RIT and FAST!!! Why do we ignore it?

[Truckie5553]

Why is it that this topic is the least posted of any on this site? Maybe i am just big on RIT and FAST than others, but we all need to be working on this and finding ways to better these things. After all, this is for US!!!!!

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Captain James Collier
McMahan Fire Rescue
KCTCS Area 6 Instructor

[Firelover]

I totally agree with you on this subject. I think that this post should be loaded with information from others.... I can't wait to start a RIT team. I think the reason that this is so empty is because it's new and some people aren't comfortable with new things at first...... I think as more and more departments get their RIT teams going, we'll see more conversations in here.

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Joel

If you sent us to HELL, WE'D PUT IT OUT!!

**And of course these are only my opinion and only mine. Don't take it out on anyone else but me.**

[l.b.635]

BEING ONE OF THE FIRST IN FIREFIGHTERS I AGREE THIS TOPIC NEEDS TO BE DISCUSSED MORE. WHY ARENT WE TAKING TIME TO TRAIN OUR PEOPLE IN THE PROPER WAYS AND GETTING OTHER FEED BACK FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS TO LEARN NEW WAYS AND MODIFING OLD WAYS. HEY IM A VOLUNTEER BUT OUR R.I.T. IS ONE OF THE BETTER ONES IN OUR COUNTY WE ARE NOT THE BEST BY ANY MEANS BUT OUR GUYS LEAVE THE FIREHOUSE TO GO TO THE FIRE AND LORD BLESS WEVE ALL GOT BACK SAFE GOD BLESS AMERICAS BRAVEST AND REMEMBER THE DRAGON LURKS

[breaker542]

on our dept we dont hav too many personnel that do R.I.T. but the ones that go in to the fire train on this on a regular basis. also we have a theral imaging camera. the thing is a good tool but my point man (who is also my training officer) puts too much faith in that thing. I think that the academies around the country as well as our own departments should train and talk R.I.T. and F.A.S.T. like its law and interact with each other via fire academy or the web to talk and get new tricks of the trade from others in our line of service. im not too experienced in this area and i have alot to learn so im open to new ideas all the time. I am also a volunteer/paid firefighter and we have one career fireman on our dept.that taught me what i know now about this matter. im the hoss of my team at 285 pounds i work out and eat right because i carry the attack line into anything we have. well god bless and by all means BE CAREFUL OUT THERE

[TriTownship600]

Most firefighters don’t understand how important the training would be in a real situation. I know that I didn’t until a recent training. We did maneuvers I never thought possible. Many thanks to the City of Sturgis Fire Department for their instructions. It has completely changed my position on Rapid Intervention Teams.

About half of our department has now had this RIT training. The guys who taught us took the Michigan State University course. Locate, Access, Stabilize, & Transfer. It’s an awesome course. Maneuvers I never thought possible are made possible. It’s a physically demanding class, but one I will never forget.

Try to get more people interested in the training. Once they get started, they will want more. I know I do.

[Fire/Rescue43]

A very good point, I think its a combination of officers & firefighters not understaing the concpet of RIT and also a "It won't happen to me/us!" attitude that some people walk around with.

I'm the RIT coordinator for my department, our RIT team is slowly training and we will hopefully be ready for active depolyment by September. We've been preaching the values of RIT to our neighboring departments hopeing to get them intrested in starting teams leading up to the formation of a county wide teams.

I had a Chief of a neighboring company tell me he thought RIT was a waste of time and he didn't want to be involved or have his company involved. To me that says "I don't give a crap about my firefighters or their safety" How do you over come attitudes like that? It too late when you have to knock on that door an tell the family that a loved one is dead.

I hope to see more posts in subject, and I'd urge everyone to take a firefighter safety and survival course and RIT training.

Stay safe.

[TriTownship600]

I think for our department it wasn't real clear that the RIT is more than just " 2 in - 2 out". Just having a couple firefighters standing outside was what we called the RIT. After all we know how to rescue people from burning buildings, right? Boy were we wrong.

The training will make the diference when the situation goes sour. Knowing how to quickly access and transfer a downed person is a must. You have got to train and practice this stuff. Then you'll have the confidence and desire for more.

Keep the faith. Change takes time.

[LT 21]

Truckie5553

I agree with you. we're in a spot where only we can train ourselves. There's no other organization out there who can give us the information we need except us.

Our Dept is currently in the process of adopting the AWaRE format (Air, Water, aRadio, Extrication) and will be putting it through our first dry run later this month.

There are a lot of different formats and concepts out there. I'm courious as to what everyone else is doing.

