This document was scanned from hard copy to portable document format (PDF)and edited to 99.5% accuracy. Some formatting errors not detected during theoptical character recognition process may appear.

This publication was produced under contract EMW-94-C4381 for the U.S. Fire Administration, Federal EmergencyManagement Agency. Any information, findings, conclusions, orrecommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarilyreflect the views of the Federal Emergency Management Agencyor the U.S. Fire Administration.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTSA large portion of the information contained in this manual comes directly from fire service

personnel who have been involved in technical rescue teams themselves. The principle contributorswere: Chief Michael Tamillow, Fairfax County (VA) Fire and Rescue Department; Sergeant JohnBentivoglio, Bethesda-Chevy Chase (MD) Rescue Squad; Chief Michael Iacona, West Palm Beach(FL) Fire Department; Kim Houser, Westmoreland (PA) Department of Emergency Management;Chief Pete West, Fair Oaks (VA) Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department; and Captain Tim Gallagher,Phoenix (AZ) Fire Department. Individuals who assisted in the review of the manual include:Lieutenant Giovannie Ulloa, Metro-Dade County (FL) Fire Department; Chief John Eversole, Chi-cago (IL) Fire Department; Mark Ghalarducci, California Office of Emergency Services; LieutenantSteve Stein, Butler Township (OH) Fire Department; and Chief Steve Lancaster, Baltimore County(MD) Fire Department.

The U.S. Fire Administration would like to thank the many fire department personnel andrescue organizations who kindly shared their experience in and knowledge about technical rescuefor inclusion in this report.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .............i

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Overview of Technical Rescue CapabilitiesThe Concept of a Tiered Response System.................................................... l-l

Considerations Before Forming a Team

How to Form a Technical Rescue TeamPhase I: Assessment of Community Risks and Rescue Needs.. ..................... 3 -1Phase II: Planning.. ................................................................................... 3 -4Phase III: Development of Team.. ............................................................. 3 -9Phase IV: Development of Standard Operating Procedures.. .................... 3-10

Funding Requirements and Potential SourcesThe Financial Costs: Where the Money Goes.. ............................................. 4 - 1Justifying Expenses ........................................................................................ 4-2Funding Sources ........................................................................................... 4 - 2

Personnel and StaffingType of Personnel Necessary for a Technical Rescue Team.. ........................ 5-1Personnel Physical Requirements.. .............................................................. 5-1Selection of Personnel for Team ................................................................... 5-1Incorporating Firefighters, EMS Personnel, and

Non-Rescue Personnel Into Rescue Operations.................................... 5-2Incorporating “Citizen Experts” Into Rescue Operations.. ............................ 5-3Minimum Number of Personnel Necessary for Each

Rescue Discipline ............................................................................ 5-3Combination Career/Volunteer Staffing ...................................................... 5-4Monetary Compensation for Technical Rescue Team Personnel ................... 5-4

Regulations and Standards Governing Technical Rescue OperationsApplication of OSHA Standards.. .............................................................. 6-1Are Volunteers Exempt from OSHA Laws?................................................... 6-2Legal Considerations When a Public Team Provides

Rescue Services for a Private Entity ................................................ 6-3OSHA Regulations Affecting Technical Rescue Teams ................................. 6-3Consensus Standards Affecting Technical Rescue Teams.. ............................ 6-5

Technical Rescue TrainingThe Development of Technical Rescue Training ............................................ 7-1The Future of Technical Rescue Training Standards.. .................................. 7-2The NFPA Standard on Technical Rescue ..................................................... 7-2Sources of Training ....................................................................................... 7-2Developing a Technical Rescue Training Plan............................................... 7-3Specific Technical Rescue Training Examples .............................................. 7-5Rectification and Continuing Education ...................................................... 7-8Documentation.. ........................................................................................... 7-9Teamwork .................................................................................................... 7-9

Chapter 8 Technical Rescue Team EquipmentInitial Equipment ........................................................................................ 8-1Alternative Sources of Equipment Through a

Community Resource Plan.. ............................................................ 8-1Equipment Standards.. ................................................................................ 8-2Personal Protective Equipment.. .................................................................. 8-2Technical Rescue Response Vehicles.. ........................................................ 8-3Rescue Boats.. ............................................................................................. 8-4

Chapter 9 Technical Rescue Incident Command and SafetyTechnical Rescue Incident Command System Positions ................................. 9-1Technical Rescue Safety .............................................................................. 9-3Outside Specialists .................................................................................... 9-5Training Safety ........................................................................................... 9-5

Chapter 10 Technical Rescue Mutual AidConsiderations When Forming a Mutual Aid Team.................................... 10-1Mutual Aid System Designs....................................................................... 10-1Components of a Regional Tiered Response System ................................... 10-2Incident Command and Interagency Response.. .......................................... 10-2Mutual Aid Agreements.. ........................................................................... 10-2Roles and Responsibilities of the First Responder.. .................................. 10-3Considerations When Receiving Technical ,Rescue

Mutual Aid Assistance ................................................................. 10-4

Chapter 11 The National Urban Search and Rescue Response SystemThe FEMA US&R System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1

The Interface Between a Locality and aFEMA US&R Task Force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-3

Chapter 12 Profiles of Technical Rescue Teams

Appendix A Sample Mutual Aid Agreements

Appendix B Sample Technical Rescue Standard Operating Procedures

Appendix C Technical Rescue Resource List

Appendix D Technical Rescue Equipment List

Bibliography

i

INTRODUCTIONire departments across the United Stateshave assumed a major role as primaryresponders to rescue incidents that involve,

among other things, structural collapse, trenchcave-in, confined spaces, industrial and agricul-tural machinery water emergencies, and peopletrapped above or below grade level. These emer-gencies are grouped into a category of rescuecalled technical rescue. Technical rescue incidentsare often complex, requiring specially trainedpersonnel and special equipment to complete themission. Natural forces such as earth tremors,precipitation, temperature extremes, and swiftwater currents often complicate technical rescueincidents. The presence of flammable vapors andtoxic chemicals can also increase the level of risk.The safety of crews conducting technical rescueoperations is of special concern.

Fire departments and rescue squads through-out the country perform technical rescues on adaily basis. Some complex technical rescueincidents last many hours or even days as rescuepersonnel carefully assess the situation, obtain andset up the appropriate rescue equipment, monitorscene safety, and remove hazards before they canfinally reach, stabilize, and extricate the victims.The presence of hazards such as flammable vaporsor dust often forces rescuers to take additionalprecautions and time to ensure that operations areconducted safely. Experience has shown that hastyrescue operations can endanger the lives of bothrescuers and victims. At the same time, rescuersknow that a victim’s survival chances are oftendependent on quick extrication and transportationto a hospital.

Some departments are better prepared thanothers to perform technical rescue operations. Todeal with these complicated rescue operations,many fire departments have created specialtechnical rescue teams. A technical rescue team isa specialized group of personnel having advancedtraining and special equipment to safely andefficiently conduct specialized rescue operations.The specialties and capabilities of individual teamsvary greatly, depending on their level of training,number of trained personnel, and availability ofspecialized rescue tools and equipment. Forexample, some departments have the training and

Do we need a team for our community?

What type of team does our community need?

How do we conduct a risk assessment toidentify rescue hazards?

How do we start a team?

What training is necessary for team members?

What dangers are involved in technical rescue?

How can we fund the team?

What type of personnel will we need on theteam ?

What laws and standards pertain to rescue?

What equipment will the team need?

The U. S. Fire Administration initiated aproject in 1994 to write a comprehensive pro-gram manual on technical rescue. The projectwas initiated because of the many requests madeby fire and rescue personnel to the U.S. FireAdministration for information about technicalrescue programs. Many of the rescuers havesought answers to the questions above as well asinformation about laws and standards affectingrescuers, the Federal Urban Search and RescueProgram, training requirements, equipment neededfor a team, and many other topics. This manual wasdesigned to provide answers to topics such as these.

equipment to perform rescues at collapsed struc-tures by cutting through concrete and removingheavy debris, while other departments are limited toworking with picks and shovels to remove debris.

Many departments have single-disciplinerescue teams such as a dive rescue team. Theseteams are trained and equipped to handle one typeof rescue. Other departments have multi-disciplineteams that are prepared to perform more than onetype of rescue.

The formation of a functional and safe techni-cal rescue team, whether single- or multi-disci-pline, requires careful planning, a large timecommitment from the team members, equipmentresearch and acquisition, risk analysis, training,and funding. This manual provides guidance onhow to form a technical rescue team. It discussesmany of the considerations that must be madebefore forming a team such as:

1-1

CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF TECHNICAL RESCUE CAPABILITIES

t some point in time, almost every rescueagency will be presented with a unique orcomplex rescue situation requiring special

skills and equipment to safely resolve. Someagencies are prepared to handle such events, but inmany cases, the skills and equipment needed forthese events exceed the capabilities of the respond-ing agency.

Many fire departments and rescue agenciesacross the country have recognized that theirbaseline skills and their existing equipment areinsufficient for rescue incidents that have occurredor may occur in their response areas. Somedepartments have formed or considered formingtechnical rescue teams to address these complex andhazardous situations.

Most newly formed teams begin with trainingmembers in a single discipline, such as rope rescueor water rescue. Once this team is developed, itmay expand into other areas of rescue so that it is amulti-discipline team which can handle severaltypes of advanced rescue. An agency may alsochoose to establish different teams with individualcapabilities.

Various rescue disciplines exist. The rescuedisciplines discussed in this manual include:

Confined space rescue. A confined spaceis an enclosed area with limited entry or egress,which has an internal configuration not de-signed for human occupancy such that anentrant could become trapped or asphyxiated.It may have inwardly converging walls or afloor which slopes downward and tapers to asmaller cross section. These spaces includesewers, vats, caves, tanks, and other areas.Rescues from such spaces are dangerous,especially if the interior environment is toxic oroxygen deficient. The Occupational Safety andHealth Administration (OSHA) terms thesedangerous areas “permit-required confinedspaces.” OSHA estimates that there are over240,000 permit-required spaces across theUnited States.

Water and ice rescue. Rescues from lakes,swamps, flooded areas, swift or calm waterbodies, and the ocean fit into this category.There are several different specialties within

water rescue including swiftwater, calm water,underwater, surf, and ice rescue. Each of theserequires special training unto itself.

Collapse rescue. This involves buildingcollapse or other structural collapse such as thecollapse of the elevated highway during the1989 earthquake in Oakland, California. Manycollapse rescue teams have been established inearthquake prone areas. They may also beneeded in cities that have many older buildingsor new construction projects.

Trench/cave-in rescue. Trench or cave-inrescue could occur in almost any jurisdictionacross the country. Trenches are often found inareas of new construction where pipes orcables are being buried. The most commontrench rescue scenario involves rescuing aconstruction worker trapped when the trenchwalls collapse.

Rope rescue. High-angle or low-anglerescues are likely to occur around cliffs, ra-vines, caves, mountainous areas, highrisebuildings, communications towers, watertowers, or silos. These rescues may requirecomplex rope and hauling systems to safelysecure personnel and extricate victims.

Industrial rescue. Industrial machinerypresents many challenges to rescuers. Manyindustrial rescues involve confined spaces orheavy extrication to free victims trapped bymachinery.

Agricultural rescue. Rural fire departmentsmust be prepared to deal with rescues involv-ing individuals trapped under or insideagricultural machinery or silos.

THE CONCEPT OF A TIEREDRESPONSE SYSTEM

This manual will frequently refer to a conceptcalled “tiered response” that is used by manyrescue agencies across the country. The concept isto train and equip personnel or units throughouta department to different response levels, ortiers, from a basic rescue level to an advancedrescue capability.

The basic premise of a tiered response systembegins with training all personnel to a basic rescueawareness level that will familiarize them with

OVERVIEW OF TECHNICAL RESCUE CAPABILITIES 1-2

rescue hazards, dangers, and some basic, practicalrescue skills. In the event of a complicated rescue,they will request the response of an advancedteam and initiate measures within their capabilitiesuntil the advanced team arrives. This tieredresponse system for technical rescue is similar to atiered EMS response system that uses a basicemergency medical technician to initiate care untila paramedic arrives on the scene.

Tier orResponseLevel

As an example, Los Angeles County uses thisapproach for water rescue. All of its enginecompanies are trained and equipped to handle abasic water rescue incident. For a more compli-cated situation, engine company personnel aretrained and equipped to initiate basic rescue mea-sures until the advanced water rescue team arrives.

There are several advantages to a tieredresponse system:

It provides basic rescue training for allpersonnel.

All potential rescuers become more aware ofthe dangers of different situations and recog-nize situations that are beyond their capabili-ties.

A smaller number of personnel can develop ahigh level of expertise in a particular area.

It fits in well with a regional rescue responsesystem, where the personnel with basic train-ing can handle a basic incident on their ownand have the option of calling an advancedregional rescue team for assistance.

It is less expensive and time consuming thanequipping and training all personnel to anadvanced rescue level.

Table l-l describes a tiered rescue system forrope rescue incidents.

Table 1-l. Example of Tiered Rope RescueResponse System

Units Capabilities

Level 1 Engines Basic rappelling only

Level 2 Ladder Trucks Rappelling; basic haulingsystems; lifting systemsusing ladders; stokesbasket rescues

Level 3 Heavy Squads Rappelling; advancedor TechnicalRescue Team

hauling systems: entryInto confined spacesusing rope systems; cliffrescue: rope stabilizationsystems; stokes basketrescues

In the above example, all engine companies inthe department are capable of performing a basicrope rescue. If necessary, the personnel on enginecompanies could rappel to a patient and beginemergency care until a Level 2 or Level 3 teamarrives to remove the patient. In a large depart-ment, the Level 2 or Level 3 team may be a re-source from within the department. In smallerdepartments, the Level 2 or Level 3 team maycome from another jurisdiction or could be aregional team with members from differentjurisdictions. An engine company may be able tohandle a simple rope rescue incident on its ownbut the higher level team is available with theadvanced training and additional equipmentshould it be necessary

1-3

A collapse rescue team practices concrete debris removal tech-niques using a pneumatic breaker. (Courtesy Mike Tamillow)

Rescuers wearing special supplied air breathing apparatus en-ter a confined space at an industrial facility. (Courtesy MikeTamillow)

A rescuer from a confined space rescue team is lowered through a man-hole into a sewer. Some confined space entry practices are regulated bythe Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (Courtesy MikeTamillow)

An advanced trained water rescue team utilizes a heli-copter to retrieve a victim and rescuer from swift cur-r e n t s .

OVERVIEW OF TECHNICAL RESCUE CAPABILITIES

1 - 4

Special rigging is used by a confined space team to lower arescuer into a tanker. Similar tactics would be needed to lowera rescuer into a silo or any other confined space. (CourtesyMike Tamillow)

Rescuers raise a victim using a stokes basket and a mechani-cal advantage hauling system. (Courtesy Mike Tamillow)

A FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force sets up its base camp in Homestead, Floridato assist with search and rescue operations following the destruction caused by Hurricaneto assist with search and rescue operations following the destruction caused by HurricaneAndrew. (Courtesy Mike Tamillow)

1-5

A trench collapse team shores up trench walls using struts before beginning a rescue. (CourtesyMike Tamillow)

An unshored trench presents many hazards to victims and res-cuers, including secondary collapse.

OVERVIEW OF TECHNICAL RESCUE CAPABILITIES

1-6

The Miami Valley (OH) Regional Technical Rescue Team prepares to conduct a trench rescuedrill. This team is comprised of members from several area departments.

Collapse rescue team members practice concrete debris stabilization and removal techniques.(Courtesy Mike Tamillow)

1-7

Los Angeles County utilizes a tiered water rescue response system. Above, an engine com-pany practices the deployment of an inflated section of hose used to catch a victim flowingdownstream. This rescue technique can be performed by units with personnel trained only to abasic water rescue level using readily available equipment. Below, the department’s advancedwater rescue team catches a victim using a water rescue net, which requires advanced riggingtechniques. (Courtesy Larry Collins)

2 - 1

CHAPTER 2: CONSIDERATIONS BEFORE FORMING A TEAM

his chapter describes the types of factorsthat must be evaluated when consideringwhether or not to form a technical rescue

team. For the purposes of this manual, a team willrefer to a group of persons who are trained andequipped to perform technical rescues in one ormore specialized areas.

Many considerations must be made beforestarting a rescue team, including whether a team isreally needed, whether local officials will supporta team, whether firefighters are committed toforming a team, what are the risks associated witha rescue team, and what laws affect the formationof a team.

The following questions should be consideredby a fire or rescue chief before starting-up atechnical rescue team.

Is a team needed in our community?This question can be answered by conducting

a risk analysis of your community (described inChapter 3). The ultimate decision for choosing todevelop technical rescue expertise should be basedon the needs of your community. You musthonestly and accurately assess the risk level inyour community and if the risk is real, you shouldmake every effort to secure the necessary re-sources to perform a rescue safely and efficientlyIf a need does exist, but this need is being satisfiedby an outside response team that is available torespond into your jurisdiction, then developingyour own team may be unnecessary.

What type of team is needed for ourcommunity?

Another consideration centers on the type ofteam that would be needed. Should the team havea single function, or is expertise needed in mul-tiple disciplines? Again, this question can best beanswered after conducting a risk assessment(described in Chapter 3).

Do we have commitment from thefirefighters and rescuers for this?

You should thoroughly consider the ability ofyour emergency response personnel to take on anew challenge. The level of commitment needed

to start a technical rescue team is extremely high- it requires dedicated leadership and participa-tion on the part of the entire workforce. Manytimes we look only at the members who are undergo-ing the training and forget to evaluate the impact ofthis training on their co-workers who assumeadditional firefighting workloads during technicalrescue-related absences. From this perspective a totalcommitment and clear understanding of the impactof this responsibility must be shared throughout thedepartment in pursuing a technical rescue responsi-bility. Several very dedicated individuals will benecessary to coordinate the team and to monitorteam equipment and training.

How much will it cost to form a team,and is funding is available?

You must thoroughly evaluate both the startup costs and the ongoing operational costs for thistype of venture. Start up costs may be veryexpensive, but depend on the equipment youalready possess and the type of team you want toinitiate. A majority of start up costs go towardequipment purchases and training. Operationalcosts may include ongoing training, equipmentmaintenance, and salaries if paid employees areutilized.

You must consider whether the fundingalready exists for a new rescue team and howlikely it is for you to obtain funding. Funding maycome internally from your city or externally fromdonations by outside organizations.

Would elected officials and citymanagement support a TechnicalRescue Team?

The formation of any rescue team will requiresupport and commitment from officials outside ofthe fire department. They will have the ultimatesay about funding a team. The basic expensessuch as purchasing special equipment or fundingovertime training can only be met if there is fullsupport from outside officials. Their support isalso necessary if you try to share resources withother communities.

In many instances the decision by local authori-ties to develop an expertise in technical rescue is

CONSIDERATIONS WHEN DECIDING TO FORM A TEAM

2 - 2

prompted by an incident of significant magnitude inwhich the local responders were found to be illprepared to handle the situation. Emergencymanagers may feel the need to develop technicalrescue skills but, in the absence of a major incident,are unsure of how to justify this type of expenditure.Consider the questions that will be asked by fiscalpersonnel or elected officials about these expendi-tures such as, “Why do we need all this expensiveequipment?” “How many collapses did we have lastyear?” or “We’ve done just fine in the past, why dowe need it now?”

As an emergency manager you may be acutelyaware of the limitations of your current capabilitiesand the potential criticism that may result if you arenot prepared when a major incident occurs. Youshould recognize the risks that are involved if youcommit emergency workers to a work environmentthat they are insufficiently trained or ill equipped tohandle. Consider whether you can explain theserisks to managers and elected officials and what theirreactions will be. You must be willing to do somebasic background research on risks and needs beforetrying to “sell” the idea of forming a team to outsideofficials. Be prepared to provide them hard evidenceto gain their support.

Are other resources available fromneighboring communities?

As you assess your technical rescue needs,consider the option of sharing these resourcesamong two or more communities, or setting up ateam for a single community. Utilizing a shared ormulti-agency response is fiscally responsible andcan provide an appropriate level of service.Several factors will come into play in choosing theoption best suited for your community. Thisconcept is discussed further in Chapter 10.

What dangers are posed by forminga team?

Technical rescue, like firefighting, is danger-ous. Certainly risks can be limited by providingproper training about safe rescue techniques andby purchasing equipment designed to makerescues safer, but you must consider whatdangers will confront rescuers and whether youand the rescuers are willing to face these dan-gers in a real incident.

According to OSHA, 60 percent of the deaths inconfined spaces involve would-be rescuers. Techni-cal rescuers may face many risks including asphyxia-tion within a confined space, fall injuries fromoperating on ropes, and drowning while operating inswiftwater conditions.

One of the greatest mistakes made whenforming a team is to think that you can create ateam without basic training and basic equipment.Some departments have attempted to start a teamor perform dangerous rescues without having basicequipment or training. This is extremely risky fromthe standpoint of both the rescuers and the victims.

What laws, regulations, and standardsaffect development of a team?

One of the most complicated and misunderstoodareas affecting technical rescue is legal mandates andstandards. A host of mandates and standards havebeen written which affect different types of rescues.Certain aspects of technical rescue are regulated bythe Occupational Safety and Health Administration(OSHA) or are discussed in standards from organiza-tions such as the National Fire Protection Association(NFPA). Many of these regulations affect confinedspace rescue. Compliance with these regulations isrecommended for all rescuers for safety purposes,but only certain states mandate compliance.

The various regulations and standards affect-ing technical rescue are explained in Chapter 6.Before starting a team, a fire or rescue chief mustconsider what laws will affect a team and the costsof compliance and non-compliance. Failure tocomply with a law during a rescue can result infines or other penalties.

What training requirements exist?

State and Federal training requirements must beconsidered when planning for a rescue team. Man-datory training requirements vary from state to stateor even among localities. Most technical rescuetraining mandates are self-determined by a state orlocality which may require you to follow a particulartraining standard established by OSHA, the NFPA, aprivate training organization, or other entity. TheNFPA has issued a standard on training for struc-tural collapse responders. A broader trainingstandard covering all disciplines of technical rescueis expected to be issued in the next few years (referto Chapter 7 for more information).

3-1CHAPTER 3: HOW TO FORM A TECHNICAL RESCUE TEAM

he formation and development of a technicalrescue team is a considerable undertaking.While the formation of all aspects of a team,

both administrative and operational, is quite inten-sive, the maintenance and recurring training is evenmore challenging. It can be an expensive undertak-ing requiring new training and equipment, and mostimportantly, careful planning.

This chapter recommends steps you should taketo form a technical rescue team. The steps areorganized into four phases of team development:

PHASE I: ASSESSMENT OF COMMUNITY RISKSAND RESCUE NEEDS

1. Perform a Risk Assessment2. Analyze Data to Project the Likelihood of

a Technical Rescue Emergency

1. Perform a risk assessmentMany departments

2. Analyze data to projectbegin technical rescue

the likelihood of a techni- teams after a specificcal rescue emergency rescue incident has

3. Establish a risk threshold shown a deficiency or4. Determine what type of inability to safely and

team is needed effectively handle a rescue. In some cases, a

3. Establish a Risk Threshold4. Determine What Type of Team Is Needed

PHASE II: PLANNING

1. Establish a Planning Committee to De-velop a Plan

2. Determine Current Capabilities3. Prepare a Concept of Operations

4. Determine Program ManagementStructure

5. Develop a Staffing Plan6. Identify Initial Equipment and Vehicle

Requirements7. Identify Training Requirements8. Consider a Plan for Delivering Recurring

Training9. Estimate Cost of Team and Develop

a Budget10. Obtain Management Support11, Obtain Political Support12. Look for Partnerships

PHASE Ill: DEVELOPMENT OF TEAM1. Select the Team Members2. Train the Team3. Purchase Equipment and Uniforms4. Purchase Vehicles5. Provide Administrative Support

PHASE IV: DEVELOPMENT OF STANDARDOPERATING PROCEDURES

1. Obtain or Write Administrative and Op-erational SOPs for the Team

2. Review and Revise SOPs Regularly

assessment of community risks and rescue needs;planning; development of team; and development ofstandard operating procedures. Because of thecomplexity of forming a technical rescue team, eachstep must be carefully considered so that importantissues are not missed.

PHASE I: ASSESSMENT OF COMMUNITYRISKS AND RESCUE NEEDS

team is developed before a major rescue incidentoccurs due to the expectation of emergencies createdby risks in the community.

In determining whether a team is needed inyour community, you must first do some researchto evaluate the risks in your area. A risk analysiswill help you determine what the level of risk isand what potential hazards exist so that you candecide whether a team is really needed. This is aparticularly important part of starting a team fortwo reasons. First, political leaders will want toknow what risks exist to justify funding a team.Second, you will want to know what risks con-front your department, what type of hazardousscenarios to train for, and what rescue equipmentwill be needed to address the risks. A thoroughrisks analysis should define your objective for ateam and justify the effort of forming a team.

1. Perform a Risk AssessmentA risk assessment should be based on histori-

cal data on rescues plus an analysis of newlyintroduced risks.

Begin by assessing past rescue needs in yourresponse area. You may look to incident reports todetermine the frequency of technical rescues inyour area. Other potential sources of data includeyour state workers’ compensation office; yourstate OSHA or national OSHA; construction orcontractors’ associations; building officials and

HOW TO FORM A TECHNICAL RESCUE TEAM3-2

inspectors; and safety managers at local busi-nesses. Past experience may indicate the likelihoodof technical rescue-type incidents during majorconstruction projects.

You must also consider target hazards thatexist in your response area now or you anticipatein the future. Target hazards are specific risk areasthat confront your department in a rescue emer-gency (see Figure 3-1). A review of the naturalfeatures of a locality will reveal some hazards.Rivers, rapids, cliffs and rock climbing sites are buta few of the areas where incidents may occur. Areview of existing pre-fire plans may highlightcertain types of commercial or industrial facilitiesthat might require the services of a specialty team.Contact your local building department to identifynew or planned construction which may containtarget hazards.

Make a list of target hazards which presentspecial rescue challenges requiring special techni-cal rescue equipment or advanced rescue trainingto safely and effectively control. Survey depart-ment personnel about their knowledge of hazards.You may want to perform inspections of facilitiesor areas in your jurisdiction which are likely tocontain hazards. This may be done in conjunction

with your fire safety inspections. You also can mail awritten questionnaire to industrial facilities or plantmanagers asking them what hazards exist at theirfacilities. Be sure to communicate to them thespecific hazards which concern your department.

Regardless of the size or economic make-up ofthe community almost every jurisdiction is subject tosome type risk, such as a major transportationaccident or construction collapse, that would necessi-tate technical rescue expertise. The prevalence orconcentration of a specific industry in a communitymay guide emergency officials to prioritize anddevelop expertise in areas of technical rescue thathave the greatest likelihood for generating anoccurrence with that type of industry or activity.Remember that the justification for an expenditurewould appear more reasonable and would be morelikely to be approved if it can be related to targethazards and risk potentials.

2. Analyze Data to Project the Likelihoodof a Technical Rescue Emergency

To demonstrate the likelihood of a technicalrescue incident, begin by showing the frequency,or rate of which incidents have occurred in a givenperiod of time in your community or even in other

Figure 3-1. Common Risks and Target Hazards Found in Communities

Risk

SewersRivers/flood ducts,flood-prone areasIndustrial facilities

Potential Hazards Posed by Risk

Confined spaces, toxic gases, oxygen deficiencySwift water rescue, calm water rescue, toxic water environments,surface and underwater rescue, ice rescueHazardous materials, toxic gas emlsslons, confined spaces, machineryentrapment

Cliffs/gorges/ravines/mountainsAgricultural facilities

Above grade and below grade rescue

Dust explosions, confined spaces, hazards materials, fertilizers,machinery entrapment

Cesspools/tanksNew constructionOld bulldingsWells/cavesHighrisesEarthquakes/hurricanes/tornadosTransfer facllitles

TOXIC gases, oxygen deflclency, confined spacesStructural collapse, trench rescue, machinery entrapmentStructural collapseConfined spaces, hazardous environmentsHlgh angle rescue, elevator rescueCollapse rescue, extrlcatlon, dlsaster response

Hazardous materials. toxic gas emissions, conflned spaces, machineryentrapment

Transportation centers Hazardous materials, toxic gas emlsslons, confined spaces, machineryentrapment, derailments

3-3

communities with similar hazards as your commu-nity has. By demonstrating in simple terms that areasonable likelihood exists for a particular type ofrescue to occur, you will find that elected officialsand administrators are more likely to supportthese enhancements to your readiness.

EXAMPLE

Year Number of Number ofConfined Spaces

at lndusfriesConfined Space

Within theEmergency

lncidenfsCommunity Per Year

1980 15 21981 15 01982 17 31983 18 21984 18 41985 22 51986 24 31987 28 71988 31

3 59

1989 121990 40 18

In 1980, there were 2 confined spaceemergencies among the 15 hazard spaces. In 1985,there were 5 emergencies among the 22 hazardspaces, and in 1990, 18 emergencies among the 40hazard spaces. This data shows that as the numberof target hazards have increased, the frequency ofconfined space emergency incidents per targethazard has also increased.

You can project the likely number of incidentsin the future by estimating the number of hazard-ous spaces in future years, and then multiplyingthis by the rate of incidents per space. Thisexample of hard data is the evidence that will benecessary to present to managers or the citycouncil to demonstrate the need for a technicalrescue team.

3. Establish a Risk ThresholdThe final determination in a risk assessment

should involve weighing the potential risk to thecommunity and the potential risk to emergencyresponders who must perform the rescues. Thepresence of hazards in a community creates a riskthat someone will become injured or need assis-tance from rescuers. Likewise, if the communityexpects the fire department to provide rescueassistance, the lives of firefighters performing arescue will be put at risk.

Risks vary in severity. The presence of onerisk may be very mild, whereas the presence ofanother very severe. The severity of a hazard mustbe considered as part of a final risk determination.In terms of a water rescue team, the risks created by asmall pond are much less than those created by aswiftwater channel. Likewise, the probability of theoccurrence of a rescue incident involving aswiftwater channel is usually greater than thatinvolving a small pond. The community with thesmall pond may determine that the risk level createdby the pond is too minor to warrant a special waterrescue team, whereas the community with theswiftwater channel may determine otherwise. If thefirefighters or rescuers are expected to performrescues in hazardous environments, they will facerisks including toxic environments and inhalationinjuries (confined space rescue), drowning (waterrescue), falls (rope rescue), secondary collapsesand crush syndrome (collapse rescue), and explo-sions (silo rescue).

Each community will have to make its owndetermination about what an acceptable level of riskis, and what is the risk “threshold” that will necessi-tate the formation of a special rescue team. Thecommunity and city managers should know exactlywhat the fire department’s rescue capabilities andlimitations are, what risks confront the community,and the dangers that rescuers face in performingrescues. The community should not expect rescuersto perform certain rescues without proper trainingand equipment.

In most cases, the public will not expect the firedepartment to rescue everyone in any predicament.Firefighters should not be expected to perform“suicide” rescue missions; however, when there is noforethought or when rescue operations are clearlybotched, there is likely to be public outcry.

HOW TO FORM A TECHNICAL RESCUE TEAM

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4. Determine What Type of Team 1. Establish a Planning Committee toIs Needed Develop a Plan

The risk analysis should help you determinewhether a team is actually necessary. If you decidea team is needed, the next step is to determinewhat type of team is needed. What risks are youtrying to address? Will the team handle only basicrescues or will it be expected to perform complexrescues? What types of emergencies will this teamrespond to? Define the extent of the capabilitiesyou think you need to provide. These may in-clude: high angle/rope rescue, trench collapse,structural collapse, confined space, agriculturalrescue, machinery entrapment, calm or swift waterrescue, or dive rescue.

Remember that if a multi-discipline team isneeded to cover several hazards, such as waterand confined space rescue, you may want to beginby forming a team in only one of these disciplines,become proficient in it, and then expand to asecond discipline. Be careful not to start off tryingto do everything at once; it is better to try toestablish your proficiency in the most importantareas first and expand later as you build on theinitial capability and after you have developedyour skills in this area.

Select a committee or team to develop yourplan and appoint a chairman. The developmentcommittee should contain competent planners aswell as individuals who might become the teamleaders of the technical rescue team during itsdevelopment and operation phases. Three to sixpeople should be sufficient. You may want to placecertain individuals that already have rescue experi-ence or other related experience on the planningteam. Define the goals for a technical rescue teamdevelopment committee. What is the committee’scharter? What are the objectives and parameters?When do they need to complete their planning?Make sure the committee understands the goals andthat the goals are focused. A time frame should begiven for the team to complete a plan. At least onechief or member of the department’s top manage-ment team should be a part of the committee to helpgive it direction and to verify that it stays on course.The plan should address resources and operationsfor the following areas:

The specialties you will cover with your teamand the needs of your jurisdiction will help you toformulate a mission statement for the team. Themission statement is important because it will givedirection and focus to a new team.

