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Does RIT really work?
Does RIT really work?
Does RIT really work? There is a lot of evidence that RIT teams, no matter how well-trained, are ineffective in saving firefighters in real-life Mayday situations. If this were not the case, we’d be hearing RIT success stories on a daily basis. We don’t.
There are numerous accounts of ineffective RIT responses. Here are a few:
http://www.firehouse.com/lodd/2001/az_reportapr5.html
http://www.firetimes.com/story.asp?FragID=8399
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200504.html
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200509.html
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200402.html
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200318.html
Why is RIT ineffective?
Is it that firefighters wait too long to call the Mayday? The U.S. Fire Administration thinks that this is a contributing factor. USFA now has an online class outline that you can download and deliver locally. The class title is “Calling the Mayday” and it is available here:
http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/applications/nfacsd/display.jsp?cc=H134
Is it possible that we simply can’t find the downed firefighter(s) in time due to downed firefighter disorientation or the downed firefighter being too far into bad conditions in large buildings?
http://firechief.com/tactics/firefighting_no_maydays/
http://cms.firehouse.com/content/article/article.jsp?id=46931
I believe that there are several contributing factors to the high RIT ineffectiveness rate.
1) RIT training focuses primarily on reactive techniques.
The bulk of RIT training focuses on what to do when you are already in deep trouble. There’s an old saying “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” I believe that saying applies to RIT. Preventing the need for Maydays and RIT responses is going to be more effective than all of the RIT training in the world. We can prevent the need for RIT responses by avoiding well-intentioned but suicidal fireground behaviors. We can also throw lots of ladders to upper floors, ventilate early and often, and use large-caliber streams on big fires to help prevent the need for RIT responses.
2) We mistakenly believe that RIT will save us, no matter what happens.
If you fall into tons of burning debris, or if tons of burning debris falls on us, it’s unlikely that RIT will save you. If the fire flashes over while you’re hundreds of feet inside a big-box fire, a single RIT team won’t have the water power to overpower enough fire to get to you. If you are above the fire and conditions deteriorate without a functional secondary means of egress, the RIT team probably won’t have time to get to you before you either jump or die. In fact, if there is a lot of radio traffic or if you're way inside a Type I or Type II structure, your Mayday may never be heard.
3) We reflexively use house fire tactics on every fire, because we’re conditioned to it.
Using house fire tactics on big box, strip mall, multiple-residency, and high-rise occupancies is asking for trouble. When that trouble happens, even the best prepared RIT team may be too far away, too understaffed, and too late to save firefighters who get separated from their line or otherwise become lost or disoriented.
4) We conduct aggressive interior attacks in well-involved structures that are vacant or unoccupied.We enter way to many burning buildings when there is no real reason to do so. If it’s a strip mall fire with no cars in the parking lot at 4 AM, then it’s difficult to rationalize a search and rescue assignment or a balls-out interior attack if the fire is well involved. If we have fire flashed over and autoventing from a single-story house, then there’s no one alive for us to save and we can fight it defensively. Staying out of “Born Losers” will keep the RIT team out of action and the first alarm firefighters alive. Remember - vacant buildings are no longer vacant when we put firefighters inside them.
5) RIT focuses on the “Rescue” part of Search and Rescue when the “Search” part - locating the downed firefighter - is often the problem.
If the victim is disoriented, low on air, or out of air and poisoned with toxins, then it’s going to be difficult for that firefighter to tell RIT where he or she is. That adds up to difficulty in locating the downed firefighter, and exponentially increases the chances that RIT intervention won’t be successful.
If RIT doesn’t have a TIC, locating a downed firefighter is an exercise in rolling the dice. If the victim is in a high heat or total flame environment, or if the victim is buried by debris, then a TIC likely won’t help locate the downed firefighter. Even electronic PASS/locator units have failed when shorted out by water or when muffled by the downed firefighter’s body and/or debris.
6) We fight fires in lightweight structures as if they had the mass of old-style construction.
Mass gives strength to a structure. Lightweight structures don’t have that mass. It takes very little fire before lightweight buildings start coming apart. If the building comes apart with firefighters inside, the resulting trauma may be immediately fatal. Belaboring the obvious…RIT can’t save you if you’re already dead.
7) A lot of RIT training isn’t realistic.
