10 Fireground Search And Rescue Flashcards
Initial size up is the responsibility of
The first arriving officer
Occupants and neighbors can provide what info for rescue size up
Possible layout, bedroom locations, or where victims are likely to be found
Whenever possible, fire attack should commence at what time in relation to rescue efforts
Before or simultaneously
In most residential occupancies, the highest occupant load is expected to be during what time of day
Late night and early morning
Elementary school, highest occupancy load during what time of day
Daytime on weekdays
Post secondary schools may be occupied heavily on
Weekends, or days, and in evening hours
Retail commercial and industrial occupancy highest during what time
Day and early evening
Bars. Nightclubs, movie theaters, other public assembly, occupancy load highest during what time
Between noon and 2 am depending on local laws
Variables related to the need ford SAR
Type of construction Fire load Occupancy type Occupancy load Size of fire Fire behavior
It is not appropriate to put firefighters in mortal danger to recover
A body
Given that immediate action by the first arriving crew may save a life, what is not required for them to enter the hazard zone for SAR.
RIC is not needed but should be established asap, and only applies when there is a known life at risk
When searching above a fire it is extremely important to have what in place
Hose lines to protect their primary means of egress, stairs, and have a secondary means of egress established, like ground ladders
Two objectives of a building search are
Locating victims
Obtaining information about the location and extent of fire
A third type of search sometimes needed
Rapid intervention search for firefighters in distress
During search, firefighters can enhance their own safety is they and their officers make
A good initial size up, continue size up, and perform risk benefit analysis before each major operation
In zero visibility conditions firefighters must conduct a sear with
A charged hose line or tag line
Standard search priorities dictate that firefighters focus their efforts as follows
Most severely threatened
Close to seat of fire, working back on fire floor, floor above it
Largest numbers
With limited resources, searching area with most #of ff in it
Remainder of hazard zone
Search the remaining areas of fire building that could be hazard
Exposures
Internal or external after all other priorities completed
If firefighters are searching near the fire independently from the hose crew they should have
A charged line with them when they get close to the seat of the fire
Every search team should carry at least the following
Portable radio Hand light Forcible entry tools Thermal imager Marking devices
A lighted search ropes greatest value may be
It makes search rope easier to find when visibility is limited
TICs detect
Heat signature, Minute amounts of thermal radiation
Some tics are designed for finding the seat of the fire by being
Calibrated to respond to temps on excess of 900 degrees
Tic can be used on a roof to find
The best location for ventilation
A disadvantage of the tic
Only the operator can see, must keep other team members updated with info of possible danger or changes and to keep orientation
Advantages of tic
Entire room can be scanned, shortening search time
Keep ff oriented, reduce change of being lost
If there is only light smoke and little to no heat. The fastest way to search is
By walking
Searching on hands and knees can benefit a firefighter because
Visibility may be increased, reduced chance of falling through hole or tripping down stairs, less heat at floor
When ascending and descending stairs, how should ff do it during search
Ascend head first
Descend feet first
If firefighters can’t see feet because of smoke, they shouldn’t
Be walking upright
Safe zone search
Isolate areas from fire by closing doors and remove heat and smoke with ppv or hydo vent.
Guarding line of retreat
Positioning hose teams alone the line of retreat, in order to cool atmosphere and maintain control of exit corridor.
Doors should be felt how
At the top and door knob
Firefighters should say on what side of an outward swinging door
On hinge side, to use the door as protection if fire erupts from other side of door
Kicking in doors is not recommended because
There may be a victim behind the door
Control a door during forced entry by using
A strap around the knob or holding it, or slowly opening it
After the perimeter of a room has been search what is next
Search the Middle of the room
Search teams should remain in radio contact with supervisor or IC and report only essential info like
Initial conditions
Significant changes in fire behavior
Fire spread
If and number of victims found
For small rooms, a tic may be used to search, and in the absence of one what technique is used
One ff stay at door, other enters to search. Stay oriented by maintaining constant dialogue with door member. Switch roles alternating rooms to preserve energy and air.
When searching with a line, what method can be used
Nozzle man stays at door while other ff searches room
Ves is used when
Fire has cut off main routs of entry or egress, and there is credible info someone is trapped in a room accessible from outside.
If during ves, the room conditions are too hostile to enter, they can still perform limited search by
Probing through the open window at the floor or out into the room with a pike pole.
Means most often used for marking a door after search.
Construction chalk or crayon
Masking or duct tape
Special door markers
Latch straps over knobs
Door and room Marking methods that are not recommended
Anything that can contribute to fire spread
Blocking doors open with furniture
Methods that require searchers to enter the room before determining its already been searched
Marks for rooms searched should be placed where
On the lower third of the door or wall next to door so its seal it visible when crawling and below smoke layer
The two park search marking, X method, is useful because
It prevents duplication of efforts and can serve and a stating point to look for missing search members.
All clear
Signal given to IC that a searched are has no victims or that all victims have been removed
Search line consists of
200’ of 3/8” rope with a Kevlar sheath. Every 20’ a 2” steel ring is tied in. Immediately after the ring, one or more knots is tied in to indicate distance, One after 20’ two after 40 etc
Knots are always after the ring on a search rope, indicating
Direction of travel towards the fire, or back to outside.
