RIT Drills

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PermalinkReply byChris PiepenburgonOctober 15, 2008 at 2:55pm

There are all kinds of good RIT drills out there you just have to ask yourself how far you want to go. If you can build props you can set up the Denver Drill with little supplies, an open garage pit can give you a good area to work at rescuing ffs from below grade. There is an article in the May 2008 issue of FE on rescuing ffs using a hoseline. You could even do something as easy as blindfolding your ffs and having them hook up a "downed" ff using the RIT pack. If you have any questions or need any help just let me know.

PermalinkReply byChris PiepenburgonOctober 17, 2008 at 11:05pm

Chris,

That sounds like an a** kicker of a course! We did a similar training earlier this year with a vacant structure that we had. We simulated a mayday situation where a ff fell through the floor. The building was heavily smoked and crews followed the line in, had to figure out a way to get the ff out of the floor and then find a way out without having to travel from where they came.

During the drill we had one instance of a ff who was having problems with his mask and he was sent out of the structure on his own. The ff became disoriented and got lost in a relatively small area to the point he was running out of air and pulled his mask off. This was a seasoned member with over 20 years on the job! Now imagine if this would have been under real conditions in a hazardous atmosphere? The old saying of "We play the way we practice" is something I truly believe in! I know that just this one drill ffs were allowed to exit the building by themselves, but we know how ffs are, you let them do it in one drill then they'll do it in the next and so on until they are doing it on a real incident.

And yes, it is extremely interesting to see what people come up with when they are blacked out!!

Stay Safe!!

Piep

PermalinkReply byJim GoldenonOctober 24, 2008 at 3:39pm

这些听起来像伟大的演习。我f I may, I would like to pose a question to think about: how does the RIT begin?
我have taken this for granted in our department. We have spent extensive time in our department over the past two years with RIT training and purchasing RIT equipment, but I neglected one of the most important parts- the firefighter in trouble.

We all assume that the FF will be able to correctly call for help if they need it. History proves without prior (and continued) training this is not the case. I’m a believer if a firefighter encounters a MAYDAY parameter and does not call MAYDAY, chances are the RIT will be performing a search and recovery instead of a search and rescue.

The past six months in our depth, we have been drilling heavy on MAYDAY- when to call, how to call, why to call, what to do after calling, etc. The next several drills will tie everything together- a firefighter issuing a MAYDAY, the IC responding and deploying the RIT, the RIT performing a successful rescue based on the info gained from the LUNAR.

Stay safe,
Jim
~

PermalinkReply byChris PiepenburgonOctober 24, 2008 at 5:25pm

Jim,

You are absolutely right RIT does begin with proper MAYDAY training! If ffs don't know when to call or practice calling a MAYDAY they will never do it in the instance they need it. There are some great drills out there to help ffs with practicing calling MAYDAYs. The drills don't need to be elaborate, just enough to let them know that they are in a situation where they should be calling. All of the drills should be conducted with full turnouts, gloves and breather and their radio should be worn where they normally wear it in order to practice pushing the emergency button and speaking on the radio.

Chris

PermalinkReply byJim GoldenonOctober 29, 2008 at 11:59am

Hey Chris,

Shoot me an email. I have some info that can help.

Jim
jgolden@cityofalabaster.com

PermalinkReply byChris PiepenburgonOctober 29, 2008 at 12:42pm

Since 1403 only deals with live burn conditions you could always use smoke machines and smoke up an acquired structure. Have them crawl through the building like they are doing a maze training and then spring the MAYDAY situation on them.

PermalinkReply byLisa FairfieldonOctober 29, 2008 at 2:45pm

Chris, check outwww.tes2training.com. Chief Sendelbach has some good drills in this website. Good luck.