When you see instructors conducting wrestling matches to show students what happens in a collapse, something doesn’t add up. Interior collapses are one of three primary types. First, you have drop ceiling collapses with acoustic tile, metal frame, wire supports, and electrical wires and “slinky” style HVAC ductwork. This stuff won’t chase you around if you move to get to a PASS, a radio, or a cutting tool. Second, there is a collapse of major structural components. These components will either trap you in a void or pancake on you. In that situation, you’re either going to be able to get to the radio/PASS/cutting tool or you won’t. Moving around may shift components onto you, but once again, they won’t chase you around. Third, HVAC units or other heavy roof-mounted equipment may fall through a roof onto firefighters after lightweight trusses burn through. If you get caught by one of these, you’re either going to be dead or unconscious, or you’re going to be partially trapped. It is unlikely that you’ll be able to get to your PASS or radio if you’re dead or unconscious. If you’re partially trapped, the weight of the HVAC unit will pin whatever is trapped under it and getting to a wire cutter won’t help you much. Realistic props – not wrestling matches with the instructors – are the way to go on this one. A smart lawyer might even be able to successfully argue that the RIT wrestling matches are an assault on the student. Is teaching a well-intentioned but unrealistic technique worth defending a prosecution and the possibility of your career being over after you get out of prison?
I have some other thoughts on this, but I’d like to hear from the Nation. I’m sure that some of you will disagree with some of what I’ve posted. When you post your disagreement, I’d like to hear about documented RIT saves. There have been precious few of them. I’m very glad for every one of the RIT saves that have occurred; every one of us saved from the Red Devil is a big win. I just wonder if RIT training doesn’t give us a false sense of security and make us take risks that a more reasoned risk-benefit analysis would prevent.
Does RIT really work? There is a lot of evidence that RIT teams, no matter how well-trained, are ineffective in saving firefighters in real-life Mayday situations. If this were not the case, we’d be hearing RIT success stories on a daily basis. We don’t.
There are numerous accounts of ineffective RIT responses. Here are a few:
http://www.firehouse.com/lodd/2001/az_reportapr5.html
http://www.firetimes.com/story.asp?FragID=8399
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200504.html
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200509.html
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200402.html
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200318.html
Why is RIT ineffective?
Is it that firefighters wait too long to call the Mayday? The U.S. Fire Administration thinks that this is a contributing factor. USFA now has an online class outline that you can download and deliver locally. The class title is “Calling the Mayday” and it is available here:
http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/applications/nfacsd/display.jsp?cc=H134
Is it possible that we simply can’t find the downed firefighter(s) in time due to downed firefighter disorientation or the downed firefighter being too far into bad conditions in large buildings?
http://firechief.com/tactics/firefighting_no_maydays/
http://cms.firehouse.com/content/article/article.jsp?id=46931
I believe that there are several contributing factors to the high RIT ineffectiveness rate.
1) RIT training focuses primarily on reactive techniques.
The bulk of RIT training focuses on what to do when you are already in deep trouble. There’s an old saying “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” I believe that saying applies to RIT. Preventing the need for Maydays and RIT responses is going to be more effective than all of the RIT training in the world. We can prevent the need for RIT responses by avoiding well-intentioned but suicidal fireground behaviors. We can also throw lots of ladders to upper floors, ventilate early and often, and use large-caliber streams on big fires to help prevent the need for RIT responses.
2) We mistakenly believe that RIT will save us, no matter what happens.
If you fall into tons of burning debris, or if tons of burning debris falls on us, it’s unlikely that RIT will save you. If the fire flashes over while you’re hundreds of feet inside a big-box fire, a single RIT team won’t have the water power to overpower enough fire to get to you. If you are above the fire and conditions deteriorate without a functional secondary means of egress, the RIT team probably won’t have time to get to you before you either jump or die. In fact, if there is a lot of radio traffic or if you're way inside a Type I or Type II structure, your Mayday may never be heard.
3) We reflexively use house fire tactics on every fire, because we’re conditioned to it.
Using house fire tactics on big box, strip mall, multiple-residency, and high-rise occupancies is asking for trouble. When that trouble happens, even the best prepared RIT team may be too far away, too understaffed, and too late to save firefighters who get separated from their line or otherwise become lost or disoriented.
4) We conduct aggressive interior attacks in well-involved structures that are vacant or unoccupied.We enter way to many burning buildings when there is no real reason to do so. If it’s a strip mall fire with no cars in the parking lot at 4 AM, then it’s difficult to rationalize a search and rescue assignment or a balls-out interior attack if the fire is well involved. If we have fire flashed over and autoventing from a single-story house, then there’s no one alive for us to save and we can fight it defensively. Staying out of “Born Losers” will keep the RIT team out of action and the first alarm firefighters alive. Remember - vacant buildings are no longer vacant when we put firefighters inside them.
