By Michael A. Clark
We all know the functions and responsibilities of the assigned rapid intervention team (RIT) at an uncontrolled fire event. The RIT officer must report to the incident commander (IC) and position team members (photo 1), stage required/anticipated equipment and hand tools for the event, perform a 360° walkaround, and complete his own size-up. He must then station himself at the incident command post (ICP) until the team is ordered to work or released. Right?
错误的！
在许多部门和共同援助组织中，在所有工作事件中都需要RIT。他们的响应是自动的，或者他们决定了IC的到来以及他的事件行动计划（IAP）的制定。所有在不受控制的火灾活动中工作的消防员都必须确保IC始终“有他们的支持”，并且应将RIT响应包括在所有工作事件中；如果自动完成该部门，它使部门和指挥官更容易！（请参阅国家消防协会1710，职业消防部门的组织和部署火灾抑制操作，紧急医疗操作以及向公众特别行动的标准, and 1720,Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations and Special Operations to the Public by Volunteer Fire Departments.)
Time is our greatest enemy, and any delays when deploying the RIT on scene could prove catastrophic. It is better to be “proactive” as opposed to “reactive” when considering rapid access and firefighter welfare.
(1) The RIT must be dressed, equipped, and ready at all times. (Photos by Dennis Walus unless otherwise noted.)
WHO?
The IC wants the best trained and most experienced individuals providing coverage at his fire incident. Many departments categorize and require these individuals to be at a master firefighter certification level or the equivalent to qualify. In practice, this is often not the case, but at the very least, we want members who can operate with a high degree of efficiency and have the training and capacity that allow them to rise to the occasion when faced with extraordinary circumstances.
该小组应至少由四名成员组成，如果是情境强度的要求，则由专用的卡车和发动机公司支持。RIT必须纪律处分并致力于该角色。RIT官员应该意识到他对现场消防员安全的责任和重要性。
RELATED:吉姆·麦考马克（Jim McCormack）‖Ron Terriaco on Basic RIT Tools on the Apparatus‖Joe Pulvermacher on Regional RIT
On arriving at the scene, the RIT officer’s face-to-face with the IC (and the safety officer, if activated) is an important factor for gaining information relative to the event’s progress, receiving orders, fire location, operational intensity, identifying where interior firefighters are operating, and orchestrating the team’s strategy and actions required to support them (photo 2).
（2）RIT的成员收到有关火灾事件的最新信息。
什么？
许多部门assig不期待ned the RIT position. And if requested, they will do almost anything to exclude themselves. This is related to the “always a bridesmaid, never a bride” syndrome that often accompanies the role. Firefighters are action figures and expect to be put to work inside the building where the fire has taken up residence. When this doesn’t happen, they can become frustrated. Dedication to duty and disciplined focus must be brought to the forefront when you’re assigned as the “firefighter’s saviors.” This role should never be viewed as anything less than a priority assignment. I addressed some of the considerations that a good RIT must ponder in this article’s first paragraph. This was just the “tip of the iceberg.”
(3) RIT completing secondary access/egress routes for the 2nd floor of a building.
RIT指挥官完成了强制性的360°行走或从分配该职责的成员的简报后，可能会从IC那里收到简报，而不想延迟360°Walkaround，因此该任务将被分配给最经验最丰富，值得信赖和值得信赖团队成员。
At the conclusion of the fire size-up, we will have a much better idea on strategic and tactical progress, reading fire/smoke conditions, and potential structural integrity issues involved. These are the signs and symptoms that show at every building that is being systematically assaulted by fire. All one has to do is observe them through a pair of experienced eyes and start putting a plan together.
使用首字母缩略词来简化这些想法并创建一个优先列表以进行救援，以下是：
- AIR供应消防员的供应。
- Water a hoseline to ensure a defendable position.
- A radio dedicated to the victim set on the appropriate emergency frequency.
- Extrication tools and equipment needed to free the downed firefighter.
事件中所需的工具和设备必须足以满足建筑构建和遇到条件的类型。热成像摄像机（包括备用电池）是优先项目。也可能需要大面积搜索绳。而且不要忘记RIT包；在每个班次开始时检查它，以确保其功能并具有完整的气缸。将次要出口/出口梯子放在室内成员运行的所有上层的各个侧面。必须清除立即进入建筑物内部以进行战斗机救援的任何障碍（门/窗户，百叶窗等）。在您所在的位置进行14或16英尺的屋顶梯子，可确保一个快速平台，用于从地下室或一楼卸下“被击倒的消防员”（例如，Teeter-Totter方法）。
(4, 5) The Teeter-Totter Ladder Extrication. (Photos by Megan Ciampo.)
