To rescue a person is one of the noblest and most heroic acts a firefighter can perform. Life safety is always the most important of the three tactical priorities that govern a firefighting incident: life safety, incident stabilization, and property conservation (LIP).
All firefighters are taught during basic training the fundamental mechanics of how to carry out a search and perform simple carries and drags of victims. Unfortunately, one of the important facets of performing a rescue often is overlooked in most basic-training curriculums. A rescue is not just grabbing, carrying, or dragging a victim and taking off at a full sprint to the front door of the occupancy. Although there may be a time when these tactics are warranted, this should not be the norm. There is more to a properly executed rescue.
A rescue is the physical act of a firefighter’s removing a victim from a dangerous environment to an area of relative safety. During a residential fire scenario, a rescue very often is the heroic end result of a properly executed, diligent, and swift primary search. To achieve this end result, firefighters can use rehearsed, standardized, or practiced techniques, or they may have to substitute improvised methods and procedures based on the specific demands of a given set of circumstances.
If you are a current subscriber,login hereto access this content.
If you would like to become a subscriber, please visit ushere.
