Firehouse Magazine, April 2005
TI in RIT
By Jonathan Bastian
Twelve months ago, this column addressed the topic of search and rescue. The training tips and ideas concentrated on searching for civilian victims; this month, we concentrate on finding firefighters.
The development, planning, training and stand-by use of rapid intervention teams (RITs) has increased dramatically in recent years. Proper RIT planning and training includes determining what tools should be available to the RIT. One of these tools is the thermal imager (TI).
Essentials
The January issue of Firehouse magazine included an article about a trapped Los Angeles County firefighter who was successfully located and evacuated with the assistance of a TI. Background noise and smoke prevented the RIT from hearing the firefighter’s PASS device or seeing his handlight. The article indicated that the TI was a major factor in the success of the RIT. This situation shows why a TI should be a mandatory tool for every RIT.
Key considerations for TI use during RIT deployment are:
- Determine who will carry the TI and use it. While the most likely scenario is having the RIT officer or RIT chief use the TI, it is important to train within your RIT system to ensure that this approach is feasible and is the best option for your department.
- As with civilian search efforts, firefighters must look for key shapes to help them identify humans. For the RIT seeking a missing firefighter, two of the most likely visual identifiers are the SCBA cylinder and the fire helmet.
- If the firefighter in need is completely covered by debris, the TI will probably not help locate him. The RIT will have to utilize traditional search techniques, possibly moving debris prior to searching an area. The TI will, however, still be helpful to the RIT in guiding its members more safely through the structure and helping them identify debris piles that require additional investigation.
- Protective clothing can absorb significantly more heat than civilian clothing, so the relative temperature of the firefighter in need could be much higher than temperatures normally encountered with civilian victims. A firefighter could appear as white or light gray on the TI display.
- TIs only return a semblance of sight to the RIT. There are limitations to a TI, so a firefighter in need still must rely on the basics for guiding the RIT to his position: give a “mayday” on the radio with his location and situation, activate his PASS, make noise with a tool and activate any handlights available.
Practice Makes Perfect
The TI can be an important tool for RIT operations. As this column has emphasized before, proficiency demands regular use, and regular practice can help firefighters avoid over-reliance. As with any other TI drill, to ensure solid skills, it is important that firefighters know how to perform their required tasks with and without the aid of a TI. It is also important to conduct drills where the TI is “lost” at some point, verifying that firefighters can continue with their assignment even if they lose the TI.
During RIT drills, firefighters should train to look for key visual indicators of a firefighter who is down. By dressing a rescue dummy in firefighting gear, or by having a firefighter wear his gear during the drill, TI users can practice looking for unique shapes. As with other searches, remember that shape is usually more important than the shade of gray seen on the TI display. The SCBA tank, SCBA facepiece and fire helmet are unique shapes that clearly indicate a firefighter. The bulky clothing, gloves or boots of a firefighter also should be easy to identify with practice.
During drills, begin by ensuring the RIT will be able to see one of the obvious visual indicators of a firefighter down (SCBA or helmet). As firefighters master this skill, start covering parts of the downed firefighter to ensure that they can detect a downed crew member if only his arms or boots are visible to the TI. These drills will emphasize the importance of shape in identifying a firefighter. As firefighters gain comfort in identifying forms and shapes, instructors can introduce drills that involve loss of the TI, forcing firefighters to rely on traditional search efforts.
Table Talk
Once standard operating guidelines (SOGs) have successfully incorporated the TI into RIT operations, spend 15 minutes at the kitchen table reviewing the applicable SOGs. Ensure that each member is familiar with the specific assignments, including who carries and uses the TI. If there is a separate TI SOG, review it as well to verify that members know operational procedures, battery change procedures and emergency procedures in the event of equipment failure.