Lateral tethers
20’ sections of 1/4” rope for outward travel on a search line,
Should be wrapped aprons the wrist.
Search line requires a minimum of how many ff
Three
Search line is tied where
about ten feet from entry point, three feet above ground. With company identifier left there.
For a search line, the team leader, sometimes called the lead, carried
The search rope bag.
For a search rope team, the navigator is
A member next to the lead, shoulder to shoulder, uses hand light and tic to direct the lead.
The knot in the middle of a 20’ search tether allows the searcher to
Make a 10’ search arc. If mooning found, proceed to end of tether and do a 20’ sweep
When victims are found during a rescue, what must be assessed
Their condition and overall situation to determine if they are ambulatory or need extrication
Sheltering in place is done when it is impractical or unnecessary to rescue all persons in a building, primarily those who are where
In areas below the fire floor
Evacuations in facilities like convalescent homes, hospitals, nursing homes, Or correctional facilities, can require the cooperation of
Numerous agencies
Before people are asked to evacuate a large area, there must first be
An adequate temporary relocation site and security provided for their unoccupied homes or places of business
What places can be used for relocation centers in mass evac
Churches, school gymnasiums, stadiums, and similar facilities
Many times fire departments initiate Evac but often assign the responsibility to
Law enforcement
A s eco diary search is conducted when
After the fire is under control and most serious hazards mitigated.
Secondary search also looks for any negative information like
Possible rekindle
Situational awareness is important during primary search because
There is a risk of structural compromise from water and burning members
Index gas
Commonly encountered gas used as a reference point to assume the presence or absence of other gases that cannot be detected readily.
Using CO as an index gas has proven
To be unreliable, other undetectable toxic gasses can remain in high concentrations
Most critical areas in a multi story building are
Fire floor,
Floor above fire
Top floor
Once the fire floor, floor above and top have been checked in multi story building, what is searched next
All other intermediate floors
Stairwells should be designated for what tasks
One for firefighting,
One for egress
Doors in highrises and other fires should be kept closed unless directly involved in firefighting or vent ops because
It prevents the spread of fire
When rooms, offices or apartments are positioned along both sides of a central hallway, the large area search system
Works well and can be used effectively.
Without a search rope, Two teams should be assigned to check apartments and rooms that are situated along both sides of a hallway. If two teams are unavailable what should be done
One team search one side, then the other on the way back
Nfpa 1500 requires what whenever the two on two out rule isn’t followed
An investigation with results submitted to the fire chief in writing.
Compliance with the two in two out rule is not the same as
Establishing a RIC
Two in two out can be achieved using who
The driver or pump operator and the incident commander.
While two firefighters comprising a RIC can effectively find a downed firefighter it may take
Many more to extricate or rescue them.
RIC need the following tools at structure fires
Ppe and Scba Appropriate communication equip Tic Personal illumination Forced entry tools Rescue air supply Rescue ropes Rescue litters
For RIC, flashlights or personal lighting, can be hand held if they are the only ones available, but the preferred kind is
Lights that attach to helmets, waist straps, or shoulder/ neck straps, because both hands are free to work.
Neck or shoulder straps are potentially dangerous because
They pose entanglement hazards.
Chem sticks are primarily used as
A beacon
Gas powered tools may not be effective or safe in smoky atmospheres because
They may not work due to O2 lack, pose ignition hazards to unburned smoke and gas
Ff should never compromise their Scba in anyway to share their personal supply with
A victim or even downed ff
Basket type litters can be used for functions other than rescue, such as
Carrying tools and hoisting those tools to upper floors
Two RIC modes of operation
Standby and deployment modes
Stand by mode for RIC
Activities outside building or hazard zone. Size up, gather tools, designated colored tarp for RIC tools
There may need to be multiple RIC depending on
The size and complexity of an incident and number of entry points used
In certain conditions, nfpa 1500 allows RIC to perform other duties outside hazard zone as long as one member remains at entry. They must be able to
Maintain comms with interior crews
Perform outside duties that don’t limit ability to perform SAR
Abruptly abandon outside duties without putting others in danger
Typical outside tasks for RIC in standby mode. Commonly called softening the building
Placing ladders for access and egress,
forcing doors,
removing security features,
making additional building openings
RIC leader must obtain the following info when a mayday is activated
How many ff in distress
Last known location
If radio contact is established or distress signal as been received
Radio channel downed ff may transmit or receive on
If a tag or hose line can be used to help locate victims
Search for downed firefighter should be delayed only long enough to
Obtain pertinent information to the incident
If possible, communications should be done face to face to avoid
Tying up the channel the distressed ff is transmitting on
Whoe RIC leader is getting info the other RIC members can
Be deploying and picking up their tools
RIC should stop at regular intervals while searching to
Listen for indications of the ff, attempt radio contact with them.
injured firefighters found during rescue should be medically stabilized only if
Only if Conditions allow