Personnel and Staffing. Who will be the teamleader(s)? What types of skills will be necessaryto join the team? What will be the size of theteam? (Refer to Chapter 5).

Equipment. What equipment will be needed?What equipment do the individuals provide,what does the team provide?

Vehicles. What type(s) of vehicle(s) will bestserve your area and rescue mission?

Training. What initial training and recurringproficiency training will be needed? (Refer toChapter 7).

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.6.

Establish a planningcommittee to deveiopa planDetermine currentcapabiiltlesPrepare a concept ofoperationsDetermlne programmanagement structureDevelop a staffing planldentlfy initial equlpmentand vehicle require-

Identify training requlre-mentsConsider a plan fordeliverlng recurringtralnlngEstimate cost of teamand develop a budget

PHASE II:PLANNING

7.

8.

9 .

Once you havedetermined the type ofteam you need, youshould develop aspecific plan of actionfor creating the team.This plan should coverall aspects of teamdevelopment includingpersonnel, equipment,training. The mostimportant planningsteps are outlined inthis section.

Administrative support. Who will maintainrecords, equipment inventories, and provideprogram oversight?

Political support. Will you need to obtain thisor do you already have support from localleaders?

2. Determine Current Capabilities

10. Obtain managementsuppor t

11. Obtain political support

12. Look for partnerships

Identify what equipment and training yourdepartment already possesses. Some of theequipment you will need is probably alreadycarried on an engine, ladder truck, or rescuesquad. Additionally, some of your firefighters mayhave already taken rescue classes on their own.

The more capabilities you can identify that youalready have, the faster and cheaper it will be tostart a team.

3. Prepare a Concept of Operations

Develop a basic concept of operations and aset of operational procedures.

The concept of operations will assist you inthinking through how you intend to operate andwhat resources you will need. It will also help yousell the program to management and the publicby forcing you to think through how the teamwill be used.

An outline of the operational procedures areneeded early in the process to demonstrate tomanagement that you have thought through theprogram and have not left anything out. You canfill in the detail procedures when you get closer toputting the team into service. Development ofstandard operating procedures (SOPS) is discussedlater in this section under Phase IV. Sample SOPsare contained in Appendix B.

4. Determine ProgramManagement Structure

An organization considering the formation ofa technical rescue team should identify and taskpersonnel to address the fundamental require-ments of the program. These personnel wouldcomprise the program management team. Asenior person should be identified as the seniorprogram officer. This individual is the centraladministrator who coordinates all ongoing pro-gram responsibilities (i.e., scheduling meetings,developing proposals and correspondence, assign-ing tasks, tracking accomplishments, etc.).

Most departments have found it necessary toassign at least one rescue training officer to eachshift. This position is responsible for the myriadissues involved in developing, conducting, andtracking training certification.

Likewise, the assignment of an equipmentofficer (or technician) is extremely important. It maybe necessary to have one assigned on each shift or ateach tech rescue station. These positions addressissues related to equipment research and procure-ment, reception of new equipment, organization ofthe equipment cache, and ensuring that a mainte-nance and exercise program is addressed for all tools,

3 - 5supplies, and equipment on a recurring basis(weekly, monthly quarterly, etc.).

Due to the significant amount of developmentand staff work required when initiating a newprogram, the assignment of a staff/scribe positionis quite beneficial. This person should be compe-tent in computer software applications such asword processing, database and spreadsheetprograms. Tracking information related to equip-ment and personnel details is made more manage-able with the assistance of a computer.

5. Develop a Staffing Plan

One of the most critical development steps toaccomplish in the formation of a new technicalrescue team is to determine how many people areneeded for your team. In general, staffing require-ments must address filling all identified com-mand/management staff as well as addressing theminimum number of personnel to effectively andsafely conduct tactical operations. Staffing sizewill depend on the type of rescue team; a trenchrescue team will need more personnel than a diverescue team.

In general, all major technical rescue disci-plines are staffing intensive, at least during theinitial start-up phase of operation. Trench rescueand structural collapse operations may be the mostintensive, easily requiring at least four or fivespecialists, overseen by command positions andassisted by non-certified personnel. Advancedrope operations may require a sizeable cadre ofpersonnel for raising operations. The majority ofpersonnel operating raising or belay lines need notbe certified personnel (but must be under directcontrol of certified personnel).

The staffing plan should also address thenumber of personnel required per rescue unit(vehicle). Many departments staff heavy rescuesquads or other specialized units to addressspecific tactical requirements. Other departmentsmay not be able to afford this luxury due to sizelimitations or other restrictions. Many depart-ments already have minimum staffing require-ments of three, four, or more personnel requiredon each in-service unit. In career departments,local charters or union regulations may impactthese decisions. Additionally, if rescue personnelmust be drawn from multiple stations, the plan

HOW TO FORM A TECHNICAL RESCUE TEAM

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should discuss how the station positions will befilled while rescue team members are on a call. Thestaffing plan should also address whether the teamwill be comprised of personnel from career ranksonly, volunteer ranks only, or from both. Additionaldiscussion of team staffing is provided in Chapter 5.

6. Identify Initial Equipment andVehicle Requirements

An analysis of the equipment needs should beconducted separately for each discipline. Then theseparate lists can be combined into a single equip-ment procurement list. Most fire departments orrescue agencies may already possess much of theidentified equipment. In this case, it may only benecessary to gather the equipment in a centrallocation or develop a resource list denoting eachitem’s location and a mechanism to gather it forresponse use. This process may dramaticallyreduce the funds needed to procure all necessaryequipment for the team’s operations, however itwill require time in an emergency to gather theequipment if it is not kept at a central location.

Some departments have sent one member totraining classes to learn what rescue tools arenecessary for a new team. This is an excellent wayto establish basic knowledge of equipmentcapabilities, which is important for identifyingwhat is needed.

In most cases, if funds are limited, the pur-chase of equipment could be prioritized based onthe greatest need for one or more of the identifiedteam disciplines. Purchases that increase person-nel safety should receive higher priority, whilepurchases that expand capabilities should be asecondary priority. In any case, safety and theneed for a certain amount of redundancy inequipment must be stressed. Obviously, if a keytool or piece of equipment malfunctions, or isunavailable due to maintenance, the ability of theteam may be critically impaired.

It may be easiest to request copies of equip-ment lists from technical rescue teams that are inplace and use one or more of these as a startingpoint for the equipment cache development. TheU.S. Fire Administration’s Technical Rescue TechnologyAssessment report contains information aboutequipment needed for technical rescue, and isavailable free (refer to Appendix C for information

on how to obtain this document). More informationon rescue equipment is contained in Chapter 8.

Once you have determined what equipment isnecessary for the team, you can consider whatvehicles are capable of carrying the equipment andteam members. You may be able to fit the equip-ment on an existing unit, or you may need topurchase a new rig. Some teams use a cargotrailer, convert an old unit, or request a vehicle bedonated by a local business.

7. Identify Training RequirementsThe training to competently and safely

address each individual capability is intensive.The greater the number of specialties a technicalrescue team assumes responsibility for, the moredifficult is the task of bringing personnel up to thenecessary training and skill levels.

In the planning stage, you must identify whattraining you will need and what training is avail-able. Training needs will be determined by theteam’s focus. They will also be determined by anylocal or state training requirements (this is particu-larly important in states regulated by their depart-ment of occupational safety and health). Whenwill the training be delivered? Who will deliverthe training?

Additional information about technical rescuetraining can be found in Chapter 7.

8. Consider a Plan for DeliveringRecurring Training

Maintenance of skills is critical to the compe-tency of rescue team members. Develop a planwhich establishes minimum continuing educationstandards for members. Some of the recurringtraining can be done on an individual basis, butthe entire team should convene for a team trainingsession several times a year. Check with your statetraining agency to see if it has already establishedcontinuing education requirements for rescue teammembers. The cost of recurring training must alsobe considered.

9. Estimate Cost of Team and Developa Budget

Preparing a cost estimation for the team istime consuming and requires research, but it is avery important step in the development of a team.

3-7

The city manager or board of supervisors willwant to see a detailed budget plan before approv-ing a team.

The first step in planning a budget is to listseparately the major types of rescue you plan toundertake (i.e. water rescue, confined space rescue,trench rescue, etc,). Consider each of these as anindividual heading. Under each area, list thetraining, equipment, and apparatus you anticipateneeding to start the team. List all the equipmentand training you would like to have - do notleave anything out. Costs for each of the followingareas must be considered:

Personnel hoursTraining and continuing education

Texts and materials

Travel expenses

Equipment

Veh ic les

Protective Clothing

Next, obtain at least two estimates of the costfor each item on each list (estimated costs for someequipment is listed in Appendix D). This steprequires heavy research. Do not just rely on costsin a catalog. Thorough research on pricing in-volves talking with manufacturers or distributorsto find out product capabilities and limitations sothat you can compare different products. Youalso may be able to discuss special pricing.Round prices up so that you do not end upunder-budgeting.

Once you have completed pricing and productresearch, compare the different products andprices to determine what is best for your needs.Total the cost of each training, equipment, andapparatus item to determine the maximum startup cost. Items that are not immediately essentialto initiating a team may be eliminated and bud-geted in the future. This will help lower your startup costs. You must determine, however, whatitems are absolutely essential to begin a team. Thetotal of the cost of the essential items is the mini-mum start up cost. (Refer to Chapter 4 for moreinformation on obtaining team funding.)

10. Obtain Management SupportThis is probably the most important step in

developing a technical rescue team! You must sell

the program to your fire department management.Battalion Chiefs, Assistant Chiefs, Deputy Chiefs,the Fire Chief, the City Manager, and in the case ofvolunteer departments the Board of Directors, allhave to recognize the benefits of this kind of programand support it if you are going to succeed. Is theprogram technically feasible? Get all of your sup-porting materials ready and rehearse them beforegoing public with the plan. You may only get onechance to sell your program and you can assume thatsome of the audience will not be favorable orsupportive. Be ready for them. Cite other depart-ments in your region or state that have teams andsummarize how their teams are working for them.

Your objective in this step is to get permissionto develop the Technical Rescue Team. Obtainsupport of the fire chief first, and then present theteam concept to the City Manager. Usuallymanagement will want time to think over the idea.Try to set a specific date for a decision or anothermeeting where a decision will be made.

If your fire department operates indepen-dently of any outside jurisdictional oversight, youcan minimize this step. However, if you don’tknow how your Chief feels about a rescue team,don’t assume he will buy into it without signifi-cant convincing.

11. Obtain Political SupportDevelop a plan to obtain political support.

This is necessary to secure funding for this pro-gram. You will need political support to getfunding if your department does not have anindependent funding source. Remember thateventually you or someone else will have to go tothe department board of directors, the towncouncil, or the county board of supervisors toprocure funds for the project.

Be prepared to answer questions about theteam. Common questions asked by managementand elected officials include:

“Why do we need a technical rescue team?”

“Don’t we already have those capabilities?”“How much will this endeavor cost?

“Can’t we get rescue services from otherjurisdictions?”

“Can we share the costs of a team withanother jurisdiction?”

HOW TO FORM A TECHNICAL RESCUE TEAM

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“How often will this team be used?”“Do we really need a team for rescuesthat happen so infrequently?”

If you have gone through each of the previoussteps and done your homework, you will beprepared to answer questions like these. Be readyto make specific, concise points to justify yourrequest for approval of a new team. Below is a listof tips that may help you win political support.

Discuss your concept of a team withindividual elected officials before presenting itto the entire body of officials. Be sure to havesupport from the county manager or mayorbefore going to the elected officials.

Prepare a list of hazards in your responsearea and note the dangers and risks associatedwith each. Give this to the elected officials. Besure to note the risks presented by each to both

3-9

citizens and rescuers. Discuss what will bethe acceptable risk thresholds.

Create a video or slide presentation that willdemonstrate the hazards that exist in your area.You also may gather action pictures of rescueteams already formed to demonstrate teamcapabilities.

1. Select the teammembers

Have charts prepared that demonstrate theneed for a team and show the number of rescueincidents you have run in the past and youexpect to run in the future.

Have charts prepared that outline a plan fordeveloping the team.

Be prepared to discuss regulations, such asthose for confined spaces, which may requireyou to train your personnel to a certain rescuelevel in order to make certain rescues. Thisalone may justify the team. (Refer to Chapter6 for information of laws and standardsaffecting rescuers.)

Become familiar with other rescue programsaround your region or state that will serve asexamples.

12. Look for Partnerships

Partnerships are especially helpful to newteams because they can assist with funding initialcosts. Local industry may have confined spacesand, under OSHA regulations, may be required tohave a confined space rescue team. The localindustry, however, may not have the personnelnecessary to have a team, and may request assis-tance from the fire department to serve as theirconfined space rescue team. In exchange, the firedepartment receives funding from the industry topay for training and equipment. The communityalso benefits from the availability of a confinedspace rescue team within the fire department.

This step in the development process couldoccur before obtaining management approval, butoften the management wants to know about plansfor a technical rescue team before the fire depart-ment goes out into the community to build part-nerships. Therefore, this step may need to fallafter management approval is obtained.

PHASE Ill: DEVELOPMENT OF TEAM

1. Select theTeam Members

2. Train the team3. Purchase equipment

One of the bestand uniforms methods for selecting

4. Purchase vehicles team members is to5. Provide admlnistrative conduct interviews.

support Start by solicitingpersonnel who are interested in joining the team.Have them complete a short questionnaire aboutwhy they want to join the team and what skillsthey could bring to the team. Any person who hasoutside skills in areas such as construction,rappelling, diving, etc. will bring added skills atno extra cost to the department.

It is imperative that you clearly delineate whatadditional demands and responsibilities will beexpected of those joining the team before theyofficially join. For instance, they may be expectedto participate in continuing rescue training inaddition to continuing firefighter training. In avolunteer organization, it is especially importantto delineate expectations in advance becausetechnical rescue team demands will probably takemore time than just firefighter demands.

Another consideration when selecting a teamis to recruit members who have emergency medi-cal training. Many rescues will require personnelto perform technical rescue team and emergencymedical skills. Chapter 5 provides additionaldiscussion about selection of team personnel.

2. Train the TeamThe team will need a thorough initial training

program on all the equipment and the rescuetechniques. Train your people to handle thespecific target hazards in your response area.Ensure that the training program includes a mixof hands-on and technical classroom topics.Realistic training scenarios will require workingwith area contractors or other organizations todonate trenches, buildings, or other facilities.Refer to Chapter 7 for additional information onrescue training.

3. Purchase Equipment and UniformsPurchase the equipment your team will need

based on its mission objectives and based on

HOW TO FORM A TECHNICAL RESCUE TEAM3-10

equipment needs you have previously defined. Startwith the basic equipment and add the more complextechnical rescue equipment as you proceed. Leavethe “nice-to-have” equipment for purchase after yourinitial training is complete and after you have gainedthe experience to evaluate what tools you really needto add. (Note that you may have to purchase someequipment before team members begin trainingbecause they may need the equipment during class.)Refer to Chapter 8 for more information on equip-ment and uniforms.

4. Purchase VehiclesIn the planning phase you specified the

general type of vehicle you would need (trailer,four wheel drive, etc.). In this step, detail vehicleplans are necessary including equipment storagelayout to make ensure that equipment will fit in thevehicle. You should allow about a one-third growthfactor for future equipment additions. Make sureyou have a secure storage area for everything toavoid damage or injury. If a trailer vehicle isplanned, verify that the trailer hitch is sufficient tohandle the weight of the trailer and equipment.

5. Provide Administrative SupportOne part of the planning process of technical

rescue team development which is usually forgottenis the administrative effort necessary to get the teamstarted. Members of the team or support staff shouldbe recruited to maintain the records for the team.Example record keeping tasks include:

Team Rosterlmmunization and Health RecordsCall Back ListsEquipment InventoriesEquipment Repair/MaintenanceRecordsTeam Activation ChecklistsTraining RecordsTraining SchedulesExpenses

The counterpart of identifying and develop-ing a recurrent training program is addressingthe tracking equipment and accounting of teammember attendance at training. This is animportant administrative step. Additionally, youmust track all expenses related to training andequipment. This information will help you conformto your budget and will be necessary for reporting tocity administrators and elected officials.

PHASE Iv: DEVELOPMENT OF STANDARDOPERATING PROCEDURES

Standard operat1. Obtain or write adminis

trative and operational ing procedures (SOPs)SOPs for the team are an integral part of a

2. Review and revise SOPs technical rescue team.regular lySome fire departments

and rescue teams choose to function without SOPS,but SOPS are vital to have a safe and organizedrescue operation. SOPS establish technical rescueteam organization, processes, and techniquesbefore an emergency incident occurs. SOPS shouldanswer questions such as who is in charge, whatequipment will be used, what techniques will beused, who is qualified to perform a technique,what is expected of each responding unit, andwhat staffing is required at a rescue incident. Mostimportantly, they provide a structure by which atechnical rescue team can respond in an organizedfashion to the chaos and uncertainty presented atalmost any emergency incident.

Many technical rescue teams have alreadydeveloped SOPS which may serve as a guide forthe development of ones for your department.Sample SOPS are included in Appendix B. Obtaincopies of several SOPS for the types of teams youplan to develop and review them in detail. Usethose features that you feel best apply to yourgoals and situation. The regulations and standardsdiscussed in Chapter 6 may provide assistance indeveloping SOPS.

Technical rescue teams should considerforming two types of SOPS: administrative andoperational. The procedures should be consoli-dated into one manual, and they should be fullyintegrated with the fire department’s existing SOPsystem. Administrative SOPS provide the frame-work for the personnel structure of the team. Opera-tional SOPS describe things such as techniques andunit responsibilities that are used at an emergencyincident. Each of these is discussed further below.

1. Obtain or write administrative andoperational SOPS for the team.

ADMINISTRATIVE SOPS

The administrative section should address:Chain of command. The administrative and

operational sides of the chain of command for thetechnical rescue team should be clearly defied.

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Specialty certification requirements. Thetactical capabilities that the team is responsible formust be clearly identified. The training require-ments related to each discipline must be fullydefined. This should include the initial trainingrequired for certification in each discipline, as wellas continuing education requirements.

Unit/equipment requirements. This sectionwould define the types of vehicles and equipmentfor the technical rescue team. Any requirementsrelated to the management, organization, andmaintenance of the team equipment cache mustbe addressed. This should include the develop-ment of a routine cache maintenance/exerciseschedule to ensure the operational readiness of alltools, equipment, and supplies.

Unit staffing. The staffing of specialty ve-hicles, if dedicated, should be identified. Thiswould include any minimum staffing require-ments, if mandated. Or, it may only be necessaryto mandate the number of specialty personnelrequired to effectively handle technical rescueoperations (the number may vary by incidenttype). In any case, the number of certifiedpersonnel and/or minimum staffing require-ments should be clearly understood by all.

OPERATIONAL SOPS

The operations section should address:

General operating procedures. This wouldcover the types of incidents the team is respon-sible for, the dispatch of standard/specialty unitsfor any type incident, and general or first re-sponder actions (i.e., standards for non-specialtypersonnel) to be taken upon arrival.

Incident-specific operating procedures. Ageneral overview of the tactical operating proce-dures should be defined. These may be separatedby event type (i.e., trench, structural collapse, rope,etc.), if necessary Unique requirements or consider-ations for each discipline should be addressed.

Regulations/requirements. Certain technicalrescue operations are impacted by local, state, orFederal regulations. These regulations should beincluded in your procedures.

Scene management procedures. Most depart-ments already have an incident command systemalready in place. The basic command structurecan be used at any incident, including a technicalrescue incident, but additional technical rescuecommand positions should be added to it. Thissection of the SOPS must detail how technicalrescue incidents will be commanded. A com-mand organizational structure designed fortechnical incidents should be prepared. Refer toChapter 9 for more information on technicalrescue incident command.

Tactical command worksheets. Most depart-ments with technical rescue teams have devel-oped some type of tactical checklist or commandworksheets to assist technical rescue commandpersonnel in the management of an incident(Figure 3-2). These may be developed for eachdiscipline, if necessary.

Team Activation. Activation procedures mustbe developed and exercised by the full team toensure their completeness and adequacy. Theseprocedures should cover: team callout, stagingareas, equipment movement to the staging area,food procurement if required, list of personnelactually deployed and family contacts, daily statusreporting to the department if the team is deployedaway from home, and other related lists.

2. Review and Revise SOPS Regularly

SOPS should be reviewed by a group of teammembers on a regular basis (at least annually) toensure that the procedures are up-to-date and meetthe needs of the team. In addition, after a majorrescue incident, the procedures should be reviewedand revised if they proved to be faulty or inadequate.

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Figure 3-2. Fairfax County (VA) Five and Rescue Department Technical Rescue Tactical Worksheet

FAIRFAX COUNTY FIRE AND RESCUE DEPARTMENT

Technical Rescue Incident-Tactical Worksheet

Technical Rescue officers begin size up of situation

Other personnel ensure firm scene control is established

Hazard/working area cordons set up

Bystanders/coworkers/nonessential personnel removed from cordoned areas

Utility/personnel hazards Identifled/mltlgated

Have Technlcal Rescue officers Identify plan of action

Conduct short team brlefing

Sketch of operation (use erasable marker board on trailer/legal pad)

ldentlfy procedures to be used

ldentlfy equlpment that wiII be requlred for operation

Appolnt Technlcal Rescue command officers (and Issue vests)Rescue Leader Rescue SafetyRescue Equipment Rescue Personnel

Conslder patlent removal operation early

Asslgn vlctlm removal officer to ldentlfy/coordinate operation

Removal tactics/personnel should be preplanned

Necessary equipment should be ldentlfled/assembled

Ensure that equipment sector Is established adjacent to working area

Antlclpated equlpment should be assembled

Equipment should be checked prlor to use

Ensure equipment Is inventoried/tracked throughout Incident

Ensure personnel sector Is establlshed

Non-Tech Rescue personnel should be staged at this area for asslgnment

Unasslgned Tech Rescue personnel staged at this area

Number of personnel In hazard and worklng areas should be llmlted

Personnel officer should ensure unnecessary personnel report back to Personnel sector

Trench IncidentsEnsure ground pads placed at trench edges

No one enters unshored trenches deeper than 5 feet

Structural Collapse Incidents

Ensure full structure is reconned for vlctlmsRequest Buildlng inspector?

Confined Space Incldents

Ensure that Confined Space Entry Checklist Is completed prlor to operations

Ensure that back-up rescue team Is ready prlor to committlng entry team

Request Llght/Air Unit? (supplied air system can be run off Light/Alr Unlt)

Ensure all 1200 feet of supply air hose Is laid out prior to entry (300 feet/person)

Advanced Rope OperationsEnsure rope systems are double checked prlor to use (Rescue Leader/Rescue Safety)Ensure helmets are worn by personnel over edge/down belowRope system movement commands to be called out by Rescue Leader

Rescue frame needed?Rope system hand winch needed?

Courtesy of Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department

4-1

CHAPTER 4: FUNDING REQUIREMENTS AND POTENTIAL SOURCES

echnical rescue operations can be an expensiveundertaking for many jurisdictions. Givenfinancial constraints, locating funding sources

can be one of the most difficult hurdles to overcomefor new rescue teams. Existing teams often fight fortheir budgets each fiscal year and are always lookingfor new and creative ways to finance their operations.

This chapter discusses where the money goeswhen forming a team, sources of funding, and ideasfor justifying a team’s expenses.

THE FINANCIAL COSTS: WHERE THEMONEY GOES

To help establish the type of rescue serviceneeded in the community and the financial sup-port the community is willing to give, it will beimportant to understand where the money will bespent and how much money will be needed.Appendix D lists estimated costs for equipping ateam in various rescue disciplines. These arerough estimates to give program managers, teamleaders, and administrators an idea of thefinancial commitment that may be necessary.Chapter 3 contains a worksheet to help youestimate a team’s expenses.

Initial Training. Training costs can range fromseveral hundred to several thousand dollars perstudent per course. Shortcuts should not be takenwith training funds. Thorough training is neces-sary to have a safe and effective rescue capability.

You may consider training team members overa two or three year period to spread out the costs.Budget for personnel to receive basic awarenesslevel training the first year and operations train-ing the second year. A few select members couldlater be trained to the technician level or higher.Efforts should be made to have incident com-manders participate in training, so they have anunderstanding of the rescue operations andequipment. This will also help when command-ers develop standard operating procedures fortheir rescue teams.

Continuing Education. Funding for technicalrescue teams must take into account a commit-ment to continually train and retrain personnel.It is not enough to initially train and equip ateam; to be effective members must constantlypractice their skills and learn new ones. Forexample, it has been estimated that proficiency at

technical rope rescue skills is reduced within sixmonths after completing a rope rescue course iftraining is not maintained. Continuing educationfor technical rescue may be even more importantbecause rescue incidents are usually rare, unlikefire or emergency medical incidents.

Continuing education expenses are incurredfrom sending personnel to refresher courses oradvanced courses which count toward recertifica-tion, or from holding a special continuing educa-tion drill. Holding a drill is generally the cheap-est alternative but in most cases it will notprovide certification for attendees. Legal man-dates may require regular recertification training,which can be a more expensive propositionrequiring you to hire an instructor that canrecertify personnel.

Career departments may need to allocatepayroll funds for training that cannot be doneduring on-duty schedules. Forty-eight hours ofcontinuing education per year is not an unreason-able requirement. Can your department afford toconduct this amount of training during normalhours, or will overtime be involved?

Equipment. Equipment costs will depend onthe type of rescue capability the communitydesires. Basic equipment to perform manyrescues such as rope, ladders, and breathingapparatus may already be available on existingemergency apparatus. In many cases, supple-mental equipment to augment your rescuecapabilities could be purchased for severalthousand dollars. Advanced capabilities, how-ever, generally require expensive specializedequipment.

Costs for equipment storage and maintenancemust be considered also. Large caches ofequipment must be kept secured but accessiblein an emergency.

Transport Vehicles. The major vehicle ex-penses a rescue team will encounter are forpurchasing or retrofitting, maintenance, and fuel.The amount of money spent on vehicles totransport a team and its equipment will also varywidely, from no cost to add additional equipmenton existing vehicles, to $300,000 or more for adedicated heavy rescue apparatus. Vehiclesrange in type from pickup trucks and sportutilities to box vans and heavy squads. Manyteams pull gear in trailers.

FUNDING REQUIREMENTS AND POTENTIAL SOURCES

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Opportunity exists for having vehicles do-nated. Many utility companies donate vans ortrucks to non-profit agencies; your departmentmay be eligible. Private companies have donatedbeverage trucks or tractor trailer boxes to teams.Using these local resources can reduce your costs.Annual maintenance costs must also be ac-counted for, especially if an additional unit isadded to a fleet of apparatus.

Insurance. The cost of insurance is oftenoverlooked. You may need to purchase insurancefor equipment, vehicles, personnel, or malprac-tice. A team formed by a fire department orgroup of departments may be able to absorbinsurance costs into the department’s existingpolicy. In this case, you must verify that existingpolicies will extend coverage for these newoperations. A fire department may need to addor make changes to its insurance policy to makesure its members are covered for confined spacerescue or water rescues - duties which may notbe listed in the department’s charter, by-laws,mission statement, or articles of incorporation.Local officials and attorneys should be involvedin this process. Insurance issues for consolidatedteams, mutual aid coverage, and out of jurisdic-tion training also must be addressed (refer toChapter 10).

JUSTIFYING EXPENSESCity or county administrators will want you to

justify the expenses necessary to start and fund arescue team. A team may be easier to justify in acommunity with a large risk potential; smaller orless frequent risks make justifying funding moredifficult. The expenses must be justified to themany individuals who control the financing;attempts should be made to involve all of them inthe program development for the team. A teamleader must justify the funding to a fire chief, whomust justify it to the city manager, who may haveto justify it to the city council. Today, publicbudgets are placed under a microscope - a clearlydefined mission for a team is as important to itsfinancial success as to its operational success.

Linking funding requests to existing local needs- especially past incidents and safety concerns, asdiscussed in Chapter 3 - provides more legitimatejustification of the funding requests. Local, state orFederal regulations can also be used to justify a

team’s expenses. A review of state OSHA regula-tions and other rescue standards should be con-ducted. Team leaders can use mandates such asOSHA’s Permit-Required Confined Space standardto justify team expenses. All of the individualsinvolved in the decision making process shouldunderstand that, unlike most fireground opera-tions, the agencies involved in technical rescuemay be subject to severe fines and sanctions if theyfail to comply with established OSHA standardswhile performing their duties. Potential lawsuitsbrought by the public for failure to provide servicemay also be part of the overall equation withregard to financial decisions.

The department and administrators mustcarefully evaluate what the public expects of thefire department. Administrators may feel the riskpotential is low and may not want to spend anymoney on a team. It is important to let them knowwhat types of rescues you are capable and notcapable of safely performing. The managers maynot realize that special rescue capabilities are notavailable as part of your normal service. Too manywould-be rescuers have died attempting to per-form rescues they were not trained or equipped tohandle. Making the public and governmentadministrators aware of these issues may helpjustify the team. The administrators in control ofthe money must be made aware that their decisionmay determine whether the department will orwill not be able to make certain rescues.

The key is to be prepared to justify the needand costs for a team. Refer to the section onobtaining political support in Chapter 3 foradditional ideas about how to present your rescueteam plan to managers and elected officials.

FUNDING SOURCESFinances for a technical rescue program may

come from many different sources. Often, munici-pal tax funds are allocated to add technical rescueservices to existing emergency service providers.Donated money and equipment can also be used.State grants may be difficult to secure but mayprovide the necessary seed money to get a pro-gram established.

Funding methods are limited by the effort,imagination, and regulations of the team and its

parent agency. A good source of informationabout various methods of funding is the UnitedStates Fire Administration’s A Guide to FundingAlternatives for Fire and Emergency Medical ServiceDepartments, which is available for free from theUSFA (see Appendix C).

Direct Funding from Local and State Govern-ment. Direct funding is where a governmentalorganization budgets a designated amount ofmoney toward the technical rescue team’s pro-jected operational costs. These funds are usuallytax revenues from the government’s general fundor from the department’s annual budget. Whiletechnical rescue teams may expect this directsupport, securing the initial funding is theexception, rather than the rule.

Cost Sharing: Multiple Department Funding.Many communities with limited financial re-sources may be able to establish technical rescuecapabilities by entering into agreements withsurrounding jurisdictions. This helps to promoteeconomies of scale as team leaders attempt tojustify their existence despite a limited number ofresponses and high costs. In this way the finan-cial burden for technical rescue is divided amongthe different communities. Areas with a need fordifferent types of rescue may choose to divide upthe responsibility, with one department develop-ing a trench or collapse rescue ability, anotherdepartment developing a water rescue or diverescue ability, and one department establishingrope rescue ability. Each jurisdiction agrees toprovide its specialized services to the other onesthrough automatic mutual aid responses.

Another method to reduce costs throughconsolidation of resources may be to form aninterjurisdictional team with either a single ormulti-rescue capability. In this arrangement,interested members of each department couldjoin the team, and each department could sharethe financial costs for training and equipment.

The funding mechanisms for existing regionalhazardous materials teams around the countrymay serve as examples of how jurisdictions canshare costs for technical rescue. For example, theSouthegan Mutual Aid Response Team (SMART),a hazardous materials team is an example. Thisregion of New Hampshire conducted a hazard,resource, and risk assessment for its participatingcommunities, and distributed the costs of theteam to the various communities based on therisks and resources in each area.

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Public-Private Partnerships. Funding directlyfrom the local department or jurisdiction is notthe only source of funding that should be ex-plored. Funding assistance can also be providedby local industries by forming a partnership.Public-private partnerships are a popular, eco-nomical, and efficient way of providing rescueservice. This funding concept is discussed furtherin Chapter 3.

The Tidewater Virginia Regional Heavy andTactical Rescue Team is an example of a public-private partnership. The team receives opera-tional funding from regional utilities, buildingcontractors, professional and business organiza-tions as well as municipal budget provisions.Montgomery County, Maryland has receiveddonations from the Associated Builders & Con-tractors (ABC) and the Washington Gas utilitycompany in the form of equipment and dollarsfor some of its specialty teams.

Local Clubs and Community OrganizationsFunding. Funding can be acquired from fraternaland community oriented organizations. TheUnited Way and local civic groups often supportspecial projects with funding. It is as importantto explain the team’s mission to these organiza-tions as it is to explain it to the politicians. Often,your customers are members of these organiza-tions. Recognition by a community organizationmerely amplifies and extends the recognition ofthe technical rescue team’s mission, and helpsillustrate financial needs. It is also important toprovide recognition back to the communitygroups that provide direct or indirect support tothe organization.

