While talking with a friend from the Framingham, MA, Fire Department recently, the topic of rapid-intervention team (RIT) operations came up. It seems that the more that you talk about RIT, the more issues, questions and interpretations arise. A few interesting and certainly debatable topics emerged.
One of the eternal questions about RIT operations is, “Can the incident commander (IC) use the on-scene RIT firefighters for assignments other than RIT operations?” My answer: Yes. Is that something that you want to do? No. Is there a risk that the RIT might be needed to assist or rescue a firefighter at the same moment that they are deployed to a non-RIT activity? Yes. So, where does this leave us? Let’s look at a few specific situations for an answer.
Anticipate the need
Let’s say that you are commanding a structural fire in a two-family, attached, frame building. You already deployed your two engines to get the first line in operation and supplied. Your truck company has a search team who are working above the first-floor fire in the involved occupancy. You have a single engine that’s on scene, with three firefighters as your RIT. Dispatch contacts you via radio and informs that they received a call from the attached dwelling, and there might be victims who are trapped on the second floor. Can you send the RIT engine into the attached dwelling to make a search for the reported victims? My answer: Absolutely. You have a reported civilian life hazard, and you have three available firefighters to handle it. That’s easy.
Now, what about the RIT assignment? There is no RIT to handle any possible firefighter emergency. You immediately must call for a replacement RIT.
Remember, there is no firefighter emergency at this time. That is only a possibility. However, there is a civilian life hazard that must be addressed; you can’t allow a civilian victim who is inside of a burning building to wait for a rescue team so that you can keep your RIT available for a potential firefighter rescue.
What if there is a mayday, and the RIT is rescuing a civilian? There are several options. You can contact the truck that is searching the fire building and quickly redeploy some or all of them to the mayday situation. You can contact the original RIT to ascertain whether they completed their search; if they did, they can be redeployed to the mayday situation.
What activities or decisions could an IC make earlier in the operation that might make handling this situation easier?
The problem that’s at hand at this fire simply is that there aren’t enough firefighters to handle all of the jobs that must be completed. One of the best ways to avoid running out of firefighters is to call for reinforcements early. Early actually means before you need them. Successful chiefs call for more help early. If the IC who is at the incident that we are discussing requested either an additional engine or an additional engine and truck to the scene after deploying the on-scene companies, he/she would have an available unit to assign to the search for the civilians. That would have left the RIT immediately available for the firefighter rescue.
I know that some of you are thinking about how you don’t have several companies to use at your fires. Although that might be true, it doesn’t change a thing. If you might need to call mutual aid, do it. If your next-in companies are a good distance away, that doesn’t eliminate them from assisting you. It just means that you need to call them sooner.
If you have companies that are available in your department, don’t make them listen to the fire on the radio. Call them in and use them or have them standing by for sudden situations that might develop. If your fire chief says don’t use the last engine or two, so they can be available for another fire, that’s fine. You still must call someone. Getting more help to the scene of a working fire should be the easiest thing that you do the day of a fire, not the most difficult.
John J. Salka Jr. | Battalion Chief
JOHN J. SALKA JR., who is a Firehouse contributing editor, retired as a battalion chief with FDNY, serving as commander of the 18th battalion in the Bronx. Salka has instructed at several FDNY training programs, including the department’s Probationary Firefighters School, Captains Management Program and Battalion Chiefs Command Course. He conducts training programs at national and local conferences and has been recognized for his firefighter survival course, “Get Out Alive.” Salka co-authored the FDNY Engine Company Operations manual and wrote the book "First In, Last Out–Leadership Lessons From the New York Fire Department." He also operates Fire Command Training, which is a New York-based fire service training and consulting firm.