Final Report
When determining your department’s needs for thermal imagers, as well as the placement of the TIs, do not forget the need for a TI on the RIT. A properly deployed TI can help the RIT move through the structure faster and safer, while also helping them find the firefighter in need more rapidly. Regular practice with and without the TI during RIT drills will ensure that your firefighters are able to operate under different conditions, even after a possible equipment failure. By cultivating a high skill level with the TI, your RIT team should succeed more quickly, should they ever be deployed at a real RIT incident.
For additional discussions on RIT usage of a TI, visit the Technology section of Firehouse.com.
While the shape of an arm and torso is apparent, the most obvious indicator that there is a firefighter pinned is the shape of the SCBA cylinder. The cylinder and the fire helmet (especially a traditional fire helmet) are the two most obvious forms that help a RIT identify a firefighter.
The TI can help a RIT officer supervise the removal of a trapped firefighter. Here, the officer can see that the fire to the left is significantly heating the rescuers. One rescuer is not only standing, but is missing his helmet.
Sometimes, debris may completely obscure a firefighter from the TI. In these situations, traditional search skills become paramount. In this image, a firefighter is trapped within the debris pile. While the TI does not identify the firefighter, it does identify an area requiring additional search by traditional means.
For Firehouse.com
In the April issue of Firehouse, the thermal imaging training article addressed TI usage with rapid intervention teams. Once departments commit to deploying TIs with their RITs, they must identify how the tool will be carried by the team. This is an important decision that requires significant trial-and-error, as well as customization to individual systems and situations.
Most departments have recognized that a RIT must consist of at least three firefighters. Some fire departments are blessed with more manpower than others, and may be able to assign an entire 6-man truck or squad company as RIT. Others might use an engine, or even a combination of companies, to establish the RIT. The RIT should have an officer; some areas actually assign a chief to act as RIT Sector should deployment be necessary. Some departments are splitting their RITs into a search team and a rescue team. In short, there are a number of ways to form a RIT.
There are several advantages to placing the TI with different RIT members. Consider placing the TI with:
- The lead firefighter in the RIT. He will be able to guide the team more quickly through the structure and possibly identify the firefighter in need earlier. Be aware that the “lead man” role may result in one member advancing faster than the rest of the team. This can also foster over-reliance on the TI, so members must be careful to maintain orientation in the structure through other means.
- The RIT officer. This officer can supervise the team’s deployment as well as their search efforts. Once the firefighter in need is located, the officer can supervise any extrication efforts. The negative is that the officer usually trails the company members, so the other members must advance without the advantage of the TI. In extremely chaotic situations, it may be difficult for the officer to orally communicate what he sees on the TI display with the RIT members.
- The RIT chief. Placement with the RIT chief offers many of the advantages of the RIT officer scenario, with the added advantage that a chief will not be involved in the rescue operation itself. As a result, he can scan the vicinity to look for various danger signs (pre-flashover conditions; compromised structural members; etc.).
- The “search team” of a RIT. With a TI, the search team can move more quickly and more safely to find the firefighter in need faster. The disadvantage is that the rescue team may not have a TI to assist them in reaching the search team. Also, once the search team has to exit the structure, it will likely leave the TI with the rescue team, and therefore be forced to exit “blind.”
As with many other operations in the fire service, there is not an easy answer to, “who carries the TI?” It is important that you try a number of combinations with your RIT system to see which method is most comfortable and most likely to succeed in your operations.
Also consider what companies actually carry TIs. For example, if the TIs are assigned to truck companies, but you always use engines or squads as the RITs, then how will the RIT acquire a TI? If your TIs are on the squads, and your RIT system calls for the fourth arriving company to be the RIT, how does the second truck get a TI? Does the squad give up its TI, or do you adjust the system?
Take the time now to consider TI deployment during RIT operations. Ensure that the RIT system and your TI deployment and assignments are coordinated; make any adjustments needed. By taking this time now, you can avoid dealing with incompatible demands during an actual RIT deployment.
Hopefully, you will never have to deploy your RIT. But if you do, make sure it has a solid, tested plan on using TIs during the incident.
Use your TI often, wisely and safely.