Some organizations have painted contributorsnames on their equipment or vehicles. A rescueboat at one fire department is named for a familythat donated funds to facilitate its purchase. ThePhiladelphia Fire Department advises communitygroups, business groups, or corporate sponsorswhen their donated equipment was used for ahigh profile incident that saved a life. Technicalrescue teams should share the glory of a missionwith their supporters.

Seized or Confiscated Property. Anotheravenue that can be explored are local and statelaw enforcement confiscation programs. Manyjurisdictions confiscate vehicles and trucks, aswell as equipment, for various reasons such asdrug interdiction. A number of departmentsacross the United States have been able to takeadvantage of this resource.

FUNDING REQUIREMENTS AND POTENTIAL SOURCES

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Excess and Surplus Government Property.The Federal government has both surplus andexcess property programs which may provideanother avenue to find tools and equipment.These can usually be accessed through therespective state emergency management agenciesor directly from the Federal government. TheFederal government routinely releases equipmentand supplies it no longer needs to other govern-mental entities for use at no cost, other thanshipping. This is termed excess property. Thereare certain requirements with regard to obtainingexcess property. The recipient must maintain anaccountability system and report damage ordestruction of nonexpendable property to theGeneral Services Administration on an annual basis.

Surplus property indicates that equipment andsupplies have gone through the Excess PropertySystem and that no Federal agency has acquiredthese items. Usually, this equipment is assigned acondition class and must be closely screened forpracticality and suitability by the requester. Localdepartments can access Federal surplus propertythrough their own state surplus donationsprogram. There is usually an administrativecharge by the state for acquiring such items.

Two publications may assist in finding excesssurplus property. First is the Personal PropertyUtilization and Disposal Guide published by theGeneral Services Administration (see AppendixC). This 40-page pamphlet contains informationabout excess property, terms and definitions,processes for acquisition, and addresses andtelephone numbers of the Federal Supply ServiceBureau regional offices. The second publicationis How to Buy Surplus Personal Property (from theUnited States Department of Defense). This pam-phlet contains similar information regarding theacquisition of DOD surplus property. It can beobtained from the Defense Reutilization andMarketing Service (see Appendix C).

Grants. Your state may offer grants to assistwith the purchase of fire department equipmentand vehicles. Some grants have restrictions as towhat type of agency may apply. Grant funds aregenerally available for very specific reasons.Private grants from local industry or foundationsmay be available for rescue needs in a commu-nity, such as the purchase of a specific rescue tool,equipment, or a vehicle. The process of applyingfor and receiving grant funds can be complicated,and thorough research into the process shouldbe conducted by team members to avoidwasting effort.

Some states or local jurisdictions have dedi-cated grant funding mechanisms for fire and EMSthat may be applicable to technical rescue. TheState of Maryland, for example, has a grantprogram that has funded rescue apparatus andequipment for local fire departments. In pastyears, the Federal government has providedgrants for rescue team development. Thoroughinvestigation of state and Federal grants can payoff, but remember that the grant proposals andrequisition process can be a very time consum-ing process.

User Fees and Cost Recovery. User fees areessentially charges for services rendered. Manydepartments have user fees for services such asplans review, inspections, EMS transport, andeven fireground operations. Hazardous materialsteams have been charging user fees for service formany years, aided by Federal legislation whichallows them to recover expenses incurred duringhazardous materials operations. Rescue teamsmay be able to charge similar fees for rescueoperations. Several mountain rescue agenciescharge these fees for rescuing stranded climbers.The San Antonio, Texas Fire Department charges$400 per water rescue. The fee was institutedboth to raise funds for special equipment andtraining, and to deter citizens from taking need-less risks. Most private medevac helicopterservices and many public helicopter servicescharge fees for performing rescues or for trans-porting patients to hospitals. The United StatesCoast Guard charges fees for certain rescues, asdoes the US. Park Police. Rescue teams may beable to retrieve funds expended during rescuesby billing a third party such as an insurancecompany or construction contractor. A trenchincident may result in EMS fees billed to thevictim, and trench rescue fees (for equipment use,personnel costs, etc.) billed to the contractor.

Permit Fees. Some funding may be raisedthrough charging permit fees to constructioncontractors or businesses performing work thatcould require technical rescue. Contractorsgenerally must to apply for local building orzoning permits in the locality were they areconducting work. A fee or additional permitcould be added if the work involves confinedspaces, trenches, or other hazardous operations.The contractor could be required to pay a smallfee for the permit or could be required to take outsome kind of insurance which would ensure therescue agency will be reimbursed should a rescuebe necessary. Local and state ordinances may berequired to institute such fees. A permit program

offers the additional benefit of allowing therescue team the ability to conduct a pre-incidentplan for a known hazard.

Training Fee. Opportunities exist for raisingfunds through rescue training. Training coursescould be provided for rescuers from other agen-cies who want to achieve competency in certainrescue disciplines. Many teams currently conductthis kind of program. Other training fees maycome from private companies and buildingcontractors who are required to have personnel

4-5 trained for operating in confined spaces, intrenches, or on rope. Safety regulations oftenrequire these companies to have personneltrained in rescue or first aid on site. Fees can becharged to train these personnel. This will raisemoney and also help to reduce accidents byincreasing the competency of workers in yourarea. It will be important to address liability issueswhen exploring the idea of establishing a trainingprogram for groups outside of your department.

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CHAPTER 5: PERSONNEL AND STAFFING

he backbone of a good technical rescue teamis well trained, experienced personnel. Thepersonnel can be either career or volunteer

firefighters, or come from other backgrounds. Thesuccess of a team will be influenced in part by thepersonnel selected for the team and their ability tofunction together as a team. This chapter dis-cusses many of the personnel and staffing consid-erations necessary when forming a rescue team.

TYPE OF PERSONNEL NECESSARY FOR ATECHNICAL RESCUE TEAM

In most fire and rescue organizations certainpersonnel naturally gravitate towards technicalrescue programs. The capabilities required forpersonnel on a technical rescue team often involvea high degree of mechanical aptitude and physicalstrength. Individuals who are skilled workingwith their hands and who exhibit ingenuity,resourcefulness, and inventiveness are valuable.Trade skills (i.e., carpentry, plumbing, electrical,metal work, electronics, heavy equipment opera-tors, etc.) can be extremely useful and pertinent.Individuals with special skills or training can bringtheir talents to a team at no additional cost to thedepartment. Carpenters may have the knowledgeabout how to build shoring. Construction workersmay be familiar with heavy equipment operations.Civil engineers may have knowledge aboutstructural integrity during collapse operations.Recreational rappellers or kayakers may have skillsfor rope or water rescue. These qualifications shouldbe assessed during the recruitment process.

Rescue team personnel must also be willing tomeet the minimum standards required to achieveand maintain special training certifications. Thestandards may require that each member attend acertain number of training sessions on a yearlybasis. Certain sessions may be legally mandatedrequiring attendance by all personnel.

PERSONNEL PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTSDue to the demanding physical aspects of

technical rescue operations, it is apparent that thepersonnel comprising the team must be in goodphysical condition. Technical rescue personnelmust be capable of performing functions such ashandling, transporting, and setting up heavy

equipment. In addition, good physical condition-ing should reduce injuries.

Many departments have established medicalrequirements and physical fitness programs. Thespecific needs of specialty teams should be evalu-ated. NFPA 1582, Standard on Medical Requirementsfor Firefighters, and NFPA 1500, Standard on FireDepartment Occupational Safety and Health Program,may be used as references for further information(see Appendix C). If a department does not have aphysical standards program in place, technicalrescue program managers should seriouslyconsider implementing one for their specialtyteam personnel.

SELECTION OF PERSONNEL FOR TEAMPersonnel application and selection are an

important component in the organization anddevelopment of a technical rescue team. Theselection process should screen candidates fortheir commitment, consider previous rescuetraining and experience and skills learned outsideof the department, as well as leadership, andphysical capabilities.

Many teams begin the selection process byannouncing the formation of the team and request-ing letters of interest or resumes from interestedindividuals. Personnel comprising the teamcertainly need to be interested, motivated, andcommitted to the program. Departments maywant to conduct written and/or oral interviews ofcandidate participants to ensure the candidatesunderstand the commitment they are making andas a means to select the best qualified individuals.It also may require special physical agility testing,especially if this is not done when members join.

As part of the selection process, a departmentmay require members to make a commitment to bea team member for a certain period of time. Somedepartments have required personnel to sign anagreement to remain on the team for a set period,such as five years. This can be justified in terms ofthe time, effort, and funding involved in training andmaintaining the skills of the personnel on the team.This is a valuable commodity and investment. It isharder to require volunteer personnel to sign an

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agreement, although a volunteer department cancreate an agreement that requires a volunteer torepay the department for courses if the volunteerleaves within a certain period after completion ofthe courses.

Departments with a large pool of rescue teamcandidates can generally be more selective interms of the physical condition of personnel theychoose to be on a team. Smaller departments,however, may not be able to afford the loss of afirefighter’s eligibility to be on a team due tophysical standards. It is important to establishsome type of physical requirements, but thesedepartments may avoid very rigorous physicalstandards and instead ensure that team membersdo not have any risky physical condition such as aheart condition. All departments, regardless ofsize, should establish some sort of physical screen-ing standard for technical rescue personnel.

Some departments may be forced to lookoutside of the agency for personnel to staff theteam, especially if personnel with specific areas ofexpertise or skills are needed. Some agencies havehired individuals who have been active membersof rescue teams in other departments to start upprograms in their agencies.

INCORPORATING FIREFIGHTERS,EMS PERSONNEL, AND NON-RESCUEPERSONNEL INTO RESCUE OPERATIONS

A dedicated technical rescue team mustbecome an integral part of the overall departmentoperations. Most teams are integrated with thesuppression and emergency medical componentsof the fire department and are only activated whenneeded for special operations during emergencyoperations. Specially trained rescue personnel willdirect operations, but generally they will need theassistance of non-specialty personnel, who canperform tasks that do not require special training.

This need implies that not only must thetechnical rescue team’s operating procedures andteam training address this aspect, but rescuetraining for all personnel departmentwide shouldbe addressed. Some departments have developeda first-responder or awareness level of trainingfor all department personnel that is based on atiered response system similar to that discussed

in Chapter 1. This defines actions that should orshould not be taken by non-specialty personnelinitially arriving on the scene of a technical rescueincident. They usually arrive on the scene first, andthey may be on the scene for a significant period oftime prior to the arrival of the specialty team.

Effective scene management proceduresshould address this eventuality. All departmentpersonnel must be trained in scene safety, informa-tion collection, and hazard identification. Allpersonnel should clearly understand technicalrescue hazards and especially what not to do at theinception of an incident. Personnel must under-stand that they absolutely should not enter anunshored trench to begin rescue operations.Personnel must not enter a confined space withoutproper respiratory protection, ventilation, lighting,and back-up team support. Current OSHAregulations mandate other strategic and tacticalrequirements (i.e. atmospheric monitoring, back-up rescue team) prior to the entry of rescue per-sonnel into a confined space. These are but severalexamples of incidents where first arriving non-specialty personnel must not commit to rescueoperations without proper training and equipment.

The most effective way to address theserequirements is through the development, train-ing, and implementation of stringent scene man-agement procedures. In general, these shouldaddress at least the following:

Actions to be taken or not to be taken by firstarriving personnel

Information collection/scene size-up

Scene control (remove bystanders/erect cor-dons/etc.)

Assessmen t/mitigation of hazards/utilities

Command structure

These actions set the stage for successfultechnical rescue operations (refer to the standardoperating procedures section in Chapter 3).

It is vitally important that EMS personnel areeffectively coordinated into ongoing operationsduring technical rescue incidents. Their mainfunctions are to treat patients and to standby incase a rescue team member needs medical assis-tance. As soon as a technical rescue area or scene is

secured, EMS personnel must be allowed access tothe victim(s) for medical assessment and stabiliza-tion. Some teams have trained paramedics to thetechnical rescue level so that they can enter hazard-ous areas and provide direct assistance to the patient.Throughout the course of the operation, which cansometimes span many hours, EMS personnel mustcontinually monitor and ensure the stability of thepatient and must be allowed access.

INCORPORATING “CITIZEN EXPERTS’INTO RESCUE OPERATIONS

Career and volunteer departments mayconsider recruiting individuals within theircommunities who have special skills valuable to atechnical rescue team, but who may not be inter-ested in becoming a firefighter. Many teams havelocated search dog handlers who participate insearches but are not required to be trained infirefighting, EMS, or complicated rescue skills.Some teams also include civil engineers, doctors,surgeons, and construction experts.

The inclusion of non-fire service experts in ateam is not always a simple matter. These outsidemembers may want the rescue organization toprovide injury or malpractice insurance for them.The rescue agency may be concerned about theliability of using outsiders. It has to considerwhether it is willing to take on the liability fornon-fire service team members during training,during travel to the incident, and at the incident.

An all volunteer department may allowoutside experts to join under a special membershipcategory (i.e., special operational members,auxiliary members). In some cases, these person-nel may agree to serve on the team at their ownrisk by signing a waiver releasing the departmentfrom having to insure them.

Career departments with no volunteer entitymay consider forming a special volunteer organi-zation for the experts to join. The departmentwould have to recognize this organization as anadjunct emergency response entity. This processrequires the establishment of corporation bylawsand the application for incorporation to your state.Another option is to pay each expert member onedollar per year, making them employees of thejurisdiction and eligible to receive insurance benefits

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from the jurisdictions. Either process usuallyhas to be approved by your city attorney andrisk manager.

MINIMUM NUMBER OFPERSONNEL NECESSARY FOR EACHRESCUE DISCIPLINE

The size of the cadre of personnel comprisingthe technical rescue team should be based on thetype of team and rescue disciplines undertaken,the minimum number of personnel needed toaccomplish a rescue mission safely, and the size ofthe command structure.

Each technical rescue discipline requires itsown level of staffing of specially trained rescuepersonnel. Structural collapse operations, forexample, may involve the initial deployment ofone or more reconnaissance teams to assess acollapsed structure prior to rescue operations. Ingeneral, each reconnaissance team should becomprised of at least three personnel - twospecialists working in tandem overseen by asupervisor assessing safety issues. Trench rescueoperations are physically demanding and requirethe movement and construction of heavy panels,timber, mechanical shoring and other specializedequipment. Fewer specialists may be required if ateam has advanced, less labor-intensive equip-ment. Advanced rope operations can be verycomplex. The more specialty personnel availableto simultaneously set up the different parts of arope system (i.e., raising systems, belay lines,anchoring systems, etc.), the quicker the incidentresponse will be conducted. The desirableminimal staffing level for a confined space entryis two entry personnel backed up by twostandby rescuers.

The level of staffing should also be predicatedon the number of personnel required to staffcommand positions (in accordance with estab-lished incident management SOPS) as well as thenumber required to safely and effectively conductthe operation that is undertaken. Other than thenormal complement of Incident Command posi-tions (i.e., Incident Commander, Sector Officers,etc.), the technical rescue team should have its ownsubset of supervisory officers as described inChapter 9. This may be as simple as four indi-viduals such as Technical Rescue Team Leader,

PERSONNEL AND STAFFlNG

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Technical Rescue Safety Officer, Technical RescueEquipment Specialist, and Technical RescuePersonnel Specialist.

You should also consider the number person-nel which will be committed at an incident andhow long they can operate before needing a restbreak. If the incident were to last an extendedperiod, do you have sufficient staffing levels fornormal day to day operations in addition to thestaffing needs of a special incident?

To avoid the unnecessary callbacks of spe-cialty personnel, some departments initiallydispatch only one or a few specialty personnel toevaluate the level of response needed. The Tide-water Technical Rescue Team in Virginia Beach,Virginia does not mandate minimum staffing forspecialty units, but instead dispatches on-dutypersonnel as available. Once on scene, the Inci-dent Commander can call for the appropriatenumber of specialty personnel.

It is important that you specify in the team’soperating procedures the minimal number ofspecially trained and support personnel needed torespond on technical rescue calls or to performspecific functions. Remember that safety attechnical rescue incidents is paramount; therefore,if you do not have sufficient trained and qualifiedpersonnel to safely execute operations, you shouldwait until more personnel arrive.

COMBINATION CAREER/VOLUNTEERSTAFFING

Many successful teams use a combination ofcareer and volunteer personnel. Combinationstaffing for technical rescue teams can combine thebenefits of both types of systems. In the area ofincident staffing, volunteers can be utilized bothon primary teams as full team members or non-team volunteers can be used as supplemental staffto either relieve or fill in for career forces.

The keys to success for combined teams aretraining and involvement. Both career and volunteerstaff have to have the same training levels andtrain together so that there is mutual respect ofeach other’s technical skills. Similarly, bothvolunteer and career team members must beincluded in the rescue team’s incident responses.If either is excluded or if one is utilized more

than the other, resentment will build and partici-pation will rapidly drop off.

Including volunteer technical rescue teammembers on your team offers the potential advan-tage of volunteer equipment or monetary re-sources. Volunteers usually have access toresources which can provide equipment vital toyour team.

Some departments may choose to staff atechnical rescue team with career and volunteerpersonnel. Both the Fairfax County, Virginia andMontgomery County, Maryland teams benefitfrom the inclusion of both career and volunteerpersonnel. The two jurisdictions have found itbeneficial to be able to draw from a wide cadre ofavailable personnel who are interested in beinginvolved in technical rescue operations. Theaddition of volunteer personnel, who have fulltime careers and offer broader skills/capabilities,have been great assets to their programs. Volun-teer personnel with expertise in structural engi-neering, construction, computers, and emergencymedicine are particular assets.

Additional management issues are involveddue to volunteer participation. A departmentmust decide if the same training requirements willbe in effect for both career and volunteer person-nel. Some departments maintain a single standardfor both. The major difficulty is ensuring trainingopportunities for the volunteers. This has beenaccomplished by ensuring that at least one, if nottwo, of the three full team training sessionsconducted for the three shifts each month isscheduled on the weekend or during the evening.This scheduling allows the volunteers to morereadily attend.

MONETARY COMPENSATION FORTECHNICAL RESCUE TEAM PERSONNEL

At inception, the motivation and interest ofthe personnel comprising a new technical rescueteam members is very high and provides themomentum that is required to accomplish thewide variety of tasks involved in getting started.This high level of commitment and motivation isdifficult to maintain after several years transpire. Atsome point, the issue of additional or specialty payfor the personnel maintaining technical rescue skills,attending additional training and assuming added

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risk is sure to arise. It would be in the best interestof the program managers to assess this issue earlyin the development of a new team. It may be anissue that need not be addressed for several years,but it would be best to have a plan for dealingwith this eventuality.

This issue is funding-driven, and developingthe justification for additional funding to addressspecialty pay is paramount. It may be difficult toquantify the level of additional risk inherent inconducting technical rescue operations (although itis certainly present) over and above traditional fireand rescue operations. It may be more prudent tobase the justification on the additional skillsrequirements and training that is required fortechnical rescue team personnel. These arereadily quantifiable.

This issue has been addressed by manytechnical rescue teams in the nation. Some depart-ments have incorporated the position of TechnicalRescue Technician as a position classificationwithin the department rank structure. This is apromotable position requiring the successfulcompletion of a promotional test and ranking onan eligibility list. Promotion to this position

results in a pay increase for the technicians.Dedicated positions at specialty technical rescuestations must be budgeted and staffed.

A somewhat different avenue to the same endmay be to request a stipend for specialty skills,also termed proficiency pay. A five to 10 percentstipend in certain jurisdictions is easier to imple-ment and may be somewhat less expensive in thelong run (a stipend or specialty pay often does notaffect or accrue towards additional retirement payand benefits as a true promotion might).

Departments which face a difficult time recruit-ing volunteer members for a technical rescue teamdue to the time commitment involved may considerpaying the personnel on an hourly basis for re-sponses and training. In several Northeast states, the“paid-on-call” concept is used heavily to recruit andretain fire department members. The volunteerdepartment may have to convince local governmentofficials that a small stipend for technical rescue teamvolunteer personnel is needed due to the timecommitment involved, while emphasizing thatthe services offered by these volunteers are stilla bargain.

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CHAPTER 6: REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS GOVERNINGTECHNICAL RESCUE OPERATIONS

he formation of any technical rescue teammust take into account the various Federaland state laws and regulations that may

apply to fire and rescue operations. The mostsignificant regulations are those issued by Federaland state occupational safety and health agencies,which require employers to comply with manda-tory minimum workplace health and safetyprotections. These regulations are based on lawsthat establish the responsibility of an employer toprovide a place of employment that is free fromrecognized hazards. Violations of Federal andstate OSHA regulations can expose a technicalrescue team to civil fines and, in rare cases, crimi-nal liability.

The OSHA regulations, however, are not theonly legal requirements that a technical rescueteam should consider. A number of non-govern-mental organizations have issued voluntaryconsensus standards that are relevant to fire andrescue operations. Such organizations include theNational Fire Protection Association (NFPA), theAmerican National Standards Institute (ANSI),and the American Society for Testing and Materials(ASTM). Training materials developed by organi-zations such as the International Fire ServiceTraining Association (IFSTA) and the NationalAssociation for Search and Rescue (NASAR) mayalso be regarded as establishing a “standard” thatcan be used to evaluate the training and perfor-mance of a technical rescue team. Since thesestandards are issued by private sector associations,they are not binding on fire and rescue depart-ments; however, Federal and state authoritiesfrequently incorporate these standards into theirregulations by reference, which may make themlegally binding on fire and rescue departmentsunder some circumstances.

A technical rescue team must also consider theimpact of the Federal and state laws and regula-tions, as well as the “voluntary” standards onprivate litigation. In some states, a technicalrescue team may be liable for the negligent perfor-mance of their duties. Even in states that protectrescue workers under an immunity statute, moststate laws do not protect fire or rescue depart-ments for grossly negligent acts. Essentially,

negligence involves the violation of a standard ofcare that results in injury or loss to some otherindividual or organization. In establishing thestandard of care for rescue operations, the courtswill frequently look to the “voluntary” standardsissued by NFPA and other organizations. Al-though “voluntary” in name, these standards canbecome, in effect, the legally enforceable standardof care for technical rescue teams. A “specialty team”such as a technical rescue team would be expected tohave a higher level of skill and expertise than otherindividuals, even other members of the same firedepartment. Accordingly, technical rescue teamsshould pay close attention to applicable standards ofnational fire and rescue organizations.

APPLICATION OF OSHA STANDARDSThe regulations issued by the Occupational

Safety and Health Administration of the U.S.Department of Labor (Federal OSHA) are bindingonly upon private sector employers. Therefore, atechnical rescue team that is part of a privatecompany must comply with all of the applicableOSHA regulations. An example of a private sectorrescue team would include an on-site industrialfire brigade that performs confined space rescue.Such a team would be required to comply with theOSHA Permit-Required Confined Space standard,29 CFR § 1910.146. In addition, all Federal govern-ment agencies, including Federal fire departments,must comply with all OSHA regulations (or issuestandards of their own that are at least as effectiveas the OSHA standards in protecting workers).

State and local government agencies are notsubject to the regulations established by FederalOSHA. Although the Federal OSHA standards arenot directly applicable to state and local firedepartments or rescue agencies, the Federal OSHAlaw gives each state the option to operate under itsown occupational health and safety programs.The states that choose to operate their own pro-gram are sometimes called “state OSHA jurisdic-tions,” or simply “OSHA states” and are requiredby Federal law to cover state and local governmentemployees in the same manner as they do privatesector employees. As of July 1995, there were 23states and two territories which were state OSHAjurisdictions (see Figure 6-1). Although a handful

REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS GOVERNING TECHNICAL RESCUE OPERATIONS

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Figure 6-1. OSHA States and Territories

AlaskaArizonaCaliforniaConnecticutHawaiiIndianaIowaKentuckyMaryland

OSHA StatesMichigan TennesseeMinnesota UtahNevada VermontNew Mexico VirginiaNew York WashingtonNorth Carolina WyomingOregon (Puerto Rico &South Carolina Virgin Islands)

of state OSHA jurisdictions have issued their ownregulations that apply specifically to fire andrescue departments (including California, Michi-gan, and Washington), most state OSHA jurisdic-tions have simply adopted the Federal standards.This means that in most state OSHA jurisdictions,public sector agencies, including state and localfire departments and rescue agencies, mustcomply with the Federal OSHA standards. Rescueteams in state OSHA jurisdictions should contacttheir state occupational safety and health agencyto determine what standards apply to them.

Are Volunteers Exempt FromOSHA Laws?

The applicability of OSHA regulations tovolunteer fire departments or volunteerfirefighters is generally determined by stategovernments. Generally, under the Federal rules, theapplicability of OSHA laws is dependent on theexistence of an employer/employee relationship,unless the state has chosen to extend the OSHAlaws to volunteers. An employer/employeerelationship exists if there is monetary compen-sation given by the employer to the employees.Federal OSHA does not regulate purely volunteer

operations because there is no employer/employee relationship; however, each state maychoose to extend the OSHA regulations or otherlaws to cover volunteer firefighters. (This is thecase in several states including Michigan and NewYork.) States which are non-OSHA states mayhave their own regulations over volunteerfirefighters, but generally OSHA laws do not applyto volunteers in non-OSHA states.

Generally speaking, if a volunteer receives anytype of monetary compensation for responding ona call, attending training, or any other activity, thevolunteer can be considered an employee. In somecases where a fire department offers workerscompensation protection to volunteers, courtshave found that a volunteer can be considered anemployee. A volunteer who is reimbursed only forexpenses related to fire department operations isusually not considered an employee. Expenses couldcover the cost of response in a vehicle to a call.

Figure 6-2. Application of OSHA Regulationsto Volunteer Fire/Rescue Personnel

It is wise to talk with your attorney and withyour state OSHA office before starting a rescueteam. Figure 6-2 will help you determine whetherOSHA laws apply to volunteers in your state.

Regardless of whether or not the OSHA uegula-tions are legally enforced on your department, theyprovide important guidance on appropriate safetymeasures and considerations for many types ofsituations. Every rescuer should be properly trainedand equipped, should have knowledge of rescuehazards, and should know how to perform rescueoperations safely.

LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS WHEN APUBLIC TEAM PROVIDES RESCUESERVICES FOR A PRIVATE ENTITY

Some public sector rescue teams function asthe primary response team for industries or as aback-up response team for industrial rescue teams.The industry may be required to provide a rescuecapability for its employees who are performinghazardous duties; however, the industry maychoose to have the local fire department respondas the rescue team in lieu of forming its own in-house team. In this manner, the fire departmentmay be the first responder, back-up, or supportteam for an industry.

In OSHA states, public sector rescue teams mustcomply with their state OSHA regulations as isdiscussed previously In non-OSHA states, a publicsector rescue team can function as the primary orback-up emergency response teams for an industrybut the public sector team is not necessarily requiredto comply with the OSHA standards. The indus-try, however, is required to ensure that a teamresponding from an outside agency is capable ofmeeting the requirements to provide confinedspace rescue. The industry must also provideaccess to the potential rescue area(s) for trainingand familiarization. An industry cannot designatea local fire department as the provider of itsrequired confined space rescue service if that firedepartment does not have the personnel, training,and equipment necessary to conduct a confinedspace rescue operation.

OSHA REGULATIONS AFFECTINGTECHNICAL RESCUE TEAMS

As discussed above, state and local govern-ment rescue teams in state OSHA jurisdictions are

6 - 3required to comply with all applicable OSHAstandards and even volunteer teams may becovered in some states. In non-OSHA states (i.e. astate which does not have its own state OSHAprogram), even though OSHA regulations may notapply to state or local fire or rescue agencies, techni-cal rescue teams should make every effort to complywith OSHA standards since they can be effective inprotecting the health and safety of rescuers.

Federal OSHA regulations are set forth in title29 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Althoughmost of the regulations can be found in 1901 and1910, technical rescue teams should also look at1926, which includes standards for trenching andshoring in the construction industry. An overviewof some of the OSHA standards applicable totechnical rescue teams follows. Refer to AppendixC for information on how to obtain copies ofOSHA standards.

USC 654(a) ( 1):OSHA General Duty Clause

Overview. The General Duty Clause is an all-encompassing section of Federal legislationwhich describes the responsibilities of employers.The clause is found in 29 USC 654(a)( 1) andstates, “Each employer shall furnish to each of hisemployees a place of employment which is free fromrecognized hazards that are causing or likely to causedeath or serious physical harm to his employees.” Theintent of the clause is to protect employees fromworkplace hazards establishing a responsibility ofthe employer to recognize and correct hazards. Ingeneral, an employer can be found to haveviolated this clause for failure to keep the work-place free of a recognized hazard which couldhave caused death or serious physical harm to anemployee and which could have been correctedby some feasible method. Where there is nospecific OSHA regulation that applies to asituation, OSHA may use national consensusstandards (such as NFPA standards) to determinewhether a workplace hazard violated the GeneralDuty Clause.

Application to Rescuers. The broad nature ofthis clause makes it applicable to nearly any fireor rescue related operation where there arehazards present. Basically, it requires rescueagencies to identify hazards to which rescuersmight be exposed and to reduce the likelihood ofa hazard producing harm to rescuers. This can bedone by simply removing the hazard or by

REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS GOVERNING TECHNICAL RESCUE OPERATIONS

16-4

providing rescuers the necessary procedures,training, and equipment to safely operate aroundthe hazard.

29 CFR 1910.14&Permit-Required Confined Spaces

Overview. The intent of this standard is toprotect personnel who enter permit-requiredconfined spaces. A confined space is defined asan area that:

1. Is large enough and so configured that anemployee can bodily enter and perform assignedwork; and

2. Has limited or restricted means for entry or exit(for example, tanks, vessels, silos, storage bins,vaults, etc.); and

3. Is not designed for continuous employee occu-pancy.

A confined space is considered a “permit-re-quired space” if it has one or more of the follow-ing characteristics:

1. Contains or has a potential to contain ahazardous atmosphere;2. Contains a material that has the potential forengulfing an entrant;3. Has an internal configuration such that anentrant could be trapped or asphyxiated by in-wardly converging walls or by a floor which slopesdownward and tapers to a smaller cross section; or

4. Contains any other recognized serious safety orhealth hazard.

The term “permit” is used because the standardrequires an employer to issue a written permit toemployees before they are allowed to enter apermit-required space. The standard goes on todefine a hazardous atmosphere as an atmospherethat exposes the employee to the risks of death,incapacitation, impairment of ability to self-rescue, injury, or acute illness from:

1. A flammable gas, vapor, or mist in excess of 10percent of its lowerflammable limit (LFL);2. Airborne combustible dust at a concentrationthat exceeds its LFL;3. Atmospheric oxygen concentrations below 19.5percent or above 23.5 percent;4. Atmospheric concentrations of particularsubstances with special exposure hazards such ascarbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide; and5. Any atmospheric condition recognized asimmediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH).

This regulation establishes many requirementsfor employers who have permit-required con-fined spaces on their premises if they have reasonto assign employees to enter these spaces. Theportion of this regulation which is most appli-cable to rescuers, however, is the paragraph K,Rescue and Emergency Services.

Application to Rescuers. Under paragraph K,Rescue and Emergency Services, a rescue agency isrequired to provide rescuers the full personalprotective equipment (including breathingapparatus) and rescue equipment to performrescues from permit spaces. The rescuers mustalso be given training on how to use this equip-ment; no minimum training hours are specified,however, the training must ensure that rescuersare proficient in their assigned duties. Eachmember of the rescue team must practice makinga permit-required space entry at least once every12 months in a space that is representative of onewhich they may have to enter. Each rescuer mustalso be trained in basic first aid and CPR with atleast one member holding current certifications ineach of these. Paragraph K does not requirerescuers to complete a permit before entry ismade into a confined space for rescue purposes,however a permit would be required to enter thespace for training purposes.

Additionally, under paragraph K and othersections, the regulation establishes that rescuersmust have atmospheric monitoring and ventila-tion equipment, lifelines and harnesses, a me-chanical hoist system, communications equip-ment, and lighting equipment.

29 CFR 91910.147:Lock-out/Tag-out Requirements

Overview. The intent of this standard is toprevent the unexpected energization or start upof machines or equipment, or the release of storedenergy which could cause injury to employees.This standard sets forth requirements for thecontrol of hazardous energy or the unexpectedstart up of equipment.

Application to Rescuers. Lock-out/tag-outprocedures may be necessary when performingrescues involving heavy industrial equipment,elevators, or electrical rooms. Electricity must beshut down and protected so that re-energizingdoes not occur while the rescue is being per-formed. Employers must create an employeeprotection program that defines Lock-out andTag-out procedures.

