405.00 Water Rescue.docx

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES SECTION: 400.00 / Operational Procedures Guideline: 405.00 Water Rescue Effective Date: 09/08 Revision Date: 1/2023 405.00 - WATER RESCUE SCOPE This procedure applies to all members of the Desoto Fire Department who are responsible for emergency response. PURPOSE The pu...

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES SECTION: 400.00 / Operational Procedures Guideline: 405.00 Water Rescue Effective Date: 09/08 Revision Date: 1/2023 405.00 - WATER RESCUE SCOPE This procedure applies to all members of the Desoto Fire Department who are responsible for emergency response. PURPOSE The purpose of this procedure is to provide a guideline for conducting all water rescue/recovery operations. SAFETY When inclement weather and heavy rain are in the forecast, a minimum of 1 P.F.D. for each member of an apparatus will be put on those apparatus. Also, 2 extra P.F.D.s will be placed on the apparatus for possible victims. Each apparatus should also have 1 throw bag for everyone assigned to it that day placed on it as well. All personnel within 20 ft of the water’s edge will have P.F.D. properly donned at all times, these persons should also have a pair of gloves, a water helmet and a throw bag with them. SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS The Desoto Fire Rescue has a current T.R.T. (technical rescue team) for swift water that is comprised of 6 members. This number will remain at 6 with members being replaced if they should leave or want off the rescue team. At the discretion of the Fire Chief, this team may be placed on call or called to duty in situations where he/she believes flooding is imminent. The T.R.T. can then be used to make calls that assist the shift such as arching power lines etc., but will have their water gear in the event a water emergency arises. This team will keep their certifications current and will train together at least one time a year in moving water. TACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS Phase I: Arrive on scene. Take command. Size up. A. Secure responsible party or witness. Command should secure a witness as soon as possible after arriving on scene. This will help in identifying and locating the problem. B. Assess the need for additional resources. Command should immediately begin assessing the need for additional resources. If additional resources are necessary, Command should put in an early call for them. If later, it is determined that they are not necessary, Command can put those units back in service. C. Assess the hazards. Command should do an immediate assessment of the present hazards. Command may want to assign an individual to be the Safety Sector Officer. The Safety Sector Officer will be responsible for identifying the hazards present and to have them secured if possible. If it is not possible to secure hazards, The Safety Sector Officer will notify all personnel of the hazards and notify Command so `that an action plan can be established. Some hazards associated with water rescue operations would be: volume, velocity, temperature of water, floating debris, unusual drop-offs, hydraulic effects, and depth of water. The safety Sector Officer will also be responsible for accountability. D. Decide on "Rescue" or "Recovery" Based on the conditions present and the hazards to rescuers, Command will have to make the decision to operate in the rescue or recovery mode. If Command determines that the operation will be run in the rescue mode, rescue should begin quickly. E. Decide on an action plan. Command should establish an action plan as soon as possible. The step-by-step plan should be communicated to all personnel involved in the rescue. Phase II Pre-Rescue Operations A. Make the general area safe. Command or his/her designee should begin to make the general area safe. On water rescue operations, this would include securing the area and not allowing civilian personnel into the water. In swift-water rescue incidents, Command should assign an Upstream Sector to spot floating debris and notify Command or Extrication Sector. Command may also want to ask for Dallas Air 1 for aerial recon for spotting hazards, and looking for victims. B. Make the rescue area safe. Command should secure the immediate rescue area. He/she may want to assign the Safety Sector Officer to account for all personnel working within the rescue area. Personnel working in the rescue area (water’s edge) shall have personal protective equipment (PPE), including a personal flotation device (PFD), and water rescue helmet, or appropriate SCUBA gear during dive rescue/recovery operations. If at all possible, the hazards in the rescue area should be secured. If it is not possible, Command or his/her designee shall notify all rescuers in the area of the possible hazards. C. Pre-rescue/Recovery. Depending on the action plan established, Command may want to establish an Extrication Sector Officer. The Extrication Sector Officer will be responsible for gathering all equipment and personnel necessary to operate according to the action plan. Extrication Sector Officer will assign rescue personnel to conduct the rescue, and support personnel to support the rescuers, during the actual rescue phase. The Extrication Sector Officer should have an alternative action plan communicated to all personnel operating in