After listening to some spiritual words of wisdom from one of my favorite ex-chiefs, "put your big girl pants on and get back in the game," ........well I'm BACK in the game!! Hey, sometimes life happens.
That said, let's run through some take aways from last night's drill-Fast Operations.
What are FAST OPERATIONS, you ask? Well, have some patience grasshopper, I will tell you...
The acronym stands for Firefighter Assist and Search Teams. These teams are dedicated solely to the rapid intervention and rescue of firefighters. Essentially when a mayday is transmitted, this team is ready to jump into action. They are usually a team that stands to the side, in the event of 'life-death situation.' Also sometimes referred to as RIT or Rapid Intervention Team, or RIC-Rapid Intervention Crew. Depending on the district and the alarms, multiple crews may be on standby.
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) firefighters (FAST TEAM) should have some of the following:
Two firefighters should be standing by in full PPE
Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA)
PASS device
Radio
Hand tools and light
Rope & Webbing
RAT bag that holds an extra mask to tap into the bottle of the downed firefighter (or connect the firefighter directly to the extra bottle)
Keep in mind, most of these tools are carried/used by all interior firefighters in addition to a litany of other items for example, a set of irons.
Last right we reviewed the components of a pack and how to perform a rescue securing the pack to bail out equipment... (carabiner) and to connect and disconnect the extra mask and bottle WITH gloves on, trust me, that is a game changer. Thanks to firefighter McKenny for posing!
Oh, and one more thing.... look what I got last night??? Hey, when you know you know.
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