Two-In, Two-Out Rule and Rapid Intervention Crew

Introduction

• The purpose is to ensure compliance with the “Two-In, Two-Out” rule established by NFPA and adopted by OSHA and Cal/OSHA
• It ensures immediate assistance for personnel who become lost, trapped, or injured during emergency operations
• Standby personnel, followed by rapid intervention crews (RIC’s), should be available at working fires and high-risk incidents where conditions are immediately dangerous to life and health (IDLH)
• A policy was developed to meet applicable health and safety requirements
• The primary purpose is to reduce firefighter and rescuer mortality that involves complying with the “Two-in, Two-out” rules
• It ensures that a standby crew or RIC is in place when personnel operate in IDLH situations
• Applies to all sworn personnel, including call firefighters
• Deputy Chiefs of the Operations Bureaus are responsible for content, revision, and review

Authority

• The Department’s “Two-In, Two-Out” Rule/Rapid Intervention Crew policy is based on NFPA Standard 1500, 1997 edition
• OSHA and Cal/OSHA have regulations (29 CFR, Parts 1910 & 1926; Title 8, Section 5144, Respiratory Protection Standards) and the NFPA Standard as law
• The law mandates RIC’s when employees are exposed to IDLH atmosphere conditions
• The legal application of these rules revolves around “interior structural firefighting while the building is burning"
• The concept of standby crews and RIC's could apply to other high-risk incidents

Responsibility

• Incident Commanders must ensure compliance with the “Two-In, Two-Out" rule established by the NFPA, OSHA and Cal/OSHA
• Incident Commanders establish at least one standby crew or RIC consisting of at least two people at the scene whenever personnel are committed to an operation in an IDLH at a fire or high-risk incident
• RIC augmented with a USAR company at second alarm incidents
• If there is no USAR company available, substitute with truck company
• Incident Commanders immediately implement a rapid intervention operation when a “firefighter emergency” situation is reported
• Incident Commanders develop an Incident Action Plan (IAP) and strategic priorities
• Incident Commanders demobilize the RIC when personnel are no longer exposed to significant operational hazards or IDLH conditions
• All operations section chiefs (OSC), branch directors, division/group supervisors, and other incident supervisors/overhead personnel ensure compliance with the “Two-In, Two-Out” in their area of responsibility
• Rapid intervention capabilities are appropriate for the level of IDLH hazards in their area of responsibility
• The incident commander and assistant fire chiefs submit a report to the Fire Chief upon completion of an incident where the situation deviated from the “Two-In, Two-Out" rule for a “life-saving emergency rescue"
• All company officers and personnel must comply with the “Two-In, Two-Out” rules
• Personnel notify their supervisor of any “firefighter emergency” and assist with a rapid intervention operation as assigned
• All personnel assigned to a standby crew or RIC must be ready to conduct a rapid intervention operation whenever a “firefighter emergency” is reported

Polices

• The IC/OSC will designate at least one two-person crew with a supervisor from the first alarm assignment as a RIC during all first alarm incidents where personnel operate in IDLH situations
• It includes “working” structure fires, confined space rescues, building collapses, trench collapses, tunnel fires, high-rise fires, and other IDLH incidents
• The initial IC or company officer may request an additional engine company for the first alarm response of a working fire for commercial fires, residential fires, high-rise fires, and other high risk incidents
• “Two-In, Two-Out” rules must be adhered to during an emergency incident
• The IC and other company officers determine whether IDLH conditions exist
• Multiple RICs can be established if a single RIC cannot provide timely intervention
• The IC/OSC shall demobilize, downgrade, release, or reassign the RIC when personnel are no longer exposed to significant hazards and are not operating in IDLH conditions