[PBFTRK33]

If anyone is interested in RIT training programs feel free to contact me. As the developer of the RICE (Rapid Intervention Crew Exercises)basic and advanced RIT training programs, I have put thousands of firefighters through the programs from across the country helping them to develop their Rapid Intervention teams in the past 5 years. You can see the RICE basic program on video through "Working Fire" training videos (volumes 98-8, 98-9, 98-10)out of St. Louis at 1-800-516-3473. I also instruct the "Hands on" RIT training at the Firehouse Expo in Baltimore. If you are going, enroll in the program or look me up while I am down there and I will be more than happy to sit down with you and help you develop a RIT training program for your department based on your needs. Stay safe.

Jim Crawford
Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire
Firehouse Magazine Contributing Editor

[cgoldy]

I am fortunate to be working for a progressive department that has a designated Safety Officer assigned to each battalion. We also respond an additional company on every structure fire for the sole purpose of RIT. The Safety Officer's vehicle carries equipment for rescue including 2 rescue air bottles (sling type).

[jeg532]

i`ve been fortunate to see both sides.i ran with a small vol. dept. in ohio and we never had a rit team.mainly we didn`t have the manpower and we only had 20 members of them 20, 5 never showed up which leaves you with 15,so if we got a call you`d be lucky to have 4 guys on scene 1st. you got the driver and the officer and hopefully one of the other guys isn`t the one who has the nickname "wheel chalk" and never go`s in a fire cause he`s scared but for some reason he`s still on the dept. then it may be 5-10 minutes before the next truck comes in. i`ve been on a couple of fires where i made the first attack by myself and didn`t see anyone else till i came out to change bottles. now i`m on a station that does everything by the book and it`s hard to get used to.

[Firekatz04]

Originally posted by Truckie5553:
Why is it that this topic is the least posted of any on this site? Maybe i am just big on RIT and FAST than others, but we all need to be working on this and finding ways to better these things. After all, this is for US!!!!!

I don't know that it is ignored, How many times do you want to answer the same question? How many ways would you like the question answered?
Yes, we need to do it (RIT/FAST). Some of us are doing it on a regular basis. Many of us practice, practice, practice. When a question is posted or asked, the person usually gets several replies.
I'm sorry if I'm not understanding what you are asking.

[Scene25]

I think the reason for no one posting on here about RIT, is the lack of knowledge about what RIT is. In no way am I knocking any firefighters for not understandng it, but the options are available to learn it, and this should be a priority in the fire service. As the years move on, firefighter safety should be improving, but it can not improve unless people take a step forward, and implement new trends to help us move forward. What do we always tell our kids when they are growing up? "Practice makes perfect", and this statement holds true for anything that you do. You dont just take 6 people from your fire department, and put them on the RIT. You need to go out and get the training that is available, and practice with it. There are too many departments just grabbing firefighters, and saying "you are the RIT". This should not happen in the fire service, and not only are you putting those peoples lives in danger, but also the firefighters working the fire. Get the classes, gain the knowledge, and try and perfect it.

NOTE: If your not on the RIT, you dont get on the truck. I am not saying that this is how it should be done, but can you honestly rely on a firefighter that has say.....6-12 months of firefighting experience? Maybe - maybe not, but I know I feel 100% better knowing that there are trained, dedicated, experienced firefighters outside of this fire waiting for that MAYDAY call.

Take Care and Be Safe

[ForbesCTC]

I feel that the reason that there aren't many posts here is basically the same as the rest list. Too many people do not have a full appriciation of what RIT involves. RIT is much more than a "back up" crew on your scene. They need to be the best of the best.They must have the best equipment,best training..etc. This is not the place for probies or the guy who shows up every couple of months.
Also I feel that we all must admit that the "good old boys network" is still alive and well in the fire service. Many upper command personel don't see the need for this. They need to go talk to any officer who has ever lost one of his(or her) firefighters. Plus they don't want to have us learn something that they don't feel they already know about.
I think it comes down to too many departments being in the "Fifty years of tradition - Unimpeded by progress" mentality.

[Bishop10]

Greetings,

RIT, FAST, what ever you want to call it has to happen. I can agree with all of the posts on this topic. I am very fortunate to be on a career F.D. that has a "designated" FAST Company. As a matter of fact, I am assigned to that engine, along with an officer and two other privates. We respond on every fire, or other specialized situation requiring a RIT/FAST company.

The two biggest problem that I see is that, 1). NO ONE wants to stand outside the building while their brothers are busting a hump to put the fire out and 2). MONEY. To establish a RIT/FAST company doesn't have to cost alot of money to begin with, but the problem is the future growth of this team. We are always, as the budget dictates, buying new equipment for the our FAST company. To do it right, you do need the proper tools.

My whole job is trained for RIT/FAST company operations. Basically the reasons for this is staffing (i.e. someone gets detailed into the house because of vacation, sick leave or OT)

It can be done.