RIT Committee Support

[LT 21]

Anyone out there had any difficulty selling RIT to their departments officer(s)?

Anyone experience someone high enough on the food chain that battles it the entire way?

If so what have you done?

I'm running out of gas on an up-hill climb.

[570eck]

Had a similar problem still having it to tell you the truth. We've got a core of younger guys who are realy into it now and have started a snowball. I think it might be harder to present to a fully paid dept. for the $$$. In the vol. dept. I run with the cheif was dead set against it but with alot of training on our own and the pressure put on by our asst. chief who knows of the benifits I think we are wining. Maybe dig up some old articles that show the benifits or throw up the 2 in 2 out deal and how that min. of 2 on the outside will stop firefighting because your backup is now in rescue instead of fight whereas another team could be doing the other job. Let me know how you make out I might get some other ideas.

[Truckie5553]

I am probably gonna upset people with this post but i am only trying to get my point across! Why is it that when something is developed to actually give our own a back up life line, we have to act like this is the end of the world. Yes our job is to fight fires, but there is one major issue here that is being overlooked. FIREFIGHTERS ARE DIEING DOING THIS AND THERE IS NO ONE TO HELP THEM!!!!!!!!!! Wake up people! RIT and FAST is something that is designed to help protect our own. Those house fires we make that it would be nice to have that extra handline in have insurance on them that will replace the house. If a Firefighter dies, there is not an insurance policy in the world that will bring them back. WE, THE FIREFIGHTER, ARE NUMBER 1. Dont sell yourself short or your partners short because you think a group of young guys are snow balling this and trying to force feed it to everyone. This is the best thing since the air pack developed to assist the FIREFIGHTER! I have seen this in action and believe me, a firefighter would have died if the RIT wasnt in place. But the team was there, he called a mayday after the floor gave away and he fell into the basement, and the RIT launched and made a successful rescue! And because of that he is ALIVE!! That is what this all boils down to! FIREFIGHTERS GOING BACK HOME ALIVE, NOT GIVE THEIR LIVE TO SAVE SOMEONES HOME!!

I look forward to your comments on this issue. Please let me hear what you have to say.

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Captain James Collier
McMahan Fire Rescue
KCTCS Area 6 Instructor

[PBFTRK33]

I could'nt have said it better myself. Good post Truckie5553.

Jim Crawford
Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire
Firehouse Contributing Editor

[LT 21]

Hey guys I'm with ya. What we here are proposing is that each of our stations have it's own set of dedicated equipment. Yes some equipment that we already carry...halligans, axes, rope and what not.

The idea is this...A set of these for the RIT only. Identified with say the color blue or red (or whatever). Now with this identification anyone should be able to figure out that if you send them to a compartment for RIT tools there are going to know exactly what to bring back. There are some key elements to how a RIT should perform. Some of those being Speed and Function , broken down further into Preparation, Proactive and Simplicity. Does this not fit all those categories?

Given that, lets say it's...8 minutes into a fire. RIT is setting up. The mayday goes out. Your pinned under a floor collapse. Which would you rather have running through your mind...pictures of your brothers scrambling for tools off the second or third in company. Getting an axe here, halligan there, confusion about which line to pull because IC has changed the scheme of things. OR...thinking...ok they know I'm here I should be getting soaking wet any second.

Is a dedicated axe & halligan, some air and a hose bundle so much to ask for? Guaranteed we will find room to put it.

What are we talking in price here? Less than $2000? I bet the power windows, power locks and the A/C on the Chiefs vehicle cost more than that.

Please tell me why someone would not want this? I just don't understand.

[steveo]

I am LT. of a combination department with 45 FF'S. we are getting together a mutual aid agreement with the other township dept's. I have been trying to get my guys into it but telling the benefits and of terrible stories of guys missing. I can't get these guys to come out for the training. We had a offcers meeting the other night and decided to make RIT training mandatory for all members. Reason being that we will be getting called for other dept's in need. The training will be mandatory just like you fit test, scba, BBP and such. Do you think this should work or are we fighting a losing battle. We are currently drawing up sog's from the model fire dept forms. Any input would be great. -thanks steve