the rescue area. Phase III Rescue Operations After pre-rescue operations are complete, the Extrication Sector Officer shall put forth the action plan for the removal of the victim(s). Rescue operations should be conducted from low-risk to high-risk order. Rescues should be conducted with the least amount of risk to the rescuer necessary to rescue the victim. Low-risk operations are not always possible by means of a high-risk operation; the Extrication Sector Officer shall communicate with Command the risk/benefit of the operation. Command should assign downstream personnel, with throw bags, and an opposite water-side/bank-side sector for incidents involving swift-water rescue. The order of water rescue from low risk to high risk will be: TALK the victim into self-rescue. If possible, the victim can be talked into swimming to shore or assisting the rescuers with his/her own rescue. If a victim is stranded in the middle of a flash flood, this will not be prudent. REACH If possible, the rescuer should extend his/her hand or some other object, such as a pike pole, to remove the victim from the water. THROW If the victim is too far out in the water to reach, rescuer(s) should attempt to throw the victim a throw bag or some piece of positive flotation (i.e., PFD, rescue ring). Downstream personnel should be in position during the actual rescue operation. If the victim is able to grab the throw bag, the rescuer can pendulum belay or haul the victim to the nearest bank. Care should be taken to ensure the victim will be belayed to a safe downstream position. First responders who have had operational-level water rescue training should be able to conduct the above rescues without the help of the Technical Rescue Team (T.R.T). If the victim cannot be reached by any of these methods, Command should consider stopping the operation until units of the T.R.T. arrive. If the operation becomes a high-risk one, Command will want the equipment and experience of the T.R.T. After the Technical Rescue Team arrives, Command should discuss with them the action plan. Command should consider re-assigning the Extrication Sector to a company officer from the T.R.T. The next order of water rescue from low risk to high risk would be: ROW If it is determined that a boat-based operation shall be run; Command should assign a company on the opposite bank to assist the Extrication Sector in establishing an anchor for a rope system. The company on the opposite bank will be made aware of the action plan. The Extraction Sector will be responsible for seeing that the rope system used for the boat-based operation is built safely and properly. A minimum of 2-point tether should be built for swift-water operations. Extrication should consider personal protective equipment (PPE) for victim(s). GO If it is not possible to ROW (boat base operation) to the victim, the Extrication Sector Officer should consider putting a rescuer in the water to reach the victim. This is a very high-risk operation. Only rescuers with the proper training and equipment should be allowed to enter the water. Prior to the rescuer actually proceeding into the water, he/she shall discuss the action plan, including specific tasks and objectives, hazards, and alternate plans. The rescuer shall never be attached to a lifeline without the benefit of a quick-release mechanism. The rescuer should take PPE of at least a PFD to the victim. Members shall not do a breath-hold surface dive in an attempt to locate a victim beneath the surface of the water. ASSESSING THE VICTIM Once the rescuer(s) have reached the victim, they should do an immediate assessment of the victim; a quick assessment of the ABCs, and the exact method of entrapment. If the victim is conscious, the rescuer should determine if the victim can assist in his/her own rescue. If the victim is unconscious, the rescue must be quick. TREATMENT As soon as the victim is brought to safety, an assessment should be done by ALS personnel. Treatment shall be administered as per local protocol. If necessary, the victim shall be transported to the appropriate facility. Phase IV Termination Command should begin termination as soon as possible after the victim has been removed from the water. This shall include securing all the equipment used for the rescue and personnel accountability. This may also include witnesses, photos, the victim's personal effects, or equipment used in the rescue. Members should not become part of a towing operation to remove vehicles from the water. One company should stand by for rescue if a tow truck driver insists on retrieving the vehicle. Command should also consider activating the C.I.S.D. for extraordinary or extended operations. I. PREPARE FOR TERMINATION A. Personnel accountability. B. Equipment accountability. If there has been a fatality, the Extrication Sector may consider leaving equipment in place for investigative purposes. C. Re-stock vehicles. D. Consider debriefing. E. Secure the scene. Return to service. Additional Considerations: A. HEAT. Consider rotation of crews. B. COLD. Consider the effects of hypothermia on victims and rescuers. C. RAIN/SNOW. Consider the effects of rain or snow on the hazard profile. D. TIME OF DAY. Is there sufficient lighting for operations extending into the night? E. Consider the effect on family and friends; keep family informed. F. Consider news media; assign a P.I.O.