FireFighterNation

In his Wednesday FDIC session “Roles and Responsibilities of the RIT Company Officer,” Lieutenant Steve Robertson of the Columbus (Ohio) Division of Fire outlined rapid intervention duties for the company officer, and addressed issues related to size-up, job assignments, managing a mayday, staffing limitations and how to align your department’s RIT standards with mutual-aid departments.

Rapid intervention teams are a key component of any fireground operation, but sometimes crews assigned to rapid intervention aren’t familiar with the tools and responsibilities of this assignment. Captain Homer Robertson shares some key RIT points.

It can be challenging to have an effective training session for a mayday call, but it is imperative that fire departments know how to respond to calls of this nature. Billy Schmidt examines the creation of a rapid intervention committee in Palm Beach County (Fla.) and notes the lessons that have been learned about what’s most important when it comes to RICs.

Using three Near-Miss Reports to illustrate his point, Deputy Chief John Tippett underscores the payoff when crews prepare and train for mayday events, ensuring their RIT operations are spot on.

Andy Speier discusses several of the hazards and challenges rescuers will encounter when entering a storm drain system to conduct search and rescue operations.