A Safer Search: Mastering the firefighter-oriented search method
By Lieutenant Victoria Quick

When firefighters get in trouble inside a burning structure, it’s often because they’ve lost their orientation during a search and rescue operation. Although staying oriented may sound simple, it comprises a lot of details: dealing with low visibility, communicating with your crew, deciding what information to relay to your partner and to command, etc.

Knowing how to stay oriented takes practice. In this article, I’ll describe a method of search that can help crews stay oriented and safe.

Back to Basics
If you’re like most firefighters, you’ve been taught four basic elements of search:

1. Stay on the wall. Stay on the left- or right-hand wall and NEVER leave it or you risk the possibility of becoming disoriented and losing your way out of the building.
2. Control your doors. Keep doors open during your search to prevent becoming trapped, and close them behind you when you’re finished to slow fire spread and create a refuge if needed.
3. Search all sides of an object. If your object is a victim, be sure to check under the victim, where another victim could possibly be located.
4. Don’t move the obstacles from their original place. Leaving the obstacles in place will create an orientation map in your head. You can turn cushions over or place a chair upside down to show that you’ve searched the area, but don’t move them from their original place unless you must rescue a victim from that area.

Primary searches are time-critical and fast; they involve checking all areas where a viable victim might be found. Secondary searches are more methodical and are used to find victims after the fact. Secondary searches are generally safer because they’re conducted once conditions improve and the search team can perform a more thorough search, covering all areas of the building. To increase the effectiveness of the searches, different crews should perform the primary and secondary searches when possible.



It Starts on the Outside
Creating a mental picture of the structure from the outside to the inside can keep you, your partner and possibly your victim safe.

Your orientation should begin before you go inside. Performing a rapid 360-degree assessment will give you that outside orientation map before you enter the IDLH environment. During your 360, note the following:

• Type of occupancy, the time of day and the day of the week.
• Access points and egress points. Pay close attention to the windows and doors—do they have security bars or other features that might hamper egress?
• Propane tanks or suspicious chemicals/cartons lying around the outside of the house, indicating a possible meth lab.
• Cars in the driveway or garage, indicating the possibility of an occupant.
• Vertical windows and any extra doors not on the ground level, indicating the structure has more than one story.

Your assessment may help identify where your victims may be located and where you will start your search. Finding toys on the ground outside of a window, especially a second-story window, is a good indication that a child’s room is in the area. You may even find the victims standing in the backyard or hanging out a window. This allows for the easy rescue.

Oriented Search The firefighter-oriented search is an effective search method for residential structures. It emphasizes two critical skills: communication and team search operations.

With this search method, the team leader remains ORIENTED to one place in the structure, such as the hose, the wall or an exit. The oriented person’s job is to guide the searching firefighters back to them. The searching firefighters should use traditional search methods while working inside a room.

Here’s how it works: Your crew enters the building, preferably the entrance closest to the victim, and the search crew immediately picks a wall for orientation. The team leader positions themself at the doorway, establishing the point of orientation and/or exit. Depending on the room configuration and the atmosphere you’re working in, the searcher(s) can move on the same wall while spreading out into the room or they can go separate ways, one right and one left, and meet each other in the middle of the same room while in turn covering more area.

Do you have to stay in physical contact with each other and follow each other like ducks in a row down the wall? Absolutely not! If you can see, hear or touch your partner then you’re in contact. Lose these and you’re by yourself and suddenly you become a victim. Communication is the key to any search, especially an oriented search.

When the searcher(s) encounter an entry point into another room on the orientation wall, the team leader will move to that doorway, creating an orientation map in their mind to the exit. This becomes extremely easy when using a thermal imaging camera (TIC) because you can see your team and the exits at all times. Note: Even though you may be able to move a little faster with a TIC during a search, NEVER stray from using traditional search methods (i.e., orientation with a wall, searchline or hoseline) on any type of search.

While inside, don’t forget to monitor the fire, heat and smoke conditions in case you have to make a hasty retreat. Check all doors before you enter for heat and pull the ceiling to make sure the fire has not progressed over your head. Caution: When pulling ceilings you should deploy a support handline for protection in case you expose fire overhead.

Once the search team finishes a room search and heads back in the direction from which they entered, the team leader returns to the doorway leading to the exit while guiding the team back by voice, sight or physical contact.

If you encounter stairs during the oriented search, extend your search to the top of the stairs, sweep with your tool at the second floor landing for anyone disoriented or caught trying to exit, then proceed back down the stairs and continue your oriented search of the first floor. Relay to command what you’ve encountered so that they can send another team to search the second floor. Depending on the size of the structure, the extent of the fire and the level of air left in your SCBA, you may be assigned to do the primary on the second floor after completing the first floor search.

When You Find a Victim
You’re doing an effective search and have the oriented map in your head when suddenly you find a victim. What do you do?

First, let your team and team leader know what you’ve found and how many victims there are. It’s not uncommon to find two victims in the same place. Let command know what you’ve found, relay your exact location, and advise if you’ll need any resources to help you get the victim out. Because you’ve already communicated to command your game plan prior to entering the structure, they already know what door you entered and what wall you took. Their next move will be to send help your way to assist with the rescue. Did you find a better exit during your search? Command needs to know this so that they don’t send the rescue team to the wrong location

Time is critical with these searches. The victim has been in the IDLH environment way too long. Their best chance of survival will come with an effective search and a fast rescue.

By the Numbers The firefighter-oriented search can be done with a two-, three- or four-person team. With a two-person search, the oriented firefighter, carrying a TIC if possible, stays in touch with the search wall. The searcher can then move about the room while staying oriented with the lead firefighter. Orientation can be accomplished by touch with the use of a strap, rope or tool; by sight through the use of the TIC or the naked eye if conditions allow it; or by voice through verbal communication throughout the search.

The three-person oriented search becomes easier because two searchers can move in separate directions in the room, covering more area in less time. The lead firefighter will move with their crew as they progress from room to room, staying oriented with the exits.

The four-person oriented search becomes even easier because one firefighter can have the main goal of staying oriented with the exit. Once the search team starts to move from room to room, the fourth firefighter (anchor) stays oriented with the wall and the exits.

Practice Like You Play
The most important point to remember in the success or failure of the firefighter-oriented search technique: You must continually train on this search technique for it to be effective during real incidents. If you make a mistake during training, it’s fine—training is where we want you to make mistakes, so you can learn from them. Chances are, if you make a mistake during training, you won’t do it again, and you won’t let your partner make the same mistake.

The modern fireground requires that we train regularly and revise our search methods and techniques to provide us, and our victims, the greatest chance of survival. Train as if your life depends on it, because it does!

Lt. Victoria “Tori” Quick is a 15-year veteran of Orange County Fire Rescue in Orlando, where she is currently a Lt. Paramedic II Training Officer. Quick has bachelor’s degrees in psychology and education and is qualified as a FDSOA Health and Safety Officer, Fire Service Instructor III, and NFPA 1403 40-hour Live-Fire Instructor. Quick trains more than 1,100 firefighters for OCFRD and has facilitated many of the department’s multi-company drills.

REFERENCES

1. “Essentials of Firefighting and Fire Department Operations, 5th Edition.” IFSTA: Chapters 1–23.
2. Coleman, John F. “Incident Management for the Street Smart Fire Officer.” PennWell Publishing: Saddlebrook, N.J., 1997.
3. Woodworth, Steven P. “Thermal Imaging for the Fire Service Part 6: The Search.” (1197, Aug.)
4. American Heat. “Search Techniques.” May 2000.

Copyright © Elsevier Inc., a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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