Two firefighter VES?

[Dibbs12]

For people who do VES with two firefighters, what does the second FF do. Do they stay at the foot of the ladder, do they go up the ladder in anticipation for a possible victim, etc...

[ffmedcbk1]

i am kinda taken back by the question..... does you dept do it with one or three guys?

two guys is standard ves for us, second guy climbs up and monitors the window conditions and keeps voice contact with interior ff. we typically only butt the ladder if on a hard surface (concrete/asphalt).

[GTRider245]

If performing VES with two FFs, the second FF will stay at the tip of the ladder. This way he can either be there to receive a victim, or come in and help if needed.

[CKirk922]

Tip of the ladder is the optimum position. FF2 shall monitor conditions of the interior, be prepared to assist with victim removal, enter the search area if needed, and stay in visual or voice contact with FF1 searching the interior. It is also noted that FF2 should be prepared to quickly dismount (get down and off) a ladder if FF1 is exiting the fire area because of worsening fire conditions (read into this "bail out"). Physical contact with FF1 may be maintained through the use of a tool, search rope, or a section of tubular webbing. (In practical terms, rope and webbing tend to wrap around furnishings and become more of a problem than a solution.)

[len1582]

Tip of the ladder is the optimum position. FF2 shall monitor conditions of the interior, be prepared to assist with victim removal, enter the search area if needed, and stay in visual or voice contact with FF1 searching the interior. It is also noted that FF2 should be prepared to quickly dismount (get down and off) a ladder if FF1 is exiting the fire area because of worsening fire conditions (read into this "bail out"). Physical contact with FF1 may be maintained through the use of a tool, search rope, or a section of tubular webbing. (In practical terms, rope and webbing tend to wrap around furnishings and become more of a problem than a solution.)

What type of tool are you thinking about?? A 20ft pike pole?
With my company, both enter. If only one enters and runs into trouble the other is standing on the ladder unaware his partner needs help. Possibly even injured.

As far as assisting with a victim. If you can't get them to the window, you can't get them out. On the other hand...what if only one enters, finds a victim, and he's 2 feet from the stairs. Abandon the victim, find your way back to the window, tell your partner to get inside to help you, find your way back to the poor bastard you left before, then work to get him out. Hopefully before you run low on air and the civilian dies.

Search rope can be used. Then both can follow it in and find your way out. Practice with it in the firehouse, and not just twice a year. When leaving, follow it to get out, but just leave it. You can worry about getting it after the fire.

Just my thoughts here. Exchanging ideas.If you want to do it different, I'm not going to say you're wrong. I don't want this to end up like the helmet light question that almost got nasty.

[CKirk922]

Perhaps the best answer I should have given was "in my limited experience, this is what I was taught and this is why..."

I've been trained both ways depending which Dept. or class I was working on.

My experience is limited to VES in training situations.

When we trained in a furnished environment the search rope tangled and snagged everywhere. More practice might have mitigated it.

Two in, or one in one out...I've tried it both ways. I've heard arguments both ways. The arguments for either approach usually hinged on fire location, smoke conditions in the room, size of the room, and manpower available.

And no, this will not become a helmet light fiasco... I learn each time ideas are put forward and I constantly review my approaches to use every bit of data I can absorb. If a sound argument exists for a particular approach, I'll investigate it, practice it and add it to the tactical toolbox in my head.

[CKirk922]

The tool thing is to set a short hook/pike or haligan against the wall at the base of the window. A FF from the outside or inside can hold that position or tool and the other FF can use the tool as a point of contact as he/she stretches out from the other end to search. A three foot tool and a six foot FF sweeping out from the tool (foot or hand against the tool) can cover up to an eleven foot radius/area. An outside FF can reach in and hold the tool or pin it down with his/her own tool. Hey, just things I've seen, tried, been taught, ect. If you haven't seen it done, well, dont do it without practicing it. If it seems goofy to you, dont do it.

Chief Jeff Pindleski had some good articles on search on Firehouse's website some time back. FE has some vids on training minutes. But most of the good stuff comes from taking classes and practicing this stuff.

[CKirk922]

As far as assisting with a victim. If you can't get them to the window, you can't get them out. On the other hand...what if only one enters, finds a victim, and he's 2 feet from the stairs. Abandon the victim, find your way back to the window, tell your partner to get inside to help you, find your way back to the poor bastard you left before, then work to get him out. Hopefully before you run low on air and the civilian dies.