29 CFR §1910.132-.140:Personal Protective Equipment

Overview. This section establishes generalrequirements for the employer to provide, test,inspect, and maintain personal protective equip-ment (WE) for employees who are exposed toworkplace hazards. Employees must be trainedon proper use of equipment. 1910.134 addressesrespiratory protection and requires that whereemployees must enter a hazardous area usingPPE, one or more employees equipped with PPEmust be assigned to stand by to provide account-ability and to assist in the rescue of entrants inthe event they need emergency assistance. Thebackup requirements depend on the nature ofthe hazard.

Application to Rescuers. This standardrequires rescue agencies to provide rescuers withthe necessary personal protective equipment tosafely enter a hazardous environment, includingeye protection, face protection, head and extrem-ity protection, protective clothing, respiratoryprotection, and protective shields and barriers.Rescuers must be trained on the proper use of theequipment and the rescue agency must havewritten operating procedures for its safe use.Specific requirements are listed for regularmaintenance and testing of respiratory equip-ment, fit testing, and other requirements for arespiratory protection program. The require-ments for backup personnel also apply torescue operations.

All of the basic requirements that are appli-cable to employees in general industries alsoapply to firefighters and rescue workers. Thereare additional requirements that apply specifi-cally to fire suppression and rescue operations.

29 CFR §1910.1030:Occupational Exposure to BloodbornePathogens

Overview. The intent of this section is toprovide for employee protection from exposure tobloodborne pathogens or other potentiallyinfectious materials.

Application to Rescuers. This standardrequires that rescue agencies provide a compre-hensive education and control program forrescuers who may be exposed to bloodbornepathogens or infectious materials. The programmust cover the following topics: training forrescuers about the dangers of bloodborne patho-gens; how to dispose of contaminated materials;

6-5

disposal processes for sharps, contaminatedinstruments, and infectious materials; documen-tation of rescuer exposures to infectious materi-als; and post-exposure medical evaluations. Therescue agency is required to provide all protectiveequipment that is necessary to protect the employ-ees from bloodborne pathogens. Hepatitis Bvaccinations must be offered at no cost to rescuers.

29 CFR §1926.650 - §652:Trench/Collapse Rescue Operations

Overview. This section establishes opera-tional and safety practices for incidents involv-ing trenches.

Application to Rescuers. This regulationdirectly affects rescue operations at trench rescueincidents by requiring the use of proper equip-ment and techniques to shore-up trenches. Itprohibits entry into trenches which are notproperly shored to prevent collapse. This stan-dard also specifies that rescuers wear a lifelineinto trenches. It also requires that rescue agenciesprovide training to rescuers about the hazards oftrench operations.

OTHER OSHA REGULATIONSSome of the other OSHA regulations which can

affect technical rescue teams are listed below anddiscussed in Figure 6-3.

29 CFR §1910.95: Occupational Noise Expo-sure Limitations

29 CFR §1910.156: Fire Brigades29 CFR §1910.120: Hazardous Materials

CONSENSUS STANDARDS AFFECTINGTECHNICAL RESCUE TEAMS

Consensus standards are developed byindustries and other groups to set forth widelyaccepted criteria for care and operations for certainpractices. Standards are an attempt by the indus-try or profession to self-regulate by establishingminimum operating, performance, or safetystandards, and they establish a recognized stan-dard of care. They are written by consensuscommittees composed of industry representativesand other affected parties. Several of the NFPAstandards that are pertinent to technical rescueteams are discussed below.

When forming a rescue team, the standardsissued by national fire and rescue organizationsshould be followed to protect rescuers from

REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS GOVERNING TECHNICAL RESCUE OPERATIONS6-6

Figure 6-3. Selected OSHA Standards Applicable to Technical Rescue Teams

Standard Basic Requirement Equipment Training Miscellaneous

General duty clause Requires employer to Although the GDC As with equipment, Employees may be29 USC 654(a)(l) provide a workplace does not list speclflc the GDC requires cited under the GDC

“free from recognized equipment. courts employers to provlde where (1) employerhazards that are have ruled that whatever tralnlng Is failed to keepcausing or likely to employers must necessary to allow workplace free fromcause death or provlde whatever employees to hazard; (2) hazardserious physlcal equlpment Is needed perform their was recognized; (3)harm.” OSHA to protect workers asslgnments In a hazard was likely tofrequently uses and eliminate reasonably safe cause death or“natlonal consensus” unreasonable risks of manner. serious Injury; and (4)standards (i.e., NFPA death or Injury. a practical methodstandards) In flndlng Employers can be for correcting thethat a workplace cited under the GDC hazard was avallablehazard violated the for not provldlngGDC. necessary equipment

or for provldlngequipment that doesnot meet nationallyrecognized standards(I.e., NFPA standards).

Confined space29CFR 1910.146

Classifies conflned Employers must Rescuers must receive Requires companiesspaces as “permit” or provide full PPE, tralnlng sufficient to that rely on outslde“non-permit” spaces, Including SCBA or perform rescues; no rescue services toRequires permit SABA. Rescuers must minlmum number of provlde access tobefore entry Into have atmospheric hours is specified. conflned spaces forspaces with potential monltorlng and Rescuers must pre-plannlng andhazards. Sets basic ventilatlon perform practice tralnlng purposes.safety practices for equipment, harnesses entrles and rescues Standard Includeswork In confined and life lines, and from realistic spaces recommended entryspaces, Separate mechanlcal hoist at least annually. permit and flow chartprovislons apply to systems, Rescuers must have for rescue operatlonsrescue operations. Lockout/tagout. CPR and basic first

communications. and aid tralnlng. and onellghtlng equlpment member must beshould be available. currently certified In

both.

Blood-bornepathogens29CFR 1910.1030

Requlres employers to Employers must Employers must Employers mustdevelop written plan provide PPE that does provide tralnlng on provide hepatltls Bto reduce exposure not permlt blood or the hazards of BBP vaccine at no cost toto blood-borne other lnfectlous and on procedures to employees. Trainingpathogens (BBP). materials to prevent exposures. records must be

penetrate to Tralning courses must malntalned for atemployee’s skin or contain 14 elements, least three years,clothing. Standard Including wrlttencontains a detalled materlals and anlisting of such opportunity to askequipment. questlons. Refresher

tralnlng must beprovided annually.

Personal protective Establishes mlnlmum Mlnlmum PPE Includes Employees must Requires writtenequipment (PPE) protective equipment eye, face, head, receive training In procedure for use of29 CFR 1910.132-140 that employers must hand, foot, and leg proper use and respirators. Requires

provide. protectlon, as well as maintenance of all employees worklng Instructural fire fighting equipment. toxic atmospheres togear. Equipment must work In palrs and atmeet ANSI, NFPA or least one personother Industry capable of rescuestandards, must remain outside

toxic atmosphere.

Copyright , John T. Bentivoglio, 1995. Reproduced with permission. All other r ights reserved.

unnecessary workplace hazards and because theyestablish the standard of care that may be used incivil lawsuits against fire and rescue. Several

standards related to technical rescue are discussedbelow. Refer to Appendix C for information onhow to obtain copies of standards.

6-7

Figure 6-3. Selected OSHA Standards Applicable to Technical Rescue Teams (Continued)

Standard Bask Requirement Equipment Training Miscellaneous

Trench/collapse Establishes safety Employers must Employees must Applied to firerescue guldelines for provlde shorlng, receive tralnlng In departments,29 CFR 1926.650-652 constructlon work harnesses and hazards of trench and prohlblts flre flghters

lnvolvlng open Ilfelines, and basket excavation actlvltles, from enterlngtrenches or stretcher. Type and lncludlng proper use unshored trenches orexcavations. amount of shorlng of shorlng and other taklng otherSeparate provlslons equipment varies equlpment. unreasonable risks.apply to rescue according to trenchoperations. to be entered.

Hazardous materials Requlres employers to Establishes five levels29 CFR 1910.120

Employers must Employers mustdevelop provlde full PPE for of training developcomprehenslve hazmat lncldents. certlflcatlon: comprehenslveprogram for “hazmat” Appendlx A of thls awareness, written hazmatteams and establishes standard offers operations, response plan. Themlnlmum safety guldelines for testing technlclan. speclalist. plan must addressstandards. 1910.120 such equlpment, and Incidentapplies to all

pre-plannlng,while Appendlx B command. All levels personnel roles, EMS,

personnel Involved In discusses different must receive annual decontamlnatlon,hazmat response, levels of protectlon refresher tralnlng.volunteer and paid. in

and emergencyand gear. Tralners must have alerting. ICS must be

every state. completed Natlonal used at hazmat Fire Academy or Incidents. Employers

similar course. must Implementmedical surveillanceprogram for membersof hazmat team.

Fire brigade Establishes mlnlmum Must provide Employees must be29CFR 1910.156

Written organizatlonaladmlnlstratlve, employees wlth the trained to level statements mustPersonnel equipment flre flghtlng and required on the job. specify duties andand tralnlng personal protective Supervisory personnel establish amount andstandards for fire equipment necessary must receive type of tralnlng.brigades. In state- to perform job. addltlonal tralnlng. Employees must beOSHA plan jurls- Protective gear must Tralnlng must be of physlcally capable ofdlctlons, fire brigade meet NFPA or other slmllar quality to thatstandard applies to

performlng asslgnedIndustry standards. offered at speclfled fireflghtlng duties.

public sector (state, schools acrosscounty, and munlcl- country.pal) flre departments.

Copyright , John T. Bentivoglio, 1995. Reproduced with permission. All other r ights reserved.

NFPA 1470:Standard on Search and RescueTraining for Structural CollapseIncidents

Overview. This standard sets forth require-ments for training, safety, operations and per-sonal protective equipment at structural collapseincidents. The standard was developed followinga number of different major structural collapseincidents across the country. NFPA 1470 definesfour levels of response operations which dependon an organization’s capabilities, equipment,training, certifications:

1. Basic Operations, which covers surfacerescue at structural collapse incidents includingthe removal of debris to extricate easily acces-sible victims in stable environments.

2. Light Operations, which is a minimumcapacity to conduct a safe and effective search

and rescue where the collapse is of a light-frame ordinary construction building.

3. Medium Operations, which covers aresponse to a building or structural collapseinvolving the failure of cinder block and non-reinforced masonry construction.

4. Heavy Operations, which covers structuralcollapse involving the failure of concrete tilt-up or reinforced concrete and steel frameconstruction.

Application to Rescuers. NFPA 1470 is theonly NFPA standard that directly addressestechnical rescue. It sets forth minimum training,personal protective equipment, and operationalstandards for rescuers to develop systems forstructural collapse incidents. The standardmandates use of an incident management systemat structural collapse incidents and requiresoversight by a qualified safety officer. All

REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS GOVERNING TECHNICAL RESCUE OPERATIONS

6-8

persons must be physically and mentally capableof performing the appropriate duties and func-tions for each level of response.

NFPA 1470 mandates training for recognitionof various hazards at collapse incidents includingbut not limited to hazardous materials. It alsorequires that certain rescue team members betrained to treat various medical conditions includ-ing spinal injuries, crush injury syndrome, andamputation. Provisions must be made for infec-tious control (including education on OSHA’sbloodborne pathogens that is incorporated byreference) and critical incident stress debriefing.

NFPA 1470 is currently being expanded by anew NFPA technical committee to cover abroader range of technical rescue disciplines, notjust structural collapse. The new, expandedstandard is expected to cover confined spacerescue, water rescue, structural collapse rescue,trench rescue, wilderness rescue, and vehicle/machinery rescue (although not officially deter-mined yet, NFPA 1470 may be incorporated intothe new standard). It is proposed to create threerescue response levels: awareness, operations,and technician. The new standard will shapetechnical rescue in the future and will probablyserve to standardize technical rescue trainingacross the country. The new technical rescuestandard will probably be issued by 1997.

NFPA 1500: Standard of FirefighterHea l th and Safe ty

Overview. NFPA 1500 establishes minimumstandards for firefighter health, safety, and firedepartment risk management. It applies to allaspects of the workplace, including the emer-gency scene and the station.

The standard requires fire departments andrescue agencies to:

Establish an organizational/mission statement

Establish a minimum number of members,resources, and equipment required to safelyexecute standard operating procedures

Establish risk management plans (fire andrescue pre-incident plans) for the purpose ofidentifying the risks, evaluating potential risks,and establishing appropriate risk controltechniques and risk management monitoringtechniques (command and control techniques)

Adopt SOPS identifying specific goals for thevarious operations that may be encountered bythe department, including rescue operation

Define roles and responsibilities for respond-ing personnel

Provide continuing education for fire andrescue personnel, detailing the frequency oftraining and minimum requirements

Establish safety requirements for emergencyvehicles and equipment

Utilize incident management, risk manage-ment, and personnel accountability systems atincidents

Establish firefighter medical and physicalfitness requirements

Create a department Safety Officer positionand an Occupational Safety and HealthCommittee

Establish data collection systems to trackoccupational exposures, health records, train-ing records, and equipment inspection records

Application to Rescuers. NFPA 1500 is a verybroad standard with applications to all aspects offire service response including technical rescue.For a technical rescue team, it requires the estab-lishment of SOPS, utilization of incident com-mand, personnel accountability, and safetysystems at incidents, and the determination of thenumber of personnel necessary to conduct a saferescue operation. It also requires use of personalprotective equipment as necessary for the hazardsand requires that responders meet medical/fitness levels.

NFPA 1983:Standard on Fire Service Life SafetyRope, Harnesses, and Hardware

Overview. This standard specifies the mini-mum performance criteria, design criteria, andtest methods for life safety rope, harnesses, andhardware used by the fire service. It does not,however, cover rope equipment used for waterrescue. It also establishes requirements forinspection and testing of rope and related hard-ware, as well as minimum working load strengths.

Application to Rescuers. This standardestablishes the types of rope that should be usedfor life safety (securing a rescuer, hauling orlowering a rescuer, etc.). It also establishes theamount of weight that can be supported on arope of particular design, fiber, and diameter.There are requirements for regular inspection and

6-9

testing of rope by rescuers. NFPA 1561: Standard on Fire Departmentlncident Management Systems

OTHER STANDARDS NFPA 1001: Standard on Professional Qualifi-Some of the other NFPA standards affecting cation for Firefighters

technical rescue teams are listed below. Contact theNFPA for copies of these standards (refer to the

NFPA 1581: Standard on Medical Require-ment for Firefighters

resource list in Appendix C).NFPA 1582: Standard on Fire Departmentinfection Control Program

7-1

CHAPTER 7: TECHNICAL RESCUE TRAINING

o tools or technology can compensate for lackof training and experience. Proper training isnecessary for any rescue team to safely and

effectively conduct rescue operations. This chapterdiscusses the evolution of technical rescue training,the future of rescue training, training requirements,how to plan training for your department, andcurriculum for different training levels.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNICALRESCUE TRAINING

To understand how the field of technicalrescue is currently developing, a review of thehistory of similar fire department operations isuseful. In the 1960s, many fire and rescue organi-zations provided a basic level of emergencymedical care and transportation following proce-dures that had changed little in decades. Thetraining levels of emergency medical providers

varied considerably from jurisdiction to jurisdic-tion and from state to state, and there were noestablished national standards except those basicones provided by the Red Cross. In the late 196Os,EMS professionals began to band together andform networks to exchange ideas. Commonpractices evolved into standards of care at thelocal, state, and eventually national level. Firstresponder, emergency medical technician (EMT),and paramedic training programs were started inmany areas and nationally recognized trainingprograms were widely adopted. Today, we are allfamiliar with the basic EMT curriculum and aconsistent level of EMT care is available across thecountry. Hazardous materials programs followed asimilar course of development in the 1980s and asimilar system of national training standards forhazardous materials responders was established.

Figure 7-1. Selected Standards Affecting Technical Rescue Training

Rescue OSHADiscipline Standard

NFPAStandard

Comment

Confined Space 29 CFR §1910.146 None 29 CFR 1910.146 trainingrequirements mandate annualentry training at a representativepermit space and basic first aidtraining, but do not specify levelsof training or minimum trainingproficiencies. A separate OSHAstandard on hazmat operationstraining, 29 CFR 1910.120, affectstraining for operations in confinedspace with IDLH (toxicor oxygendeficient) environments

Collapse

Water/Diving

None

None

NFPA 1470

None Professional Association of DivingInstructors) PADI and other diveorganizations have standards for divetraining. The American Red Cross alsohas water rescue training standards

Trench 29 CFR 1926.65O-.652

None 29 CFR 1926.650-.652 mandatestraining on hazards of trenchactivities, including proper use ofshoring, but does not establish opera-tional training levels

Rope None None NFPA 1983 is the standard forrope to be used for rescue butdoes not discuss training

TECHNICAL RESCUE TRAINING

7 - 2

Over the years, a variety of organizations andprivate training companies have establishedtraining standards for the different technical rescuedisciplines. Some of the organizations which havecreated rescue training standards include: OSHA,NFPA, the American Society for Testing andMaterials (ASTM), the American Red Cross, theNational Association of Search and Rescue(NASAR), and a host of private training compa-nies. Figure 7-l shows some of the standardsaffecting rescue disciplines. These standards arediscussed in detail in Chapter 6. Some of thesestandards have been recognized and adopted byvarious states or localities, but there are very fewnationally recognized training standards directedat technical rescue. In the absence of nationaltraining standards, some of them have been usedto establish certification levels at the state andlocal level.

THE FUTURE OF TECHNICAL RESCUETRAINING STANDARDS

Technical rescue is beginning to undergo thesame pattern of development that EMS did in the1970s and hazmat did in the 1980s. Rescue train-ing continues to become more formalized asvarious training standards are issued. In thefuture, more training standards may becomemandated if adopted by state or Federal OSHA.The NFPA, ASTM, and other organizations andprivate entities most likely will continue to shaperescue training by issuing their own standards.Both the NFPA and ASTM are working on compre-hensive national rescue training standards, but itremains to be seen if these will become the “na-tionally” accepted standards for rescue training.The NFPA standard is discussed below.

One of the major advantages to standardizingtraining is that rescue personnel across the countrywill receive similar training at specific responselevels. This allows training organizations todevelop standard programs that can be widelyused and identifies procedures that are accepted assafe and effective for rescue operations. Thisshould also allow personnel on teams from differ-ent jurisdictions to work together and permitgreater portability of training certifications fromone jurisdiction to another.

THE NFPA STANDARD ONTECHNICAL RESCUE

In 1994, a NFPA committee began working onthe development of a document that will establishnational training standards for several technicalrescue disciplines, including confined space rescue,water rescue, structural collapse rescue, trenchrescue, vehicle/machinery rescue, and wildernessrescue. This standard is not expected to be issueduntil at least 1997.

The NFPA standard on technical rescue trainingis expected to structure training around three or fourlevels of response, similar to the tiered responselevels discussed in Chapter 1. These include: basicor awareness, operations, technician, and specialistor instructor.

In the first level of training the awareness level,personnel receive basic training to recognize techni-cal rescue situations and the hazards that may beinvolved so that they can call for additional resourcesand do not expose themselves to dangers they arenot trained or equipped to handle. At this level, theyknow what they can and cannot do, when to call forspecialized assistance, and what to do until theappropriately trained personnel arrive.

The second level of training is the operationslevel. Operations level personnel receive additionaltraining in hazard recognition, and are trained toperform moderately complex rescue operations.

The third level of training is the technician level.Technician personnel should be well trained inadvanced techniques and capable of conductingmore complex technical rescue operations.

A fourth level of training which may be in-cluded is the specialist or instructor level. Specialistpersonnel are highly qualified in one or more aspectsof technical rescue operations. Specialists should beexperts in the use of various rescue technologies, andthoroughly familiar with all aspects of rescueoperations in their particular area(s).

SOURCES OF TRAININGThere are many sources of rescue training

available. There are private companies that willprovide training in particular rescue disciplines.Many public agencies and fire departments alsooffer rescue training, particularly for personnel

7 - 3

from public safety organizations. Most of thesetypes of courses will “certify” that the student hascompleted the course and has achieved a mini-mum level of competency. However, the compe-tency levels taught by individual trainers oftenvary due to the lack of standardization in rescuetraining.

Several states have established their owncertification levels and training courses availablefor different areas of technical rescue. California,for example, has a rescue certification programthat is under the State Fire Marshal’s Office.Maryland and Virginia also have a state rescuetraining course. Some local jurisdictions haveestablished their own training curriculum (seeFigure 7-2). Montgomery County, Maryland,teaches a “tactical rescue” course which providesbasic training to rescuers in trench/collapse, rope,confined space, extrication, and swift water rescue.Indianapolis, Indiana, has established a basicemergency rescue technician program thatprovides similar training.

Appendix C lists different groups that can be asource of technical rescue training.

DEVELOPING A TECHNICAL RESCUETRAINING PLAN

It is important to develop training plans fromthe initial stages of team development. In manycases, members of departments take trainingcourses on their own and then develop a team ontheir own out of shared interest and competence inthe subject. In other cases, members have noformal training whatsoever and are trained afterthe team concept is officially formed by theirorganization.

Several factors will affect the type of trainingprogram necessary. These factors are discussedbelow.

Your Response AreaA general knowledge of technical rescue can

be imparted through training, but one of the mostimportant factors in developing a training pro-gram that meets your locality’s need is the natureof your response area. Training should be directedtoward the geography and target hazards in theteam’s response area. Technical rescue trainingtechniques can then be adapted to train you for

responses to these hazards. Training shouldincorporate a thorough and systematic overview ofthe potential technical rescue hazards in the team’sresponse area. The team should develop pre-incident plans for the target hazards and train onrescue scenarios that could occur. Training is notcomplete without a thorough knowledge of how tohandle rescues involving the hazards in the team’sresponse area.

Type of TeamIt will be important to decide whether a

multi-discipline or a single discipline team will benecessary. Depending on the type of team, howmany personnel will be trained to the awareness/operations level; how many to the technician level;how many to the specialist/instructor level?

Training Resources AvailableConsider the training resources that are

available within your department or from outsidesources within your community. Are there expertswithin the organization that can train your person-nel, or will it be necessary to bring in outsideinstructors? Can training be taught at a conve-nient location such as a fire academy or local riveror local climbing area, or will personnel have to betransported to another location? Is additionalequipment needed to conduct the training?

Available FundingTraining can be an expensive undertaking. Is

the money available for training an advancedteam, or will the jurisdiction have to accept a basiclevel of response capability? How much money isavailable for equipment, personnel, etc.? (Refer toChapter 4.) Remember, the lack of training can bemuch more expensive.

PersonnelThe availability of personnel also affects

training. Will training schedules have to accom-modate volunteer personnel who may only beavailable on nights or weekends? Are personnelpart of companies that can be rotated to trainingdrills or in-service programs? Is the team made upof members from different organizations withdissimilar schedules? Will career departmentsfund overtime or additional staff hours for special-ized training?

TECHNICAL RESCUE TRAINING

7 - 4

Figure 7-2. Fairfax County (VA) Fire and Rescue Department Training Curriculum

FAIRFAX COUNTY FIRE AND RESCUE DEPARTMENTTECHNICAL RESCUE OPERATIONS TEAM

Certification Training Curriculum

Module One: Advanced Rope Rescue Operations

Anchor/lowering/rappelling systemsMechanical advantage/raising systemsStokes litter rigging and raising systemsTyrolean systems

(three days)

Module Two: Trench Rescue Operations

Trench hazards/soil mechanics/contributing conditionsReview of case studies

(three days)

Scene management proceduresHazard mitigation/terminology/specialty equipmentShoring procedures (timber, screw jacks, pneumatic)Alternate methods of “safeing” a trenchExtrication/patient removal techniquesTermination of operations

Module Three: Confined Space Entry and Rescue Operations (two days)

Defining the confined space parametersFamiliarization with OSHA confined space regulationsOperational hazards (atmospheric, physical, psychological)Hazard mitigation/monitoring/ventilationIsolation and lock-out proceduresRespiratory protection (SCBA, supplied air systems)Support operations (lighting, communications, etc.)Entry/egress methodsRotation of crews/accountability/health assessmentPatient removal techniques

Module Four: Structural Collapse Operations

Overview of collapse

(two days)

Collapse cause classificationStrategic objectivesOperational plan of action/scene managementReconnaissance team dutiesGaining entry/tools considerationsExploration of voidsRescue team/safety team operationsShoring guidelinesEstimation of weights of building componentsSearch technology and considerationsResearching the buildingSelected debris removalConsideration for cranes and heavy equipment

Cour tesy o f Fa i r fax County F i re and Rescue Depar tment

Once you have determined what type oftraining your department needs, begin to shoparound for available training courses. Compareprices, the experience of instructors, and whattraining competencies will be met in the courses.

It is helpful to have a special operationstraining coordinator or committee to steer thetraining process. Personnel from all ranks shouldbe included in the planning. It is a good idea totrain some of the team leaders first; this will givethem an idea of what will be required to train theteam members.

The plan for training should include thenumber of personnel, the desired level of trainingfor those personnel, recertification requirements,equipment needs, and locations for classroom andfield training. It is not necessary to reinvent thetraining wheel, so to speak, but certain differencesbetween technical rescue training and fire trainingare important to point out.

When conducting technical rescue fieldtraining, it is usually advisable to have a higherratio of instructors to students than with most firetraining, due to the complex and sometimesdangerous nature of the training. Safety officersshould be assigned whenever the training involvesa potential risk of injury. Swift water rescuetraining may require additional personnel down-stream from the training as safety monitors.

Technical rescue training may be more equip-ment intensive than other types of training. Teamsshould be prepared to use and maintain thisequipment and to replace it when necessary.Training exercises should use the same equipmentthat the trainees will actually use for real incidents.

It is a good idea to refer to standards such asNFPA 1403, Standard on Live Fire Training Evolu-tions, and NFPA 1500, Standard on OccupationalSafety and Health, when actually conductingtraining. The basic safety approaches and require-ments in these standards can be applied to rescuetraining and will help ensure a safe trainingenvironment. These include pre-planning for thedrill, using a Safety Officer, having rescue person-nel available should the students run into trouble,having EMS personnel and equipment on hand,and using the Incident Command System.

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SPECIFIC TECHNICAL RESCUETRAINING EXAMPLES

To give departments an idea of the varioustechnical rescue training curriculum that could beestablished, sample outlines of some types oftechnical rescue course curriculum follow. Thesesample outlines are intended only to present someof the topics which could be covered in curriculumand are not necessarily complete outlines.

Rope RescueRope techniques are a basic underlying skill

for most other types of rescue. Most firefighterswill be familiar with basic rope techniques and knottying as part of the basic firefighter curriculum.

An awareness of rope skills can be taught torescuers in only a day. It could include topics suchas rope characteristics, strengths, basic knots,hardware, hazards to be aware of when usingrope, and dangerous techniques to avoid.

An operations level could cover rope rescuetechniques. Rescuers could be taught basictechniques of rappelling, rigging, belaying, safety,anchoring, and simple mechanical advantagesystems. Additional operational techniques couldinclude patient packaging, low angle evacuations,and simple pick-off maneuvers. This could betaught in two days.

A detailed technician level program could beconducted in approximately one week, coveringbasic and advanced rigging techniques, anchorsystems, belays, simple and complex mechanicaladvantage systems, and advanced patientextrication techniques and stokes basket opera-tions. Low and high angle rescue techniques,including telpher and tyrolean systems, couldalso be included.

The specialist level course could includeadvanced techniques for helicopter operations,ladder operations and bridging techniques, andother topics. It should require practical andteaching experience. Urban rope techniques could beincorporated for areas where high angle rescues maybe adapted to an urban environment.

Sample Course TopicsCourse objectiveHistory of rope rescue

TECHNICAL RESCUE TRAINING7 - 6

Rope rescue applicationsRescue philosophySafetyTypes of ropeTypes of equipmentTypes of hardware and technical gearCommunicationsKnots, hitches, and anchorsLashing and picketing techniquesSimple and complex mechanical advantagesystemsBelay techniquesLitter rigging and evacuation techniquesLow angle rescueHigh angle rescueUrban rescue operationsTraverse techniquesIncident commandSelfrescue techniquesEMS and patient care considerationsHelicopter operations

Personal EquipmentHelmetSturdy bootsLeather gloves (preferably not firefighting gloves)HarnessClothing (appropriatefor terrain and weatherconditions)

Confined Space RescueConfined spaces are defined as any area not

designed for human occupancy with limitedentrance and egress (refer to the discussion ofconfined space regulations in Chapter 6 for a fulldefinition). The Occupational Safety and HealthAdministration has established one of the fewstandards that is applicable to technical rescue, 29CFR §1910.146, which requires confined spacerescue personnel who enter permit spaces to betrained (although it provides little training specif-ics, as discussed earlier in this chapter).

An awareness of confined space rescue can betaught in a few hours. The awareness level forconfined space could include background onOSHA regulations, recognition of permit-requiredspaces, confined space hazard recognition, how tosecure the scene, available resources for confined

space rescue, and what conditions preclude theirentry into a space.

Operations level personnel could be taughtsafe entry and rescue techniques, atmosphericmonitoring techniques, and how to size up thehazards and risks. An operations level could beachieved with several days of training.

Technician level personnel could be trainedfor a wide range of skills and hazard assessment.Skills may include patient evacuation, specialretrieval systems, use of communications andcommand at confined space incidents, familiaritywith various types of confined space, atmosphericmonitoring, hazard assessment, and ventilationtechniques. At least 40 hours would be necessary totrain personnel to the technician level.

The specialist should be fully versed inconfined space operations and have hands on,practical experience. A specialist should have theexpertise of the technician, along with experiencein training, hazardous materials, and other associ-ated rescue areas that would be applicable toconfined spaces.

Sample Course Topics

Types of confined spacesOSHA rulesHazard recognitionSecuring the sceneResourcesAtmospheric monitoringlncident commandRescuer entry techniquesRetrieval systemsRope and hardware and technical equipmentLock out/Tag out proceduresBreathing apparatus equipmentEMS and patient care considerationsSafety and survival

Personal Equipment NecessaryHelmetGlovesWork bootsPersonal protective clothingHarnessKnee pads/elbow padsEye protectionSCBA/supplied air breathing system

7-7

Trench RescueBy definition, a trench is deeper than it is

wide. Rescuers have been killed and injured afterentering an unshored trench which suffered asecondary collapse. Awareness of the dangers oftrench incidents can be taught in about two hours,covering the basics of hazard recognition, scenesecurity, rescuer safety, types of trench collapses,additional resources, and initial actions.

An operations level of training can be taughtin several days, with students gaining knowledgeof rescue equipment, different types of shoring,means of securing the site according to departmen-tal SOPS, how to perform a safe entry, and othersupport operations.

Technician level personnel could becomefamiliar with various rescue techniques, shoringtechniques, victim retrieval systems, EMS andpatient care skills for trench collapse, control ofutilities, and long term operations skills. Thetechnician level could be taught in about 10 days.

A specialist could be thoroughly expert in theuse of all types of rescue equipment and tech-niques for trench rescue incidents and should havepractical and teaching experience.

Trench rescue shares equipment, rescuetechniques, and skills with both confined spacerescue and collapse rescue. A course could bedesigned to include aspects of each discipline.

Sample Course TopicsTrench hazardsSecuring the sceneSafetyincident commandEquipment and resourcesDepartment SOPS

Shoring techniquesRiggingEMS careEntry and patient removal techniques

Personal EquipmentHelmetGlovesWork bootsPersonal protective clothingHarness

Knee pads/elbow padsEye protectionSCBA/supplied air breathing systemFolding shovel

Structural CollapseStructural collapse shares many techniques

with trench and confined space rescue. An aware-ness of the dangers of structural collapse couldcover types of construction and associated haz-ards, types of collapses, how to secure the scene,and when to call for help. This could be taught inapproximately eight hours.

An operations level of training could alsoinclude patterns for conducting a surface debrissearch for victims, basic stabilization, utilitycontrol, and atmospheric monitoring. It could betaught in two to three days.

A technician level course covering shoringand building stabilization, rescue equipment,search equipment and operations, tunneling andexcavation techniques, and patient care could betaught in approximately five days.

A specialist should be expert in the use ofvarious types of light and heavy rescue technolo-gies, hazard stabilization and mitigation, and thecomponents of urban search and rescue techniques.

