SNFO 05 Mayday Procedures PDF

Southern Nevada Fire Operations STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES EMERGENCY OPERATIONS Mayday Procedures Effective date: Supersedes: SOP# 03/03/2016 05/01/2014 SNFO 05 Page 1 of 6 PURPOSE This operating procedure is intended to provide general guidelines for the actions to be taken by trapped, injured,...

Southern Nevada Fire Operations STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES EMERGENCY OPERATIONS Mayday Procedures Effective date: Supersedes: SOP# 03/03/2016 05/01/2014 SNFO 05 Page 1 of 6 PURPOSE This operating procedure is intended to provide general guidelines for the actions to be taken by trapped, injured, lost, or distressed firefighters. It is also intended to serve as a guideline for the rescuers and officers in command of such an incident. PROCEDURE The decision to initiate a “MAYDAY” is one that can be made by any firefighter(s) involved. Communication between the firefighters involved is imperative. Any time firefighters find themselves or other firefighters trapped, injured, lost or distressed, a “MAYDAY” shall be called. The initiation of a “MAYDAY” will involve three (3) groups: 1. The “MAYDAY” initiator 2. The Incident Commander 3. The RIT Branch/RIT team “MAYDAY” INITIATOR 1. Press the “orange priority key” located on the top of the handheld radio, (Note: If the radio is switched to off, it will be necessary to reactivate the orange priority button again when the radio is turned back on.) This gives your radio priority over all others. 2. Transmit on the radio, “MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY”. Repeat every 15 seconds until there is recognition of the emergency traffic. 3. Once there is acknowledgment of the MAYDAY by the Incident Commander, provide an Initial Status Report including:      L – Location (or last known location) U – Unit ID N – Your name, (or seat assignment) A – Assignment R – Resources needed for rescue (include general status and air supply) 4. If the firefighter is conscious and oriented, they should verbally guide the RIT team to their location. In the event the firefighter is unable to use verbal commands, they should manually activate the PAL to the ON mode. 1 Southern Nevada Fire Operations STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES EMERGENCY OPERATIONS Mayday Procedures Effective date: Supersedes: SOP# 03/03/2016 05/01/2014 SNFO 05 Page 2 of 6 Once these steps have been taken, use these reminders to guide your actions:         Attempt self-rescue. If you are attempting to self-rescue, communicate your plan of action (direction of travel, location, etc.). Stay with your crew if you are still in contact with them. Seek an area of safety. Stay low. Use your flashlight as a beacon for rescuers. Make tapping sounds with tools periodically to help guide rescuers to you. Stay calm and conserve air (skip breathe, etc.). Provide situation updates as regularly as possible. INCIDENT COMMANDER Strong Supervision Required Strong supervision and control of activities will be required by all officers. Emotions will be very high. Fire fighters in this situation will tend to want to freelance or take higher risk. Crowd control of our own non-essential personnel may be required. Activation of “MAYDAY” procedures will initiate these steps for the Incident Commander: 1. Respond to the “MAYDAY” initiator(s) and get an Initial Status Report. 2. Communicate the “MAYDAY” initiation to the Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) and ensure that they are on the same channel as the firefighter(s) who initiated the “MAYDAY”. 3. Announce to all units on scene that a RIT operation is underway and that all units not involved must remain on task and limit their radio use to emergency and necessary traffic only. 4. Deploy the RIT to initiate search and rescue efforts (typically the last reported work area). This team will be designated “RIT 1”. 5. Establish RIT Branch and assign a RIT Safety Officer. The RIT Branch Director should be the second due Battalion Chief if on scene, or a Company Officer if the second due Battalion Chief is not available for this assignment. 