To be effective, the RIT has to be proactive, continually sizing up the situation, remaining aware of the location of the firefighters inside the structure and obstacles to potential rescue operations If necessary, the RIT officer will take full advantage of all information about the structure available in the Vital Building Information (VBI) forms and pre-plans. The RIT officer will monitor the fireground radio frequency, note fire conditions and the location of all fire companies, evaluate portable and main ladder placement for firefighter egress, alert the Incident Commander or the Safety Officer to unusual structural features and locate all access points to all sectors of the emergency scene After conferring with the Incident Commander, the RIT officer will establish an area to stage the RIT s equipment. It is important to stage all necessary RIT equipment in an expedient manner. The RIT officer, accompanied by one member of the RIT, may perform the incident scene survey while the remaining RIT members assemble the RIT equipment. Once the incident scene survey has been completed and the RIT s equipment is in place, the entire RIT shall remain near the Command Post, within verbal contact distance, in order for rapid deployment. The RIT officer shall brief all members of the RIT as to the results of his/her incident scene survey The RIT unit shall stand fast ready to take immediate action as directed by the Incident 5

6 Commander. While standing fast, the RIT shall determine the availability and location of aerial, tower, and portable ladders, portable lights, hurst tools, and or other tools and equipment which might be needed to perform Distress duties The RIT shall know the location of EMS personnel at the scene The RIT will operate on the designated emergency scene frequency. Portable radio messages shall be monitored for any indication of members in distress. 6 OPERATIONAL If a RIT is dispatched to a high-rise fire or other large scale operation, the Operations Command Post is the preferred staging location for the RIT The specific Operational Procedures for both Hazardous Materials (OP #2) and Confined Space Rescue (OP #6) already provide for rapid intervention rescue entry teams. Due to the highly technical nature and inherent hazards associated with hazardous materials and confined space rescue operations, federal and state regulations mandate stand-by rescue entry teams with specialized training. These specially trained stand-by rescue entry teams, equipped with appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) are in place whenever entry teams are deployed. Therefore, if the Incident Commander requests a RIT to respond to a confirmed operation for either hazardous materials or confined space rescue, the RIT should report to the Incident Commander for an assignment to support those specialized rescue teams already in place At large-scale or unusual operations, multiple RITs may be requested and positioned at additional locations, as determined by the Incident Commander In the event the Incident Commander receives a report of a firefighter trapped or in distress, the Incident Commander shall brief the RIT officer on the following information: a. The number of missing firefighters and their assigned companies b. Their last known location c. The entrance used by the firefighters d. Their path into the fire area e. Building hazards The RIT will use its numerical company identification when placed into service and shall remain together and work as a complete team whenever possible. The Incident Commander may assign companies, as needed, to assist the RIT. However, the Incident Commander should be aware that it will be the normal reaction of

7 companies at the scene to suspend firefighting activities and begin to try and assist missing members. The Incident Commander should make every attempt to continue firefighting activities while at the same time, assisting the trapped or missing firefighter When the RIT is deployed, the Incident Commander must restructure the strategy and tactics to include a high priority, firefighter, rescue effort. The Incident Commander will establish an additional RIT, create a rescue branch within PICS, and may need to call for additional assistance or an extra alarm. A chief officer will be assigned to oversee the rescue operation. 7 OPERATIONAL Inside the building, the RIT should advance to where the victims were last reported to be located and listen for PASS signals, tapping, cries for help, etc. RIT members must protect against becoming victims themselves If fire is in the search area, back-up teams with charged hoselines must immediately follow the first in rescue team. Rooms should be searched systematically and entranceways marked with chalk indicating areas previously searched When a RIT member reaches a downed firefighter: a. If required, utilize Emergency Breathing Support System (EBSS) b. Turn off member s PASS to facilitate communications c. Provide nature and conditions and a needs assessment to Incident Commander d. Consider any ventilation options to improve conditions The RIT will continue search and rescue operations until the missing or trapped firefighter is located and removed, the RIT is relieved, or the RIT is ordered to abandon the operation The RIT may be released when the fire is declared under control and/or when the Incident Commander feels there is zero risk to the members working at the scene of the incident. 5.2 RESTRICTIONS The RIT may not be used to provide relief for operating units. The Incident Commander should anticipate this need and have units other than the RIT, available for this purpose.

8 5.2.2 The RIT should not be used for firefighting. When the Incident Commander directs the RIT to perform its duties, an additional ladder company shall be dispatched immediately. An engine company may be designated as the RIT pending the arrival of such an additional ladder company. Available RIT equipment may be obtained from the ladder companies already on the emergency scene In the event that high fire activity impacts on the availability of ladder companies, the FCC Supervisor may substitute an engine company as a RIT. The Incident Commander shall be notified of the substitution. 5.3 MISCELLANEOUS OPERATIONAL When a designated RIT performs Distress duties at an operation, the Incident Commander shall forward a detailed report of such duties via the chain of command, to the Deputy Commissioner, Operations If prior to the arrival of the RIT, the Incident Commander determines that a member may need assistance, he/she shall designate any of the following for assistance/rescue: a. Companies in the stand-by position b. Companies who are in the process of taking up their equipment c. Available members, i.e., uncommitted drivers/operators, chief s aides, etc. Once the arriving RIT is placed in service, those individuals or companies shall return to their former duties. 5.4 RIT TOOL KIT (RIT-PAK) Each ladder company has been issued a SCOTT RIT-PAK which will be an integral part of the RIT equipment that is carried to the staging area. The RIT-PAK, which weighs approximately thirty-two (32) lbs. was designed to hold relevant search and rescue equipment in one, easy to carry, cotton/nylon bag. It is critical that all of the equipment contained within the RIT-PAK, including the accompanying hand tools, rescue ropes and guide lines, remain intact as one unit for quick deployment. The below listed equipment shall be contained within the RIT-PAK: a. 1 - SCBA bottle - (1 hour) 8

9 b. 1 - SCBA mask (standard size) c. 1 - SCBA regulator d. 1 - pressure reducer with 20 low pressure hose and fittings for Emergency Breathing Support System (EBSS) with 1 6 extension hose e search and rescue rope with a locking D ring attached f guide lines, with non-locking D rings g. 2 - straps of nylon webbing (16 ft. and 30 ft.) h. hand tools: tin snips, 3 serrated knife, chalk, 4 sprinkler wedges (to be used as door stop), 3 lightsticks, 4-piece small tool set, and 1 multi-tipped screwdriver i Kernmantle rescue rope, 9 mm j. 2-5 Kernmantle rescue rope sections, 7 mm k. RIT checklist packet. 5.5 REFERENCES Operational Procedure #2 - Hazardous Materials Operational Procedure #19 Philadelphia Incident Command System Operational Procedure #33 High Rise Procedure Directive #42 Fire Department Communications IFSTA Manual, Essentials of Firefighting, 4 th edition, Chapter 7 OPERATIONAL PFD IFSTA Supplement Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus, section Scott Air-Pak training video and accompanying instructions for operation of the Emergency Breathing Support System (EBSS) NFPA 1500 Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program (Chapter 2, section 6.5) 9

10 BY ORDER OF THE FIRE COMMISSIONER 10