Sample Course TopicsSize up and command considerationsConstruction typesTypes of collapsesInitial actionsDangers to rescuersBasic search techniquesAdvanced search techniquesShoring and stabilizing techniquesEquipment and technologies for collapserescueEMS and patient considerationsSafety and psychological impact/criticalincident stress debriefingBreaching concrete and steel and otherbarriersTunneling and excavation techniquesHazards to rescuersHeavy construction equipment operations

Personal EquipmentHelmetGloves

TECHNICAL RESCUE TRAINING

7 - 8

Work bootsPersonal protective clothingHarnessKnee pads/elbow padsEye protectionSCBA/supplied air breathing systemFolding shovel

Water RescueOne of the most dangerous types of special

rescue is water rescue. There are several differ-ent specialties within the field of water rescue.Rescuers may face incidents involving calm water,swiftwater, ice, or even surf conditions. Diverescue is a specialty within itself. Courses in eachtraining level could be designed to address all typesof water rescue or individual types (e.g. swiftwaterrescue only).

A basic awareness of water hazards, safety, andshore-based rescue techniques can be taught in a fewhours. Different types of water rescue may sharesimilar techniques, but pose different dangers.

Operations level training could cover tech-niques for in-water or ice rescue. Rescuers couldbecome familiar with different types of waterrescue techniques, ice and current hazards, hypo-thermia and EMS considerations, ice rescueequipment, and shore-based swift water rescuetechniques. This course could be taught in aboutone week, but would require personnel to be ableto swim.

The technician level could require knowledgein all facets of water rescue and how to performspecial rescue techniques such as victim retrievalusing boats or a helicopter. This course could betaught in about one week.

The specialist level could require in-depthknowledge of all types of water rescue tech-niques and hazards as well as practical andtraining experience.

Sample Course TopicsWater hazardsIce characteristics an dangersSwift water hazards and hydrauliccharcteristics

Reach techniquesThrow techniquesRow techniquesGo techniques

Helicopter usesCold water drowning and hypothermiaSelf rescue and survival techniquesRescue vs. recoveryDiver supportSearch patterns and techniquesSafetyIncident commandBoat operationsFlashflood and rising waterContaminated bodies of waterIce rescue equipment and techniquesSwift water rescue equipment and techniquesSurf rescue equipment and techniquesBasic water safetySwimming test

Personal Equipment

Personal floatation device/life vestWhist leKnife or shearsFlashlightRope throwbagHelmetGlovesGoggles/eye protectionWet or dry suitSuitable footwearSCUBA gear (dive team only)

RECERTIFICATION AND CONTINUINGEDUCATION

Recertification for technical rescue personnelis necessary to refresh practical skills and knowl-edge about the subject matter. In all types oftechnical rescue, skills must be honed and prac-ticed to maintain a high readiness level. Newtechnologies and new techniques are constantlybeing developed to make technical rescue opera-tions easier and safer. It is important to allow forcontinued training beyond basic training. Teamswill learn to work together better, and an exchangeof ideas and information will allow knowledge tobe spread among experienced rescuers. UnlikeEMS, a set amount of hours may not be necessary,but an annual, skill based test in competency, withthe ability to retrain in deficient areas, may be thebest way to keep an individual’s skills and ateam’s level of competence consistent.

DOCUMENTATIONDocumentation should be kept for individu-

als, the team, and equipment, for both training andactual incidents.

Individual RecordsTeams should keep records of all training,

including initial training and certification, andcontinuing education training for each student.Documentation should include training hours,skills demonstrated, skills performed, and skillstested. Evaluations by instructors and supervisorsshould be included.

Team RecordsDocumentation should also be kept for the

team as a whole, including types of training,hours, equipment used, and costs incurred. Use ofnew equipment and techniques, along with theirlimitations and advantages, should also berecorded. Personnel should be tracked for theirlevel of training, readiness, and injuries.

EquipmentA log of major equipment, including life

safety equipment such as breathing apparatus orrescue rope, should be kept to track use, repairs,problems, and replacement. This will help main-tain a record should questions arise about a pieceof equipment’s use or safety.

Incident RecordsIt is vital to conduct a thorough review of each

technical rescue incident and to document it. Thiswill allow teams to understand what occurredand to develop strategies to improve the safety,

7-9

efficiency, and effectiveness of their training andpreparation for future incidents.

Record keeping serves two main functions.First, it allows a team to establish a baseline fortheir readiness capability, so that they may useperformance based criteria to improve theiroperations. It also allows them to chart theirprogress and discover during periodic review theareas that need improvement. Secondly, recordkeeping provides much needed documentationshould legal issues arise from team operations.

TEAMWORKOne of the most important aspects of training

in technical rescue is to teach rescuers to functionas a team. Difficulties can arise when individualsdo what they think is best, often working alone,inefficiently, and dangerously. Problems can alsoarise if rescuers from different companies ordifferent organizations are forced to work togetherwithout having previously trained together. Theseproblems can be overcome by conducting teamtraining. To perform technical rescues safelyand effectively coordinated efforts on the part ofeveryone are necessary. Personnel must knowtheir individual role and their job within theteam. Standard operating procedures or guide-lines should clearly illustrate the roles andresponsibilities for each position on the team, upto the Incident Commander’s responsibilities.Most importantly, the team members must con-stantly retrain to further develop their teamworkskills to function as an efficient and effective unit.

8 - 1

CHAPTER 8: TECHNICAL RESCUE TEAM EQUIPMENT

ehnical rescue capabilities require standardequipment commonly carried on fireapparatus and specialized equipment that is

not commonly carried. Most fire departments canprovide basic rescue services with only a smallinvestment in new equipment; however advancedrescue capabilities require a much larger equip-ment investment. This chapter discusses technicalrescue equipment, personal protective clothing,and rescue vehicles.

INITIAL EQUIPMENTEmerging technical rescue teams should focus

on mastering one area of technical rescue andacquiring the appropriate equipment necessary forthis area of rescue before expanding to cover otherareas. Many new teams focus on developing arope rescue expertise first because the equipmentrequired for rope rescue is more affordable thanthat required for other areas of rescue.

No matter which area of rescue you decide toaddress first, you should remember that somebasic minimum equipment is necessary to safelyexecute a technical rescue. Appendix D lists thebasic equipment necessary to start a rescue team.Prices are also provided to allow you to estimatehow much of an investment you will need tomake. Additional equipment that is suggested,but not required, for an emerging team is alsolisted.

Remember that some of the basic equipmentyou need to perform rescues may already becarried on your engines and trucks. Mechanicaladvantage systems can be rigged withoutcarabiners or pulleys. Tripods for below graderescues can be made by lashing two ladderstogether. Simple tools and simple physics prin-ciples, applied by trained rescuers, can overcomemany obstacles to rescue. The Pyramids were builtusing these principles!

Teams performing advanced rescue skills canalso utilize some very basic, inexpensive tools tosafely accomplish a rescue. For example, trenchrescues can be perform using wood shoringinstead of special pneumatic or mechanicalstruts. Collapse debris can be lifted using jacks.

However, building wood shoring for a trench islaborious and time consuming, and carrying alarge, heavy jack system capable of lifting over 100tons may be impossible unless you have lots ofavailable compartment space on your rescuevehicles. Special and more expensive tools such aspneumatic struts and air bags are preferable to usebecause they require less set up time than theircounterparts mentioned above. Because somehigh-tech, specialized equipment is so expensive,you may consider purchasing it over a several yearperiod so that costs can be spread out.

Ideally, equipment should be durable andhave multiple uses. The U.S. Fire Administration’sTechnical Rescue Technology Assessment guide (referto Appendix C) describes many types of technicalrescue equipment you might consider purchasingwhen starting a new team.

ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OFEQUIPMENT THROUGH A COMMUNITYRESOURCE PLAN

One of the options to alleviate the expense ofsetting up a technical rescue team is to develop acommunity resource plan (CRP), which is a plan toutilize equipment and personnel available withinthe community. A simple type of CRP is anarrangement with a lumber yard to provide woodfor shoring in the event of a major collapse inci-dent. There are innumerable types of equipment andpersonnel resources available in most communities.

Once you have identified the personnel andequipment resources that you will be able toprovide from within your organization, you canthen develop a CRP for the areas where you haveinsufficient resources. Next, look into yourcommunity to identify businesses, universities,suppliers, or individuals that may be able toprovide you with the necessary resources to fill the“gaps.” Sources of various types of resources arelisted in Figure 8-1. It will be necessary to estab-lish written agreements with these resourcesuppliers to ensure that they understand what willbe expected of them in an emergency. In some cases,however, the suppliers may be unwilling to enterinto an agreement with your department, but theyare willing to help you if needed. Generally, even if

8-2TECHNICAL RESCUE TEAM EQUIPMENTS

Figure 8-1. Potential Resources Needed forTechnical Rescue Teams

Supplier Resource

Construction/heavyequipment companies, state and

Backhoes, cranes, air compressors, dewatering pumps, dozers,

local public works agenciesloaders, welders, bobcats, generators, cherry pickers, tractor trailers,lighting, heavy tools, cutting and breaching equipment

Rental companies Light tools, lighting, generators, air compressors

Lumber yards Lumber, cutting equipment

Association of Engineers Civil engineers, electrical engineers, fire protection engineers

Communications and warnings Television stations, radio stations, ham radio groups

Emergency equipment suppliers Sandbags, hazardous waste removal firms, vacuum trucks

Schools, churches, Red Cross, Disaster centers, food, and sheltersfood suppliers

Funeral homes andmedical examiners

Morgue services

Helicopters Medevac, rescues, aerial photography, personnel and supply transport

Military/National Guard Personnel, equipment

Transport companies Equipment and supply transport, refrigerated trucks

Utility companies Utility shut-off

Bottled water companies Bottled water

they are unwilling to enter into an agreement, if thereestablished equipment standards including

is an actual emergency, they will be willing to help.Underwriters Laboratory (UL), NFPA, AmericanNational Standards Institute (ANSI), American

Some communities have published commu- Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), and

nity resource directories that list resources within a National Institute of Occupational Safety and

community or even a large metropolitan area. Health (NIOSH). These standards define perfor-

This “database” of resources can be an important mance measures, testing procedures, and safety

tool when an emergency strikes. The Greater and design features for equipment. Almost all

Kansas City Metropolitan Region has established a rescue equipment must meet certain design

booklet entitled the Emergency Resources Catalogunder its “Plan Bulldozer Committee” which listsvarious resources and contacts within the region(refer to Appendix C for an address for the PlanBulldozer Committee). Your list of resourcesshould also include experts who may be of assis-tance such as civil engineers, communicationsspecialists, fire protection engineers, etc.

standards, but the standards will vary dependingon the type of equipment. Most equipmentmanufacturers should be able to tell you whichstandards their equipment meets.

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENTEach discipline of technical rescue will require

different personal protective equipment. The basicitems usually include coveralls, helmet,

EQUIPMENT STANDARDS firefighter’s gloves or leather gloves, breathing

When purchasing equipment, you should apparatus, and protective clothing. Personal

always ensure that the equipment meets basic equipment you may consider purchasing for

standards. Many different organizations have individual rescue disciplines is listed in Chapter 7.

You may want to obtain a copy of a free publica-tion entitled Protective Clothing and EquipmentNeeds of Emergency Responders for Urban Searchand Rescue Missions from the US. Fire Adminis-tration (refer to Appendix C for information onobtaining this manual).

TECHNICAL RESCUE RESPONSE VEHICLES

A variety of types of technical rescue responsevehicles are used across the country. Some depart-ments purchase large squads dedicated as techni-cal rescue units while others use a fire engine tocarry rescue equipment. (Many areas of thecountry use different terminology to refer to rescuevehicles. Different parts of the country call thesetrucks rescues, squads, rescue squads, specialservice units, or heavy rescues. In this manual, theterms are used interchangeably to refer to large,dedicated technical rescue apparatus.)

No matter what type of vehicle you decide touse for technical rescue, remember that you willneed a large amount of compartment space tocarry the equipment needed for most technicalrescue disciplines. Compartment spaces that aredesigned flexibly with adjustable shelves willallow you to modify compartments as necessary tofit new equipment. It is advisable to design newunits that provide space to carry additionalequipment as the team grows and technologychanges. Many departments have made themistake of purchasing rescue apparatus that isoverloaded with equipment almost from the timeit is delivered. Be sure you know what equipmentyou intend to carry on the vehicle and how muchequipment the vehicle is rated to carry before youmake purchases. A new NFPA standard (NFPA1905) which will provide guidelines for specialservice vehicles, including rescue vehicles, iscurrently being developed.

Some of the technical rescue vehicle ap-proaches you can consider are listed below.Pictures of various designs of rescue vehicles areincluded at the end of this chapter.

Heavy Rescue Squads. Many departmentshave heavy rescue squads designated for techni-cal rescue. These are usually large fire-rescueapparatus with a body designed solely to carryrescue equipment. Some of these units contain a

8-3

small water tank and fire pump; however, manydo not and are used solely for rescue equipment.

There are many types of heavy rescue squads.Some squads are on commercial chassis orcustom fire chassis. Crew members can ride in acab area or in a walk through section, dependingupon the design of the unit. Compartment bodiesmay be custom designed by the manufacturer,or have standard, beverage truck style compart-ment space.

Heavy rescue squads carry many types ofequipment. Squads often have air supply sys-tems for supplying air to pneumatic tools orrefilling SCBA bottles. Many squads carryautomobile extrication equipment. Technicalrescue teams may store equipment on squads thatperform other duties, such as fireground supportoperations, or they may have their own unitdedicated solely to their technical rescue mission.Some units will also attach special features to thistype of vehicle such as a winch or crane, aspictured on one heavy duty squad at the end ofthis chapter. Heavy squads can cost between$125,000 and $500,000, depending upon thedesign and equipment. It is not unusual for aheavy rescue squad and all its rescue equipmentto cost over a million dollars.

Medium Duty Rescue Squads. Medium dutyrescue squads are generally units built uponmedium duty truck chassis with utility bodies.Many technical rescue teams use medium dutysquads to fulfill their needs. These squads carryless equipment than heavy squads but often servethe needs of technical rescue teams well. Me-dium duty rescue squads can cost between$50,000 and $150,000. Many teams have builttheir own medium duty rescue units with do-nated trucks from utility companies or publicworks departments.

A versatile type of medium duty squad unitused by several rescue teams across the country isa platform on demand (POD) unit. PODS arelarge storage containers that can be carried on achassis, as pictured in this Chapter. A fire depart-ment can have several PODS holding differenttypes of equipment (e.g. technical rescue, masscasualty, communications). Overall costs arereduced because the department needs only onechassis to transport any of these containers to thescene. Several FEMA US&R Task Forces usePODS because the containers are easily trans-ported by aircraft or large trucks.

Light Duty Rescue Squads. Light duty rescuesquads can range from four-by-four pickup

TECHNICAL RESCUE TEAM EQUIPMENT

8 - 4

trucks with utility compartments or caps, toambulances and converted vans. A convertedstep van is a type of light duty squad pictured inthis Chapter. Light duty squads are generallyinexpensive units, though custom light dutytrucks could cost up to $75,000. Generally, alight duty unit could be purchased for between$25,000 and $50,000. Many teams use donatedlight duty vehicles.

Light duty squads trade off the capacity tocarry lots of equipment in return for reducedcosts and a high degree of mobility, Manytechnical rescue teams use these vehicles becauseof their ability to travel off road or into areas thatheavier apparatus cannot reach. Since manytypes of technical rescues take place in out-of-the-way areas, light duty units can be very versatilefor technical rescue teams, especially thoseinvolved in rope rescue or water rescue.

Trailers. The least expensive method oftransporting technical rescue equipment is atrailer. Trailers come in a variety of sizes and cancarry large amounts of equipment. They areparticularly good for carrying wood and shoringequipment for trench rescue teams. Some depart-ments build shelves inside of trailers to createcompartment spaces.

RESCUE BOATSA variety of types and designs of rescue boats

are available to water rescue teams. Some aredesigned for use in calm water while others can beused in swiftwater, the ocean, or on ice. A compre-hensive discussion of rescue boats and their capabili-ties is provided in the U.S. Fire Administration’sTechnical Rescue Technology Assessment manual (referto Appendix C).

8 - 5

This New York City Fire Department vehicle is literally “maxed-out” with equip-ment for water rescue and other technical rescue emergencies.

This elaborate rescue vehicle is equipped with its own craneto remove concrete slabs and other objects at a collapse res-cue incident.

8 - 6TECHNICAL RESCUE TEAM EQUIPMENT

Older engines and other vehicles can be refurbished for use by a technical rescue team.

A platform on demand (POD) system allows rescuers to stock multiple contain-ers with equipment, but necessitates the purchase of only one transport vehicle.(Courtesy Mike Tamillow)

A simple step van can function as a low cost technical rescue equipment trans-port vehicle.

8 - 7

A trailer is a low cost means to transport large amounts of equipment. Sometimes, a rescueagency can arrange for transport units to be donated, as this one was.

Technical rescue vehicles should be designed with large equipment compartments.

9-1

CHAPTER 9: TECHNICAL RESCUE INCIDENT COMMANDAND SAFETY

ost fire and rescue agencies are familiarwith the Incident Command System(ICS) and use it regularly to manage

operations and resources at emergency inci-dents. Utilization of ICS at a technical rescueincident or training event, just like any majorfire or EMS incident, is essential. ICS is anorganizational tool that provides a standardsystem to manage resources, coordinate opera-tions among units, and monitor scene safety.Technical rescue fits within the standard ICSapproach to incident management. This chapterdiscusses the application of ICS to technicalrescue incident command, the specific rolesassigned to command personnel, and the utiliza-tion of a technical rescue safety officer,

TECHNICAL RESCUE INCIDENTCOMMAND SYSTEM POSITIONS

It is beyond the scope of this manual todescribe the philosophy and structure of the ICS indetail. This chapter assumes that the reader has abasic understanding of how the ICS works. (Entirecourses are available on the fundamentals of ICS.Readers for whom this is new material shouldconsult ICS training materials and additionalresources, including the text Fire Command listed inAppendix C).

A fundamental tenet of the ICS is that it isflexible in its application and it can be used for alltypes and sizes of incidents. This is the controllingprinciple when discussing how ICS applies to

Figure 9-1. Incorporation of a Technical Rescue Branch Into the ICS Structure

TECHNICAL RESCUE INCIDENT COMMAND AND SAFETY9 - 2

technical rescue incidents. In essence, the funda-mental ICS structure remains the same for all typesof incidents - including fire, EMS, technicalrescue, or hazardous materials incidents - allow-ing for an Incident Commander with four sectionsbelow (operations, logistics, planning, and fianceas shown in Figure 9-1). However, depending onthe size and nature of the situation, only thecomponents that are needed will be established foreach incident.

At large scale incidents, the Technical Rescuecan be assigned as a branch within the OperationsSection (see Figure 9-2). This part of the organizationwould be supervised by a senior member of thetechnical rescue team. In a “branch” organization,specific responsibilities within the technical rescueteam could be established as “group” functions. Insmaller scale incidents, it could be assigned as a“group” or “sector.”

Generally, you should consider expanding theICS to include a technical rescue branch or groupwhen any of the following conditions apply:

The nature of the technical rescue(s) in-volved is too complex or hazardous to becarried out safely and effectively by non-specialist personnel, thereby requiring theassistance of a special rescue team.

The rescue is projected to take more than anhour to effect.

There are multiple types of firegroundoperations occurring simultaneously (i.e.,hazmat, EMS, suppression) in addition to thetechnical rescue(s).

The span of control of an Operations Officerwould be exceeded by attempting to imple-ment a technical rescue operation.

Figure 9-2. Technical Rescue Branch Command Structure

9-3

The Operations Section Chief will have the jurisdiction receives the assistance of a mutual aidresponsibility to coordinate activities where simulta- technical rescue team. In these situations, theneous rescues must be integrated with functions Incident Commander should assign the technicalsuch as hazardous materials control, fire suppression, rescue team to work together and function as a

Figure 9-3. Technical Rescue Command Position Roles

ICS Position

Technical Rescue Branch OfficerReports to: Operations Officer

Role/Responsibilities

1. Coordinates the overall rescueoperations ongoing at any time

2. Responsible for implementationof specific technical rescueobjectives as defined by theOperations Officer

Rescue Team leaderReports to: Technical Rescue Branch Officer

1. Supervises rescue efforts of aspecific nature or at a specificgeographic location

2. Responsible for smooth executionof particular rescue functions

Rescue Safety OfficerReports to: Technical Rescue Branch Officer

1. Monitors rescue team activities forsafe operating practices

2. Is authorized and requiredto haltany activities which pose a dangerto rescuers, victims, or bystanders

3. Coordinates actions with IncidentSafety Officer

Rescue Equipment OfficerReports to: Technical Rescue Brunch Officer

1. Stages and issues technical rescueequipment

2. Coordinates with Logistics Sectionto obtain necessary additionalspecialized equipment

3. Maintains accountability forrescue equipment

and EMS. The responsibilties of individual officers unit within the organization. The Incidentbelow him or her are described in Figure 9-3. Commander is still in charge of the incident, but a

qualified individual is in charge of technical rescue.In many rescue situations, the Incident

Commander may not have the level of training orspecific expertise to directly supervise technicalrescue operations. By assigning a qualifiedsupervisor to manage the Technical Rescue Branch,the Incident Commander retains the responsibilityfor managing the overall incident while placing acapable individual in the position to ensure thatthe technical rescue functions are conducted safelyand effectively. This situation may arise when one

All emergency response personnel should befamiliar with the Incident Command Systemdesign and have a thorough understanding oftheir individual roles within the system.

TECHNICAL RESCUE SAFETYTechnical rescue incidents, even more than

many other types of incidents, can pose significanthazard to rescuers as well as the individuals they

9 - 4

are attempting to rescue. Accordingly, it is impor-tant for the Incident Commander to assign anIncident Safety Officer to monitor scene safety,,verify that safe and proper procedures are used atall times, and notify the Incident Commander ofany safety concerns. The technical rescue teamshould have one or more individuals within theteam who are qualified to act as safety officers. Incertain situations, the Incident Safety Officer wouldretain the overall responsibility for incident safetywhile the technical rescue team’s own safety officer

TECHNICAL RESCUE INCIDENT COMMAND AND SAFETY

would oversee the technical rescue operations. Inthis case the Technical Rescue Safety Officer(s)(who should be trained to the technical rescuelevel) should be assigned to work under theTechnical Rescue Branch Officer and coordinateactivities with the Incident Safety Officer.

Figure 9-4 outlines some of the hazards whichresponders may have to face on different types ofincidents. This is not meant to be an all-inclusivelist but merely an example of factors that an

Figure 9-4. Technical Rescue Hazards

Incident Type

Confined Space

Water

High-Angle

Trench/Cave-in

Industrial

Building Collapse

Some Potential Hazards

Hypo-/hyperthermiaOxygen deficient and toxic atmospheresExposed utilitiesE n t r a p m e n t

HypothermiaE lec t rocu t ionFloating hazards (e.g., logs)Low-head dams (drowning machines)Entrapment in submerged hazardsD r o w n i n gSwift currentsB o a t s

Hypo-/hyperthermiaFalling debrisRope system or equipment failureF a l l sImproper rigging

Exposed utilitiesSecondary collapseH y p o t h e r m i aOxygen deficient atmospheres

High noise environmentsHeavy machineryExposed utilitiesHazardous material releasesF a l l sConf ined spacesStored energy release

Entrapment by falling debris/shoring failureSecondary collapseHypo-/hyperthermiaOxygen deficient atmospheresExposed utilitiesHigh noise environments

9-5

Incident/Sector Safety Officer must consider whenmonitoring a technical rescue evolution.

OUTSIDE SPECIALISTSAt certain technical rescue incidents such as

building collapses, the Incident Commander mayneed to request the assistance of an outsidetechnical specialist to review the scene, provideadditional safety observations, and evaluate theIncident Commander’s action plan. Technicalspecialists, such as structural engineers, may notbe available from within the emergency servicecommunity. Another example might be the use ofplant personnel to describe hazardous environ-ments or to map out confined spaces.

When calling upon outside experts, theIncident Commander must have confidence thatthe individual is competent and qualified to makeassessments of the situation and provide goodadvice. It is desirable to have established relation-ships with individuals who are known to have thedesired expertise and to understand the skills andcapabilities of the technical rescue team.

TRAINING SAFETYThe Incident Command System and safety

officers in particular should be used for all rescue

training evolutions. Training activities ofteninvolve the same types of hazards as real incidents;however, training exercises provide the opportu-nity to identify, evaluate, and take appropriatesteps to control the hazards before initiating anyactivities. Unfortunately, there are numerousexamples of training exercises that resulted ininjuries or fatalities because adequate safety andincident command measures were not taken.Technical rescue training is no place for a cavalierattitude. Failure to conform to proper trainingsafety protocols is inexcusable and may result inpersonal or departmental liability judgments.

All technical rescue training evolutions shouldbe performed under the rigorous scrutiny of a safetyofficer operating within an ICS. Since all technicalrescue operations will take place in real life usingan ICS, it is logical to use an ICS for the trainingevolutions. Aside from maintaining the highsafety standards, the increased exposure to theapplication of the ICS is valuable training in itself.

Obviously, training evolutions, like small scaleincidents, will not require the fully expanded ICSthat a real incident might generate; however, at aminimum there should always be an IncidentCommander and an Incident Safety Officer.

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CHAPTER 10: TECHNICAL RESCUE MUTUAL AID

utual aid is a very practical and costeffective method to manage fire, EMS, oreven technical rescue service response.

Mutual aid is cooperative effort by participatingjurisdictions to help one another in day to day ormajor responses. The dynamics of mutual aidagreements have changed dramatically over thepast few years. Large scale disasters in highlypopulated urbanized areas of the United States,including the Oklahoma City bombing, haverenewed interest in the coordination of multi-agency forces in the handling of emergencyincidents. These events have made emergencymanagers realize that the management of mutualaid forces are essential to handle a large-scaledisaster.

Multi-agency mutual aid technical rescueteams have been started in many communitiesacross the country. Because of the low frequencyof technical rescue incidents compared to fire andEMS incidents, many communities have foundthat it is difficult to justify a rescue team in theirown jurisdiction but important to have the capabil-ity when it is needed. In many cases, communitieshave set up regional teams that are available torespond to any participating jurisdiction through amutual aid system.

This chapter discusses some of the consider-ations that are necessary when forming an inter-agency or regional mutual aid technical rescueresponse system.

CONSIDERATIONS WHEN FORMING AMUTUAL AID TEAM

Below is a list of some considerations you maywant to make before starting a technical rescuemutual aid team. Note that technical rescuemutual aid systems are very similar to firefightingmutual aid systems many communities alreadyhave established.

There must be a recognition of a commonneed among a group of jurisdictions formutual aid services. The first factor indetermining if a shared resource system isappropriate is to determine if both (or all) ofthe communities will mutually benefit fromthe sharing of resources.

The agencies and communities must bewilling to participate in a joint venture. It isessential to have or to establish a high level ofcompatibility and trust among the agenciesthat are attempting to join forces. Unfortu-nately, the priorities, cultures, and traditions ofmany organizations can provide insurmount-able obstacles in establishing effective systems.These obstacles can be at any level, fromelected officials, to managers and chief officers,to labor organizations or rival companies.

There must be agreement on the fundingapproach or formula for the mutual aid system.Different agencies may have different abilitiesto fund shared costs. There are numerousways to work out creative reimbursementsystems that attempt to reach equity in sharingthese costs, including consideration of in-kindservices such as vehicle maintenance, commu-nications and dispatching, training, and otherfunctions. As long as the parties agree to whatis fair and reasonable, this problem can beresolved in a host of ways. The key is toestablish an understanding or agreement that isacceptable and approved by the participatingjurisdictions.

The participating agencies must agree tosupport a system of standard operating proce-dures that will apply in any situation where amulti-agency team would respond and operate.

Geography can also impact on the feasibilityof a multi-agency program. Response time anddistance must be considered for functions thatrequire rapid intervention.

One agency in a region could already have atechnical rescue capability which could beavailable to other jurisdictions under a contractor multi-agency agreement. The agency thatprovides this service may seek monetarysupport form the other jurisdictions, or it maychoose to provide this service at no charge.

MUTUAL AID SYSTEM DESIGNSThere are three common designs of regional

mutual aid structures: the “pooled resources de-sign,” the “shared specialty design,” and the“standalone design.” The pooled resources designrefers to a system where several departments orjurisdictions provide personnel, resources, and/or

TECHNICAL RESCUE MUTUAL AID

10-2

funding to organize and operate a team. The sharedspecialty design refers to a system where indi-vidual jurisdictions provide individual specialtyteams, such as one providing a dive rescue teamwhile another provides a confined space rescueteam. The standalone design refers to a systemwhere one jurisdiction has a specialized capabilityand may charge other jurisdictions for its servicesas a means of recovering the cost.

Any of these designs can incorporate itself into atiered response, as described in Chapter 1, in whichall personnel in a region have basic (awareness level)training in technical rescue and know when to callfor the regional response team that has advancedtraining and capabilities for complex situations.

COMPONENTS OF A REGIONAL TIEREDRESPONSE SYSTEM

An effective regional or mutual aid teamutilizing a tiered response must be able to inte-grate its operations within the incident manage-ment organization established by the first respond-ers. Several organizational components areimportant to the success of this type of system.

There must be a commonly accepted stan-dard operating procedure that guides a tieredresponse. Initial responders must be trained inthe detection and assessment of the situation sothat proper notification and activation of thespecial team is carried out.

All workers must be familiar with SOPS,tools, equipment, and safety measures. The keycomponent of an effective regional team conceptis the ability of the specialized team to integrateits operations within the scene organizationestablished by first responders.

A standard approach to incident commandprovides the framework for different agencies tointegrate their operations at an incident. Itsproper application and the discipline with whichemergency workers utilize this process will makeor break the effectiveness of the regional teamconcept.

There must be an effective radio communica-tions system which allows all responders toaccess the same channel (or a patched channel) atan incident.

Interagency training several times a yearwill prepare rescuers for an interagency response.In addition to rescue team training, all responders

should be trained as to what to expect when theregional rescue team arrives at an emergencyscene. Preparedness is vital to making a regionalsystem work efficiently.

INCIDENT COMMAND ANDINTERAGENCY RESPONSE

The agency having jurisdiction always main-tains the overriding authority and responsibilityfor control of the incident. The agency havingjurisdiction may delegate the management ofoperations to a better equipped or more qualifiedresponding agency, but it is ultimately responsiblefor what happens in its own jurisdiction. Theincident command structure should be outlined ina mutual aid agreement and it should specify howthe system will be structured, how each agencywill interact with another within the system, andwho is ultimately in charge.

The overriding intent of the incident com-mand system is to provide an integrated manage-ment system to handle large-scale events. Thisstructure should be standardized among all thejurisdictions participating in mutual aid. It may bedesigned around a unified command structurewhich is used when different agencies are respon-sible for different aspects of the situation. In mosttechnical rescue mutual aid situations, a technicalrescue team would normally be assigned as agroup within the incident management system.The Technical Rescue Team Leader would assigndifferent functions to individual team members.(Refer to Chapter 9 for a more detailed discussionof technical rescue incident command.)

MUTUAL AID AGREEMENTSMost governmental agencies are authorized to

establish mutual aid relationships or cooperativeagreements with other agencies including local,state, Federal, military, private, or internationalentities. The specific features of an individualagreement are defined by the needs and desires ofthe participants. The following is a list of issuesthat each agreement should address:

Agencies involved in the agreement

Jurisdictional authority and service areas

Descriptions of services provided

Activation or requesting processReporting and documentation process

10-3Reimbursable costs or fees for service

Refusal options

Liability provisionsEmployee injuries &workers compensationDamaged equipmentDamaged personal propertyLegal costs

Term of the agreementTermination provisions

Mutual aid agreements provide the legalauthorization for a jurisdiction’s resources to beutilized outside of its boundaries. They should besupported by SOPS and guidelines that define howoperations will be conducted. An operationalguide of this type should address the followingprovisions:

Standard description of vehicles andequipment

Staffing levels and training competenciesResponse protocols (unit assignments)

Command structure (including passingand assuming command)

Unit identification and personnel desig-nations

Radio communication procedures andnomenclatureEquipment placement and report-inproceduresField operating procedures

Personnel accountability, rehabilitationand medical monitoring

Incident reporting and press releasesJoint training evolutions

Refer to Appendix A for sample mutual aidagreements.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THEFIRST RESPONDER

In most technical rescue incidents, a technicalrescue team unit will not be the first unit to arriveon the scene. Instead, the technical rescue teamwould be dispatched to support fire suppressionand/or EMS units that would be the first respond-ers to the technical rescue emergency incident.

The first responder units may only have thetraining to perform a basic assessment of thesituation and to initiate basic emergency actions,but often their role is crucial in beginning to

stabilize the incident and preparing for the arrivalof the technical rescue team. In this case, theymust know what to do and what not to do untilthe rescue team arrives. The degree of interactionthat takes place between first response units andincoming technical rescue teams will have a directimpact upon the overall effectiveness of themanagement of the scene.