.

Hmmpph....Are we talking about searching a residential 10 x 12 room or a 20 x 20 office space? I'm in residental mode 90% of the time. Realistically, you likely would not be further than 6-8 ft from the partner. Visual or voice contact and tool or rope/web should get you quickly to him/her to assist in stair removal.

Logic would say if you are gonna go in beyond that room then your gonna take your partner with you. I know I'm gonna be REAL vocal about my intentions (window or stair).

Oh God, I can see this being quoted to pieces now....

[len1582]

Hmmpph....Are we talking about searching a residential 10 x 12 room or a 20 x 20 office space? I'm in residental mode 90% of the time. Realistically, you likely would not be further than 6-8 ft from the partner. Visual or voice contact and tool or rope/web should get you quickly to him/her to assist in stair removal.

Logic would say if you are gonna go in beyond that room then your gonna take your partner with you. I know I'm gonna be REAL vocal about my intentions (window or stair).

Oh God, I can see this being quoted to pieces now....

I guess that was kind of vague. I also was thinking residential, 10 x 12 rooms, but doing a 3-5 room apartment. You can go 5-6 feet from a window and you're in another room. So, I feel continue the search of the entire unit. You're already in, do a complete search.

I agree, try to maintain contact with your partner.

You mentioned the rope issue. You also answered it yourself. You have to work with it to get comfortable and better.

Quoted to pieces isn't all bad. If there are several ideas in a post, sometimes they have to be addressed one at a time.

[TRUCK61]

SFD's we only put 1 FF in the room and the 2nd FF stays at the tip of the ladder with the TIC letting the FF know where the door is and other important things, if needed. We train to just sweep outside the door and that's it. You do only that room and then exit out the window and move to the next room via window again, letting the IC know if search was positive or negative and if they are moving on to the next window. MFD's or apartments are kind of different because most, atleast in my district have a sliding door into the living room so our search method if we choose to go this way is not considered VES, so we'll do a regular search of the apartment.

[len1582]

TRUCK61.... Do you have attached rowhouses? We have many and the only windows are front, back, and 2 or 3 that are in a light shaft between the buildings. The only way to do a complete search is go in and crawl room to room.

[TRUCK61]

len, I think our terminology may be a little different. I'm in the midwest and what we consider a row house is essentially an attached SFD or it's also called a townhouse, so there is now common areas. What we consider MFD's or apartments has a common hallway on each floor but still we will usually use the front door to start searching unless like I said before we have to VES or there is some problem with entry so then the balcony or the bedroom will get laddered. The way we were taught VES was it's a single room search. Hope this clarifies things a little better.

[CKirk922]

Wow, learn something everyday...We have not practiced this with the TIC at the tip of the ladder. Tunnel vision, I guess, becuase we never thought to take the TIC up with us.

[Firefighter Germany]

Hi together,

sorry, I do not know something about the VES tactic, so maybe my questions is supid.

You do only that room and then exit out the window and move to the next room via window again, letting the IC know if search was positive or negative and if they are moving on to the next window.

If you enter a room, why dou you not advance the search in the next room? For me it sounds pretty time consuming to leave the room, put the ladder to the next room and do it again. Moreover not all rooms have a window, so you search only rooms with a windows.


Thanks for your feedback and best regards

Florian

[Dibbs12]

Hi together,

sorry, I do not know something about the VES tactic, so maybe my questions is supid.



If you enter a room, why dou you not advance the search in the next room? For me it sounds pretty time consuming to leave the room, put the ladder to the next room and do it again. Moreover not all rooms have a window, so you search only rooms with a windows.


Thanks for your feedback and best regards

Florian

VES is done to search either known victim locations, or areas where there is a high probability of a victim being located (most likely bedrooms). VES becomes the tactic of choice when your access to those areas is blocked for whatever reason, or when its quicker or easier to access them from the outside. You don't typically continue your search outside of the room (besides a quick sweep) because the conditions in the hallway may be untenable so you would want to get the bedroom door shut ASAP(you would start your VES closest to the fire room, unless you have a known victim location), and because you are focusing mainly on bedrooms (which should have windows)