Procedures

• “Working” structure fires create an IDLH atmosphere therefore must follow Two-In, Two-Out procedures
• Personnel operating in hazardous or IDLH conditions must operate in teams of two or more
• Teams must use SCBA and personal protective equipment based on the hazards at the incident
• Crew members communicate visually, vocally or through safety guide rope methods
• Communication should not rely on radio use because of potential radio failure
• Crew members work in close proximity for assistance
• Upon the arrival of the first company (NFPA 1500), the IC designates no less than two members to act as a standby crew
• The assigned standby crew remains outside the hazardous area to provide immediate assistance to entry crew members if needed
• Based on NFPA 1500 Article 6-4.4.5, the only exception to the “Two-In, Two-Out” rule occurs when first-arriving personnel determine that their immediate entry into the hazardous area is vital to save a life or prevent injury
• If the first-arriving unit at a fire is an engine company staffed by four-persons, the company officer may pass command and join one firefighter to form an entry crew. Meanwhile, the supply firefighter may join the engineer as the standby crew, remaining on standby outside the hazardous area until the arrival of additional resources
• Upon arrival of the second company, the second company officer will assume command and transition the standby crew to a RIC.
• The RIC will free the first-in engineer to continue pumping the primary hose lines
• On arrival of additional resources, the IC designates a company as the RIC, preferably with an officer as leader.

Personnel Assignment During Incident

• Personnel in three-person engine companies, two-person paramedic squads, EST’s, and one-person units during the incident’s initial stages determine whether there is an imminent threat to life that may be mitigated by operating in an IDLH
• Unless this situation exists, these units await arrival of resources to establish a two-person standby crew or RIC and entry team before committing personnel into the hazardous area
• If immediate commitment into the IDLH area prior to establishing an entry and RIC is necessary to prevent loss of life and serious injuries, personnel may enact as allowed under the Exception Rule in NFPA 1500, Article 6-4.4.5
• The IC shall assign a company as the RIC with a RIC leader upon arrival of additional resources
• Until additional engine or truck companies arrive, the IC can designate two-person paramedic squads, EST's, or patrols to augment the entry crew or the RIC.
• Situations that lead to deviation from the “Two-In, Two-Out” rule are reported via:
• Special Interest Memo to Command and Control Dispatch, which is then documented on Form 220 (Major Incident Report).
• NFIRS Incident Narrative and Unit Narrative(s) satisfy the documentation requirement with a written report submitted to the Fire Chief by the jurisdictional assistant fire chief
• During an incident’s initial stages (one company on-scene), only one member of a two-person standby crew can perform other duties such as apparatus operator, IC, or safety officer, in accordance with NFPA 1500 Article 6-4.4.2
• However, this individual must be capable of leaving their position to respond into the hazardous area as part of the RIC without jeopardizing other firefighters
• At a high-rise/multi-level fire with factors indicating an IDLH atmosphere, a minimum of four personnel must be assigned to the initial attack team for fire floor ascent
• Two members of this group are the fire attack (entry) crew, and the others are the RIC, who remain on standby on the staging floor, while the fire attack crew enters the hazardous area
• The IC immediately assigns one company as the RIC upon additional resources
• The IC shall assign at least one RIC to the staging floor for fire attack and search and rescue operations which should have immediate access to the fire floors, for quick and effective interventions, while minimizing stairwell traffic
• The IC considers an airborne RIC to be delivered to the rooftop by helicopter for interventions should personnel become lost, trapped, or injured on upper floors or on the roof; due to the unique hazards involved, this could be USAR personnel
• The IC designates one RIC per current Department hazardous materials entry protocol at hazardous materials incidents

Rapid Intervention Crew Procedures

• During first alarm incidents, the IC designates at least two personnel with a supervisor as standby crew or a RIC
• An USAR Task Force is dispatched on all greater alarm incidents (except wildland fires)
• Unless assigned otherwise, the USAR company coordinates and augments the original RIC on multiple-alarm incidents
• In unavailability of an USAR company, the IC may substitute a truck company or resources
• When there are no hazardous materials, consider the use of the hazardous materials task force units to augment the RIC with staffing needs or as RIC for confined space rescues
• The IC or OSC evaluates the RIC and upgrades or creates multiple RIC’s as necessary to meet the needs of worsening conditions, newly discovered hazards, or incidents which grow to be covered by one RIC, as the incident progresses
• Multiple RIC’s can be organized into a rapid intervention group for ICS organizational purposes
• Personnel assigned to a RIC report to a position near the command post or area designated by the IC, in a full state of readiness
• The RIC leader reports to the IC to review current conditions, known hazards, locations of committed personnel and units, the incident action plan and potential rapid intervention plans
• The RIC leader evaluates the current RIC capabilities and suggests enhancement of the RIC capabilities to match on-scene conditions.