First responders may have a tendency tominimize pre-arrival radio communications withan incoming technical rescue team for fear thatthey will appear less knowledgeable than thetechnical experts regarding the particular situa-tion. (This may be more common when the firstresponders are not familiar with the incomingrescue team.) It is important for first responders tobe trained in sizing-up the situation and reportingtheir observations to technical rescue teams whilethey are en route or when they arrive on the scene.First responders should be able to report thenature of the incident and the level of responsethat is necessary, as well as the potential forsecondary collapse and other identified hazards.

In many cases, the primary responsibilities ofthe first responders are to recognize the character-istics of the call, identify the type and level ofspecialist response that is necessary, cordon off thehazard zone, and ensure the safety of the firstresponders by minimizing their risk of exposure.There are situations, however, where the firstresponders may take important actions to rescueor protect endangered persons within the limits oftheir capabilities.

The time factor may ultimately dictate thedegree of involvement that first responders willhave in mitigating a situation. The rescue ofvictims is the first priority of any emergencyresponder, It is critical for first responders tounderstand the hazards presented by the incidentbefore committing themselves to a rescue attempt.

Training evolutions are extremely helpful intraining first responders. Simulations can be de-signed in which first responders are required toobserve and report as much of the relevant informa-tion as possible. These simulations can utilizepictures or video to present the information. Firstresponding officers are given the task of reportingwhat they see and also determining what they can or

TECHNICAL RESCUE MUTUAL AID

10-4

should do in each situation. The first responderscan also simulate a verbal report of their observa-tions and the technical rescue team could practicemaking a “size-up” without seeing the visual.Through this type of training, the workers are ableto develop effective working relationships. Ifmembers of different agencies are expected towork as an effective unit, they must be able todevelop a degree of familiarity and confidence ineach other. Dialogue is a key to initiating a suc-cessful operation and ensuring that a properexecution of the mission will follow.

CONSIDERATIONS WHENRECEIVING TECHNICAL RESCUEMUTUAL AID ASSISTANCE

The first responders to a technical rescueemergency will determine if they are capable andequipped to handle the incident or if they willneed the assistance of a specialty rescue team. Theadvanced team may be responding from anotherjurisdiction and there may be a substantial delaybefore they arrive.

Below is a list of actions that first respondersshould consider while waiting for a technicalrescue team to arrive:

Collect as much information about whathappened as possible. Find out how theaccident occurred, and how many victims needassistance. If victims are missing, find outwhere and when they were last seen. Thisinformation should be relayed to the incomingrescue team or be ready when they arrive.

Establish communications with incomingmutual aid units, This will allow the on-sceneunits to convey vital information to incomingunits and it will allow the incoming units togive instructions to the on-scene units for

actions they should take until the incomingunits arrive.

Secure the scene and remove hazards.Cordon off the scene and remove anybystanders who are in the way of rescuers. Tothe extent possible, remove any hazards or atleast make note of any hazards so that incom-ing rescuers can be made aware of them.

Prepare an arrival area for incoming mutualaid units. Find out how much space they willneed and the number of vehicles they arebringing. If necessary, designate a staging area.

Set up any support resources. It may bepossible to set up support resources that willbe necessary to handle the incident before therescue team arrives. Call for additional person-nel to support the rescue team, set up lighting,request an air support unit, have food, drinksand shelter space ready for rescuers, obtainadditional wood for cribbing, call for heavyequipment and equipment operators, etc. Theincoming units can advise while en route ofspecial resources they anticipate needing upontheir arrival.

Have EMS personnel standing by. Inextended operations, it may be advantageousto have an emergency physician on scene toassist. Notify the hospital of the situation,number of victims involved, and the natureand extent of injuries. Request a medevachelicopter if needed.

Make other notifications as necessary.Other agencies may have to be notified of thisincident including your state OSHA office.

Establish the command system. Anyadvanced rescue operation should be con-ducted within the framework of the incidentcommand system (refer to Chapter 9). Thecommand system can be in place beforeoutside rescuers arrive.

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CHAPTER 11: THE NATIONAL URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUERESPONSE SYSTEM

n the past few years, there has been wide-spread publicity about the Federal Emer-gency Management Agency’s (FEMA)

Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) program. Thisprogram has been used to provide expert technicalrescue teams after major disasters includingHurricane Andrew, Hurricane Iniki, theNorthridge, California Earthquake and theOklahoma City Federal building bombing.Eleven US&R teams, called Task Forces, weredispatched to Oklahoma City in April 1995 toassist with search and rescue at the collapsedFederal building.

This chapter provides an overview of theFEMA Urban Search and Rescue program andshows how this Federal program interfaces withlocal fire departments in times of disaster. It alsodiscusses the process by which you could request aFEMA rescue team in a real disaster.

THE FEMA US&R SYSTEMThe Federal Emergency Management Agency

coordinates the National Urban Search and RescueResponse System. This system currently com-prises a network of 25 specially equipped andtrained US&R Task Forces from localities acrossthe country which can be requested to provideassistance at large-scale disaster (see Figure 11-l).The Task Forces in the system are deployed byFEMA when requested by a state or locality. Othercomponents of the system include Incident Sup-port Teams (ISTs) and technical specialists in theurban search and rescue field.

Figure 11-l. Locations of FEMAUS&R Tusk Forces

The FEMA US&R Response System is de-signed to provide a coordinated response todisasters in the urban environment. Specialemphasis is placed on the capability to locate andextricate victims trapped in collapsed structures,primarily of reinforced concrete construction. Thefollowing list illustrates some the principal TaskForce operational capabilities:

Physical and technical search and rescueoperations in damaged collapsed structures

Emergency medical care to Task Force responsepersonnel

Emergency medical care to the entrapped victims

Reconnaissance to assess damage andneeds and provide feedback to local, state, andFederal officials

Assessment/shut off of utilities to houses,buildings

Hazardous materials surveys/evaluations

Structural/hazard evaluations ofgovernment municipal buildings needed forimmediate occupancy to support disaster reliefoperations

Stabilizing damaged structures, includingshoring and cribbing necessary to operatewithin a structure

Each FEMA US&R Task Force contains 62specially trained personnel. A Task Force isdesigned to be logistically self-sufficient for thefirst 72 hours of operation and to be able to func-tion for up to 10 days before being replaced byanother Task Force. The 62 person Task Forcedivides into two groups, each of which operates in12 hour shifts on the scene. One group workswhile the other rests. All Task Force membersmust be sufficiently cross-trained in their searchand rescue skill areas to ensure depth of capabilityand integrated Task Force operations. By design,there are two personnel assigned to each identifiedTask Force position for the rotation and relief ofpersonnel. This allows for round-the-clock TaskForce operation.

Each Task Force brings its own equipmentcache to the scene. This cache is described in detaillater in this chapter. The Task Force functionalorganization, operating procedures, and associated

THE NATIONAL URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE RESPONSE SYSTEM11-2

terminology are compatible with the NationalInteragency Incident Management System.

Each Task Force is designed to be able to berapidly deployed in an emergency. All membersmust meet a six-hour window for mobilization.Depending on the location of the disaster, a TaskForce will respond to the scene either by groundusing its own trucks, or via a military or civilianaircraft. In general, an initial Task Force can be atthe scene of a disaster within 24 hours anywhere inthe contiguous states.

When the Task Forces are not on a FEMAnational response, they function as technical rescueteams in their own communities and, in manycases, serve as regional or state-wide rescue teams.

Task Force Component TeamsDisaster response experience has demon-

strated the need for expertise and capabilities infour areas: search, rescue, medical, and technicalassistance. To address this need, each of FEMA’sUS&R Task Forces is divided into four teams withskills in each of these areas.

Search Team. The primary focus of theSearch Team. is to locate live victims trapped incollapsed structures. The team must providecanine, electronic and physical search strategies,and other search tactics and techniques to locatetrapped victims.

Rescue Team. The primary responsibilities ofthe Rescue Team are the evaluation of compro-mised areas, structural stabilization, breachingand site exploration, and live victim extrication.

Medical Team. The Medical Team is designedto provide sophisticated and possibly prolongedpre-hospital and emergency medical care atrescue sites. The medical personnel are alsoresponsible for minimizing health and safetyrisks, critical incident stress debriefing, caring forsick team members, and providing treatment forTask Force personnel exposed to hazardousmaterials. In addition, the medical personnelmust be capable of providing treatment to theSearch Team canine.

The treatment priorities for the Task ForceMedical Team are:

First: Task Force members and supportpersonnel

Second: Victims directly encountered bythe Task Force

Third: Task Force search canine

Fourth: Other victims as possible (it is not theintent of this team to be a free-standing medicalresource at the disaster site)

Local medical systems are the primary provid-ers of general medical care to disaster victims. Itis recognized that the Task Force Medical Teammay have to “hand off” a potentially unstablepatient to a less equipped interim level of medicalprovider for transport to definitive care. This isconsidered to be standard practice under thecircumstances of disaster operations,

Technical Team. The Technical Team iscomprised of specialists that support the overallsearch and rescue mission of the Task Force. Theprimary responsibilities of the Technical Team areto provide an evaluation of hazardous or compro-mised areas, structural assessment, stabilizationadvice, and hazardous materials monitoring. Theteam also functions as the liaison with localemergency responders, coordinates communica-tions and logistics, and documents the incidentfor the Task Force.

US&R Task Force Equipment CacheEach Task Force is supported by a comprehen-

sive equipment cache that weighs over 30,000pounds and which allows the Task Force to be self-sufficient for immediate operations.

A US&R Task Force equipment cache includesover 1,200 items. The following illustrates thecomprehensive nature of a US&R equipment cache:

Rescue Equipment GroupElectric generatorsPneumatic air compressorsPower toolsHand toolsElectrical equipmentLightingMaintenance itemsRope/rigging equipmentSafety equipmentSearch camerasSeismic/acoustic listening devices

Medical Equipment GroupMedicinesIV fluids/volume expandersImmunizations/immune globulinCanine treatmentAirway equipmentEye care supplies

IV access/administrationPatient assessment itemsPatient immobilizationPatient/personal protectionSkeletal care itemsWound care itemsCardiac monitoring equipment

Communications Equipment GroupPortable radiosCharging unitsTelecommunications itemsRepeatersAccessoriesBatteriesPower sourcesSmall tools

Technical Equipment GroupStructures Specialist itemsTech Info Specialist itemsHazmat Specialist itemsTech Search Specialist items

Logistics Equipment GroupWater/fluidsFoodShelter itemsSanitation equipmentPersonal safety gearAdministrative support itemsPersonal gear

THE INTERFACE BETWEEN A LOCALITYAND A FEMA US&R TASK FORCE

The sudden devastation in Oklahoma Cityfollowing the bombing of the Federal buildingcreated a disaster scene which had the potential tooverwhelm local response resources. Within hoursof the incident, there was an outpouring of supportfrom fire departments, EMS departments, hospitals,and other groups around the state and region.

After the patients who could be immediatelyremoved from the structure were transported tohospitals, the fire department began to address themassive tasks of stabilizing the building, removingdebris, and searching for other victims. FEMA’sUS&R Program provided supplemental resources tohelp the locality deal with these tasks. This sectiondiscusses how a state or locality interfaces withFEMA’s US&R program and other Federal disasterprograms. It also describes the process for request-ing the assistance of a FEMA US&R Task Force.

11-3

The Federal Response PlanThe Federal Response Plan is the Federal

government’s plan of action for responding to majordisasters. It addresses the consequences of anyincident or emergency situation in which there is aneed for Federal response assistance. FEMA’sUS&R program is one component of the FederalResponse Plan.

The Plan is applicable to natural disasters suchas earthquakes, hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes, andvolcanic eruptions; technological emergenciesinvolving radiological or hazardous materialsreleases; and other incidents requiring Federalassistance which fulfill the following criteria:

The State and local response capabilities areoverhelmed;

The State government requests Federalassistance; and

The President formally declares that adisaster or emergency has occurred, activatingthe disaster assistance authority outlined in TheRobert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and EmergencyAct, Public Law 93-288, as amended.

The Plan describes the basic mechanisms andstructures by which the Federal government willmobilize resources and conduct activities toaugment State and local response efforts. Federalassistance is provided to the affected State underthe overall coordination of a Federal CoordinatingOfficer (FCO) appointed by the Director of theFederal Emergency Management Agency on behalfof the President. The Plan groups the types ofFederal assistance which a State is most likely toneed under 12 emergency support functions (ESFs)(see Figure 11-2). A Federal agency is assigned tocoordinate each ESF Each agency has beenselected based on its legal authorities, resources,and capabilities. Other agencies have been desig-nated as support agencies for one or more ESFs. Inthe Federal Response Plan, urban search andrescue is ESF-9.

The Process for a State or Locality toRequest Assistance from a FEMAUS&R Team

States or localities can request Federal emer-gency assistance during a time of disaster. Theprocess for requesting assistance from a Federally-sponsored US&R Task Force is similar to anyFederal emergency assistance request originating

11-4

Figure 11-2. Emergency Support Functions

FUNCTIONAL ANNEXESEmergency Annex Primarysupport AgencyFunction

ESF-1

ESF-2

ESF3

ESF-4

ESF-5

ESF-6ESF-7

ESF-8

ESF-9

ESF-10

ESF-11

ESF-12

Transportation Department ofTransportation

Communications National Communi--cations system

Public Works and Department ofEngineerlng Defense (Corps of

Engineers)Flreflghtlng Department of

Agriculture (Forest

Information and FEMAPlanningMass Care American Red CrossResource Support General Servlces

AdminIstratIonHealth and D.H.H.S., U.S. PublicMedical Services Health ServiceUrban Search FEMAand RescueHazardous EnvironmentalMaterlals Protection

AgencyFood Department of

AgricultureEnergy Department of

Energy

at the state or local level. State emergency coordina-tors are usually familiar with this process, but belowis an overview of the process for requesting theassistance of a FEMA US&R Task Force.

A formal request for assistance must beforwarded to FEMA by the Governor of the state,who may be acting on the formal request of localauthorities. The Federal government must autho-rize assistance before Federal support is given.The authorization process can take a few hours toseveral days, depending on the nature of theemergency. The request must be made formally inwriting, but an initial verbal request followed by awritten request later can be accepted when there isa sudden onset emergency. Requests for Federalassistance should specify the type of resourcesdesired (e.g. US&R assets). If the request for US&RTask Force assistance is approved, FEMA willactivate its US&R emergency support function, ESF-9. FEMA then dispatches an Incident Support Team

THE NATIONAL URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE RESPONSE SYSTEM

(described further in the next section) and selectedUS&R teams to the scene as deemed necessary.

US&R lncldent Support Team (IST)An IST consists of highly qualified rescue

experts who are readily available for rapid assem-bly and deployment to a disaster area. Its primaryresponsibility is field coordination of US&R assetsdispatched in support of a local jurisdiction. Uponrequest of US&R assistance, the IST is immediatelydispatched to a disaster scene and in some casesmay be the first arriving US&R support. It doesnot directly manage State or local disaster re-sponse activities, but assists local authorities. TheIST coordinates all Task Force activities prior totheir assignment to state/local jurisdictions. Otherresponsibilities of the IST include:

Executing the mission assigned by FEMAand the state or locality

Coordinating logistical support for theTask Forces, including resupply and coordinat-ing transportation through other Federaldepartments/agencies

Ordering additional resources

Coordinating actions with other ESFs inthe field (e.g. ESF-8 for Disaster MedicalAssistance Teams and Disaster MortuaryTeams)

Providing input for the situation report,incident action plan, briefings, resource statusreports, historical documentation, and otherinformation management

Developing demobilization plans andexecuting demobilization of Task Forces

Collecting information from the US&Rliaisons, Task Force support specialists andUS&R technical specialists

Ensuring that personnel processingprocedures are followed, and that personnelwell being is assessed

Providing cost estimates on US&Roperations

1ST Organizational Structure

The initial response of a US&R Incident SupportTeam will be comprised of the following nine corepositions as shown in Figure 11-3.

Initially the Incident Support Team is mobilizedwith the nine personnel described above. As the

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Figure 11-3. Initial Incident Support Team (IST) Response Unit Organization

complexity and duration of an event escalate, it may situation assessment, information about theirbe necessary to augment sections of it as the duties Federal and State points of contact at the variousand responsibilities of the team expand. Figure 11-4 facilities, mission orders, and relevant procedures.illustrates the organizational structure of a fullystaffed Incident Support Team. The IST will dispatch personnel to the Task

Force Point of Arrival, Mobilization Center, local

IST OperationsUpon arrival of the IST, the IST Leader will

make assignments and prepare for IST personnelto deploy to the field. Prior to deployment, ISTpersonnel receive a briefing, including initial

Incident Command Post(s) or other areas in orderto provide support and coordination with facilitymanagers. IST personnel are familiar with thesupporting Federal agencies. For instance, theywill coordinate with the Department of Defense

Figure 11-4. Expanded IST Response Unit Organization

THE NATIONAL URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE RESPONSE SYSTEM

l l - 6representatives at the Point of Arrival to arrangeTask Force ground transportation, logistical supportfor Task Force personnel needs, briefings, support foroff-loading equipment, and other activities toexpedite the movement of the Task Forces to the nextassigned facility.

The IST specialist assigned to the FederalMobilization Center (set up near the incident) willwork with the assigned Federal agency manager toensure that billeting and food service is in place forthe Task Forces. The IST specialist will work withESF-1 to arrange transportation to and from theincident area for the Task Forces. The specialistwill collect current data and will brief the TaskForce Leaders and management staff. Other ISTpersonnel may be dispatched to Federal, State, andlocal emergency operations centers in order toprovide technical information on the US&R TaskForce capabilities and to coordinate the appropri-ate application of these resources. IST personnelassist in planning US&R operations and developrequests for additional resources and forwardthem to FEMA Headquarters.

Command and Control of a US&RTask Force

Management of the US&R Task Forceschanges during the initial operations. The devel-opment of the national Urban Search and RescueResponse Program is founded upon the Task Forcebeing a response capability for the requestingjurisdiction. During the notification and initialdeployment phase, FEMA Headquarters maintainsoverall command and control of the teams andtheir assets. The Task Force is under control ofFEMA, through the Incident Support Team, whileen route to the affected locality. Once on scene andassigned to an incident/location, the Task Forcereports to the authority of the local jurisdictionuntil released from its assignment. IST personnelwill work with the local Incident Commander toensure that command objectives are clearly com-municated to US&R Task Forces. Control thenreverts to FEMA for reassignment to anotherlocality or demobilization home.

The central point of supervision and coordina-tion of a Task Force is the Task Force Leader.Generally this position is held by a Deputy Chief orAssistant Chief from the sponsoring department.The Task Force Leader must meld the separate

disciplines of search, rescue, medical, and technicalpersonnel into an integrated response unit. TheTask Force Leader must also coordinate logisticswith the IST and implement strategic and tacticalassignments. In cases where multiple Task Forcesare employed, overall coordination of US&R opera-tions in the field is the responsibility of the IST

Resources Which a US&R Task ForceNeeds from Receiving Jurisdiction

A FEMA US&R Task Force has been devel-oped to be as self-sufficient as possible in an effortto minimize its impact on the locality requestingassistance. A jurisdiction impacted by a disasterdoes not need the additional responsibilities ofhaving to provide food services, billeting, andequipment for incoming Task Forces.

The Task Forces cannot operate in a vacuum,however. The local jurisdiction will need toprovide the following:

Clear identification of the receivingjurisdiction‘s command structure. One of themost important pieces of information that anincoming Task Force Leader will want to knowis to whom he is to directly report (i.e., IncidentCommander, Section, Branch or DivisionOfficer, Sector Officer).

Clear identification of a tactical assignmentand location. This should include any size upor damage information, types of structure(s)involved, knowledge of victim entrapment/locations, etc. It would be most beneficialfor the locality to provide the Task Force withlocal maps of the area as well as pertinentbuilding plans and/or structural drawings.

Coordination assistance from local utilitycompanies and the local medical director

Other Considerations When Receivinga US&R Task Force

There are some financial considerations that alocality should plan for in their disaster preparations.

An affected locality, once aware that the scopeof the event is beyond their capabilities, requestsassistance from the state. Subsequently, once thestate is aware that the requirements of the eventare also beyond its capabilities, a request forassistance is made to the Federal government. Bylaw, any request for Federal assistance must be madeby the affected state. Under the provisions of the

11-7

Stafford Act, once the request has been approved bythe President, response and recovery costs are splitbetween the Federal government and the requestingstate. Currently, the ratio of funding responsibility is75%/25%, Federal to state. The President maydecide to change the ratio to 90%/10%, or incertain cases, the Federal government mayprovide 100% funding.

Currently a locality that requests a US&R TaskForce may not have to pay any costs for its ser-vices. The affected state is usually responsible for

its share. This should be determined in conjunc-tion with the appropriate state emergency manage-ment agency. Transportation for a Task Force, bothen route and return home, is handled by FEMA,usually in conjunction with the U.S. Air Force. Thehome jurisdiction of a responding Task Force billsall costs for the deployment of their Task Forcedirectly to FEMA for reimbursement. Therefore, arequesting locality does not have to provide initialfunding nor request reimbursement from the Federalgovernment for US&R Task Force assistance.

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CHAPTER 12: PROFILES OF TECHNICAL RESCUE TEAMS

he following section provides some insightinto the structure and organization ofseveral existing rescue teams across the

country. Some of these teams are well established;others are in their infancy. They serve as examplesas to how different organizations recognized aneed for specialized rescue, established the neces-sary support systems, and overcame the manydiverse challenges that all teams must facebefore they are ready to respond to technicalrescue incidents.

Some of the teams discussed here wereformed from within existing fire departments thatwanted to enhance their rescue capabilities inspecific areas. Other teams utilize personnel andequipment from several different departments toform consolidated teams. Some of the teams arenot fire department based, but have found aparticular niche for their technical rescue capabili-ties.

FAIRFAX COUNTY (VA) FIRE ANDRESCUE DEPARTMENT

The Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Departmentwas one of the first departments to institute aformal technical rescue team in the nation. Thecombination department staffs the team with bothcareer and volunteer personnel. The team beganas a single discipline trench rescue team in theearly 1980s when the department was experienc-ing the occurrence of trench collapse incidentswhich it was not prepared to handle. This was dueto the tremendous increase in commercial andresidential construction in the building boom atthat time.

In 1982, the department conducted rescueoperations at a fatal trench collapse that receivedwide local media coverage. The notoriety of thisincident, coupled with a request to the CountyBoard of Supervisors, resulted in the initial appro-priation of $90,000 to address training and equip-ment procurement for trench rescue operations.The first trench rescue class was conducted in 1983for both career and volunteer personnel.

Shoreform sheeting panels, oak shoring,pneumatic jacks, and other appropriate equipment

was purchased for the team. The departmentidentified two of the 30 fire stations as havingresponsibility for trench rescue operations. Per-sonnel at these stations staff two of the County’sseven heavy rescue squads assuming primaryresponsibility for these operations. In addition, ajoint partnership was explored with a local tradegroup, the Heavy Construction Contractors’Association (HCCA), which provided funding fora tow vehicle for one of the two l&foot enclosedtrailers used to store and transport the majority ofthe trench rescue equipment.

Over the next several years, the emergingteam began to handle not only trench rescueoperations but also other functions. As such, thescope of the trench rescue team was broadened toinclude other tactical responsibilities. In 1986, theteam’s responsibilities were formally broadenedto include structural collapse, confined space,high angle/advanced rope operations and bus/metrorail extrications. The team’s name waschanged to the Technical Rescue Team to reflectits new capabilities.

In addition, a third station staffed withcertified personnel was added to the program.Minimum staffing requirements were mandatedfor the three heavy rescue squads at the “TechRescue” stations, requiring all personnel to be TechRescue certified. Dispatch algorithms weredeveloped for various technical rescue-typeincidents. The standard dispatch, along with theusual complement of engines, trucks, and BLS/ALS units is the two closest Tech Rescue Squadsand one of the two tow unit/equipment trailers forany technical rescue incident. With minimumstaffing requiring three Tech Rescue certifiedpersonnel on each squad and two on the tow unit/trailer, a minimum of at least eight certifiedpersonnel are assured immediately on any techni-cal rescue incident.

Initial training for new team members consistsof four modules spanning a total of ten days (80hours) as shown in Figure 7-2. Full team trainingfor on-duty members is conducted on a recurringbasis every other month. Tech Rescue units areplaced out of service and conduct classroom and

PROFILES OF TECHNICAL RESCUE TEAMS

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practical training at the Fire & Rescue TrainingAcademy. This recurring bi-monthly full scaletraining is alternated with shorter two-hour practicalsessions. A training officer is sent to the three TechRescue stations on the alternate months to conductthis training. All training is replicated on each of thethree shifts.

In 1987, the Fairfax County and Metro-Dade(FL) technical rescue teams were approached bythe Federal Office of Foreign Disaster Assistanceto function as its international disaster responseteams. In 1990, the department became involvedin the initial development of FEMA’s UrbanSearch and Rescue Response System for domes-tic disaster response.

The complement of three fully staffed andequipped Tech Rescue heavy rescue squads andtwo identically equipped equipment trailers isbacked up by a comprehensive disaster responsecache valued at approximately $600,000. Thedisaster cache is available for local, national orinternational response. The 110 technical rescueresponse personnel are composed primarily ofcareer and volunteer members and augmentedwith non-department specialist volunteers (i.e.,canine handlers, structural engineers, emergencytrauma physicians, etc.).

LOS ANGELES COUNTY (CA) FIREDEPARTMENT

The Los Angeles County Fire Department’stechnical rescue team, termed the Urban Searchand Rescue (US&R) Team, is designed aroundcareer staffing of nine truck companies withcertified rescue personnel. It works in concertwith the department’s Air Operations (helicopter)Unit. In addition, a primary response unit, US&R1, responds countywide on all technical rescueincidents. This complement is augmented withnine support trailers carrying additional shoring,generators, lighting and support equipment. Theteam is responsible for trench collapse, structuralcollapse, aircraft crashes, bus/metro rail incidents,swift water rescue, confined space rescue, andhelicopter operations.

Los Angeles County maintains three levels oftechnical rescue training. All department person-nel are trained to Level I (awareness level). Thecertified personnel staffing the nine US&R truck

companies are trained to Level II (specialist), whilethe personnel staffing the primary US&R 1 unit areLevel III (instructor level). The department cur-rently maintains approximately 350 Level IIpersonnel backed up by 60 Level III. Personnelexpressing interest in joining the team must haveattained prior certification on their own in state-certified Rescue Systems I and II, Swift WaterRescue I and II, and a 16-hour trench rescue class.

Continuing education training is scheduled ona two-year cycle. Level II personnel are providedtraining on a quarterly basis throughout this cycle.An 8-hour training session per quarter is con-ducted with personnel attending off duty. Eightseparate quarterly sessions are conducted over thecourse of the two-year schedule with confinedspace and water rescue modules being given onceeach year (twice per two-year cycle). Level IIIpersonnel attend 8-hour sessions off duty on amonthly basis.

Los Angeles County Fire Department alsosponsors a full FEMA US&R Task Force which hasdeveloped and procured a full response equipmentcache and formally operated during theNorthridge earthquake in Southern California inJanuary 1994 and the Oklahoma City bombing inApril 1995.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY (MD) DEPART-MENT OF FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICES

The fire and rescue departments of Montgom-ery County, Maryland, provide technical rescueservices through a combination of career andvolunteer personnel from 19 fire departments andrescue squads from 34 stations. The countyDepartment of Fire and Rescue Services coordi-nates several different technical rescue teams.

The Montgomery County Department of Fireand Rescue Services’ Collapse Rescue Team is acombination career and volunteer technical rescueteam sponsored by the Rockville Volunteer FireDepartment. The team is responsible for trenchrescue, structural collapse, confined space andmass casualty incidents. The program is managedby a 10-person management core group, and thedepartment currently maintains approximately 120certified personnel. The collapse rescue team ispart of the county’s FEMA US&R Task Force.

Initial certification training for new membersconsists of students having prerequisite attendanceat the county fire-rescue training academy’s 60-hour Practical Rescue training course. This isfollowed by specialized team training: 40 hours oftrench rescue training, 40 hours of structuralcollapse training, and 24 hours of confined spacetraining. Recurring training consists of weeklytraining sessions conducted every Tuesday forall on-duty certified personnel. As such, each 6-hour session is presented three times to cover allthree shifts.

The team has equipment segregated byfunction which is stored and transported on aplatform on demand (POD) unit. Structuralcollapse, trench rescue, and mass casualty com-prise the three equipment PODS. The departmentalso maintains two 40-foot trailers for disasterresponse US&R missions. The units are placed atseveral different fire stations, where on-dutytrained personnel can respond as necessary.Montgomery County dispatches an initial assign-ment for a confirmed structural collapse or trenchincident of one ALS unit, one engine company, onetruck company, two heavy rescue companies, aduty officer, and the Collapse Rescue Team. Inaddition, the appropriate equipment POD (de-pending upon incident type) and a technicalrescue support unit (incorporating a small crane,shoring lumber, air compressor, etc.) is dispatched.Individual team personnel are contacted anddispatched by personal pager and respond fromtheir assigned stations or from off duty. As such,an initial response for a technical rescue incidentresults in a minimum of 12 certified collapserescue personnel, with additional rescuers avail-able for assignment.

Maryland Task Force 1 responded to a minecollapse in Norton, Virginia, in 1992, and has beenmobilized for mission response for HurricaneEmily in August 1993 and the Northridge earth-quake in Southern California in January 1994. Theteam also responded to the Oklahoma City bomb-ing in April 1995.

A separate team exists for technical roperescue operations. The Montgomery CountyDepartment of Fire and Rescue Services’ SpecialEvacuation Tactics (SET) Team specializes in low-angle, high-angle, and urban rope rescue, and

12-3patient evacuation. The combination career andvolunteer team members must complete the 60hour practical rescue curriculum covering thebasics of rope, trench, confined space, swift water,and extrication. Members then receive additionalspecialized training focusing on rope rescue andrope evacuation techniques. The SET Team has oneweekend training drill per month. All members areEMTs or Paramedics; all the paid personnel and mostof the volunteers are cross-trained as firefighters.

The team is decentralized, with personnelresponding from on or off duty via dispatchedpaging system. The team has performed severalrescues the last few years. Many of their highangle responses are in an urban environment.Team members bring their own cache of personalgear with them; the county will dispatch a heavyrescue squad to provide additional personnel andequipment. The county is currently evaluatingwhether to assign the SET Team to a single station.

The Montgomery County Department of Fireand Rescue Services’ Underwater Rescue Team(URT) performs dive rescue and recovery opera-tions. The team is open to any career or volunteermember that has SCUBA training. Team membersare then trained to national standards for diverescue. The team was initially decentralized, likethe SET Team, but has recently become sponsoredby the Germantown Volunteer Fire Departmentwhere their equipment is now based on a laddercompany and inflatable rescue boat.

A fourth specialized service is water rescue.Several Montgomery County fire departmentshave rescue boats and trained personnel. Special-ized swiftwater rescue is provided by the CabinJohn Park Volunteer Fire Department whichprovides swiftwater and ice rescue to the PotomacRiver. The department has been providing waterrescue to this area for several decades. In the last10 years the Cabin John Park water rescue team,the “River RATS” (River Rescue And TacticalServices), has evolved into a well trained andequipped unit consisting of approximately 40personnel made up from paid and volunteermembers at the department. The team respondsfrom two fire stations. Funding is provided by acombination of county tax funds, state grants,and donations.

PROFILES OF TECHNICAL RESCUE TEAMS

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Team members are trained in emergency care(EMT or paramedic), technical rope rescue, icerescue, water rescue, and boat operations fromlocal rescue and privately-provided programs.Members receive progressive levels of training asboat crews, boat operators, and airboat pilots. Thedepartment has three inflatable rescue boats, oneairboat, two aluminum boats, and two four-by-four boat support unit vehicles, which hold waterrescue and high angle rescue equipment, as well astwo all terrain bicycles for response along themany bike and hiking trails along the river.

Montgomery County recently constructed acollapse rescue training building at their fire andrescue academy. The site consists of severalcollapse rescue operations and a mock collapsedbuilding known as the “Rescue Mall.” This sitehas been used for FEMA US&R Rescue Specialisttraining by several FEMA US&R teams.

CHATTANOOGA-HAMILTON (TN)EMERGENCY SERVICES

The Chattanooga-Hamilton Cave and CliffRescue Unit is part of the Chattanooga-HamiltonCounty Emergency Services. The team providesspecialized rescue for cave and wilderness highangle incidents.

