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RIT is so important, working on a dept that has staffing issues it is obvious RIT is not a thought until we are well into the fire attack. The last fire i was at my crew had been initial attack. So we extinguish the fire, come out to change bottles, by then overhaul started. At this point my crew was told "your RIT." Not only were we exhausted we had already been 30 minutes into the fire. This cannot happen and probably is happening across the country, our dept is currently trying to fix this. RIT needs to be established ASAP and the crew needs to be fresh if possible (CALL FOR MUTUAL AID). If a firefighter needs removed from the structure its going to be tasking. Exhausted is not what i want my RIT to be if their coming in for me. Great article
Jimmy, No doubt coming out of a fire like you guys did you have to question your crew RIT readiness. But in the real world for small or short staffed departments, I feel the best option is automatic mutual aid from a neighboring department. Getting additional resources there early such as RIT is very important for firefighter safety. As we know the first 5-10 minutes on the fireground are the most critical. Waiting till you get there to determine a working fire is to late as it takes time for mutual aid departments to assemble and respond to the scene.
RIT is so important, working on a dept that has staffing issues it is obvious RIT is not a thought until we are well into the fire attack. The last fire i was at my crew had been initial attack. So we extinguish the fire, come out to change bottles, by then overhaul started. At this point my crew was told "your RIT." Not only were we exhausted we had already been 30 minutes into the fire. This cannot happen and probably is happening across the country, our dept is currently trying to fix this. RIT needs to be established ASAP and the crew needs to be fresh if possible (CALL FOR MUTUAL AID). If a firefighter needs removed from the structure its going to be tasking. Exhausted is not what i want my RIT to be if their coming in for me. Great article
ReplyDeleteJimmy, No doubt coming out of a fire like you guys did you have to question your crew RIT readiness. But in the real world for small or short staffed departments, I feel the best option is automatic mutual aid from a neighboring department. Getting additional resources there early such as RIT is very important for firefighter safety. As we know the first 5-10 minutes on the fireground are the most critical. Waiting till you get there to determine a working fire is to late as it takes time for mutual aid departments to assemble and respond to the scene.
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