Roles of the RIT Company Officer

We’ve all heard it before–firefighters complaining when tasked with rapid-intervention duties. A common sentiment: There’s too much standing around and not enough action. Of course, what these naysayers often overlook is the fact that the rapid-intervention team (RIT) can make or break an incident. When things go from bad to worse, RIT companies are there to provide the most essential of fireground services: saving one of their own.

Additionally, any officer who thinks there’s too much standing around clearly isn’t thinking through the numerous tasks required to adequately prepare the crew for what they might face. In his Wednesday FDIC session “Roles and Responsibilities of the RIT Company Officer,” Lieutenant Steve Robertson of the Columbus (Ohio) Division of Fire outlined some of these duties 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. I had a chance to catch up with Lt. Robertson before his class.

Have a Plan
Robertson explained that he designed his class so that those firefighters who are going to be in charge of a RIT company can start being proactive in their approach to rapid intervention. “We’re a reactionary job, and trying to be proactive is hard because there are so many unknowns,” he explains. “There are certain benchmarks that must happen on every fire and for each RIT company,” he adds, so why not work out a plan in advance?

Size Up the Situation
Part of the reason it’s so crucial to have a plan is because it’s often hard to conduct a good scene size-up. Fortunately, Robertson offers some tips on this topic. First, he says, listen to the radio traffic as this will tell you a lot about the incident. Then ask yourself a series of questions:
–    What is the occupancy hazard? Is it an apartment, a commercial structure at 3 a.m. with no one inside?
–    What is the construction-type hazard? Is it balloon-frame construction or maybe a modern truss construction with I-beams?
–    Where’s the fire, what is it telling you and where is it going? It’s about reading smoke. If you become proficient at this, it can lend the opportunity to be proactive.

Job Assignments
But even with all this information, how do you know who does what on scene? Robertson explains that when it comes to job assignments, there are four basic positions, and these can be applied at the smallest volunteer department to a 1,600-person department like Columbus and even up to a department like the FDNY.
1.    Driver: The driver needs to ensure a back-up line is established and charged to support the first line. If deemed necessary, a third line should be pulled and charged for the RIT company. Robertson advises that the RIT line use a separate water source in case there are any unforeseen issues with the water supply. It’s also important that the driver goes to the attack engine to figure out what lines the companies are working on and their exact locations. “As the RIT boss, you need to know where people are if a mayday comes down,” he says. “This cuts down on reflex time since we know their last known location.”
2.    Behind the Driver or the “Bag Man”: This person is responsible for the RIT bag and everything in it, including tools and air management.  If something is needed from the RIT bag or additional air is needed for the downed firefighter, it will be the bag man’s responsibility.
3.    Behind the Officer: This person is responsible for gathering the appropriate tools for the structure type, as the tool cache will be different for a commercial structure than a residential house.
4.    Company Officer: The company officer’s responsibilities include thermal imaging camera and a hand tool of choice.  They should also conduct a  360-degree size-up of the building noting any external hazards, if possible, and report what they see to the command post.

A quick meeting should be conducted to ensure all tasks have been completed by your crew.  “Once this is done, you’re ready to function as a RIT team without the company boss even giving an order,” Robertson explains. “We have those tasks set.” Of course, Robertson notes, this is just a starting point. You have to be dynamic in these situations and know how to adjust as the incident changes.

Staffing Limitations & Mutual Aid
Speaking of adjustments, what if you don’t have a four-person RIT company? Staffing limitations are clearly no rarity in the fire service these days, so many teams simply don’t have the ability to fill out each position. Fortunately, the solution is pretty simple: Be flexible. You may need to double up on some positions. Perhaps your bag man may have to be responsible for all the tools and the RIT bag   Something as simple as a small list of RIT responsibilities taped to the seatback in front of you can make all the difference in the world.  “Every department will be different,” Robertson says. “Look at your SOPs/SOGs and adjust how it works for you.”

Another big help for limited staffing–and really for any department–is engaging mutual-aid departments in your rapid-intervention efforts. But this can be tricky in some areas. “Everybody has to put their egos aside and do the right thing,” Robertson notes.

One key is to call for help early and often, especially when you have volunteers coming from 20 minutes away. But before you even get to that point, you need to cross-train with these departments. “Don’t be afraid to communicate your expectations to mutual aid companies if they are going to arrive as your RIT company,” Robertson explains. “Training and logistics with mutual aid companies must occur prior to the run.  Being proactive to these two issues is essential to success.”  Look at your riding assignments and how they compare to theirs, Robertson explains. He adds that equipment is probably the biggest difference among departments so it’s important to train so you know their tools and gear well.

Managing a Mayday
All of this training really comes down to being prepared for the worst-case scenario: a mayday. Robertson explains that while the LUNAR concept is great, it can be a bit complicated in the moment. As a reminder, LUNAR stands for last known location, unit, name, air supply , resources needed . Instead, Robertson advises that firefighters focus on a short and sweet report that provides the who, what and where of the downed firefighter. “If you can give RIT that information, they’ve got a place to start,” he says. “It’s easier to remember in a pressure situation.” But he’s not advising abandoning LUNAR; this process simply gets the RIT company deployed, and then command has time to go back and fill in the holes of the LUNAR report.

Final Thoughts
Robertson explains that more than anything, firefighters have to hold themselves accountable to do their jobs. “Not everyone gets a trophy; it’s not kids’ soccer,” he says. “We want to do it right the first time. We may not get a second chance.” And this may never be more true than during a mayday.