这些梯子还可以提供一个入口/出口点，其中楼梯系统已被损坏，并且将不再提供安全的道路。请记住，不加选择的，不协调的通风会产生流道和潜在的加速火力生长，因此请小心。由一家支持发动机公司管理并致力于RIT的指控霍斯线可能是在拆除被击落的消防员的同时检查大火时的制造或破坏选择。铁（Halligan/Flathead-Ax组合）和固定式钩子始终是优先事项。
考虑动力锯快速访问和提高extrication. Consider electrically-(battery or land line) powered saws for certain types of material that will be involved in the cut and because of the lack of operational efficiency of internal combustion engines within an immediately dangerous to life and health atmosphere. If the trapped firefighter is pinned in a structural collapse, can you use a high-pressure air bag system for his release? Does the RIT include this equipment during training sessions in limited visibility conditions? Any member functioning in the role of interior firefighter would certainly hope so! Do we typically use a stokes litter as an equipment transport platform? It is “firefighter friendly” and can be deployed as a rescue removal device if the need arises.
(6) Stokes basket tools and equipment transport platform.
在哪里？
For most incidents, the ideal location for staging the RIT is adjacent to the ICP (warm/host zone interface). This allows the officer to monitor traffic on all radio frequencies and stay abreast of the command staff’s strategic and tactical direction as the incident progresses. It also allows for viewing the “big side exterior” picture of the fire building. All working fires are dynamic, and the ICP is the clearing house for all information cycling between the IC and the operational forces inside the building. This information is vital for decision making, and any changes that might be required for fire control and member safety.
At locations where the building’s geographic footprint is large, are multiple RIT groups required? This may start with a dedicated RIT at the Alpha and Charlie sides of the building. When RITs encounter larger buildings, they might be assigned to all four sides. In these cases, a chief officer dedicated to RIT operations will prove invaluable. Located at the ICP, this individual will coordinate the RIT activities and ensure that it is adequately supported if activated. During high-rise operations, the staging area should be located two floors below the fire area. The required RIT tools and equipment must be brought to this location ensuring that all items are present. The sheer size of this type of building might require multiple RIT groups and their associated equipment needs. Again, transporting the necessary personnel and their hardware will take time!
RIT官员和该地点的部门负责人必须评估运营战略/战术环境，火力强度，压制工作以及运营消防员的安全。在整个事件中，所有成员的准确责任是必须的。制定个人问责制报告（PAR）（半小时的SCBA圆柱体的平均工作寿命为12分钟），并按照定期定时的序列。这是关于机会和自发性的；时间通常可以成为RIT最伟大的朋友和盟友。训练有素且积极进取的小组部署最低要求的设备通常是成功完成操作的关键！
(7) RIT staging area.
SAFETY
RIToperational safety starts with the group’s mission statement! All team members should be “craftsmen” in their chosen field—suppression and rescue technicians that have the ability to foster multiple plans when faced with the difficult task of assisting or rescuing firefighters in distress. Remember, the RIT is often called into action during an unstable event that has suddenly turned chaotic. Rapid, timely, and accurate decision making is critical under these circumstances. The extreme danger that might be encountered has been addressed and documented by the Phoenix (AZ) and Seattle (WA) Fire Departments, stating, “During RIT activation, one or more of the team’s members could or might call a Mayday for themselves.” This is further proof of the dangers the RIT could face at every working incident.
(8) The RIT is often activated during dangerous and unstable conditions.
REFERENCES
弗雷德里克斯（Fredricks），安德鲁（Andrew A.）。发动机公司支持RIT/快速操作。” Fire Engineering, April 1999.
McCormack, Jim. “Firefighter Rescue & Rapid Intervention Teams.” Fire Department Training Network, 2003, revised 2009.
Crawford, Jim.“举重操作。”Fire Engineering Training Minutes, August 2009.
Ciampo, Michael N.“See-Saw Technique: Rescue Maneuver with a Portable Ladder.”Fire Engineering, March 2015.
迈克尔·克拉克（Michael A. Clark）退休的船长汉诺威(NH)火德partment in 2009. He now serves as a senior staff instructor with the New Hampshire Fire Academy, as an adjunct instructor for the National Fire Academy, and as a structural collapse technician instructor II with the National Homeland Security FEMA/USAR response system. He has an associate degree in fire protection and is an NFPA Level 4 instructor.