2 Southern Nevada Fire Operations STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES EMERGENCY OPERATIONS Mayday Procedures Effective date: Supersedes: SOP# 03/03/2016 05/01/2014 SNFO 05 Page 3 of 6 6. Notify dispatch of RIT operation and have them STRIKE ANOTHER ALARM. 7. The IC shall assign all other incident radio traffic to Emergency Channel #1 of the current zone. Emergency Channel #1 can easily be located by turning the portable radio channel knob completely to the right until it stops, a voice prompt will confirm the channel location. RIT will remain on the same channel as the down Firefighter. **If a second “MAYDAY” occurs on the same zone as the initial “MAYDAY” all other incident radio traffic of the second “MAYDAY” will be assigned to Emergency Channel #2. 8. The IC will utilize an available officer to fill the Deputy IC/Aide position. The IC will also fill the Senior Advisor Position with staff personnel as soon as possible. 9. Assign PIO to control the media early and throughout the incident. Information on the identities and conditions of lost firefighters must be restricted until after next of kin are notified. 10. Have the FAO/Dispatch perform a Chiefs callout or 500/600 all call depending on the jurisdiction. 11. Although no Incident Commander ever wants to terminate a rescue effort, firefighter safety must remain our top priority. The Incident Commander must continually evaluate the degree of risk being encountered by the rescue personnel to ensure rescuer safety. As unfortunate as it may be, the Incident Commander must terminate the rescue efforts when conditions begin to jeopardize the safety of those involved. This decision will ultimately determine the number of members lost or injured. * Note – FD members shall not attempt to contact the families of member(s) in these situations. Contact shall be made utilizing existing departmental policies and procedures for the department involved. Southern Nevada Fire Operations STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES EMERGENCY OPERATIONS Mayday Procedures Effective date: Supersedes: SOP# 03/03/2016 05/01/2014 SNFO 05 Page 4 of 6 RIT BRANCH Activation of “MAYDAY” procedures will initiate these steps for the RIT Branch: 1. When informed by the IC of the “MAYDAY”, all RIT members shall remain on the same channel as the firefighter(s) in need of help. 2. RIT Team 1 shall gather all available information concerning the firefighter(s) in need of help and confirm this information with the RIT BRANCH DIRECTOR / IC. 3. RIT Branch will establish a back-up Rapid Intervention Teams (RIT #2, #3, etc.), a Fire Medical Group and other Groups/Divisions as needed. The Fire Medical Group is intended to treat and transport fire personnel. 4. RIT Branch Director will establish the time for work cycles (10-15 minutes). This will be monitored with the assistance of the Entry attendant. 5. RIT Branch Director will assign additional RIT teams designated as RIT 2, RIT 3, etc. for on deck positions. This will ensure the availability of RIT crews to operate without interruption. The RIT Branch director will work to establish a minimum of 3 Rapid Intervention Teams. 6. RIT Branch Director will assign a RIT Group Supervisor to the next available Officer. The RIT Group Supervisor will coordinate the RIT operation from the point of entry. The end goal is to have a Chief Officer in position as the RIT Group Supervisor. RIT BRANCH COMMUNICATIONS  The RIT Branch will operate on the same radio channel as the firefighter needing assistance. The RIT Branch Director will communicate with Command on the newly assigned tactical channel. Southern Nevada Fire Operations STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES EMERGENCY OPERATIONS Mayday Procedures Effective date: Supersedes: SOP# 03/03/2016 05/01/2014 SNFO 05 Page 5 of 6 Example IC Dep/IC RIT Division 1 Division 2 Roof Division Medical Group IC RIT Branch Dep/IC or 2nd BC Division 1 Division 2 Roof Division Medical Group Attendant RIT 1 RIT 2 RIT 3 Southern Nevada Fire Operations STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES EMERGENCY OPERATIONS Mayday Procedures Effective date: Supersedes: SOP# 03/03/2016 05/01/2014 SNFO 05 Page 6 of 6 IC Senior Advisor Staging Safety PIO RIT Branch Dep/ IC RIT RIT Group Division 1 Division 2 Roof Medical Group Entry RIT 1 RIT 2 RIT 3 Fire