Recently, the question “What is the best way to search a large floor with multiple rooms in zero or near-zero visibility?” came up. As luck would have it, the Oklahoma City (OK) Fire Department (OKCFD) obtained a 12-story building to train in before the demolition crews moved in. Our department’s command staff decided to use this building to address several situations that had arisen in past responses and training scenarios. Our access to this large building gave our department the environment in which to test, refine, and teach various skill sets involving an environment that is difficult to create on a drill field, such as search of a large floor with a common hallway and multiple rooms, some of which are subdivided into even more spaces.
In Oklahoma City, we have a staffed heavy rescue unit that responds to large incidents, often to provide support to search and rescue operations for civilians and to provide rapid intervention team (RIT) coverage for firefighters. This company is well-versed in search operations. It was only natural, therefore, that members would look to this company for answers to questions such as the following:
We tested several ideas at real speed in smoky conditions. We learned that the way the department typically searches houses and other buildings did not meet the criteria in the questions. We tried different ideas we picked up from some notable online training sites, and we still weren’t successful to the level that we felt was necessary.
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