Media

As the Officer, you begin your own "survival" size-up. Have adequate ground ladders been placed at upper stories for escape. Have any bars, gates, or other obstructions that could impede rapid egress been removed? Have the utilities been secured? In what locations are interior crews operating? What will likely be your best way in and best way out of the structure in the event of a deployment? Where are your escape routes? Has your predetermined RIT equipment been staged and operating properly? Is your crew ready to go to work?

Throughout the incident, you continue to monitor the progress of the fire, location of interior crews and all radio transmissions when, suddenly, the attic area flashes over in a large fireball. Command initiates an immediate Personnel Accountability Report (PAR) of the crews operating in the area but is suddenly interrupted by a MAYDAY. "MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY … firefighter down at the bottom of the attic stairs, two crew members unaccounted for, send help." You and your crew are ready to leap into action. After all, this is the whole reason you are here in the first place, isn't it, to rescue your fellow brothers and sister fire fighters?

You deploy with your team to the bottom of the attic stairs where you expect to locate the downed fire fighter who broadcasted the MAYDAY. You hope that the two missing crew members are nearby; however, you are able to determine from information gained from the downed fire fighter, that the rest of the crew is likely still in the attic area. Due to the rapidly deteriorating fire conditions in the attic area, you planned ahead and requested a handline to your position. Good thinking! Command reports that the fire is now through the roof and the engine company assigned to you is having difficulty making the attic stairs. You think to yourself that this can't be happening; you have to do something; you're the RIT team; you have to get into the attic and save your fallen comrades, right?

As RIT Team members and RIT Team Officers, we have to realize that we are not superhuman. The risk management profile tells us that we will "risk our lives a lot, in a calculated manner, to save SAVABLE lives." Since the "lives" we are talking about as a RIT Team consist of our brothers and sisters with which we share such a special bond, it is probably not inaccurate to assume that we are going to extend ourselves close to or beyond our limitations any time one of our brothers or sisters is in need of our help.

Unfortunately, as Command and RIT Team Officers, we have to, at some point, define "calculated manner" and "savable lives." Under these circumstances, our calculated manner is probably above and beyond what we would define it as for a civilian victim. In going that extra mile; however, we cannot allow for the loss of additional personnel. Victims inside fully involved fire areas are not savable no matter how many times you have practiced the emergency SCBA changeover of performed the Denver Drill. Victims that have been without air in dense smoke conditions for a prolonged period of time are likely not savable victims. Just as we do for civilian victims, we have to apply the risk management profile based upon the fire conditions in the "compartment" or area and other conditions affecting survival. As Rapid Intervention Team members, we cannot allow ourselves to become statistics. No matter how well trained and aggressive your Rapid Intervention Team members may be, remember, that as a Command or RIT Team Officer, it is your responsibility to ensure that they also go home.