RIT Training House

[DCCHam]

My department along with our neighbouring department have acquired an old vacant farmhouse for training and are in the process of setting this place up for a combined RIT crew between the two departments. We are going to be re-enforcing the steps to the upstairs bedrooms, cleaning out all carpets, loose plaster and the majority of combustibles. We will be boarding the windows over as well as installing 5/8 sheetrock to two rooms that will house burn barrels to create a thermal layer inside the dwelling along with smoke. We also use our smoke machine (battle fogger) to help "smoke" the rest of the house up.

I'm just wondering if there's any "tricks of the trade" that we could further do to help make this a better training house. We use the house now for our SCBA search training just using the battle fogger for smoke, but we'll be also using it now with "live" heat for RIT training along with TIC training.

Any suggestions at all are appreciated.

[len1582]

If you're going to be using burn barrels with real fire, think about having a real RIT team standing by with a line. Things happen.
If there's more than one entrance have the RIT team use a different one once and a while, or even a window. Pretty soon everyone will know the layout so try to change it. Ten steps in, turn left, there's the steps can get boring.
Many FF's get trapped in wire fron suspended ceilings. Have your victom tangled and see who has wire cutters with them to free him. A few dollars buys a roll you can get alot of uses from.

[fireresq55]

Some great RIC tools that I have used to teach surrounding
depts. are:

1- construct a portable "wire box". A simple 4' wide by like 10' long box, with nothing but cris-crossing wires. This way, when you are working searches, you can have your team crawl through it.

2- Make some "breach holes". Get your axe, and make a cut in a wall as if you were going to breach it to the other side. Don't displace the 2x4. This way, your teams can get familiar with the diferent techniques used to get through these small openings. Also, you can make your RIC crews crawl through them during an activation search, so they get a bit more disoriented. You can cover them up and change them around when not it use.

3- Create some basic 4' high walls that are movable. You can move them around and connect them to keep changing the layout of the interior. These also come in handy when doing such drills as the Denver Drill.

4- If you have a second story. Create an opening in the floor to simulate a FF falling through, and thus having to practice the Nance Drill. It's best if you can put a small door on hinges, this way you can close it when not in use, and people can still crawl over it.

Hope this helps.

bryan

[rmiller32]

The City of Fairfax Fire Department in Virginia has had a RIT house for the past two years. In 2003 we acquired the two story house and built it out with every potential type of RIT evolution you can think of. We have trained close to 500 firefighters over this time. I will be glad to send you photos and a written overview of our program. It is the best tool we have had in long time. Our department has had a SCBA Maze trailer for close to 25 years. The RIT house has far surpassed the Maze trailer in providing training. We are constructing a new fire training center this year and our fire chief has instructed me to find a way to build a new RIT house at our center. We plan to build a stick built type two story house to be home to the RIT training. If any one would like to come and see our house, please call:

Richard Miller, Training Captain
City of Fairfax
Fire Department
Fairfax VA 22030
703-385-7940

[Bones42]

Using "burn barrels"? I suggest reviewing 1403 as a start.

"boarding the windows" and burning anything don't equal a great idea in my mind.

[fddd160]

Board up windows so that they may be opened in emergency or as part of drill for ventilation. The windows boarded where they cannot be opened is not safe while buring is going on.

[DCCHam]

Sorry....I should have worded that better.....we plan to have the windows boarded, but on hinges to allow them to swing open of course. The burn barrels are only used for TIC training and RIT, when we require a thermal layer, there's charged lines advanced inside the house with firefighter's assigned to these lines and they control the fire in the barrel. As well, we use a "real" RIT team on standby outside at all times in case anything should go wrong. Safety is always our top priority.

We use our smoke machine alone the majority of the time, the windows are boarded (hinged) to cut down the amount of light let in along with to keep the "fake" smoke inside.

Thanks 'rmiller32', i'd be interested in any information that you'd care to pass on. I'm also looking for any plans that you (or anybody else) may have on SCBA trailers. We have one now, but we want to renovate it to better suit our needs. You can e-mail me at kaptk@ns.sympatico.ca

Thanks

[Firefighter2230]

And daniel said let there be the use of a search feature these might help you with the ideas for a SCBA maze.

Idea

idea 2

and another

and so on

and so on

and the last one

hope that helps DCCHam

[doughesson]

From the stupid human tricks file,a local training officer with the city was caught sending some new guys into the live burn building with no officer to show them the way and no engine hooked to a hydrant,only a 1 3/4" line going in with them.
No wonder my department doesn't want us applying to the city as FFs.

Originally posted by Bones42
Using "burn barrels"? I suggest reviewing 1403 as a start.

"boarding the windows" and burning anything don't equal a great idea in my mind.

