Fire officer handbook of tactics chapter 10.

• Firefighters often remember their first tough job, especially if something went wrong.

Initial Response

• In a house fire, a firefighter was ordered to search for a trapped husband.
• The firefighter had only two months of experience but was the only one with a mask available.

Search Procedure

• The firefighter recalled systematic search training.
• Search needed to be quick due to toxic atmosphere.
• A systematic search involves keeping one hand on a wall to return to the starting point
• The initial search involved checking rooms to the right of the staircase.
• The firefighter searched bedrooms, but didn't find the husband.
• Low air alarm sounded, and the firefighter returned to the street.

The Missed Rooms

• After the cellar fire was extinguished, the firefighter was reassigned to check the second floor.
• The firefighter discovered a doorway opposite the stairs leading to rooms missed in the initial search.
• The missing husband was found to have been in one of these rooms.
• The firefighter realized they had mistaken the doorway for a closet due to smoke and light conditions.
• The husband had jumped out of a window before the firefighter's arrival.

Challenges in Fireground Searches

• Conditions on the fireground make searching for victims difficult.
• Smoke reduces visibility, making it hard to see.
• The gloves worn don't allow for delicate examinations.
• Heat can distort familiar objects, making them unrecognizable.
• A plan is essential for efficient searches, and uncoordinated wandering is not effective.
• Each search team member needs a clear understanding of what to look for, where to look, and how to look.

Primary and Secondary Search

• Search operations are broken down into primary and secondary phases, similar to overhaul.
• Primary search is a quick search for live victims before the fire is under control.
• Secondary search is a thorough search performed after the fire is under control.

Primary Search Details

• Primary search is a routine function performed at all structural fires.
• Personnel assigned to primary search should be mentally, physically prepared, and experienced.
• Experienced members can better handle dangerous situations and recognize surroundings.
• They also need to be able to drag victims to safety, requiring physical fitness.

Search Safety Measures

• Search teams should have forcible-entry tools for access and escape.
• Pike pole or hook useful for venting windows and probing under furniture.
• Each search team member should have a radio to call for help.
• A good light is essential to identify objects, use a sling with a quick-release in case of entanglement.
• Carry two lights: a large one on a sling and a spare clipped to the coat.

Thermal Imaging Cameras (TICs)

• TICs are a major advancement in search and rescue.
• They display temperature differentials with warmer objects appearing white and cooler objects black.
• It can see through smoke and mist, making human forms visible.
• Some TICs can detect small temperature differences (e.g., 0.5°F).
• TICs can connect to remote monitors via cable or wireless RF transmitter.
• Prices range from $8,000 to $18,000 per unit, making them accessible for many departments.
• TICs are essential to the search team like SCBA and radios.
• Eventually, every firefighter should be TIC-equipped, ideally with a heads-up display in their SCBA facepiece.
• TICs are used in primary search, overhauling, hazmat monitoring, and water/ice rescue.
• Both handheld and helmet-mounted units have pros and cons.
• Newer models are sturdier, but not "firefighter proof".
• The military and fire service are the roughest environments for TICs.
• Firefighters must still perform basic search procedures in case TICs fail.
• Handheld cameras allow scanning an area but require being put down as the firefighter moves.
• Helmet-mounted units offer hands-free operation but can cause tunnel vision and are heavy.
• Facepiece-mounted cameras avoid drawbacks of other models, providing continuous thermal/real views.
• Handheld cameras are still useful when SCBA isn't required.

TIC Considerations

• Durability: Must withstand field use, including battery changes with gloves.
• Ease of Use: Simple controls (on/off, zoom) are best for interior firefighters.
• Size and Weight: Smaller and lighter is better, with exceptions for field of view and display size.
• Battery Life: Critical for guiding tasks and escape; battery type and ease of change are important.
• Other Considerations: Apparatus charging mounts, support and repair facilities, warranty, and upgrade provisions.
• Realistic training is essential for proficiency in using TICs.

TIC Training Guidelines

• Practice sweeping a room to look for fire, victims, hazards, and landmarks using a modified Z-pattern.
• Sweep side to side along the ceiling, eye level, and floor.
• Each TIC has its own display characteristics, so practice with specific units is vital.
• Civilian victims look different from firefighters in TIC images.
• Holes in the floor might appear dark/light depending on fire below.
• Windows, glass doors, and mirrors reflect heat energy and can be misleading.

