Unique RIT tricks of the trade

[PBFTRK33]

OK everybody, being the in depth RIT kind of guy that I am, I have seen quite alot of unique things across the nation while teaching that RIT's are coming up with to create an easier or better rapid intervention operation. If your RIT is doing something unique share it with the rest of us so that we all can benefit from it and hopefully help to save "One of our own"

REMEMBER, NOONE IS COMING IN FOR US, BUT US! THANKS FOR THE INPUT.....

Jim Crawford
Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire
Firehouse Contributing Editor

[Halligan84]

We have been doing a lot of stuff that has been discussed on these boards and in the trades. A couple of new things (to us) that we have worked on are ways to make drags easier. Members with personal harnesses have had some success hooking their harness to the rear of the SCBA harness and dragging, utilizing their leg strength rather than grip strength, plus their hands are free for other tasks. We looked for a way for members without these harnesses to realize the same benefit and found that extending the rescuers SCBA waist strap and utilizing it like the ladder harness works very well also. One student found a way to make moving up stairs seem almost easy. We moved the victim to the base of the stairs and the rescuer squatted over the victim’s chest and used his extended waist strap through the shoulder harness of the victim. He tightened up his waist strap and was able to straighten up and lift the entire upper body of the victim off the ground, with the SCBA cylinder clearing the steps. This allowed the most effortless move up the steps I have seen to date, again with both hands free and facing up the steps! It’s not going to work for our more vertically challenged members, but many of the students who were 5’10 or better had no problem. Anyone else have good uses for harnesses? The Denver drill is also a killer. We looked for a way to remove a member from a window with some common equipment found outside. If you can extend the window opening, that is great for pulling them straight out, however, using a simple mechanical advantage system hung from a ladder above the window opening allowed a quick up, out and down maneuver in far less than half the time of the Denver Drill. I’m always looking for new stuff too; anytime we do a course I learn something. How bout lighted search rope? Any success with this?

[This message has been edited by Halligan84 (edited July 13, 2000).]

[PBFTRK33]

See my post on lighted search ropes in the safety & survival board

Jim Crawford
Pittsburgh Bureau of fire
Firehouse Contributing Editor