[captjab]

Some models that I use for our department RIT training. I built a wall out of 2x4's and placed wires of different gauge from the top plate to the bottom plate. I also placed in different areas some construced false ceiling tiles. When the FF crawls by the area, the wall (on pully's) is lowered on to him, thus trapping the FF from advancing or retreating. The FF has to either cut or snake his way out of the wires and tiles. It simulates both drop ceiling and above wire's dropping down on the FF. The wall can be raised back for the next FF. Keep in mind the wall will have to be re-wired and tiles replaced, this only takes about 15 min.

[doughesson]

Kentucky has a trailer with crawlways in it and they have a rope rig like that that they use to hang up on your SCBA and make you worm your way out.It's on a frame and is low enough to be used as an underhouse crawlspace.It can be lowered by hand when needed.
I took the FF Survival and Rescue classes recently and while still in pain from a past injury at my"real"job,I learned a lot from it.
Mainly that all hope is never lost when you get stuck.There is ALWAYS something that you can do to get yourself out.

Originally posted by captjab
Some models that I use for our department RIT training. I built a wall out of 2x4's and placed wires of different gauge from the top plate to the bottom plate. I also placed in different areas some construced false ceiling tiles. When the FF crawls by the area, the wall (on pully's) is lowered on to him, thus trapping the FF from advancing or retreating. The FF has to either cut or snake his way out of the wires and tiles. It simulates both drop ceiling and above wire's dropping down on the FF. The wall can be raised back for the next FF. Keep in mind the wall will have to be re-wired and tiles replaced, this only takes about 15 min.

[KCrescue1]

http://www.kcmo.org/fire/Last.wmv

Here is L.A.S.T training with my department.

[lexfd5]

Food for thought from: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/wp-solutions/2005-102/
NIOSH Publication No. 2005-102:
Preventing Deaths and Injuries to Fire Fighters during Live-Fire Training in Acquired Structures
(not the entire document just highlights)
Case 1:
A volunteer fire fighter (the victim) died and two other fire fighters were injured during a live-fire training exercise in a two-story duplex. The victim and another fire fighter played the role of trapped fire fighters under a table on the second floor. The victim did not have any formal training, and the other fire fighter had been with the department for about 1 year. A burn barrel on the second floor was not producing enough smoke, so the instructor lit a second flare to ignite a foam mattress sleeper sofa next to the stairs on the first floor. The fire rapidly progressed up the stairway, trapping the fire fighters on the second floor. The trapped fire fighters were recovered from their original position and removed from the structure. The victim was unresponsive, and advanced life-saving procedures were initiated en route to the local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The cause of death was listed as asphyxia due to smoke inhalation [NIOSH 2001].

Site Set Up

* Ensure that the acquired structure is adequate and safe to be used for live-fire training. Use Appendix B of NFPA 1403 as a checklist for pre-burn planning, building preparation, and pre-burn/post-burn procedures.

Do not allow anyone to play the role of victim inside the structure during live-fire training

These are just some highlights from the above link.

The department I am with and some neighboring departments used an acquired hotel to run RIT training. We used wax paper in the face peice to obscure vision, IMHO smoke would have made it easier to see LOL. By not using smoke others were able to observe each other and learn by each other's mistakes.

Some other food for thought while using live fire exercises:

NY Training Officer Charged in
Firefighter's Death at Drill

Published:
Thursday,
February 7, 2002

Author: Ken Little,
Courtesy: Observer-Dispatch

UTICA -- A former Lairdsville Fire Department officer is charged with second-degree manslaughter for setting a fire in a training exercise last year that burned out of control and killed a 19-year-old trainee, authorities said.

Alan G. Baird III, 30, of West South Street, Westmoreland, recklessly caused Bradley Golden’s death last Sept. 25 in Westmoreland by igniting a fire in the abandoned building at 7355 Route 5 where the drill took place, according to an Oneida County grand jury indictment unsealed Wednesday.

______________________________ ______________________________ ___
Baird Gets 5-Year Probation, Must Not Asssociate With Fire Departments

KELLY HASSETT
Courtesy of The Observer-Dispatch Utica, NY

UTICA, NY -- Alan G. Baird III must spend 75 days in jail and avoid contact with any fire department under a five-year term of probation in connection with last year�s death of firefighter trainee Bradley Golden, a judge said Monday.

Baird was sentenced by Oneida County Court Judge Michael L. Dwyer to serve the first 75 days of his sentence for criminally negligent homicide in Oneida County Jail, and is prohibited from working for or having contact with any fire department.
______________________________ ______________________________ ____

Just be careful while you train and remember there are alternatives to live fire that are just as effective.

[mayday12]

i have seen one in georgetown, texas that had a simulated collapse room, this was a great idea and very effective. they bascally just trashed out one room with junk like sheetrock and furniture underteath, then hung wireing and a/c ducts and everything you would find in a house, it is very realistic!

[revisw]

When I went to RIT training they had a hole in the floor setup from 1st floor to basement. We simulated a fireman falling through the floor. You must be able to secure this hole so no one accidently falls through.