5) RIT focuses on the “Rescue” part of Search and Rescue when the “Search” part - locating the downed firefighter - is often the problem.
If the victim is disoriented, low on air, or out of air and poisoned with toxins, then it’s going to be difficult for that firefighter to tell RIT where he or she is. That adds up to difficulty in locating the downed firefighter, and exponentially increases the chances that RIT intervention won’t be successful.
If RIT doesn’t have a TIC, locating a downed firefighter is an exercise in rolling the dice. If the victim is in a high heat or total flame environment, or if the victim is buried by debris, then a TIC likely won’t help locate the downed firefighter. Even electronic PASS/locator units have failed when shorted out by water or when muffled by the downed firefighter’s body and/or debris.
6) We fight fires in lightweight structures as if they had the mass of old-style construction.
Mass gives strength to a structure. Lightweight structures don’t have that mass. It takes very little fire before lightweight buildings start coming apart. If the building comes apart with firefighters inside, the resulting trauma may be immediately fatal. Belaboring the obvious…RIT can’t save you if you’re already dead.
7) A lot of RIT training isn’t realistic.
When you see instructors conducting wrestling matches to show students what happens in a collapse, something doesn’t add up. Interior collapses are one of three primary types. First, you have drop ceiling collapses with acoustic tile, metal frame, wire supports, and electrical wires and “slinky” style HVAC ductwork. This stuff won’t chase you around if you move to get to a PASS, a radio, or a cutting tool. Second, there is a collapse of major structural components. These components will either trap you in a void or pancake on you. In that situation, you’re either going to be able to get to the radio/PASS/cutting tool or you won’t. Moving around may shift components onto you, but once again, they won’t chase you around. Third, HVAC units or other heavy roof-mounted equipment may fall through a roof onto firefighters after lightweight trusses burn through. If you get caught by one of these, you’re either going to be dead or unconscious, or you’re going to be partially trapped. It is unlikely that you’ll be able to get to your PASS or radio if you’re dead or unconscious. If you’re partially trapped, the weight of the HVAC unit will pin whatever is trapped under it and getting to a wire cutter won’t help you much. Realistic props – not wrestling matches with the instructors – are the way to go on this one. A smart lawyer might even be able to successfully argue that the RIT wrestling matches are an assault on the student. Is teaching a well-intentioned but unrealistic technique worth defending a prosecution and the possibility of your career being over after you get out of prison?
I have some other thoughts on this, but I’d like to hear from the Nation. I’m sure that some of you will disagree with some of what I’ve posted. When you post your disagreement, I’d like to hear about documented RIT saves. There have been precious few of them. I’m very glad for every one of the RIT saves that have occurred; every one of us saved from the Red Devil is a big win. I just wonder if RIT training doesn’t give us a false sense of security and make us take risks that a more reasoned risk-benefit analysis would prevent.
Add a Comment
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Comment by Dale Gentek on July 24, 2008 at 11:10pm
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Ben, After reading all points of view on this subject, I'd like to offer my own without being redundant. Perhaps we should start at the beginning with basic firefighter training. Along with all the necessary information being presented to todays firefighters, why are we not incorporating "Calling the Mayday" and self survival techniques? Then refresh this training on an
annual basis. This training should include Rapid Intervention "Awareness" training as well.
As the firefighter moves through his/her career, they build on their skills. If they choose not to, this is our own fault. We all know complacency kills and there are plentyof NIOSH reports to confirm this. Along with annual recertifications currently in place such as Confined Space Awareness, Blood Borne Pathogens and the like , new information, equipment and techniques are discovered and presented. A proactive firefighter will experiment with this information and see if it works for them.
To continue, why can't we add a stand-alone session of "Mayday" calling and self survival skills? I once heard that if you put the fire out, we won't need to jump out of the building... That's all well and good, until conditions sh#t-the-bed and you have to. RIT/RIC teams need to be proactive, and enough need to be present a those big box fires. Chief officers need to know and understand the complexities of such an event, as well as the capabilities of the members to establish adequate SOG's.
As FETC stated, "This can't be done alone!", and we train that no I.C. doesn't. It's an incident within an incident, and must be managed accordingly.
Training needs to be realistic. For search skills, don't go to your local fire academy, you know that structure like the back of your hand. Find and aquire a structure slated for demolition, or an unoccupied supermarket or similar store. Visit you local high school gymnasium or auditorium after hours. You'd be surprised how the public would recieve you. It's good P.R. for your Company/ Department and costs little or nothing.
