Rescuing a downed firefighter is one of the most taxing and demanding events that take place on the fireground, both physically and mentally. Some situations may not allow for a second chance. Are your firefighters ready to meet this challenge?

Training is the most important aspect of rapid intervention after safety. Without proper training, a rapid intervention team never will be able to carry out its task of rescuing a fellow firefighter.

Controlled training

Rapid intervention training is some of the roughest and most demanding training that a firefighter will have in his or her career. Still, there is never any legitimate reason for someone to get seriously hurt while training. Training is the one and only time that we have control over the conditions and environment that we work in. Still, participants should be expected to perform during training as they would in a real-life incident.

Never perform any rapid intervention training that deals with elevation differences unless the trainee is wearing a rated safety harness or has a proper safety belay line in place and attended. Safety lines should be checked before each and every participant takes a turn.

Also, never train with live “victims” under real fire conditions. There have been numerous documented cases of firefighters dying while posing as victims during live-fire training. The variables present during training fires can easily lead to a disaster. NFPA 1403, Live Fire Evolutions in Structures, should be adhered to strictly as a minimum whenever live fire is used for training.

However, training scenarios should be as realistic as possible. All students must be required to wear all of their gear, just as if the training were a real incident. This includes SCBA, helmet chinstraps, protective firefighting hoods and firefighting gloves. If a firefighter can't perform the skills required with these items in place, how will he or she ever be able to perform them on the real fireground? If realism is desired, use theatrical smoke machines with a water-based solution, wax paper fit over the outside of SCBA facepieces, strobe lights, activated PASS devices, and recorded fireground radio traffic to give a training scenario a shot of adrenaline.

Use common sense when setting up the training session. For example, don't have firefighters use power tools when their facepieces are obscured with wax paper or when they're working around live hazards such as holes in the floor with zero visibility. Actions such as these are only asking for trouble.

As with actual firefighting, make certain that the resources and personnel are available to set up an adequate rehab area for training participants. Adhere to the same guidelines that exist for real incidents. EMS workers also should be available to check vital signs and treat any minor injuries that may occur. Make certain that students are well-rested before they go again.

Finally, the instructor must be qualified to be able to teach the material being presented. Being a certified instructor, training program manager, member of a training organization or company officer does not alone qualify one to hold rapid intervention training. By the same token, observing a technique or reading about it doesn't mean that the individual knows enough about it to teach it. Instructors must be well versed in the material and be trained on it by attending courses or a train-the-trainer program and performing the skills hands-on.

Training objectives

Just like other firefighter training, rapid intervention training must be progressive in nature. A good foundation of basic firefighting skills is essential prior to a firefighter learning the idiosyncrasies of rapid intervention. A good foundation also will help prevent the firefighter from getting into trouble on the fireground. Skills should progress to scenarios. Both need to progress from easy to relatively difficult. Take a simple skill and build on it; just make certain that a scenario or skill station is attainable. There's nothing more discouraging for a student than being faced with a training scenario that's both unrealistic and unattainable.

To keep on track, make certain that an exercise is in fact valid. Send instructors who weren't involved in the setup of the exercise through it. If they can't make it through, then it's unreasonable to expect the students to be successful.

There are currently no set standards for the level of rapid intervention training required by firefighters; however, the following subject areas should be part of a basic program:

• Troubleshooting minor SCBA malfunctions.
• Self-survival maneuvers such as rapid escape, navigating entanglement hazards and disorientation training.
• Changing over an air supply on another firefighter.
• Firefighter drags and carries, including on ladders and in confined spaces.
• Raising a firefighter up from an elevation difference (hole in the floor).
• Using basic mechanical advantage systems to move firefighters.
• Large-area search techniques.
• Thermal-imaging camera techniques.

Firefighters should be given an explanation why a particular technique or idea is important. This can take place in a classroom setting, and open discussion should be encouraged. Perhaps one of the students has had a similar or related experience that he or she can talk about with the whole group. With rapid intervention, it's important that we learn from each other. This is the only way that we can prevent our people suffering the same consequences. This is especially true when discussing case studies.

When out on the training ground, all safety facets should be covered thoroughly so that the students have an understanding of their purpose and how they are meant to prevent harm. It should never be taken for granted that any student already knows something, no matter what rank or experience level. Start from square one with everyone and explain the “nuts and bolts” of the procedure and progress from there. Demonstrating the procedure also is a must. Break the skill down into parts and have an instructor slowly demonstrate each. An instructor should then demonstrate the skill at full speed. Students should slowly demonstrate the steps back while providing explanation of the procedure. This will help to maximize the skill retention. Only then should they be expected to perform the skills at full speed.

Safety first

It's important that the instructor pay close attention to the drill participants at all times. Instructors must provide direction to keep the students both on track and safe. Injuries can take place very easily during rapid intervention training if the instructor misses something or turns away. An unsafe act or omission won't wait to happen. An instructor should stop any act that compromises safety immediately. When stopping an evolution or skill station, provide an explanation to the student why it was stopped and how to make it safe.

Rapid intervention training needs to be broken down into sections; it can't all be covered in one training session. Each consecutive session needs to progress in the difficulty of skills to be performed. Each drill session must be broken down into training stations where a particular skill or area is introduced and practiced.

The only way to prepare for a mayday on the fireground is to train. Rapid intervention training is the most demanding training that a firefighter may have to complete. When people are in trouble or stressed, they will rely on their instincts. Constant training will provide that instinct for firefighters. Instructors who teach rapid intervention must be knowledgeable, experienced, enthusiastic, patient and safety-oriented. Safety should be the number-one priority and never compromised for any reason when training on rapid intervention and self-survival skills.

Being properly trained will allow firefighters the ability to make the right decisions in situations where there may not be a second chance to save one of their own.

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Jeffrey Pindelski is a battalion chief with the Downers Grove (Ill.) Fire Department and has been a member of the fire service for more than 16 years. He is a staff instructor for the College of DuPage and Downers Grove Fire Academy and a certified Instructor III and Fire Officer II through the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress. Pindelski has a graduate certificate in managerial leadership and a master's degree in public safety administration. He is the co-author of R.I.C.O. — Rapid Intervention Company Operations. Pindelski was a recipient of the State of Illinois Firefighting Medal of Valor in 1998 and has been published in several trade journals on various fire service — related topics.