There’s almost nothing more important than reducing the time to remove downed firefighters (except preventing them from becoming lost, trapped, or injured in the first place). The faster we can make it, the better. In addition to the standard drag rescue device (DRD), building handles into each knee and shoulder of turnout gear can improve firefighter safety and survival -- rescuers can just grab the handles and go with no special equipment needed. With such handles, colleagues can drag, lift, carry, and lower an incapacitated firefighter, depending on how many rescuers are available at the moment.
我们经常提醒“快速干预是t always rapid.” Rapid intervention teams (RITs) may encounter time-consuming problems locating, freeing, and removing lost, trapped, or injured firefighters. Dragging, lifting, carrying, or lowering downed firefighters, who with full personal protective equipment (PPE) may weigh more than 250 pounds, can be problematic. More often than not, debris piles, furniture, and other obstacles are in the way, necessitating that the firefighter be lifted and carried toward the exit. When firefighters need rescue, the environment is already or is quickly becoming untenable. All too often, poor visibility, entanglement hazards, structural collapse, potential flashover, a maze of obstacles, blocked exits, or other conditions further delay exit.
When it is necessary to lift an incapacitated firefighter out a window, position him on a ladder, carry him over the inevitable debris piles, carry him up the stairs from a basement, or maneuver him through tight obstructions, removal becomes even more difficult and time-consuming. If the firefighter’s SCBA bottle is low on air, even a few seconds can make the difference between survival and a line-of-duty death (LODD).
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