Georgetown Fire Department Standard Operating Guidelines

Transcription

1 Purpose The purpose of this guideline is to identify a course of action that will provide a systematic search and rescue process for a lost or trapped firefighter. I. Introduction A. Rescue of lost or trapped firefighters in a IDLH atmosphere is a critically time sensitive event. An immediate and well organized search and rescue response must be implemented. B. Personnel accountability and company integrity must be maintained during the rescue of a lost or trapped firefighter. Only the Incident Commander or the designated Branch/Rescue supervisor will authorize the search deployments for a lost or trapped firefighter. C. Firefighter rescue will generally fall into two categories: 1. A firefighter is trapped by a collapse 2. A firefighter is lost within an IDLH atmosphere D. With both categories, the IC should consider a roll call after the Mayday announcement and ascertain a PAR from each company to verify exact fire ground accountability. II. Firefighter Trapped by Collapse A. The alert phrase "Mayday" should be used by firefighter trapped by a collapse. This procedure should be activated by the trapped firefighter immediately upon being trapped. The alert phrase "Mayday" shall be repeated three times followed by the UCAN report: Unit-Conditions- Assessment-Needs. For example, " Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, this is Firefighter Smith from Engine 4, I am trapped by a collapse on the third floor in the Charlie-Delta Corner, I am in heavy smoke conditions and need immediate assistance". Other actions the trapped firefighter should consider include: Page 1 of 5

2 1. Activate PASS 2. Preserve Air Supply and use control breathing techniques 3. Create noise to assist in the search 4. Use flashlights to attract attention 5. Activate Emergency Button on portable radio if radio communications are not possible B. Any structural collapse will prompt the IC to follow SOG 304 (Firefighter Evacuation) as well. If a known Mayday is occurring, this SOG will take priority. If no Mayday is reported after a collapse, the IC will refer to SOG 304 to immediate withdrawal all personnel. C. Upon receiving the Mayday, the IC should immediately alert the FAST to respond to the trapped firefighter. The IC should consider the following: 1. Request additional alarms 2. Consider additional EMS units or Medical Helicopter 3. Assure a Rescue Group or FAST Supervisor is identified 4. Move all firefighting operations to another radio channel in order to minimize radio traffic. The radio channel for search and rescue must stay on the same assigned channel as the trapped firefighter. 5. Continue Fire Attack operations to include a. Fire confinement b. Additional Ventilation c. Additional Lighting 6. Establishing additional FAST for Rescue teams D. Any fire ground personnel witnessing a building collapse with known firefighter entrapment can self initiate a Mayday for the trapped firefighter(s). This is an important time saving option and precise details need to be communicated to the IC. E. The IC or the Designated Search Officer (FAST Group Supervisor or Rescue Group/Branch) will coordinate the search efforts. Close coordination and control should be maintained in an effort to eliminate duplication of searches, maximize search efforts, and keep fire ground accountability during this emotional and chaotic event. Page 2 of 5

3 F. When searching for the trapped firefighter, consider the following to aid in the search and rescue efforts: 1. Knowledge of Building and trapped Firefighter location 2. Monitor Radio for additional information 3. Follow attack lines into the collapse area 4. Listen for shouts and noises 5. Use Thermal Imaging 6. Use other technology such as PAK tracker 7. During search efforts, make sure all extrication tools and spare SCBA are available. 8. Search Lines III. Lost Firefighter A. Lost firefighters in a building pose a different search and rescue problem as the search area can be substantially larger than a collapse area. B. Firefighting efforts should not be abandoned to find the missing firefighter. Fire extinguishment and increased ventilation efforts could have a positive impact on the rescue effort. C. Maintaining radio communication with the lost firefighter is critical to the rescue mission. D. Firefighters who find themselves lost and have a radio should use the Mayday procedure. This procedure should be activated by the lost firefighter immediately upon being lost or disoriented. The alert phrase "Mayday" shall be repeated three times followed by the UCAN report: Unit-Conditions-Assessment-Needs. For example, " Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, this is Firefighter Smith from Engine 4, I am lost on the third floor, I am in heavy smoke conditions and need immediate assistance". Other actions the lost firefighter should consider includes: 1. Activate PASS Page 3 of 5

4 2. Preserve Air Supply and use control breathing techniques 3. Create noise to assist in the search 4. Use flashlights to attract attention 5. Attempt to find a window or exterior door 6. Activate Emergency Button on portable radio if radio communications are not possible 7. Attempt to breach walls if conditions are not tenable E. Company Officers who cannot find a team member AND the team member will not answer their radio, the Company Officer shall radio the IC and issue a Mayday for the missing Firefighter. For Example, "Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, this is E4 Captain, I do not have a PAR for Firefighter Smith. Last seen location was on the third floor in heavy smoke conditions." F. Upon receiving the Mayday, the IC should immediately alert the FAST to respond to the lost firefighter. The IC should consider the following: 1. Request additional alarms 2. Consider additional EMS units or Medical Helicopter 3. Assure a Rescue Group or FAST Supervisor is identified 4. Move all firefighting operations to another radio channel in order to minimize radio traffic. The radio channel for search and rescue must stay on the same assigned channel as the lost firefighter. 5. Continue Fire Attack operations to include a. Fire confinement b. Additional Ventilation c. Additional Lighting 6. Establishing additional FAST for Rescue teams G. The IC or the Designated Search Officer (FAST Group Supervisor or Rescue Group/Branch) will coordinate the search efforts. Close coordination and control should be maintained in an effort to eliminate duplication of searches, maximize search efforts, and keep fire ground accountability during this emotional and chaotic event. Page 4 of 5

5 H. When searching for the lost firefighter, consider the following to aid in the search and rescue efforts: 1. Knowledge of Building and the last known Firefighter location 2. Monitor Radio for additional information 3. Follow attack lines 4. Listen for shouts and noises 5. Use Thermal Imaging 6. Use other technology such as PAK tracker 7. During search efforts, make sure all extrication tools and spare SCBA are available. 8. Search Lines Page 5 of 5