Established in the 1950s to provide caverescue in one of the world’s premier recreationalspelunking areas, the team has evolved into aspecialized unit that has been called for interna-tional response. The team consists of 18 volunteermembers. All members have had at least fiveyears of caving experience and have been recom-mended for the team by the National SpeleologySociety and a local caving club. The team issupported by county tax funds and donations.Team members are alerted by a paging system andrespond in several four-by-four utility vehicles.Members of the team are minimally certified toCave Rescuer 1 and first responder, though manymembers have advanced training. Some teammembers are medical doctors.

CITY OF JACKSON (MS)FIRE DEPARTMENT

The Jackson Fire Department UnderwaterRescue Team performs dive rescue in the City ofJackson and surrounding jurisdictions. The team

consists of 30 members of the municipal firedepartment that respond from their assignedstations in the event of a water rescue.

The team is supported by fire department taxfunds. Members are trained and certified accord-ing to national diving standards. The team hasone response vehicle and several boats.

VIRGINIA BEACH (VA) FIRE DEPARTMENT

The Virginia Beach Fire Department maintainsa career technical rescue team that is also a compo-nent of an overall regional team in the VirginiaTidewater area. The response team is centeredaround staffing five truck companies with certifiedpersonnel backed up by a primary response unit,Tech 1. In addition, a utility support vehicle isavailable as well as a 24-foot trailer carrying trenchrescue equipment and a 40-foot tractor/trailercarrying structural collapse equipment.

The team is part of the Tidewater RegionalHeavy and Tactical Rescue Team, consisting ofrescuers from Virginia Beach, Norfolk, NorfolkNaval Base, Chesapeake, Little Creek, Franklin,and Newport News. The Virginia Beach FireDepartment, in conjunction with the TidewaterRegional Team, sponsors a full FEMA US&R TaskForce. The team conducted Task Force operationsafter the Petersburg, Virginia tornadoes inSeptember 1993 and the Oklahoma City bomb-ing in April 1995.

Initial training for certified personnel consistsof a total of 17 days training in the followingmodules: structural collapse, confined spacerescue, helicopter operations, and advanced roperescue. The team currently maintains approximately100 certified personnel backed up by awarenesstraining for all department personnel. Virginia Beachconducts recurring team training on a quarterly basisand participates in quarterly regional trainingsessions. As such, each team member usuallyreceives 16 hours of training per quarter.

BALTIMORE COUNTY (MD) FIREDEPARTMENT

The Baltimore County Fire Department’sAdvanced Technical Rescue Team (ATRT) wasstarted in the early 1980s in an effort to establish ahigh-rise emergency aerial team in cooperation

12-5with the Maryland State Police Aviation Division.As technical rescue developed, the team incorpo-rated trench rescue, water rescue, and confinedspace rescue. The team grew with the assistance ofseveral grants, including one from Nations Bankfor two search and rescue canines. A 22-foot truckand over $70,000 worth of equipment was alsodonated. The team has two vehicles located at asingle station.

The team consists primarily of members of theBaltimore County Fire Department, supplementedby volunteers from fire companies within Balti-more County. Each shift has 16 ATR Team mem-bers at separate stations. The on-duty teammembers respond when dispatched in staffvehicles from their normal stations; off dutypersonnel respond via pager. The team conductsmonthly training and responds to approximatelytwo dozen calls per year.

The team conducts an annual trench rescuetraining weekend attended by 250 rescuers. TheATR Team has also developed a technical rescueawareness video for all members of the Balti-more County Fire Service. The team has amutual aid agreement with five other jurisdic-tions and can be flown to rescue locations by theMaryland State Police.

FAIRFIELD COUNTY (CT) TECHNICALRESCUE TEAM

The Fairfield County Technical Rescue Teamprovides an example of a team in its infancy. Itdoes not yet have technical rescue responsecapability. Nevertheless, the team provides anexample of a group of rescuers that have identifieda need in their area and are attempting to addressthat need.

The goal of the team members is to providetrench, collapse, confined space, rope, dive, andwater rescue in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Themembers of the team are volunteers from the 20paid and volunteer fire departments in the county.The team is currently funded by providing con-fined space and rescue training to local groups,and it is arranging to have a vehicle donated. Theteam has had difficulty enlisting the support ofmany of the independent fire departments withinthe county.

Members of the team have pursued trainingthrough various agencies, including from staterescue programs. Team members are continuing topush for increased acceptance on the part of thefire departments, with the goal of becoming aconsolidated, countywide team for technicalrescue operations and training.

ST. CHARLES (MO) FIRE DEPARTMENT

The St. Charles Fire Department TechnicalRescue Team was recently formed to perform highangle, confined-space, collapse and trench rescue.The team consists of 24 paid members from the St. Charles Fire Department. It is supported by taxfunds and donated money and equipment.

The Department is slowly phasing in itstechnical rescue abilities. Members are currentlybeing trained in rope rescue techniques. Thedepartment is training with other City agenciessuch as the public works department so that its canbe called in to support on technical rescue inci-dents. The goal of the Department is to be capableof performing all four types of technical rescuewithin two years. The team will be available forlocal and regional service upon request. The firedepartment has purchased a rescue-engine for thestation that will eventually house the team.

St. Charles started their team after realizingthat the citizens of the community expected them tohave the ability to perform these types of rescues.The team hopes that additional funding may beprovided by becoming the emergency response teamfor several local industrial plants.

INDIANAPOLIS (IN) FIRE DEPARTMENT

The City of Indianapolis Fire Department hasdeveloped a special program for training person-nel in technical rescue operations. The BasicEmergency Rescue Technician (BERT) programtrains Indianapolis firefighters in rescue disci-plines including collapse, trench, and confined spacerescue, vehicle and machinery extrication, rope andswiftwater rescue techniques, and search operations.The program emphasizes a team oriented rescuephilosophy over specific rescue techniques. Itincludes information on safety, command, physics,and rescue management.

PROFILES OF TECHNICAL RESCUE TEAMS

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The BERT program is about 200 hours inlength and is divided in to eight specific modules.The curriculum was developed by reviewing thetypes of urban rescue operations that Indianapolisfirefighters had been called to perform over a 10year period. The training program is structuredloosely on the design of hazardous materialstraining, with personnel trained to awareness,operations, technician, and specialist levels. TheBERT training was started in 1988; there arecurrently over 200 BERT certified members of thedepartment.

The Indianapolis Fire Department has sixstations designated as technical rescue “TaskForces.” Each station specializes in two areas oftechnical rescue so that personnel can maintainhigh levels of training in certain disciplines.Personnel respond together in a single rescuevehicle for technical rescue incidents.

PHILADELPHIA (PA) FIRE DEPARTMENT

The Philadelphia Fire Department rescuecompany, Heavy Rescue 1, was established in thelate 1980s in an effort to provide specialized heavyand technical rescue service. The departmentdeveloped a proposal for establishing a heavyrescue company and surveyed other departmentsthat had heavy rescue companies. As the City ofPhiladelphia was facing budget shortfalls andcould not fund the team out of budget money, themembers of the department successfully soughtalternative funding sources. They solicited privatebusinesses in the community to sponsor the team.Businesses were presented with a list of neededequipment and asked to purchase a single item asa team sponsor. Over $100,000 in equipment waspurchased by local businesses.

The team refurbished a beverage truck do-nated by the Coca-Cola Company into a equip-ment vehicle, and rehabilitated an old engine byremoving the pump and tank to carry equipmentfor collapse rescues. Members were recruited fromthe department, and emphasis was placed onspecial experience in skills such as electrical orcarpentry trades. The heavy rescue company wasplaced in service in 1991. In 1994, the departmentplaced in service a new heavy rescue truck toreplace the old beverage truck.

The rescue company conducts specializedtraining with other city agencies such as theelectric and gas company. Heavy Rescue 1 isdispatched on all working box alarms and mul-tiple alarm fires, special rescue incidents such ascollapses and confined space rescues, extrications,and water rescues.

CHESTERFIELD (VA) FIRE DEPARTMENT

The Chesterfield Fire Department providestechnical rescue services to a suburban areaoutside of Richmond, Virginia. It has developed adepartmentwide approach to technical rescuetraining. Several years ago Chesterfield set out totrain personnel to an awareness level for technicalrescue operations. Over the course of two years,all 350 career firefighters and about 25 percent ofthe volunteer firefighters received awareness leveltraining. These personnel are trained to recognizetechnical rescue hazards and to conduct initialsize-up and stabilization procedures. Sometechnical rescues can be handled at this stage ofresponse, which usually consists of an enginecompany. Awareness training covers rope rescue,vehicle and machinery extrication, confined spaceoperations, trench rescue, urban search and rescue,and water/ice rescue. The training was conductedin five hour modules over several months to careerpersonnel. A course for volunteers is offered overseveral weeks each year. The Chesterfield FireDepartment has also begun training personnel toan operations or Level II training. These personnelreceive 80 hours of training in rope, vehicle, confinedspace, trench, and heavy equipment rescue.

The department plans to establish a level IIItraining program where personnel will receiveintensive training in a particular area of technicalrescue. A fourth level for technical rescue trainingwhich will cover technical rescue incident commandis also being established. The incident commandclass will be available for any personnel and willfocus on special com-mand considerations fortechnical rescue incidents. Each shift has instructorsfor technical rescue. The special operationspersonnel are supported by specialized hazmatteam and SCUBA Rescue (dive) team.

ALLEGHENY COUNTY (PA) DELTA TEAM

The County of Allegheny has a unique re-source available for heavy rescue operations, the

Delta Team. This rescue team is part of the Allegh-eny County Department of Special Services andMaintenance Operations. The department setabout to form their own heavy rescue group afterseveral requests for assistance from fire and rescueagencies for their specialized heavy equipment.Realizing that their personnel had the experienceof using heavy machinery, but lacked the trainingfor rescue operations, the department began anintensive process of training its personnel andfunding additional equipment. It provides confinedspace, collapse, trench, and water rescue assistance.

The personnel on the team include emergencymanagers, heavy equipment operators, ironwork-ers, riggers, plumbers, carpenters, electricians,engineers, repairmen, and mechanics. The depart-ment has over 400 public works vehicles at itsdisposal, including cranes, bulldozers, all terrainvehicles, trailers, and buses. Police and fire radiosare installed in many vehicles to facilitate emer-gency communications. The department also hasconverted several trailers for use during long termoperations. The trailers are set up as showers,toilet facilities, sleeping quarters, a cafeteria, and afield hospital. The department has a plethora ofshoring equipment at its disposal.

A marine division within the team has severalboats at its disposal for flood situations, from smallinflatable rubber boats to a 28-foot inboard dieselpowered boat. The team also has equipment formitigating hazardous materials incidents, includ-ing booms and absorption materials, and entrysuits with SCBA.

Team members train on a monthly basis andhave a several day disaster training drill once a year.

HYANNIS (MA) FIRE DEPARTMENT

In addition to providing fire, rescue and EMSservices to Cape Cod, the Hyannis Fire Departmenthas established a technical rescue training programfor all members of the department. Operating outof one of the busiest stations in Massachusetts, theteam responds with a heavy rescue company thatcarries most of its technical rescue equipment.

All 48 fire department personnel are trained inconfined space rescue, and all are currentlyreceiving training in rope and trench rescue. In

12-7 addition, the department has an eight memberdive rescue team. Rope training is divided into aRope I and a Rope II course, and trench rescuetraining is modeled after the Virginia Beach,Virginia trench rescue program. All personnel willeventually be trained for rope and trench rescue.Some members of the department are part of theMassachusetts FEMA US&R Task Force Team.

HAILEY VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTAND WOOD RIVER (ID) FIREPROTECTION DISTRICT

Members of the Hailey Volunteer Fire Depart-ment joined with the members of the Wood RiverFire Protection District last year to begin forming atechnical rescue training program between the twodepartments. Covering a small town and large ruralarea, the departments realized that they were theonly ones available to provide any sort of technicalrescue. Department leaders formed a three tieredtraining plan that would take over six years to traintheir personnel to the ability they desired. The firsttier of training has been devoted to developing abasic awareness and technical proficiency in techni-cal rescue. So far, team members have receivedtraining as swiftwater rescue technicians, and to afirst responder level for rope rescue and confinedspace rescue. Training in heavy extrication andcollapse rescue is planned for the future. Some teammembers have been sent to several outside technicalrescue training programs to receive initial andadvanced training.

Both departments have been buying theirequipment gradually, setting aside several thousanddollars each year as their members receive moretraining and experience. They currently have built acache of rope, water, and confined space rescueequipment. Technical rescue training has also beenincorporated into the Hailey Volunteer Fire Depart-ment weekly training sessions for their volunteers.There have been some minor difficulties in coordina-tion between the two departments, but both organi-zations support the continued development of theirtechnical rescue capability.

TAMPA (FL) FIRE DEPARTMENTThe Tampa Fire Department provides rope

rescue, confined space rescue, and water rescueservices. Under a special operations division, 60personnel provide technical rescue for rope and

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confined space incidents from an engine andladder company. Other components of the specialoperations division include hazmat, marinefirefighting, and extrication. A separate TacticalMedical Response Team provides wildland searchand rescue and water rescue service under theTampa Fire Department’s Rescue (EMS) Division.

The department’s technical rescue services arecurrently evolving. There is currently no Floridastate certification for rescue, so the department isestablishing its own standards based on technicalrescue programs in the state and around the country.

All Tampa Fire Department personnel receive abasic awareness level of training for some aspects oftechnical rescue, such as confined space rescue.

MILWAUKEE (WI) FIRE DEPARTMENT

The City of Milwaukee’s Heavy Urban RescueTeam is responsible for trench, below grade, collapse,confined space, and rope rescue. The team alsoincorporates much of the capabilities of Milwaukee’stunnel rescue team, which was placed out of servicelast year. The Heavy Urban Rescue Team hasapproximately 100 members that have receivedtraining in technical rescue. Initial training isconducted through a vocational-tech program in

Cleveland, Wisconsin, with continued training on amonthly basis within the department. The depart-ment has brought instructors from various partsof the country to present technical rescue train-ing programs.

The team is based on an engine company and aladder company providing 10 personnel per shiftavailable for initial response on technical rescues.Additional personnel may be called back from offduty or from other station assignments if necessary.The team is currently attempting to procure a tractortrailer type vehicle to carry heavy rescue equipment.

Funding for the Heavy Urban Rescue Team isprovided though the City of Milwaukee FireDepartment’s budget and through a special annualprivate grant of $50,000. The team is available formutual aid upon request. The specialty team charges$500 dollars for the first two hours of service, and$250 per hour thereafter.

The Milwaukee Fire Department also has a DiveRescue team based out of a single company. Thereare 35 members of the team, with five assigned to thedive team each shift. Divers are trained to the PAD1standards for dive rescue and many have advancedlife support certifications.

APPENDIX A: SAMPLE MUTUAL AID AGREEMENTS

Palm Beach County, Florida

State of California

FIRE-RESCUE

INTERLOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES AGREEMENT

FOR

GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES IN PALM BEACH COUNTY

APRIL 15, 1994

INTERLOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES AGREEMENT

Table of Contents

PAGEParagraph # 1AUTHORITY; GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES; CONDITIONS PRECEDENT................. 6

Paragraph # 2DEFINITIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Paragraph # 3APPARATUS EQUIPMENT AND ACCESSORIES

Paragraph # 4NEW EQUlPMENT ACQUlSlTlON. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Paragraph # 5CHANGE IN OR DELETION OF EQUIPMENT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Paragraph # 6STAFFING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Paragraph # 7COMMUNICATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Paragraph # 8RESPONDING PARTY/REQUESTING PARTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Paragraph # 9RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Paragraph # 10OFFICIAL REQUEST. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Paragraph # 11REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE; INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Paragraph # 12JUSTIFIED FAILURE TO RESPOND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Paragraph # 13INDEMNIFICATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ................

Paragraph # 14DAMAGE TO EQUIPMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....................................................................

Paragraph # 15MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Paragraph # I6

7

8

9

9

10

10

11

11

11

12

12

13

13

13

CONTROL OF FIRE, RESCUE, EMERGENCY OR DISASTER SCENE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Paragraph # 17REQUESTS FOR ASSISTANCE LIMITED . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

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INTERLOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES AGREEMENT

Paragraph # 18PRIORITY FOR SIMULTANEOUS CALLS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Paragraph # 19PRIOR COMMITMENT OF EQUIPMENT .........................................................................................

Paragraph # 20PRIORITY FOR SUBSEQUENT CALL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Paragraph # 21AMENDMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..

Paragraph # 22ADMINISTRATIVE BODY ...............................................................................................................

Paragraph # 23TASK FORCES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Paragraph # 24PRIORITY OBJECTIVES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...........................

Paragraph # 25DISPUTES, DISAGREEMENTS AND GRIEVANCES .............................................................

Paragraph # 26INTERPRETATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Paragraph # 27EFFECTIVE TERM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Paragraph # 28TERMINATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

SIGNATURE PAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

14

15

15

16

16

17

17

17

17

17

18

19

APPENDIX ALIST OF PARTICIPANTS AND APPARATUS LISTING

3

INTERLOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES AGREEMENT

THIS INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT for emergency aid and assistance is made and entered into

in Palm Beach County, Florida, as of this day of 199 pursuant to

‘the provisions of Section 163.01, Florida Statutes, the “Florida Inter-local Cooperation Act of

1969” as amended, bv and between the various parties executina this agreement, each one

constituting a public agency as defined in Part I of Chapter 163, Florida Statutes.

W I T N E S S E T H :

WHEREAS, Part I of Chapter 163, Florida Statutes, permits public agencies as defined therein to

enter into inter-local agreements with each other to jointly exercise any power, privilege, or

authority which such agencies shall have in common and which each might exercise separately;

and;

WHEREAS, it is the design, purpose and intention of the parties hereto to permit said parties,

individually and collectively, to make the most efficient use of their respective powers, resources

and capabilities by cooperating in the use of their respective powers, resources and capabilities

in regard to tire, heavy rescue, emergency medical services, and related logistical, strategic and

administrative support, communications services, weather emergencies and disaster relief

functions and, on a basis of mutual advantage, to provide services and facilities in a manner

most consistent with the geographic, economic, demographic and other factors influencing their

respective needs and the development of their respective and joint communities; and

WHEREAS, each party hereto maintains a Fire Department, Fire-Rescue Department or Public

Safety Department with trained emergency service personnel and related apparatus and

equipment; and

WHEREAS, at times, one of the parties hereto- may have fire fighting, rescue, emergency

medical service, disaster relief and related demands made upon its equipment or personnel, or

4

INTERLOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES AGREEMENT

both, greater than the capacity of the equipment or personnel available within its own jurisdiction;

and

WHEREAS, during those events which cause demands greater than the capacity of the

equipment or personnel resources available to a party hereto, it would be advantageous to that

party to have available to it the equipment or personnel, or both, of one or more of the other

parties for backup purposes, direct assignment to an active incident, or the management of a

disaster; and

WHEREAS, the parties hereto acknowledge that said emergency events and disasters occur

without prior warning, without a set pattern or frequency and without regard to life, limb or

property; and

WHEREAS, the parties hereto further recognize that there is a great mutual advantage in

providing, prior to any emergency operation or disaster, for mutual and/or automatic ,aid and

assistance, planning, deployment analysis and projections, mutual backup .and cooperative use

of the resources available among the affected parties, in order that lives and property may be

saved; and

WHEREAS, said mutual and/or automatic aid, and other cooperative use of resources benefits

all directly or indirectly concerned; and

WHEREAS, it is the intent of the parties to this Agreement to provide for mutual aid in general,

automatic aid in specific instances when agreed to between the participating parties, and special

operations when authorized by supplemental agreements, to improve efficiency or for

unforeseen emergencies beyond the normal capabilities of a single party.

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INTERLOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES AGREEMENT

WHEREAS, It is not the intent of the parties that the mutual aid aspect of this agreement

subsidize normal day-to-day operations of another participating party; and

WHEREAS, participation in this agreement shall not diminish any existing local government’s

process or power;

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and mutual covenants and promises

contained herein, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which and the

adequacy of which are mutually acknowledged, with all parties accordingly waiving any

challenge to the sufficiency of such consideration, it is mutually covenanted, promised and

agreed by the parties hereto as follows:

1. AUTHORITY: GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES: CONDITIONS PRECEDENT: This Inter-local

Agreement is entered into pursuant to the provisions of Section 163.01, Florida Statutes,

commonly known as the “Florida Inter-local Cooperation Act of 1969”, and all provisions of said

act are made a part hereof and incorporated as if set forth at length herein, including, but not

limited to, the following specific provisions; as well as the apparatus, staffing, dispatch, response

and communication system standards as hereinafter enumerated:

(a) All of the privileges and immunities and limitations from liability, exemptions from laws,

ordinances and rules, and all pensions and relief, disability, workers’ compensation and

other benefits which apply to the activity of officers, agents or employees of the parties

hereto when performing their respective functions within their respective territorial limits for

their respective agencies, shall apply to the same degree and extent to the performance of

such functions and duties of such officers, agents or employees extraterritorially under the

provisions of this Inter-local Agreement.

6

INTERLOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES AGREEMENT

(b)

(c)

(d)

This Inter-local Agreement does not and shall not be deemed to relieve any of the patties

hereto of any of their respective obligations or responsibilities imposed upon them by law,

except to the extent of the actual and timely performance of those obligations or

responsibilities by one or more of the parties to this Agreement, in which case performance

provided hereunder may be offered in satisfaction of the obligation or responsibility.

Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to authorize the delegation of the constitutional

or statutory duties of the State, County, or Municipal Officers.

As a further condition, the following minimum apparatus, personnel and response

standards must be met by all parties to this agreement:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

Apparatus - At least one, triple combination pumper with a capacity of at least

1,000 G.P.M., with 400 gallon minimum tank size, and 1,200 feet of 2 l/2 or

larger fire hose and other equipment specified in Paragraph 3, shall be provided

by every party hereto.

Staffing - As specified in Paragraph 6.

Dispatch time frame - Dispatch of apparatus and personnel will be completed

and confirmed within five (5) minutes of receipt of request for assistance.

Response time frame - Apparatus and personnel will be enroute within two (2)

minutes of being dispatched following receipt of request for assistance.

Communication system access - As specified in Paragraph 7.

2. DEFINITIONS

ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT (A.L.S.) shall mean emergency medical services as defined by401.23, Florida Statutes.

AUTOMATIC AID shall mean supplementary assistance provided to one or more parties to thisAgreement by another party by separate Agreement or Resolution.

BASIC LIFE SUPPORT (B.L.S.) shall mean emergency medical services as defined by 401.23,Florida Statues.

EMERGENCY AID AND ASSISTANCE shall mean the full scope of fire and emergency medicalservices, except those exempted by this Agreement.

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INTERLOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES AGREEMENT

EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES (E.M.S.) means the activities or services to prevent ortreat a sudden critical illness or injury and to promote pre-hospital emergency medical care forthe sick and injured.

EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN means a person providing emergency medical servicesas defined by 401.23, Florida Statutes.

ENGINE/PUMPER shall mean a pumping apparatus meeting the requirements of National FireProtection Association Standard 1901.

FIRE CHIEF shall also mean “Fire Administrator, Fire Director, Director of Emergency Servicesor Public Safety Director.

FIRE FIGHTER shall mean a person who is certified by the State of Florida under FloridaStatute, Section .633.35, as amended, .and possessing. either. a valid Certificate of Tenure,Compliance or Completion of FireFighting Minimum Standards.

INClDENT COMMAND SYSTEM shall mean the procedures adopted by the Fire ChiefsAssociation of Palm Beach County for emergency incident management.

INCIDENT COMMANDER shall mean the person at the scene of an emergency incident who isdesignated to command the incident.

MUTUAL AID shall mean mutual and reciprocal aid and assistance between two or more partiesto this agreement.

PARAMEDIC means a person providing emergency medical services as defined by 401.23,Florida Statutes.

PROTOCOLS shall mean the standing orders and procedures utilized by E.M.S. personnel torender both A.L.S. and B.L.S. care and treatment.

QUINT shall mean a pumper/aerial apparatus meeting the requirements of both National FireProtection Association Standards 1901 and 1904.

SPECIAL OPERATIONS shall mean response to, and mitigation/management of hazardsrelating to hazardous materials incidents, high angle rescue, confined space rescue, and waterrescue operations.

TRUCK/AERIAL shall mean an aerial ladder apparatus meeting the requirements of NationalFire Protection Association Standard 1904.

3. APPARATUS, EQUIPMENT AND ACCESSORIES: It is agreed that at the time of the

execution hereof each party represents that it’ has the apparatus listed in Appendix A, and that

said apparatus is in good working order and condition. Only the equipment listed in Appendix A,

as supplemented pursuant to paragraph 4 of this Agreement, shall be subject to this Agreement.

In addition to the specifically described major pieces of apparatus listed, said apparatus shall be

8

INTERLOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES AGREEMENT

deemed to include all normal appliances, tools, accessories and portable equipment associated

therewith and normally contained thereon as recommended by the basic required equipment

described in the latest editions of National Fire Protection Association Standards No. 1901 and/or

1904, as applicable, and the required equipment specified by the State of Florida, Department of

Health and Rehabilitative Services, Division of Emergency Medical Services, in Chapter 10D-66,

Florida Administrative Code, for Advanced and Basic Life Support Units, as amended from time

to time, as applicable.

4. NEW APPARATUS, EQUIPMENT AND ACCESSORIES ACQUISITION: Upon the acquisition.

of new apparatus, said apparatus, upon being placed in service, shall, without formal

amendment hereto, be deemed included in Appendix A. The party acquiring such new apparatus

shall notify the Administrative Board, in writing, of the acquisition of new apparatus as soon as

the equipment is placed in service and deployed. The Administrative Board shall subsequently

advise all parties to this agreement, in writing, of the acquisition of the new apparatus by

publishing and distributing a revision to Appendix A.

5. CHANGE IN OR DELETION OF APPARATUS. EQUIPMENT OR ACCESSORIES: Nothing

herein shall prohibit, any party from the free disposal or modification of any of its apparatus,

equipment or accessories, or from temporarily placing all or part or a major part of its apparatus

out of service for the purpose of training, maintenance or repair of the same. However, should

any party actually or effectively dispose of, or eliminate fifty percent (50%) or more of its

apparatus without immediate replacement, said disposal shall be reported immediately to the

Administrative Board and, then, at the option of the other parties hereto, as determined by a

majority vote of the Administrative Board, this Agreement may be conditionally terminated. A

conditional termination shall take effect only if the party whose participation is being terminated

fails to bring its designated in service, active equipment up to the level specified in the notice of

conditional termination within the time limit set forth in the notice by the Administrative Board.

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INTERLOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES AGREEMENT

Such termination shall be in writing and shall not take effect until the Administrative Board has

served written notice upon the City Manager, County Administrator, Chief Administrative Officer,

Mayor or City/Town Clerk of the party whose participation is to be terminated.

6. STAFFING: All responding vehicles shall be staffed by the party responding to a mutual or

automatic aid request. Staffing shall be a complement of a minimum of three (3)’ Fire Fighters for

each Engine and three (3) Fire Fighters per Truck, Aerial or Quint, and staffing as required by

Chapter 401, Florida Statutes, as amended, for each emergency medical service unit, as well as

appropriately trained personnel for support equipment as may be requested. It is understood

that if additional staffing or personnel are on duty, called for duty, or available for the emergency

duty in question, then said additional personnel shall be provided for this purpose.

7. COMMUNICATIONS: Recognizing that radio communication is necessary to successfully

provide. fire fighting, emergency medical service, or disaster related assistance, the parties

agree to provide the capability to access the following radio frequency(s):

F.C.C. Radio/Call Sign - KLL578

FREQUENCY(S) DESIGNATION/USE

154.265 Mutual Assistance

(a) This channel will be restricted to use by command personnel only as described in

Paragraph 10.

(b) Compliance with this section of the Agreement shall be the responsibility of each party

within one (I) year of their execution of the Agreement.

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INTERLOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES AGREEMENT

8. RESPONDING PARTY/REQUESTING PARTY: “Responding Party” shall mean the party

which shall furnish or be requested to furnish apparatus, equipment, and/or personnel, in

response to the request of the party within whose jurisdiction the emergency necessitating such

assistance occurs, which second party shall be known as the “Requesting Party”,

9. RESPONSE TO REQUEST. FOR ASSISTANCE: The parties hereto, mutually agree to

respond to mutual aid fire, emergency medical service, emergency or disaster calls, or requests

of the other with their respective apparatus, equipment and associated personnel as herein

above described, when requested to do so by the Requesting Party, subject to the terms,.

conditions and understandings contained in this agreement and within the limits of good Fire

Department practice and procedure, and further, the parties hereto, who have mutually agreed to

assist each other by means of automatic aid and/or special operations responses in addition to

mutual aid responses, agree to respond to the request for assistance with pre-determined

apparatus, equipment and personnel within limits of Fire Department practice and procedure.

10.. OFFICIAL REQUEST: The following officials of the Requesting Party are authorized to

request mutual and/or automatic assistance from the Responding party pursuant to this

Agreement,

(a) Fire Chief, Deputy or Assistant Fire Chief(s) or

(b) The Senior Officer in Charge/Command of the Requesting Party’s Fire Department, Fire-

Rescue Department or Public Safety Department; or

(c) the Incident Commander in charge of an incident in progress.

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INTERLOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES AGREEMENT

11. .REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE: INFORMATION: The officer described in Paragraph 10

above requesting mutual or automatic aid shall give the following information at the time that the

request for such assistance is made:

(a) The general nature and type of emergency;

(b) The location of the emergency and/or the Fire Station to be filled by responding resources;

(c) The life or property hazard involved and the type of equipment and/or number of personnel

requested;

(d) Street routing information when necessary.

The initial request for assistance shall be transmitted by radio, telephone or other reliable

method to the appropriate dispatch/communications center of the Responding Party.

12. JUSTIFIED FAILURE TO RESPOND: The parties recognize and agree that if for any reason

beyond the control of the Responding Party the above-referenced equipment or personnel, or

both, are not available to respond to a request for assistance within the limits of the Requesting

Party, the Responding Party shall not be liable or responsible in any regard whatsoever for the

Responding Party’s failure to respond to such call. The reasons justifying a failure to respond

shall include, but not be limited to the following:

(a) In the opinion of the Senior Officer in command of the Responding Party’s Fire Department at

the time of the request for assistance, the Responding Party would suffer undue jeopardy and be

left inadequately-protected if the Responding Party. responds as requested;

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INTERLOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES AGREEMENT

(b) The requested equipment is inoperative at the time of the request for assistance; or

(c) The requested equipment is being utilized due to a previous emergency call.

13. INDEMNIFICATION

Each party shall bear its own responsibility and may only be liable for any claims, demands,

suits, actions, damages and causes of action arising out of those actions resulting from that

patty’s travel to or from its own or a Requesting Patty’s emergency or disaster site, or while

deployed pursuant to this Agreement, and no indemnification or hold harmless agreement shall

be in effect concerning such claims, demands, suits, actions, damages and causes of action.

14. DAMAGE TO EQUIPMENT: The Requesting Party shall replace, repair or reimburse the

Respondlng Party for the actual cost of replacement or repair of any of the Responding Party’s

apparatus, tools, mechanical equipment or personal protective equipment which may be

damaged or destroyed while at the Requesting Party’s emergency or disaster site unless such

damage or destruction is solely the result of errors, negligent acts or omissions of the

Responding Party or any of its agents, employees or officials.

15. MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES: The Requesting Party shall, at the option of the Responding

Party, either replace or reimburse the Responding Party for the actual cost of all materials, and

supplies such as foam, dry chemicals, extinguishing agents, disposable protective garments and

related equipment, medical supplies and consumables used for the benefit of patients at the

emergency site or disaster, consumed, expended or utilized by the Responding Party in the

course of rendering assistance pursuant to this Agreement while at the Requesting Party’s

emergency or disaster site.

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INTERLOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES AGREEMENT

16. CONTROL OF FIRE. RESCUE. EMERGENCY OR DISASTER SCENE: Once the

Responding Party reaches the Requesting Party’s emergency or disaster site, the Parties agree

that the Requesting Party’s Incident Commander shall direct the activities and deployment of

personnel and equipment in the area where the emergency exists. Control of each Respective

Party’s personnel shall remain with each respective party as to the rendition of service, standards

of performance, discipline of officers and employees and other matters incident to the

performance of services by the Responding Party’s personnel. The officer in command of the

personnel of the Responding Party shall not be obligated to obey any order which said officer

reasonably believes to be either in violation of the laws of the State of Florida, the United States

of America, or any order which said officer believes will unnecessarily result in the likelihood of

unreasonable risk of death or bodily injury to the agents, officers or employees of the

Responding party, or in a loss of or damage to the Responding party’s equipment. All parties to

this agreement stipulate that they will utilize the “Incident Command System” adopted, and from

time to time revised, by the Fire Chiefs Association of Palm Beach County for all appropriate

operations covered by this agreement.