I'm in agreement that we shouldn't be entering "born loser" structure fires, as well as the well involved strip mall fire at 4 A.M. for a search. Recognition and implementation of proper tactics is crucial. But how 'bout that split level smoke charged residence with the mother at the sidewalk screaming "my childs still inside". Survivable for the occupant, possibly not, but thats what we signed up for. And if I know I have a skilled bunch of dragon slayers on scene and and a pro-active and agressive R.I.C. on the outside, it's gonna be a hell of alot easier to make that decision.
I've read in our periodicals the focus of back to the basic training. Proper hoseline selection and advancement, continual size-up by all personnel on scene, proper P.P.E., etc. Great! But let's incorporate and embrace some of the new concepts as well. Stay safe brothers and sisters, so we all go home.
Dale Gentek
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Comment by FETC on July 24, 2008 at 12:58pm
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Ben,
Glad to hear others are teaching Managing the Mayday the same way. My classes haves been well recieved and opened many eyes to the incident commander having limitations and not a super man logo on his chest.
Thanks,
Bill
www.fetcservices.com
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Comment by Engine 32 Capt. on July 23, 2008 at 10:59am
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Ben;
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. I think you and I agree on many aspects of the RIT process.
We had an incident almost two years ago where 3 members became trapped on a 2nd floor of a private dwelling. The fire originated in the basement and burned for some time before a call was made. One crew tried to enter the basement but was unable due to high heat. The crew that got trapped was instructed to go to the 2nd floor for search and rescue. After going to the 2nd floor, the first floor collapsed and allowed the heat from the basement to go straight up the stairs to the 2nd floor, allowing the stairs to act as a chimney.
A mayday was called but a rescue attempt from the front door would not have worked due to the fact that the 1st floor and stairs were compromised. There were not enough ladders in place to effect a rescue. Fortunately, our Brothers were able to self rescue by jumping out of windows.
I agree that one of the biggest components of the RIT theory is knowing your enemy. The 'Born Losers' (I love that) need to be identified early and accurately. If there is no battle to win, the fight should be kept in a manageable arena, which is a defenseive attack. Again, that's if there are no rescues, or a viable rescue is unlikely. If that's the case, then protect any exposures and the fire will go out eventually.
Risk little to save little...
I'm interested to read more feedback on this. Hope it keeps going.
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Comment by Ben Waller on July 22, 2008 at 7:43pm
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Excellent points, especially about not dividing Command's attention trying to manage two emergencies at the same time.
Some very good RIT instructors in my department and I teach that we need to establish a RIT Group Supervisor that doesn't enter with the RIT team. We take every company not involved in the Mayday off the working Tac channel and move them to a second Tac channel. Only the RIT supervisor, RIT, and the Mayday company stay on the original channel. That lets Command run a PAR and continue to fight the fire while the RIT supervisor handles the Mayday emergency.
Fortunately, we've only had to do this in training, and we hope to keep it that way.
Our chiefs are pretty agressive about going defensive on born losers, especially if the 1st alarm companies don't make quick headway. I like it that way. We have so much lightweight construction that simply won't hold up to a lot of fire, and I don't want our firefighters in it, on it, or near it when it comes apart and Mr. Gravity takes over. Mr. Gravity is relentless, and he's a cold-hearted SOB.
Regards,
Ben
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Guys,
We all understand the concept was designed to provide a crew on standby for rapid response. The reasons for which many firefighters get into trouble are troublesome themselves; lack of basic training, poor fire thermal insult recognition, building construction, strategy/tactics and lack of RPD rapid prime decision making.
Art is correct that providing every firefighter on the fire department with RIC training is VERY important. But more importantly is getting the Chief Officer's to understand what the RIC Team's capabilites are and understanding the shear complexity of actually "Managing a Mayday".
I also agree with your point Ben, that we must maintain a firefight! That must occur to give RIC and the brother a chance. And to do so we must continue to run the fire from the command and control aspect.
But most incident command posts are not prepared for the rapidly expanding incident. They are usually comfortable with providing a command/control structure at a residential building fire. They are especially UNprepared, if the Mayday is NOT resolved within the first few minutes of onset.
You see, trying to run TWO very important emergencies at the same incident is troublesome. Many command officer's expect to pull this off by the seat of their pants. Shooting from the hip, without ever thinking about the complexity of the added stress, lack of span of control, fireground freelancing, putting RIC to work, multiple alarms, backfilling RIC, trying to complete a full PAR, multiple radio frequencies, still providing Command / Control to the Fire plus directing and coordinating a mayday operation. CAN'T BE DONE ALONE!!! Command Posts are run everyday in the US without the proper training and tools in the IC's toolbox to have any possible chance of winning.