Emergency Maneuvers

• Interior operations personnel should be taught the reduced-profile maneuver and emergency escape.
• The reduced-profile maneuver involves aligning the SCBA bottle alongside the body to fit through tight spaces.
• The emergency escape maneuver helps escape from wires or obstructions, reserved for emergencies only.
• Proficiency in these maneuvers should be a requirement of SCBA training.

Gathering Information

• Gather information about potential victims before searching.
• Ask bystanders for specific locations of trapped persons.
• Even after finding survivors, complete the primary search.

Search Techniques

• Following walls is good for direction but slow for primary searches.
• In heavy smoke, use a hoseline or rope as a guideline for escape.
• Use the hoseline for protection from fire and for a guideline back to the exit.
• Check close to the fire first, then work back toward the entrance.
• Search areas through which the hoseline advances.
• For floors above the fire, start the search immediately upon entering and move toward the fire.
• Occupants above the fire are threatened by gases, while those in the fire area are threatened by gases and flame.

Targeting Search Locations

• Concentrate search efforts at probable locations of victims.
• Study victim patterns to know where to find them like bedrooms and exit paths.
• A large percentage of civilian fire deaths occur while the victims were asleep.

Victim Behavior

• Most victims will flee a threatening fire.
• Search plans should emphasize routes people normally use to enter and exit the structure.
• Additional victims may be attempting rescue or fire control.
• Areas immediately below windows deserve attention.
• Victims are often located at the seat of the fire.
• Bedrooms above the fire are reached by VEIS (vent, enter, isolate, and search).
• Split larger search teams into teams of two.
• Coordination is key to avoid duplicating searches.
• Assign teams to different locations as part of SOPs.
• Use latch straps to indicate a room has been searched.

Search Operations

• Don't disturb furnishings too much.
• Make furniture landmarks while inside.
• Vent as you move along, if safe, and be mindful of window locations for escape.
• Closing doors between you and the fire is better, but have another way out.

Secondary Search Details

• The secondary search is done after the fire is under control.
• Check for hidden fire and victims.
• Don't bury material or casualties under debris.
• Examine the area before moving items.
• The secondary search includes the perimeter of the building, rooftops, setbacks, and beneath windows.
• Shrubbery around the building should be examined.
• All of these areas must be examined before debris removal from windows.
• Different people should do primary and secondary searches.
• Be thorough examining every space that can possibly hold a human being.
• Use training to recognize children's hiding places.
• Practice by covering the SCBA facepiece and searching, then describing objects found.
• Another difficulty in performing secondary search is simply recognizing the remains of severely burned persons as being human, particularly when debris has landed on the body.
• Completely examine all items before tossing them out of a window to the street.
• You must search all accessible areas above and below the fire, even if no one is reported missing.
• Forcible entry may be required for locked rooms.

Smoke Spreading

• Shafts and pipe chases can channel smoke to remote areas without visible indications.
• Below-grade areas might have carbon monoxide from smoldering fires.
• Wear masks when descending below grade.
• Personnel commitment is crucial for adequate secondary search.

Team Sizes

• Two-person teams can be assigned to each moderate-size area in an office or store.
• Similar teams should work apartments or each floor in a private dwelling.
• Adjust team size based on smoke and fire conditions.

Guide Ropes

• Guide Ropes can be used if one is likely to lose their way due to disorientation, a mazelike configuration, large open areas, or heavy smoke.
• A guide rope, or tag line, can be used when it's too dangerous to enter without a way back to safety.
• You need more than just a rope; you need a plan understood by all members.
• Need rope to reach destination.
• Kevlar ropes are heat and abrasion resistant.
• Good working flashlight and PASS (personal alert safety system.)
• Strobe lights are helpful.
• Large high-intensity floodlight at entry for a beacon.
• Secure one end of the rope to a substantial object.
• Anchor's job is rope taut.
• Deployment in buildings where disorientation and air depletion are possible like offices, hospitals, subways and schools.
• Maintaining physical, visual, or voice contact with rope holder.

FireFighters Commitment

• Even with modern hardware, successful search and rescue can't be guaranteed.
• Firefighters must be willing to do their best.
• They should ignore injuries and push forward to reach victims.
• Saving a life is the most fortunate task of all.