Chapter 4 Flashcards
When an incident requiring technical search and rescue occurs, the execution of a safe and successful response often depends on the evaluation and planning that the AHJ has undertaken before the response.
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Identifying the potential for technical search and rescue situations within a jurisdiction is the first step in the pre-incident process
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Any analysis of the hazards and assessment of the risks within a given response area must take into account the environmental, physical, social, and cultural factors involved.
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Soil conditions influence the potential for cave in incidents and responders should familiarize themselves with the types of soil in all parts of their jurisdiction.
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Visual inspections of buildings under construction will enable first responders to address or plan for concerns before they become a problem.
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The plan for each rescue discipline must reflect the level of operational capability that the jurisdiction possesses in that discipline.
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Planning for resource needs should include the plans for incident management personnel and the appropriate decision makers to form a unified command if indicated.
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Both agencies entering into a mutual aid agreement should sign the agreement before there is a need for their respective resources.
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As part of the deployment plan, various alternatives should be tested in one or more realistic training exercises.
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Periodically exercising the plan is important to maintain operational readiness in light of changing conditions and personnel turnover.
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Site surveys contain information that Incident commanders can use to develop an effective incident action plan and improve the ability of responders to respond in a safe and effective manner to any incident.
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Site surveys should be developed for facilities or features that present responders with unusual hazards based on the type or frequency of responses.
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Resources that may assist in the development of a site survey for a body of water include reports of previous incidents, flood insurance maps, tide tables, and meteorological data.
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Most of the hazards associated with technical search and rescue operations fall into one or more of the four categories: physical hazards, environmental hazards, water hazards, and atmospheric hazards.
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Physical hazards in confined spaces may be created by the lack of structural integrity of the space or by hazardous objects within the space.
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Physical hazards associated with trench rescues include the lack of structural integrity or trench walls and or hazardous objects near the trench.
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At industrial sites, fall hazards can vary from elevated work areas to subterranean pits.
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Building collapse and trench rescues present scenarios where responders must move vertically during ingress or egress form the scene.
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At the scene of a trench rescue, the probability of an additional collapse of the trench walls is present as long as the trench remains open.
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The fact that a wall has already caved in is ample evidence that the soil is unstable.
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The potential for a subsequent collapse is even greater in soil that has been disturbed or is subject to conditions such as seeping water.
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Two factors that have a significant effect on the stability of trench walls are surcharge loads and vibration.
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Surcharge load - any weight near the trench lip that increases instability of a trench’s walls or lip, or increases the likelihood of secondary cave in, often imposed from the soil pile or heavy equipment.
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Spoil pile - excavated materials consisting of topsoil or subsoils that have been removed and temporarily stored during the digging of a trench.
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Machinery that is used to move free flowing materials may further the engulfment hazard by causing the materials to fill the vessel.
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Before responders enter areas presenting engulfment hazards, all machinery and equipment that could produce movement or shifting of materials must be shut off and marked with a lockout/tagout device.
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