Art makes a very valid point that many old school commanders, who have not gone through a progressive (today's standard) RIC program; do NOT understand the capabilities nor the LIMITATIONS of their rapid intervention companies. How is one expected to forecast the future, whether in a positive or negative result without fully understanding the capabilites of his or her team. I am sure he didn't mean, they should be inside doing the hands-on extrication with firefighters....
To really see the numbers change in a positive light will probably be impossible.... You see progressive safety oriented chief's who are really doing a great job of RISK vs GAIN are not making the news by going defensive early on in a fire operation. The rescues are not needed because command did their jobs well. KUDOS.
The world is evolving around us, and most everything is NOT firefighter friendly. Therefore we need to provide old school commanders with new school risk vs gain and forecast time...
What we need to focus on with basic firefighter skills is learning to monitor conditions that warrant, backing out or retreating to a safer location, better fireground strategy-tactics for safer operations. Forecast the problems with a safety mindset. And if they do get into trouble, the training provided by a progressive RIC Program will buy them time to get RIC in, with good communications, training and tactical operations.
Otherwise, we will continue to see and debate that RIT or RIC alone is not working....
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Arthur,
The first two point will work only if the firefighter(s) in trouble are in a situation where they a) know exactly where they are and b) are physically able to call the Mayday. I'm all about my first two points, but firefighters who are unconscious or worse aren't able to call a Mayday, let alone give RIT a LUNAR report.
As for situational awareness - that isn't a RIT technique, it's just everyday common sense. Disorientation is a major contributor to many LODDs. If you're not disoriented, your chances of needing RIT help are slim. If you are disoriented, the chances of RIT being able to save you may be equally slim.
In big box buildings, it may not matter how situationally aware the interior firefighters are or how well RIT monitors their location and activities. If building contents fall over and block interior crew egress/RIT access, then situational awareness probably won't help anyone. If a fire door fusible link drops and shuts down a hoseline, then RIT's job just got tougher and longer.
As for chiefs taking part in interior RIT training, I disagree. The Chief's need to be in control of the operation from the outside, not putting on SCBA and entering the structure doing task-level jobs. People rely on their training in stressful situation, and if you train the chiefs to revert to the task level in a RIT situation, then that's what they'll do and no one will be left figuring out strategy. Strategy is doubly important at a RIT event. First, the firefight can't stop, but strategy will need to be altered and second, the Mayday will involve RIT strategy if there's a chance to save the firefighter(s) who need the help.
And...if we're not really saving firefighters with RIT, maybe the cultural change we need is more along the lines of changing how and why we fight fires the way we do rather than spending a lot of time, effort, and money on training that so far hasn't shown lots of tangible benefit.
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Comment by Arthur Hayden on July 21, 2008 at 4:32pm
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Ben: I think you have a lot of good points, But one of the idea of RIC training is an understanding of your first two points: 1- don't wait to call a mayday, situational awareness to prevent your self from getting in to trouble, proper lunar reports with good information on were you are located and what is your situation. Pro-active monitoring of interior crews by the RIC and provide quick and direct access to the Down and Injuried firefighter and eliminate the long search. RIC must know how much area they can effectively search with in a ten minute window. I can go on but I will stop here for know every firefighter needs RIC training to change thier thinking on safety, were i see the main problems are the chiefs that refuse to take part in the training and don a pack and find out what it is like to get trapped. RIC works and I don't really care in numbers but if we can save one firefighter then it is worth it, we need this as a cultural change!!!! Vesrescue
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Comment by Michael Farrar on July 20, 2008 at 10:03pm
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Ben in the house fire we had the other night I got to go in on the tip for the first time in about 2 years. It was a small house, 1 story, wood frame, only about 20x35 ft. We had heavy fire showing from a window on the A-B corner of the house with heavy smoke venting out of an A side window. The first team in had to back out within seconds of entering because one one the guys forgot to pull up his hood. I took the tip and I entered with one of my Asst. Chiefs. There was more stuff (junk) in this house then you would find in a 2 story 2500 sq ft house. The last time I was in a fire this hot was Feb. of 2002. We made it maybe 25 ft to the fire rooms and just as the tipped was opened an interior ceiling collapse of both fire rooms landed inches from us.
Again this was a very small house and we were at the most 25 feet into the building. I really don't think due to the 2 layers of sheet rock and other ceiling crap and very high heat that if either one of us got hurt or trapped im not sure we would have made it out without major injury or.....
Its not that I don't trust RIT but if something bad happens and if the conditions don't get a lot better before the RIT arrives how much can they really do?
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