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Over the past ten plus years, Rapid Intervention has quickly developed into a technical rescue discipline of its own. As with any of the technical rescue disciplines, (i.e. trench, confined space, structural collapse) we have come to realize that it takes specialty trained personnel with special skills and expertise to recognize potential hazards and produce positive results at these types of incidents. Unfortunately, with Rapid Intervention a large portion of the training, essential-to-know expertise, and hazards have been identified following several tragic fire fighter fatalities. However, as a Fire Service, we are fortunate to have numerous proactive and unselfish fire service innovators amongst our ranks. People who have taken the time to study the circumstances surrounding these tragic losses and develop several worthwhile drills and procedures addressing these situations. People who are willing to share this information to ensure that we will also know what to do when faced with similar circumstances. Rapid Intervention has developed into more than an extra company showing up and standing around. Rapid Intervention has become an area of expertise requiring some of our most well-trained, physically-fit and mentally tough personnel. We wouldn't think of sending our people into a trench without training and expect them to be successful as well as safe, would we? Then why would we send a Rapid Intervention Team to a fire with little or no training?

This month's training topic addresses several removal techniques developed following the 1992 fatality of Denver Fire Fighter Mark Langvardt. Although the circumstances surrounding this particular incident were quite unique, it would be an injustice to think that something similar could not occur on any other fireground. It would also be an injustice to place our people on the fireground as a Rapid Intervention Team without knowing these, as well as the many other techniques being taught by Rapid Intervention Instructors nationwide.

On September 28, 1992, Engineer Mark Langvardt of the Denver, Colorado, Fire Department died in the line of duty. After becoming separated from his crew due to a floor collapse and trapped in a small storage room on the second floor of a commercial occupancy, Langvardt was overcome. The storage room, measuring six feet wide by 11 feet deep, was filled with cabinets and business equipment on both sides creating an aisleway only 28 inches wide with an exterior window at one end. The drop from the windowsill to the floor was 42 inches high. Fire fighters entering the storage room through the second floor window had to crawl over Langvardt, who was lying face down in the aisleway in the fetal position, head pressed against the interior of the front wall just under the window. Due to the restricted size of the aisleway, there was room for only one rescuer to bend over the victim and attempt to lift, thus making conventional windowsill lifts and removal techniques next to impossible.

Following this incident, many Fire Departments and instructors developed techniques for removing a fire fighter from a confined area with a high windowsill, most originating from the "Denver Drill." Special recognition goes out to David M. McGrail and Jack A. Rogers from the Denver Fire Department for sharing this information in their April 1993 Fire Engineering article, "Confined Space claims Denver Firefighter in a Tragic Building Fire." Also, to Chief Rick Laskey and the Illinois Fire Service Institute from whom I had the opportunity to learn the Denver Drill at the FDIC hands-on training. A variation of the Denver Drill being taught by Assistant Chief Tim Sendelbach of the Missouri City, Texas Fire Department and a second used by the Columbus Fire Department are also discussed.

With a limited amount of time to introduce and practice this drill during our training programs (usually an hour for a group of ten students) this technique is practiced using a first floor window to allow the students ample opportunity to get comfortable with the removal techniques. In the event a fire fighter needs to be removed utilizing any of these techniques from a second or third story window, several ladder carries or lowering options are available that will be discussed at a later time.

The Denver Drill simulator is fairly inexpensive to construct. Two sheets of plywood and a couple 2x4x8's are all that is necessary. We have found that utilizing bolts instead of nails to construct the simulator will allow it to be easily set up and torn down as well as portable enough to transport in a truck. The plywood surface, a full sheet on each side, should be placed to the inside of the framework to recreate a 28 inch wide aisleway. Braces are then placed to the exterior of the plywood walls to add stability and keep them from falling over. An existing window from an acquired structure can be framed utilizing 2x4's to create a 42 inch high windowsill with a 20 inch wide window or a like dimension window can be framed on to one end of the plywood walls.