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There has been much discussion regarding staffing. Most fire departments are operating with two or three personnel on each piece of apparatus. Most departments are now deploying one team at the scene for rapid intervention. Most fire personnel weigh between two hundred and two hundred and fifty pounds with full PPE and SCBA. Do you really believe that this team of two or three firefighters will search and then retrieve the downed personnel?

The first issue at the scene of a MAYDAY is scene size-up. Is the building still tenable? What is the size of the building and where are the firefighter’s located? Is the fire under control? Is the RIT leader experienced and mature enough to say no-if the scenario dictates?

The main concern for a RIT operation is time. If the incapacitated firefighter/s have run out of air then the absolute time line is 4 minutes. After that time period you will be recovering a body. Can the RIT team reach them in time and can they “hot change” their SCBA? Have they performed this type of operation before with blacked out face pieces and a clock running including the period of search? Have the RIT teams practiced together as a unit so that they function as one effective and efficient unit with little or no communications?

What drills have you practiced? Does your department utilize a “Mother” rope with tag lines? Can your RIT team switch to large area search techniques when needed? What tools are part of your departmental SOPs? Is your RIT team thoroughly proficient in SAVING YOUR OWN techniques of self evacuation including wall breaches, ladder slides, rope retrievals, hose line recoveries, Denver drill, Pittsburgh breach, or ladder breaches?

Who will command the RIT operations? If the incident is still dynamic, then it is almost impossible to concentrate on both rescues and fire fighting at the same time. How long will it take for command personnel to arrive on scene? Remember, if you start removing personnel from the initial fire attack then the scene can rapidly become untenable. Plus these firefighters or officers will be fatigued from their earlier activities and will not be as sharp as they were. If you use the officer from the RIT Company, then who leads the actual operations inside the structure? Do you utilize the ICS system and where does your RIT operations fall? It should be a RIT group and it should have a separate commander from the time it is staged.

What help will you have to assist with RIT operations? Believe one crew of two or three firefighters will not be enough. You will need equipment companies (trucks) to effect the cutting shoring or stabilizing that may be needed quickly. Or you may need additional technical rescue companies for cutting of metal, air bags, or other regimens. Also, you will need a hose line not brought in by the first crew. Their only mission should be to find the victim’s, ascertain their condition, get them on new air, do a quick scene size-up and call for additional resources. You will need additional manpower for assistance in bringing in equipment and additional laddering.

So if you can answer yes truthfully to all of the posed questions then your RIT team should make entry. If you have answered no to many or all of the needs then you don’t have a RIT team just another group of firefighters long on courage and loyalty but most likely doomed to failure or worse, death themselves. Determine your shortcomings by severely and realistically drilling your crews. Develop training, mutual aid, and equipment resources to augment your own teams until you answer yes to all of the posed situations. This RIT operation has neither room for error nor a margin for failure. Stay Safe.