I've talked about RIT in the past, but today I am going to discuss drills and techniques concerning rapid intervention team response. The Benjamin Franklin quote about prevention versus cure is easily applicable to the fire service. Practice like you play. RIT is not easy. In order to extricate one downed firefighter from a hazardous situation, multiple firefighters are required, divided into teams all with specific purposes.
This is a great review on how RIT should be established with important key points. As well, it gives examples of drills to practice RIT skills. It shows that RIT drills do not always requires a lot of equipment or special considerations, and it also tests firefighter skills in other areas.
If you are dispatched as a RIT team, do you have key components in place to consider once you arrive on scene? RIT is preparing for the worst; you need to have a mental checksheet to know that everything is in place in case the worst were to happen. Is everything crossed off? RIT is a lot more than just bringing hand tools and a TIC and staging on scene. You constantly have to be aware of the situation surrounding you and recognizing hazards.
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Benjamin Franklin. What the hell does that even mean? Train. If we train, we can PREVENT the situation from getting worse. Firefighting is dangerous, people. It is always going to be dangerous. We can only prepare ourselves for the situation and keep our skills consistent and sharp enough to evaluate each situation and respond accordingly. Athletes practice daily. Responding to emergencies and performing rescues have a lot more variables than a sporting event, so why shouldn't we keep ourselves prepared?
I found some great training videos to consider for RIT. This video looks at the technique of converting the air supply and harness. It establishes that the firefighter has an air supply, and that the SCBA waist belt can be used as a harness to assist in dragging the firefighter, while also providing control of the SCBA that the firefighter is wearing. Imagine for a minute that they aren't in an open bay, but in a dark, cramped hallway. This extrication doesn't look easy to begin with, and now you're in cramped quarters. You and your crew are trying to manipulate this in much less space, and now it is going to be a lot darker, plus your adrenaline/emotions will be running high. See why we train? We can't create the moment as its going to be. Entanglements and obstacles can be thrown at you, PASS devices can be going off all over the place, but it won't create the scene as it will be when you actually have to implement RIT (or any skill really). But training can help you prepare. You can learn your strengths and weaknesses. Better to make mistakes while training rather than during the real deal. Everyone goes home.
There are drills that challenge a firefighter in more constrained environments and require more exertion. These include the Denver Drill and the Pittsburgh Drill. These exercises were developed in response to past mistakes. And they are extremely useful teaching tools and well-known throughout the nation. Both drills show how extricating a firefighter is a team effort and a process. The Denver Drill requires firefighters to maneuver through cramped spaces and lift the downed firefighter through a window. The Pittsburgh Drill has a variety of obstacles-a small wall breach, an A frame up and over, and a tube to navigate through with the downed firefighter at the end. The firefighter is low on air and entangled, so the firefighters need to extrication him from the entanglements and put him on an alternate air supply. After that, along with him being packaged, the team goes back through the obstacles with the downed firefighter. It really tests your skills. While props are involved with these drills, it isn't anything too extensive and should be fairly easy to obtain. Again, RIT uses skills that you need for other aspects of firefighting. These drills help you develop these so that hopefully when you use the skills-whether it be for RIT or in another situation-you are able to effectively apply them to the situation.. It's all about surviving.
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