Columbia County Fire

RIT Training

Reporter: Division Chief David Boozer, Training Director

It gives me great pleasure to report that the Columbia County Fire Department recently conducted RIT Training for both career and reserve staff members. RIT or Rapid Intervention Training along with Firefighter Survival Training is the most physically and mentally challenging situation faced by our staff. It was held at the old Quality Inn located on West US Highway 90 in Lake City. In my twenty three years or so in the fire service I've never seen such a dedicated group, willing to tackle such vigorous training. These guys are to be commended for their dedication and enthusiasm in taking our department to the next level. I'd also like to add that the cooperation between the career and reserve staff was incredible. The Columbia County Fire Department is well on its way to being a department that residents can be proud of.

Rapid Intervention has quickly developed into a technical rescue discipline of its own. It takes a specially trained person with specific skills and expertise to recognize potential hazards and produce positive results after these types of incidents. Unfortunately, a large portion of the training comes from identifying deficiencies following the loss of a firefighter.

However, as members of the Fire Service, we are fortunate to have individuals who are proactive and unselfish, taking the time to study the circumstances surrounding these tragic losses and developing worthwhile procedures and drills to follow in the event of a future situation. Thankfully they have chosen to pass such information on to those who may be faced with similar circumstances. Rapid Intervention Training results in the most well trained, physically fit and mentally tough personnel capable of handling any situation and having the tools and knowledge to immediately put this to use in a real life situation.

Your Columbia County Fire Department has seen the advantage of sharing learned information and has implemented a "Train the Trainer" program which enables our twelve fire instructors to obtain specialized training in various fields. They then return and pass this on to the remainder of our staff. I'm especially pleased with this concept and it has proven to enhance our training capabilities. It's allowed for a more concise training program that enables all our firefighters to receive the exact training giving us a precise team able to deal with emergency situations.

This specific training has not only enhanced our ability to take care of our own, it has fine tuned our skills to provide a higher level of service to our community. This week-long, fast-paced course included forty of Columbia County's finest. Had we sought an outside agency to perform the necessary training it would have cost an estimated $30,000 but would not have supported the consistency in training that was received.

To give an overview of the training that was received, I have provided a list of drills that were performed:

Tactical Operations for RIT Deployment-Defines the roles and responsibilities of a Rapid Intervention Team in support of fire fighter safety and survival with 100% accuracy. Describes how to effectively deploy a RIT team for search, rescue and removal of a downed firefighter.

Mayday Communications- This class addresses the important, need to know, components of radio communications during an emergency. When critical information has to be relayed to save a fellow firefighter's life.

Drags, Carries and Packaging of Down Firefighters-This class, through demonstration and hands-on practice enables firefighters to use webbing, harnesses and simple techniques to remove downed firefighters safely. Firefighters learn new methods of moving down firefighters between different levels and along the horizontal plane.

Search Line Survival Training-Provides firefighters with an in-depth understanding of search line operations and the critical survival skills necessary to properly conduct an effective search.

The Denver Drill-Based on the death of Mark Langvardt of the Denver Fire Department. Provides the skills necessary to rescue trapped firefighters from tight spaces and remove them through windows and other small openings. Simple techniques can mean the difference between life and death for a downed firefighter.

The Columbus Drill-Based on the death of John Nance of the Columbus Fire Department. Provides the skills necessary to rescue trapped firefighters who have fallen through a compromised floor. Different techniques are demonstrated and taught using tools that every firefighter has at hand. These techniques include using hose lines, ropes and hand tools.

Ladder as a High Point Drill-Firefighters learn to remove a down firefighter out of a window using a ladder and a life safety rope. Different methods including mechanical advantages are demonstrated and reinforced with repeated hands-on during exercise.

Ladder Bailout-Designed as a last ditch method for rapid escape via ladder in an effort to escape rapid fire development, toxic environment following an exhausted air supply and/or a significant event such as collapse, explosion, etc.

Stair Carry-Teaches firefighters the specific techniques of how to offset the weight of a firefighter while carrying a member up a flight of stairs to an area of safety.

In closing I would like to thank each and every firefighter who took advantage of this most rigorous training and I commend you for your dedication and commitment to your fellow firefighters, the department and most of all to the community you serve. My prayer for you is that the skills you've learned during this course will only be demonstrated in the training field and not in an emergency situation. You've proven yourselves to be professional and have reinforced our purpose "To Protect and Serve".