Hoffman Estates Fire Department Fire Scene Operations – 013 PDF

HOFFMAN ESTATES FIRE DEPARTMENT STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINES SOG Category & Identification Number: EFFECTIVE DATE: FIRE SCENE OPERATIONS – 013 January 1, 2022 NIMS COMPLIANT SOG Ti...

HOFFMAN ESTATES FIRE DEPARTMENT STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINES SOG Category & Identification Number: EFFECTIVE DATE: FIRE SCENE OPERATIONS – 013 January 1, 2022 NIMS COMPLIANT SOG Title: Rapid Intervention Crew Revision: 3 APPROVED BY: NUMBER OF PAGES: Re-evaluation Date: Alan Wax January 1, 2026 Fire Chief 4 PURPOSE It shall be the policy of the Hoffman Estates Fire Department to provide for the establishment of a Rapid Intervention Crew (RIC) within the Incident Management system. As an incident escalates, and/or crews are operating at special hazards (i.e. confined space incident, trench incident, etc.), Command will establish a minimum of one RIC. For larger or more complex incidents, Command should consider establishing a RIC for each side of the incident or each point of entry into the building or hazard zone. The intent of establishing a RIC is to have a designated company standing by in a state of readiness in case of a lost or missing firefighter, reported injured firefighter, catastrophic event, or other condition that would require the immediate deployment of a rescue team. The text of this guideline shall address the utilization of RIC at structure fires. Our Department guidelines regarding confined space, trench, dive, and hazardous materials incidents include discussion pertaining to RIC. POLICY PROCEDURE A. Establishing the Rapid Intervention Crew The Incident Commander should consider the need for RIC at all fire incidents. The decision to establish RIC should be based, in part, on the Incident Commander’s observations of scene conditions. If scene conditions are deteriorating, there is an increased potential for an event which may lead to a lost or missing firefighter, a catastrophic event resulting in trapped firefighters, or other conditions that would result in a firefighter (or group of firefighters) needing rescue. A minimum company size of three personnel is desired for a RIC. 1  Our on-duty manpower is typically not sufficient to properly complete anticipated fireground activities and establish a RIC. Therefore, if RIC is required the incident commander should request a Code 4 to get the appropriate resources. 1. Code 4 Incidents: Automatically at the Code 4 level, Streamwood Fire Department will respond with an engine or squad company and will be designated as the RIC. The Initial Rapid Intervention Crew (IRIC) will be assigned to the Streamwood Company to create a 5 to 6 firefighter RIC. The Streamwood Company Officer will be designated as the RIC Group Supervisor. 2. MABAS Box Alarm Incidents Automatically at the MABAS Box Alarm level, the Inverness Fire Department responds with an Engine Company with a minimum of three personnel and a Chief Officer. Upon their arrival, the Engine Company should be designated as the RIC for the incident.  If the Inverness Company is not available, a replacement company should be designated as the RIC. If possible, the replacement company should be a squad or truck company.  If the Inverness Company is used to accomplish other tactical priorities, the RIC must be replaced with another company without delay. As the incident expands in size or complexity, the number of RIC’s shall be commensurate with the needs of the situation as determined by the Incident Commander.  For large structures, a RIC for each side of the building or each point of entry should be considered. The RIC shall be attired in full protective gear including SCBA. Again, the intent of the RIC guideline is to be able to instantly deploy a crew to effect the search and/or rescue of lost, missing, or trapped firefighters. Once a RIC has been assigned, the RIC should not be re-deployed to complete other fireground tasks. B. Rescue Size-Up/Location of RIC Companies designated as RIC shall bypass staging and report directly to the Incident Commander. The company should position their apparatus in close proximity to the fire scene, making sure not to interfere with fireground operations. The RIC Supervisor shall 2  report to Command for a briefing and specific instructions. The RIC shall be provided with a radio capable of monitoring and communicating on the frequency being utilized by companies working on the fireground. Following the face-to-face briefing with the Incident Commander, the RIC shall perform a building walk-around or division evaluation. This process shall be referred to as “RIC Size- Up”. During this size-up, the RIC shall minimally determine or identify the following:  safety concerns  the need and location of second egress points (forcible exit vs. forcible entry)  construction of the structure to determine proper tool selection  building layout  location of crews working inside the structure  potential rescue apparatus placement locations  the availability of a back-up hoseline that could be utilized by the RIC Upon completion of the RIC Size-Up, the RIC will locate where assigned by the Incident Commander, Operations Officer, or Division Officer. At a high rise fire, the Incident Commander may assign the RIC to report to a Division Officer in order to be closer to the hazard zone(s). C. Tool Selection Every RIC must recognize that each fire suppression effort is as different as the buildings in which fires occur. The RIC Size-Up should provide information about the structure that would enable the RIC Supervisor to determine which tools would be most appropriate for affecting a rescue of a missing, lost, or trapped firefighter. As a minimum, the RIC should be equipped with:  a set of forcible entry tools  a minimum of one complete SCBA and mask (for downed firefighter)  100’ of rescue rope  hand lights Also, an evaluation of pre-stretched and charged hose lines should be made. Make sure there is one available for use by the RIC, if not, consider deploying another line. D. Deployment of RIC The RIC shall be deployed in all cases of:  Report of lost firefighter or MAYDAY (when the firefighter himself indicates distress via radio, etc.)  Report of a missing or potentially missing firefighter (when a company officer or company member indicates a firefighter is missing and is not accounted for, when a PAR indicates a firefighter may be missing, etc.) 3   Report of a trapped firefighter(s)  following a catastrophic event which will likely result in trapped firefighters The RIC shall be immediately assigned to conduct search and/or rescue operations. Along with RIC deployment, the Incident Commander shall also request a Mayday Response through NWCD and initiate a PAR (roll call) of all companies assigned to the incident. The IC should request NWCD to backfill the change of quarters companies. The RIC shall be assigned to begin their search in the last reported working area of the lost/missing/trapped firefighter(s). The RIC should follow hose lines of the lost firefighters to minimize rescue time while looking and listening for evidence of their location. If hose lines are not available, RIC’s need to search hallways, exterior walls and collapse areas. If additional manpower is available, crews should be sent to the exterior of the building to look and listen for signs of injured/missing firefighters. Simultaneously with these actions, the Incident Commander must adjust on-scene strategies to a priority search and rescue effort. The fire must be kept from the rescue area and prevented from spreading throughout the remaining portion of the structure. E. De-Activation of RIC When there is reason to believe that all risk factors in the hazard zone have been removed and a PAR indicates all personnel are accounted for, the Incident Commander can assign the RIC Supervisor and Safety Officer to complete a final RIC Size-Up to determine if RIC can be de-activated. The results of this size-up will be reported to the Incident Commander who will make the final decision regarding de-activation of RIC. Upon de-activation of RIC, the company may be returned to quarters or given a new assignment to assist in the termination of fireground activities. DEFINITIONS Mayday Response: predetermined closest geographical response from NWCD for the following apparatus: (4) Engines, (2) Trucks, (2) Ambulances, (3) Chiefs, Squad 55 and 55A and the air trailer. EXCEPTIONS If in a non-NWCD jurisdiction and functions as the incident commander when a Mayday occurs, upgrade the alarm to the next higher alarm. REFERENCES MABAS Policy 332 High Rise Incidents MABAS Illinois Policies and Procedures current online reference MABAS Division 1 Operating Guidelines/Policy Statements End of Document 4