Does your department use "RIT" or "RIC"

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Permalink Reply by Abe Winter on September 20, 2009 at 11:33pm

and there it is that is more or less how we do things but 11 guys that pushing it for us....we live on automatic aid

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Permalink Reply by Jenny Holderby on November 7, 2008 at 1:02am

Firefighter Assist & Search Team (FAST) Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) and Rapid Intervention Crew (RIC) are all the same thing. As long as you have 2 ffs available in full PPE and at least 1 air cylinder with either an extra mask or parts to patch, fix or repair, like hoses etc., search tools & some other hand tools, (which we keep together in a duffle type bag in a side compartment of our 1st out engine) you have a rapid entery team to go in when something goes bad.
On our dept. the second engine will have a line pulled & ready to go "in case". I REALLY like the idea of having a safety line/pumper on scene as a reserve, again "just in case". Occassionally, on a really big fire or if we have limited manpower (day time) we call for MA. If we need the first company to help with the fire, we call a second company for safety (FAST/RIT).
Your department may not be able to follow NFPA 1407 or OSHA (somewhere in 29 CFR 1910) to the letter but if you have the tools already together & a plan of action or SOP, you are going in the right direction. I'm not saying you sholdn't TRY to follow them but you know what needs done & you have a plan & the tools to get it done.

Hopefully, we have the training, experience & leadership that we will be able to do our jobs & not NEED a RIT. It is an excellent idea to have ALL your firefighters trained in RIT tactics.

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Permalink Reply by Tommy Jr. on November 7, 2008 at 7:43am

we call in mutial aid that specializes in RIT, and they bring their own equipment on their own rig
Junior
Omnis Cedo Domus

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Permalink Reply by Just Plain Craig on November 8, 2008 at 1:12am

IN New Castle County Del we don't have RIT on first reposne, but only on working alarms and the IC must say "Working Alarm". Smoke showing may or may not get you a RIT crew on the upgrade. If dispatch is recieving several calls then they will add a RIT team to the intial dispatch. While there is a delay since all the companies are so close it's only a matter of minutes.
It's up to each company as to what ype of apparatus to bring. My company uses a rescue.

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer King on November 18, 2008 at 5:05pm

We use RIT, they are supposed to stand by, masked-up with an extra handline off the primary pumper, charged and ready"just in case". It always seems to work well in training exercises, but we all know how often things go at an actual fire.Everyone working their butts off, and noone just standing by- I'd guess that probably 99% of the nations FD's are too understaffed to do it by the books.We ARE big on PAR systems tho- accountability is priority.

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Permalink Reply by Sarah Turner on November 18, 2008 at 5:31pm

You said "It states that a RIT team is to have their own pumper"
Who is "It"

We have RIT at every fire. Automatic aid with Charleston City provides us with plenty of man power and more apparatus than you can imagine. Our department is highly trained in RIT, and you won't find a fire without RIT here.
We have a stokes basket with a set of irons, a RIT airpack with three hook up options, a harness kind of like a reeve's sleeve, and search and rescue ropes that we connect to each other when we go in so as to not lose anyone further. We also have a rope that we connect to our way out so everyone knows where we are if we are in the building, and we can follow it out. We carry all this equip on the rescue and it goes in the front lawn of every fire with a four person RIT packed up and waiting.
Of course we run a PAR every twenty minutes and after any sort of event such as a collapse.

We learned our lesson in Charleston, and will not make the same mistakes.

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Permalink Reply by Engineco913 on November 18, 2008 at 9:39pm

The only policy thats in place that I know of is a list of guidelines for equipment a RIT team should have.

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Permalink Reply by rick kassahn on November 18, 2008 at 6:37pm

hello yes all of are surounding departments use rit along with the 2 in 2 out rule

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Permalink Reply by turk182 on November 18, 2008 at 9:47pm

rit teams

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Permalink Reply by Fire Capt. 1304 on November 19, 2008 at 5:32am

Our rit team is usually whoever is on the second engine, Our rit equipment is located on our Quint which is first out to all structures but usually everyone from the quint is already busy so the crew from the engine has to get the rit pack off the quint when they arrive.

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Permalink Reply by Shareef Abdu Nur on November 19, 2008 at 11:04am

In my area, a RIT is established at every incident. it is not always an Engine Company. Most of the time it is a Truck Company, so therefore we do not always have our own line with a dedicated water supply. If we need a line as a RIT team, we depend on the Engine companies already operating on scene. As RIT, our job is to move fast, find the FF, get him/her on air, and prepare him/her for evac. We rely on a 2nd RIT or available companies to assist in evac of the FF. Until we are activated, our job is to ladder windows, place lights in doorways, etc... A wise FF once said, "RIT doesn't make the resuce, RIT makes the rescue possible."

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Permalink Reply by John on November 19, 2008 at 2:13pm

We use RIT but whoever is assigned to it must gather their tools from thier apparatus, and have thier own hoseline. We are also working on getting RIT air pack for the downed FF.

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