Firefighters Support Foundation Downed Firefighter Assessment & Rescue Tricks of the Trade v1.0

About FSF The Firefighters Support Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization whose primary mission is to develop, produce and distribute training programs to firefighters and first responders. All of our programs are distributed free of charge. 2Downed firefighter assessment& victim rescue

Permission Permission is granted to reproduce or distribute this material so long as the Firefighters Support Foundation is credited as the source 3Downed firefighter assessment& victim rescue

Accompanying Video This PowerPoint presentation accompanies the video presentation of the same title. 4 Downed firefighter assessment& victim rescue

Abraham Madrigal Hillsboro, OR Fire – Engineer, Acting Lieutenant UNIFIRE – A.C. of Special Operations Firetown – Adjunct Instructor Fire Innovations – Instructor, Product Specialist Spec Rescue – Adjunct Instructor 5Downed firefighter assessment& victim rescue

Why we do what we do It is no secret that what we do is dangerous. We take risks and those risks sometimes come at a significant cost. Fires do not discriminate between paid or volunteer firefighters when it decides to take one of our brothers or sisters. It is up to us to be able to recognize situations before they arise and to be trained and ready to act to save our own or the lives of the citizens we are sworn to protect. Downed firefighter assessment& victim rescue6

History Major incidents have shaped the fire service Worcester Fire 1999 Charleston Super Sofa Store Fire – 2007 Bret Tarver Incident – 2001 FDNY “Black Sunday” – 2005  To name but a few! Downed firefighter assessment& victim rescue7

LODD On average firefighters a year are killed with countless injuries to boot. At any given time you can search the internet and find LODD’s filling the stream. It is our duty to understand, learn and train on these occurrences to prevent future occurrences costing more lives of our fellow brothers and sisters. Downed firefighter assessment& victim rescue8

Saving Our Own - Comms It is well documented that a factor in just about every incident involving a LOST or TRAPPED firefighter is a breakdown in communications in one form or another. Clear communication on both sides from command and internal operations is must. Radio traffic should be clear and to the point (there is no need to tell a story). Downed firefighter assessment& victim rescue9

Saving Our Own – Comms (cont.) The use of Acronyms during fire operations and the understanding of those acronyms such as CAR(A), CAN(A), PPPN(A) and PAR will greatly improve communication on the fire ground. During an emergency event involving a DOWN, LOST or TRAPPED Firefighter the acronym LUNAR is most commonly used. Downed firefighter assessment& victim rescue10

The MAYDAY When a MAYDAY is transmitted and the LUNAR acronym is utilized, key information is received by command which needs to be relayed to the activated RIT or RIC team. That information may include the duty the FF was doing, last location, apparatus off of, number of individuals affected, and possibly names of the individuals. This information can be priceless! Downed firefighter assessment& victim rescue11

Downed Firefighter Assessment When assessing a downed firefighter there are some key factors that need to be addressed. – Is this the original firefighter from the MAYDAY (or do we have an additional situation)? – What's his/her AIR status? – What’s the extent of their injuries if any? Downed firefighter assessment& victim rescue12

Downed Firefighter Assessment (2) A systematic approach. Start at the head. Identify name on helmet, apparatus on front, and mask integrity (are they breathing?) Move down left/right shoulder and locate PASS device to silence and to determine air remaining (trans fill if necessary). Assess for injuries. Remove chest strap if attached – assess for injuries Downed firefighter assessment& victim rescue13

Downed Firefighter Assessment (3) Undo waist belt and extend – assess for injuries. Move to lower extremities and assess for injuries. Pass waist belt through crotch to make hasty harness. Relay findings to rescue group – firefighter is ready to extricate. Downed firefighter assessment& victim rescue14

Packaging – Tricks of the Trade You can find hundreds of devices tools for online for firefighter extrication. One thing that is cheap and every Firefighter should carry is webbing, from a standard 8’ loop to a 22’ loop. Can be utilized to package both downed firefighters and victims found in a fire. Downed firefighter assessment& victim rescue15

Closing This is just one way to accomplish a Rescue, it is up to you to take this knowledge apply it, mold it and train on it to benefit you and your fellow firefighters, if the need (God forbid) should ever arise. Downed firefighter assessment& victim rescue16

Acknowledgement Thanks to Life Safety Corporation for the loan of PPE and gear in making this video. Downed firefighter assessment& victim rescue17