Driving into A station parking lot and seeing it full of cars tells you the engine company will be leaving with a full crew. The next vehicle out will be the rescue. This apparatus traditionally transports members living farther away or firefighters who did not get on the fully staffed engine.
With the crew safely onboard, an experienced officer up front, and a veteran driver behind the wheel, the rescue is en route. The rear speaker allows the crew to hear the distinct terminology used during a working fire. Information on attack lines, backup lines, supply lines, and search and rescue is being relayed to dispatch. The ladder company should be arriving momentarily, since the incident commander (IC) has just given that officer fireground assignments.
Not hearing a paramedic unit checking in on the scene, rescue’s first task should be only one of a few initial assignments remaining. Rescue could set up the EMS sector and start treating potential victims or establish the rapid intervention team (RIT), reporting directly to the command post. Both assignments are essential and must be established and staffed during a working fire.
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