Incident Command

• Unless directed otherwise by commander, RIC leader assigns a RIC member to prepare the written incident personnel roster while remaining personnel wait in standby mode
• The RIC leader provides the IC with the PAS roster
• This PAS roster assists the IC in accounting for all personnel during a head
• RIC leader provides a briefing to the team members identifying current conditions, known hazards, the locations of committed personnel and units, and tentative RIC plans of action in response to potential “firefighter emergency” situations
• The RIC establishes an equipment pool based on the hazards and RIC situations that are most likely to be encountered at the incident for rapid intervention
• Each RIC member in structure fires must have personal protective equipment, HT radio, with SCBA and PASS, another SCBA, one big beam flashlight suspended on a lanyard or other means, one drop bag, one forcible entry tool for escape; power tools, and a thermal imaging unit Determine the need for a protector line and establish separate water source
• RIC equipment suggested for fires in wood frame/heavy timber/ordinary construction: pick-head axes, pike poles, circular wood blade saw, ventilation chain saw, sledge hammer, Halligan tool or other tools; a search rope; charged hose lines; ground ladders as needed; access to aerial ladders as needed; air bags/shoring/cribbing/ if a collapse hazard; and a thermal imaging unit
• RIC equipment suggested for fires in non-combustible/ fire resistive construction: Halligan bars or other prying tools, sledge hammers, circular metal-blade saw, circular dry cut concrete-blade saw, a torch, search rope, charged hose lines, air bags, shoring and cribbing, ground ladders as needed, access to an aerial ladder as needed, and a thermal imaging system
• RIC equipment suggested for collapse operations: air bags, shoring and cribbing, air knife, air vacuum, submersible pump, torches and cutting saws, fiber optic scopes, search cameras, thermal imaging as needed, and equipment based on the hazard.
• RIC equipment for other high-risk incident types must be based on technical specialist recommendations and legal requirements [e.g., intrinsically safe equipment for confined space operations]
• When responding with an outside agency, Department personnel follow the “standby crew” guidelines and provide an outside standby crew for Department personnel unless the outside agency provides a standard RIC
• When an outside agency is responding into the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LAC) jurisdiction, a LAC unit should serve in RIC and the outside agency unit is utilized for other assignments

Defintions

• FULL STATE OF READINESS: Prepared and equipped to act immediately.
• IMMEDIATELY DANGEROUS TO LIFE AND HEALTH (IDLH): An atmosphere that poses an immediate threat to life, would cause irreversible adverse health effects, or would impair an individual’s ability to escape from a dangerous atmosphere.
• IDLH examples:
• Fires and earthquake damage to facades (supported and unsupported)
• Fires in lightweight construction
• Potential flashover and back draft conditions
• Extensive roof operations
• Fires in occupancies with large basements or large spaces where getting lost is a high potential
• Multiple fire attack teams working inside and on upper floor
• High-rise fires
• Refinery fires
• Fires and other incidents in Metro Rail tunnels, mines, and other subterranean locations
• Structural collapse from earthquake, explosions, floods, wind, and other causes
• Confined space rescue
• Trench rescues
• Hazardous materials incidents
• Possible terrorism incidents
• Some transportation accidents
• “INITIAL STAGES” OF AN INCIDENT: The period of time involving the tasks undertaken by the first arriving company with only one team assigned or operating in the hazardous area
• Two remain outside the hazard area as “standby personnel” for assistance at incidents requiring entry into the danger area
• Once a second team is assigned for operating in the hazardous area, the incident shall no longer be considered in the “initial stage” and at least one rapid intervention crew shall be required
• INTERIOR STRUCTURAL FIRE FIGHTING: Refers to fire suppression, rescue, inside buildings or enclosed structures, which involved in a fire beyond the stage
• RAPID INTERVENTION CREW (RIC): A group of at least two personnel with a supervisor assembled in a full state of readiness for rapid entry, search, and rescue of other members during an emergency incident
• The RIC should remain in a full state of readiness near the command post or location assigned by the IC and have a leader
• Personnel assigned to a RIC maintain constant awareness of the number and identity, location, function, and time of entry of members operating in the hazardous area
• STANDBY/STANDBY CREW/STANDBY MEMBER: A reference to two members remaining outside hazard during the incident’s “initial stages”
• Maintain awareness of the number and identity, location and function, and time of entry of the members operating in the hazardous area.
• Full protective clothing, protective equipment, and an SCBA must be immediately accessible for use if rescue is needed in the hazard area
• Notify IC prior to entering the hazard area