17. REQUESTS FOR ASSISTANCE LIMITED: A party may request assistance pursuant to this

agreement only when the site of the emergency or disaster causing such a need is within the

jurisdictional limits of the Requesting Party, or is within a jurisdiction which is served by a party

to this Agreement pursuant to an interlocal service agreement or contract between two or more

governmental agencies.

18. PRIORITY FOR SIMULTANEOUS CALLS: In the event of simultaneous or nearly

simultaneous fire, rescue, emergency or disaster calls relating to emergencies located within

both a Requesting and a Responding Party’s boundaries, the call relating to the emergency

located within the boundaries of a party shall take priority over the request for assistance from

the Requesting Party.

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INTERLOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES AGREEMENT

19. PRIOR COMMITMENT OF EQUIPMENT: In the event that a Responding Party’s equipment

and personnel are already assigned or committed to an emergency located within Responding

Parties limits, said equipment and personnel shall not be released to respond to the emergency

call of the Requesting Party until such time as, in the sole and absolute discretion of the officer in

charge of the Responding Patty’s Fire Department, it is determined that the Responding Party’s

equipment and personnel can be released to respond to the Requesting Party’s request for

assistance. Only that portion of the Responding Party’s equipment and personnel as the Officer

in Charge of the Responding’ Party’s Fire Department shall deem available for release at that

time shall be released to the Requesting Party’s emergency or disaster site.

20. PRIORITY FOR SUBSEQUENT CALLS: In the event that the Responding Party’s equipment

and personnel are assigned to a location within the Requesting Party’s Jurisdictional limits and

an emergency call relating to a fire, rescue, emergency or disaster occurring within the

Responding Party’s boundaries is received, the Requesting Party shall, immediately upon being

notified by the Responding Party’s officer in command at the site of the Requesting Party’s

emergency of such circumstances, request such additional outside assistance from other parties

to this agreement, as would timely and effectively permit the release of the Responding Party’s

equipment and personnel so as to enable same to timely respond to the Responding Party’s

emergency call site or, if same is not practical or feasible, the Requesting Party agrees that the

Responding Party shall be permitted to immediately leave the emergency or disaster site within

the territory of the Requesting Party and respond to the fire, rescue, emergency or disaster site

within the Responding Party’s territory. In any event, should the officer in command of the

Responding Party’s fire department require that its equipment and personnel return to an

emergency site within its boundaries in response to a fire, rescue, emergency or disaster call, the

parties agree that the Responding Party has the absolute right to immediately- return to the

emergency site within its jurisdictional limits.

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INTERLOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES AGREEMENT

21. AMENDMENTS

(a) An amendment to this Agreement may be initiated by any party to the agreement,

however, said amendment must be presented’ to the Administrative Board for

consideration, deliberation, determination and action and approval.

(b) All parties hereby agree to submit to their legislative bodies for final approval, additions to

and deletions from this agreement which have been approved by a two-thirds vote of the

Administrative Board.

(c) Approval of such proposed amendments by two-thirds of the participating agencies’

legislative bodies shall make such amendments effective, and shall be binding upon all

parties continuing to participate in this agreement.

(d) Amendments hereto shall be filed with the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Palm Beach

County.

22. ADMINISTRATIVE BOARD:

(a) The Administrative Board shall consist of the Fire Chief from each of the participating

jurisdictions. The Administrative Board shall have the authority to adopt rules of procedure

for conducting meetings and for ruling upon disputes, disagreements, grievances and other

matters to be determined by the Administrative Board pursuant to this Agreement.

(b) No party to this Agreement shall in any manner be obligated to pay any debts or liabilities

arising as a result of any action of the Administrative Board.

(c) The Administrative Board members have no authority or power to obligate the parties in

any manner, except that the Administrative Board shall have the power to suspend any

party’s further participation for non-compliance with any provisions of the Agreement.

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INTERLOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES AGREEMENT

23. TASK FORCES: The Administrative Board may organize various task forces as it deems

appropriate. Task forces shall be assigned specific topics for research and development.

Recommendations from task force(s) shall be forwarded to the Administrative Board upon

completion of assigned work.

24. PRIORITY OBJECTIVES: In the interest of uniformity and cost effectiveness it is hereby

understood and agreed that task forces will initially be formed by the Administrative Board to

address the following topics: Incident Command; Training; Facility Location Planning;

Communications: Joint Purchasing; and Equipment Specifications and Standardization,

25. DISPUTES. DISAGREEMENTS AND GRIEVANCES: Disputes, disagreements or

grievances which cannot be voluntarily resolved by the parties directly involved shall be resolved

by the Administrative Board by majority vote, whose decisions in such matters shall be final and

binding upon all parties.

26. INTERPRETATIONS: The Administrative Board shall be the final authority on interpretations

of this Agreement. However, this Agreement is not intended to prohibit or restrict any of the

parties from seeking relief of disputes through the courts. This Agreement shall be construed by

and governed by the laws of the State of Florida.

27. EFFECTIVE TERM: This Agreement shall take effect immediately upon its proper and

complete execution by each Party and upon the filing of a copy of the same with the Clerk of the

Circuit Court in and for Palm Beach County, and shall remain in full force and effect uless

otherwise terminated pursuant to Paragraph 5 or 28.

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INTERLOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES AGREEMENT

28. TERMINATION: Except in the case of termination under Paragraph 5, this Agreement may

be terminated upon forty-five (45) days written notice given by any party to the Administrative

Board who shall within flfteen (15) days, serve written notice to all parties through their

respective Clerk or Chief Administrative Officer.

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INTERLOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES AGREEMENT

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be entered into andexecuted the day of ,1994.

WITNESSES: CITY, TOWN, VILLAGE ORCOUNTY OF

b y

Mayor/Chairperson

b yCITY, TOWN, VILLAGE ORCOUNTY

Manager/Administrator

(CORPORATE SEAL) ATTEST:

Clerk

Approved as to form:

City, Village, Town or County Attorney

STATE OF FLORIDA:COUNTY OF PALM BEACH:

BEFORE ME, an officer duly authorized by law to administer oaths and takeacknowledgments, personally appeared Mayor, CityManager and City Clerk, respectively, of the City of Florida, a municipalcorporation of Florida, and acknowledged they executed the foregoing Agreement as the properofficials of the City of , and the same is the act and deed of the City of

THE FOREGOING, I have set my hand and official seal at, In the State and County aforesaid on the day of

,19

(SEAL)

Notary PublicMy Commission Expires:

1 9

Fire andRescue DivisionFIRESCOPE

California Fire Service and RescueEmergency Mutual Aid System

Fire and RescueMutual Aid System

Pete WilsonGovernor

Richard Andrews, Ph.D.DirectorGovernor’s Office of Emergency Services

MUTUAL AID PLAN

NEIL R. HONEYCUlT, ChiefFire and Rescue Branch

Word Processing: Lena Webb

Printing/Assembly: Sue Dubie-Holbrook

Editing: Fire and Rescue Service AdvisoryCommittee/FIRESCOPE Board of Directors

C:\HANDOUT\MUTALAID.PLN Revised 09/88

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CALIFORNIA FIRE SERVICE AND RESCUEEMERGENCY MUTUAL AID PLAN

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART NO. TITLE

FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE ADVISORY ..................................................BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PAGE

INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................

ii

1

AUTHORITIES ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

REFERENCES ................................................................................ 3

DEFINITIONS .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

MUTUAL AID REGIONS .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

POLICIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

ASSUMPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

ORGANIZATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

RESPONSIBILITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

PROCEDURES - MUTUAL AID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

EXECUTIVE ORDER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

MASTER MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

- i -

STATE OF CALIFORNIA - OFFICE OF EMERGENCY SERVICESRichard Andrews, Director

Neil R. Honeycutt, Chief, Fire and Rescue Branch

CALIFORNIA FIRE SERVICE AND RESCUEEMERGENCY MUTUAL AID PLAN

FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE ADVISORY COMMITTEE/FIRESCOPE BOARD OF DIRECTORS (03/95)

DON MANNING, ChairmanChief, Los Angeles City Fire DepartmentRepresenting City Fire Departments (South),Metro Fire Chiefs and FIRESCOPE

GARY COSTAMAGNA, Vice ChairmanChief, Los Angeles County Fire DepartmentRepresenting City Fire Departments (North)

MICHAEL FREEMAN, ChiefLos Angeles County Fire DepartmentRepresenting County Fire Departments (South),

NEIL R. HONEYCUTT, ChiefOES Fire and Rescue BranchNon-voting, Ex-officio Secretary

DOUGLAS SPORLEDER, ChiefCentral Fire Protectlon DistrictRepresenting City Fire Departments (North)

LOREN PETTIS, ChiefMontclair Fire DepartmentRepresenting Fire Districts (North)

JIM BRANNON, ChiefLinda Fire Protection DlstrictRepresenting Volunteer Fire Departments

RAY QUINTANAR, Acting DirectorAvlatlon & Flre Management - U.S.F.S.Representing U.S.F.S. and FIRESCOPE

CHRIS CAMERON, Protection SpecialistNational Park ServiceRepresenting National Park Service

RICHARD A. WILSON, DirectorCA Dept of Forestry & Fire ProtectionRepresenting C.D.F. & F.P.

RONNY J. COLEMAN, State Fire MarshalCalifornia State Fire Marshal’s OfficeRepresenting CA State Fire Marshal’s Office

PAT KIDDER, Fire Management OfficerBureau of Land ManagementRepresenting Bureau of Land Management

LARRY HOLMS, Director of Fire ServicesOrange County Fire DepartmentRepresenting FIRESCOPE

KEITH SIMMONS, Deputy ChiefSanta Barbara County Flre DepartmentRepresenting FIRESCOPE

JAMES SEWELL, ChiefVentura County Fire DepartmentRepresentlng FIRESCOPE

BRIAN HATCH, DirectorCalifornia Professional Fire FightersNon-Votlng Special, Advisor

ELDON NAGEL, General ManagerCalifornia State Firemen’s AssoclatlonNon-Voting Special Advisor

- i i -

CALIFORNIA FIRE SERVICE AND RESCUE

EMERGENCY MUTUAL AID PLAN

I. INTRODUCTION

The California Fire Service and Rescue Emergency Mutual Aid Plan is an extension of, andsupportive document to, the California Emergency Plan. The California Emergency Planis published in four parts as follows:

Part One: BASIC EMERGENCY PLAN

Part Two: PEACETIME EMERGENCY PLAN

Part Three: COMPENDIUM OF LEGISLATION AND REFERENCES

Part Four: WAR EMERGENCY PLAN

Parts One, Two and Four provide the planning basis and concepts for the development ofthe California Fire Service and Rescue Emergency Mutual Aid Plan. This Plan supports theconcepts of the Incident Command System (ICS), the Integrated Emergency ManagementSystem (IEMS), and multi-hazard response planning. It is intended that more detailedoperational plans will supplement this document at the local, area, and regional levels.California fire and rescue service conducts emergency operations planning at four levels:Local, Operational Area, Regional, and State. To effectively implement the plans formu-lated at the various levels, all plans should be developed within the framework of theCalifornia Fire Service and Rescue Emergency Mutual Aid Plan.

The California Fire Service and Rescue Emergency Mutual Aid Plan as we know it today,was first prepared and adopted in 1950 as Annex 3-C of the California State Civil De-fense and Disas ter Rel ief Plan. This p lan has been reviewed, revised, approved, andadopted after careful consideration by the OES Fire and Rescue Service Advisory Com-mittee/FIRESCOPE Board of Directors.

A. PURPOSE OF THE PLAN:

1. To provide for systematic mobilization, organization and operationof necessary fire and rescue resources of the state and its politicalsubdivisions in mitigating the effects of disasters, whether natural orman-caused.

2. To provide comprehensive and compatible plans for the expedientmobilization and response of available fire and rescue resources on alocal, area, regional and statewide basis.

3. To establish guidelines for recruiting and training auxiliary person-nel to augment regularly organized fire and rescue personnel duringdisaster operations.

4. To provide an annual ly-updated f i re and rescue inventory of a l lpersonnel, apparatus and equipment in California.

Revised 09/88Page 1

5. To provide a plan and communication facilities for the interchangeand disseminat ion of f i re and rescue-re la ted data , d i rect ives , andinformat ion between f i re and rescue off ic ia ls of local , s ta te , andfederal agencies,

6. To promote annual training and/or exercises between plan partici-pants.

B. PLANNING BASIS:

1. No community has resources suff ic ient to cope with any and al lemergencies for which potential exists.

2. F i r e a n d r e s c u e o f f i c i a l s m u s t p r e p l a n e m e r g e n c y o p e r a t i o n s t oensure efficient utilization of available resources.

3. Basic to California’s emergency planning is a statewide system ofmutual aid in which each jurisdiction relies first upon its own re-sources.

4. T h e C a l i f o r n i a D i s a s t e r a n d C i v i l D e f e n s e M a s t e r M u t u a l A i dAgreement between the State of California, each of its counties, andthose incorporated cities and fire protection districts signatory there-to:

a. Creates formal structure for provision of mutual aid;

b. P r o v i d e s t h a t n o p a r t y s h a l l b e r e q u i r e d t o u n r e a s o n a b l ydeplete its own resources in furnishing mutual aid;

C. Provides that the responsible local official in whose jurisdic-t i o n a n i n c i d e n t r e q u i r i n g m u t u a l a i d h a s o c c u r r e d s h a l lremain in charge at such incident, including the direction ofsuch personnel and equipment provided through mutual a idplans pursuant to the agreement;

d. Provides the intra- and inter-area and intra-regional mutualaid operational plans shall be developed by the parties thereofand are operative as between the parties thereof in accordancewith the provisions of such operational plans;

e. Provides that reimbursement for mutual aid extended underth is agreement and the opera t ional p lans adopted pursuantthereto, shall only be pursuant to the state law and policies,and in accordance with Office of Emergency Services policiesand procedures.

5. The s ta te i s d iv ided in to s ix mutual a id regions to fac i l i ta te thecoordinat ion of mutual a id . Through th is sys tem the Governor’sOffice is informed of conditions in each geographic and organiza-tional area of the state, and the occurrence or imminent threat ofdisaster.

Revised 09/88Page 2

6. In addition to fire and rescue resources, emergency operations plansshould include both public and private agencies with support capabil-ity and/or emergency operation responsibilities.

7. Emergency operations plans should be distributed to, and discussedwith, management, command, operational and support level personnelwithin each planning jurisdiction,

8. Emergency operations plans must be continuously reviewed, revised,a n d t e s t e d t o e n c o m p a s s c h a n g e a n d r e f i n e m e n t c o n s i s t e n t w i t he x p e r i e n c e g a i n e d t h r o u g h d i s a s t e r o p e r a t i o n s a n d t r a i n i n g , a n dchanges in resource availability.

9. Emergency operations plans are to be reviewed, revised, and updatedevery five years.

This California Fire Service and Rescue Emergency Mutual Aid Plan super-sedes the Fire and Rescue Emergency Plan, revised June 1978.

II. AUTHORITIES

A. California Emergency Services Act (Chapter 7 of Division 1 of Title 2 ofthe Government Code) 1970 Statutes.

B. California Master Mutual Aid Agreement.

C. Labor Code, State of California (Section 3211.92, Disaster Service Worker).

D. Government Code, State of California (Section 8690.6).

III. REFERENCES

A. Federal Civil Defense Guide (Part E, Chapter 10, with Appendixes 1 and 2,Fire Prevention and Control during Civil Defense Emergencies).

B. Governor’s Executive Order No. D-25.

C. Governor’s Administrative Orders for State Agencies.

D. Public Resources Code.

E. Office of Emergency Services, Multihazard Functional Planning Guidance.

F. National Interagency Incident Management System.

G. Incident Command System.

H. Multi-agency Coordination System.

IV. DEFINITIONS

A. Fire and Rescue Resources:

California fire and rescue resources shall include, but not be limited to, the

Revised 09/88Page 3

necessary personnel, apparatus and equipment under the direct control ofthe fire and rescue service needed to provide mutual aid assistance for allemergencies; i .e . , f i re engines , ladder t rucks, emergency medical serviceunits, hazardous materials units, search and rescue, crash fire rescue, bull-dozers, helicopters, fixed wing aircraft, hand crews, fire boats, communica-tions equipment, etc.

B. Local Emergency:

Shall mean the existence of conditions within the territorial limits of a localagency, in the absence of a duly proclaimed s ta te of emergency, whichconditions are a result of an emergency created by great public calamitysuch as a i r pol lu t ion, ext raordinary f i re , f lood, s torm, ear thquake, c iv i ldisturbances or other disaster which is or is likely to be beyond the controlof the services , personnel , equipment and faci l i t ies of that agency andrequire the combined forces of other local agencies to combat. (CaliforniaEmergency Services Act, Chapter 7 of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Govern-ment Code - 1970 Statutes.)

C. State of Emergency:

Means the duly proclaimed existence of conditions of extreme peril to thesafety of persons and property within the state caused by such conditions asair pollution, fire, flood, storm, civil disturbances or earthquake, or otherconditions, except as a result of war-caused emergencies, which conditionsby reason of their magnitude, are or are likely to be beyond the control of

‘the services, personnel, equipment and facilities of any single county, cityand county, or city, and would require the combined forces of a mutual aidregion or regions to combat. “State of Emergency” does not include, nordoes any provis ion of th is p lan apply to any condi t ion resul t ing f rom alabor controversy. (California Emergency Services Act, Chapter 7 of Divi-sion 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code - 1970 Statutes.)

D. State of War Emergency:

Means the conditions which exists immediately, with or without a proclama-tion thereof by the Governor, whenever this state or nation is attacked byan enemy or upon receipt by the state of a warning from the federal gov-e r n m e n t i n d i c a t i n g t h a t s u c h a t t a c k i s p r o b a b l e o r i m m i n e n t .(California Emergency Services Act, Chapter 7 of Division 1 of Title 2 ofthe Government Code - 1970 Statutes.)

E. Disaster Service Worker:

Means any person who is registered with a disaster council for the purposeof engaging in disaster service pursuant to the “California Emergency Serv-ices Act” without pay or other consideration. “Disaster Service Worker”includes volunteer c ivi l defense workers and publ ic employees and alsoincludes any unregistered person impressed into service during a State ofEmergency by a person having authority to command the aid of citizens inthe execution of that person’s duties. “Disaster Service Worker” does notinclude any person registered as an active fire and rescue service member ofany regularly-organized volunteer fire department, having official recogni-tion and full or partial support of the county.

Revised 09/88Page 4

Pursuant to the Califorinia Fire Service and Rescue Emergency Mutual AidPlan, “Disaster Service Workers” shall be recruited and trained to augmentthe regular fire and rescue forces. They will assist in fighting fires and/orrescuing persons, and save property and perform other duties as required.

Training necessary to engage in such activities is defined as authorized andsupervised training carried on in such a manner and by a qualified personas the local disaster council shall prescribe. (Section 3211.92, CaliforniaLabor Code.)

F. Mutual Aid:

An agreement in which two or more parties agree to furnish resources andfacilities and to render services to each and every other party of the agree-ment to prevent and combat any type of disaster or emergency.

Local needs not met by the California Fire Service and Rescue EmergencyMutual Aid Plan should be resolved through development of local automatic,or mutual aid agreements.

1. Voluntary Mutual Aid

Mutual aid is voluntary when an agreement is initiated either verbal-ly or in wri t ing. When in wri t ing, which is preferable , condi t ionsmay be enumerated as to what and how much of a depar tment’sresources may be committed.

2 . Obligatory Mutual Aid

Mutual aid under a “State of War Emergency” shall be deemed obliga-tory. Mutual aid under a “State of Emergency” may be obligatory.(Emergency Services Act, 1970.)

3. Master Mutual Aid Agreement

An agreement made and entered into by and between the State ofCal i fornia , i t s var ious depar tments and agencies , and the var iousp o l i t i c a l s u b d i v i s i o n s , m u n i c i p a l c o r p o r a t i o n s , a n d o t h e r p u b l i cagencies of the State of California to facilitate implementation ofChapter 7 of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code entitled“California Emergency Services Act.”

G. Mutual Aid Region:

A subdivis ion of the s ta te’s f i re and rescue organiza t ion , es tabl ished tofacilitate the coordination of mutual aid and other emergency operationswithin a geographical area of the state, consisting of two or more countyoperational areas.

H. Operational Area:

An intermediate level of the state fire and rescue organization, normallyconsis t ing of a county and a l l f i re and rescue organizat ions wi thin thecounty.

Revised 09/88Page 5

I. Assistance by Hire:

Assistance by hire resources are those elements of personnel and equipmentwhich are provided by cooperating agencies through specific arrangementsn o t a s s o c i a t e d w i t h t h i s p l a n . W h e r e s u c h a r r a n g e m e n t s e x i s t , p a r t i e sshould be thoroughly famil iar wi th , and aware of , provis ions a t t ime ofrequest and response.

Revised 09/88Page 6

V. MUTUAL AID REGIONS

S A N F R A N C I S C O O \ ~

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VI. POLICIES

The following policies form the basis of the California Fire Service and Rescue Emer-gency Mutual Aid Plan:

A. The basic tenets of emergency planning are self-help and mutual aid.

B. Emergency planning and preparation is a task which must be shared by allpolitical subdivisions and industries as well as every individual citizen.

C. The California Fire Service and Rescue Emergency Mutual Aid Plan provides apractical and flexible pattern for the orderly development and operation ofmutual a id on a voluntary bas is between c i t ies , c i t ies and count ies , f i redis t r ic ts , specia l d is t r ic ts , county f i re depar tments , and appl icable s ta teagencies. Normal fire department operating procedures are utilized, includ-ing day-to-day mutual aid agreements, and plans which have been developedby local fire and rescue officials.

D. Operational Area and Region Plans shall be consistent with policy of theMaster Mutual Aid Agreement and the California Fire Service and RescueEmergency Mutual Aid Plan.

E. Reimbursement for mutual aid may be provided pursuant to a governor’sd i s a s t e r p r o c l a m a t i o n o r w h e n c o n d i t i o n s w a r r a n t i n v o k i n g t h eUSFS/CDF/OES Cooperative Agreement. There is no other existing provi-sion for mutual aid reimbursement.

1. The Office of Emergency Services shall be required to provide direc-tion, ongoing guidance and monitoring throughout the process untilreimbursement is received by local agencies.

2. Memorandums of unders tanding between federal , s ta te and localagencies will not include a commitment of local resources withoutthe expressed, written consent of the local jurisdiction(s).

F. In developing emergency plans, provisions should be made for integratingfire and rescue resources into mutual aid organizations for both fire andnon-f i re re la ted d isas ters ; i .e . , ear thquake, f lood, radiological defense ,hazardous materials incidents, and war-related sheltering and/or relocationof s igni f icant por t ions of the popula t ion . I n p l a n n i n g f o r w a r - r e l a t e demergencies, provisions for pre- and post-attack activities should be includ-ed; i.e., shelter improvement, radiological monitoring and decontamination.

G. In developing local mutual aid and emergency preparedness plans, provi-sions must be made for liability and property damage insurance coverage onapparatus and equipment used beyond the territorial limits of the politicalsubdivision. Consideration must also be given to the rights, privileges, andimmunities of paid, volunteer, and auxiliary personnel in order that theymay be fully protected while performing their duties under a mutual aidagreement or an emergency preparedness plan. Provision is made in statelaws to deal with these matters, and the procedure outlined therein shouldbe followed to ensure maximum protection.

Revised 09/88Page 8

H. Local mutual aid and emergency preparedness plans should reference theMaster Mutual Aid Agreement by signature of all parties concerned.

I. The State of California provides Workers’ Compensation coverage for cer-tain classes of auxiliary and volunteer personnel engaged in activities di-rectly related to defense preparedness or disaster operations. Coverage isalso extended to those unregistered persons impressed into service during aState of Emergency or State of War Emergency by a person having authori-ty to command the aid of citizens in the execution of required duties. Nopayment of premium is required of local pol i t ica l subdivis ions for suchcoverage. Coverage is not, however, extended to any member registered asan act ive f i re f ight ing member of any regular ly organized volunteer f i redepartment having official recognition, and full or partial support of thecounty, city, town, or district in which such fire agency is located.

J. Responsible Agency will:

1. Reasonably exhaust local resources before calling for outside assist-ance;

2. Render the maximum practicable assistance to all emergency-strickencommunities under provisions of the Master Mutual Aid Agreement;

3. Provide a current annual inventory of all fire department personnel,apparatus and equipment to the Operational Area Fire and RescueCoordinator;

4. P r o v i d e f o r r e c e i v i n g a n d d i s s e m i n a t i n g i n f o r m a t i o n , d a t a , a n ddirectives;

5. Conduct the necessary training to adequately perform their functionsand responsibilities during emergencies.

VII. ASSUMPTIONS

A. MAJOR EMERGENCIES:

Fire and rescue emergencies may reach such magnitude as to require mutualaid resources from adjacent local and state levels.

B. NATURAL DISASTER:

Natural disasters may necessitate mobilization of fire and rescue resourcesfor the preservation and protection of life and property from threats otherthan fire; i.e., earthquake, flood, windstorm, etc.

C. SABOTAGE:

Fire sabotage is an enemy capabi l i ty . Urban areas would be par t icular lysubject to sabotage during pre-attack periods. Metropolitan and wildlandareas would be especially vulnerable to incendiarism.

Revised 09/88Page 9

D. CIVIL DISTURBANCE:

Civi l d is turbances f requent ly resul t in in jur ies to persons and proper tydamage. Explosives and fire bombs are not uncommon components of civildisturbances. Fire and rescue mutual aid resources are likely to be mobi-lized for such occurrences.

E. POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND TERRORISM:

Incidents of kidnaping, bombing, bomb threat and incendiarism to achievepolitical concession and public notoriety are becoming more prevalent,. Suchterrorist and violent activity may result in fire and/or rescue emergenciesnecessitating mobilization of mutual aid resources. There is potential forimmobilization of local resources through bombing, blackmail or snipingactivity.

F. ATTACK:

An enemy attack upon California or adjacent states could result in fire andrescue problems of such magnitude as to require utilization of all fire andrescue resources wi thin the s ta te and the exchange of resources betweenstates.

G. LOCAL FIRE SERVICES:

Local officials will maintain fire and rescue resources consistent with antic-ipated needs. Such services will be augmented by training volunteers forutilization in major disaster operations.

VIII. ORGANIZATION

The fire and rescue service includes all public and private entities furnish-ing fire protection within the state. During a State of War, or when orderedby the Governor pursuant to the Cal i fornia Emergency Services Act , a l lsuch fire protection agencies become an organizational part of the Office ofEmergency Services, Fire and Rescue Division.

A. LOCAL FIRE OFFICIAL:

The fire chief, or senior fire and rescue official by other designated title,of each local entity providing public fire protection, will serve as fire andrescue representative to their respective Operational Area Fire and RescueCoordinator.

B. OPERATIONAL AREA FIRE AND RESCUE COORDINATOR:

Operat ional Area Fire and Rescue Coordinators are se lected by the f i rechiefs of local f i re and rescue ent i t ies wi thin an operat ional area . Theyshall each appoint one or more alternate fire and rescue coordinators. They,or their alternates, will serve on the staff of the Operational Area emergen-cy services official in their respective area.

Revised 09/88Page 10

C. REGIONAL FIRE AND RESCUE COORDINATOR:

Regional Fire and Rescue Coordinators are selected for a three-year term byOperat ional Area Fire and Rescue Coordinators wi thin thei r respect iveregions. They shall each appoint one or more alternate Regional Fire andRescue Coordinators. They, or their alternates, will serve on the staff ofthe OES Regional Manager during a State of War Emergency or State ofEmergency proclaimed by the Governor.

D. STATE FIRE AND RESCUE COORDINATOR:

The State Fire and Rescue Coordinator is the Chief of the Fire and RescueDivision of the Office of Emergency Services and is a staff member of theDirector of the Office of Emergency Services. The State Fire and RescueCoordinator i s respons ib le for tak ing appropr ia te ac t ion on reques ts formutual aid received through Regional Fire and Rescue Coordinator chan-nels.

E. OTHER STATE AGENCIES:

The Governor may assign to state agencies any activities concerned with themitigation of the effects of an emergency (Article 7, Chapter 7 of Division1 of Title 2 of the Government Code).

F. OFFICE OF EMERGENCY SERVICES:

Provides coordination, guidance and assistance in planning, response andrecovery to all disasters within the state,

G. CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY AND FIRE PROTECTION:

Provides fire protection services, and when available, rescue, first aid andother emergency services to those forest and other wildland areas for whichthe state is responsible, and to those areas and/or communities for whichthe s ta te i s responsib le by contrac tual a r rangements . The Depar tment ofForestry and Fire Protection assists with personnel and equipment, includ-ing conservat ion camp crews (provided by the Cal i fornia Depar tment ofCorrections and California Youth Authority), in fire suppression, rescue andcleanup, communicat ions , radiological moni tor ing, and personnel care asemergencies may require and dependent upon their normally assigned fireprotection responsibilities.

H. STATE FIRE MARSHAL:

Assists OES Fire and Rescue Division by providing personnel to facilitatecoordination of mutual aid fire and rescue operations; provides personnelfor arson and explosion investigation, flammable liquid pipeline emergen-cies.

I. DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME:

Assists other agencies in search and rescue missions; provides recommenda-tions and guidelines for hazardous substance incidents which have or maycontaminate streams, waterways, or state properties.

Revised 09/88Page 11

J. MILITARY DEPARTMENT:

At the direction of the Governor, assists civil authorities in protecting lifea n d p r o p e r t y f r o m f i r e s , a n d c o n d u c t s s u p p o r t o p e r a t i o n s d e s i g n e d t ominimize devastation by fire; i .e., communications, transportation, evacua-tion, and engineering assistance, and by providing personnel and equipmentfor rescue operations.

K. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CAL TRANS):

Assists in the identification and containment of hazardous materials inci-dents and the coordinat ion of t raf f ic f low res tora t ion wi th the HighwayPatrol.

L. CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL:

Acts as scene manager in hazardous material emergencies on all freeways,state owned toll bridges, highways, and roads in unincorporated areas of thestate.

M. CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION CORPS

Provides handcrews, helitack crews and fire camp crews to the CaliforniaDepartment of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Revised 09/88Page 12

FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE ORGANIZATION

S T A T E O F E M E R G E N C Y

DIRECTION AND CONTROL

X X X X X X X ADVISORY

COORDINATION AND SUPPORT

o o o o o o o LOCAL DIRECTION AND COORDINATION

Revised 09/88Page 13

FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE ORGANIZATION

L O C A L E M E R G E N C Y

DIRECTION AND CONTROL

X X X X X X X ADVISORY

COORDINATION AND SUPPORT

o o o o o o o LOCAL DIRECTION AND COORDINATION

Revised 09/88Page 14

IX. RESPONSIBILITIES

A. LOCAL:

The appropriate Fire and Rescue Administrator:

1. Directs all action toward stabilizing and mitigating the emergency,including controlling fires, saving lives, safeguarding property andassisting other emergency services in restoring normal conditions,

2. Develops an effective emergency plan for use of the resources underits control and ensures that such a plan is integrated into the emer-gency p l an o f t he ope ra t i ona l a r ea o f wh ich t he f i r e and r e scueadministrator is a part. This plan should include provision for, butnot be limited to, fire and rescue operations, earthquake, floods, civildisturbances, riots, bombings, industrial accidents, hazardous materialincidents, mass casualty incidents, air and water pollution, etc.

3. Makes maximum use of existing facilities and services within eachcommunity prior to requesting assistance from neighboring jurisdic-tions.

4. Conducts mutual aid activities in accordance with established opera-tional procedures.

5. During emergency operations, keeps the Operational Area Fire andRescue Coordinator informed on all matters.

6. The agency receiving mutual aid is responsible for logistic support toall mutual aid personnel and equipment received.

7. Prepares personnel and equipment inventories and forwards copies tothe Operational Area Fire and Rescue Coordinator annually,

8. Maintains an up-to-date schedule for alerting fire and rescue person-nel in emergencies and a checklist of timely actions to be taken toput emergency operations plans into effect.

9. Establishes emergency communications capabilities with the Opera-tional Area Fire and Rescue Coordinator.

10. An t i c ipa t e s emergency needs fo r such i t ems a s emergency f i r eequipment, commonly used spare parts, and expendable supplies andaccessories, and ensures functional availability of these in locationsconvenient for ready use.

11. Develops a radiological moni tor ing capabi l i ty and comprehensivetraining program within the department.

12. When requesting aid, will be in charge of all manpower and appara-tus received. Requests for mutual aid will be directed to the Opera-tional Area Fire and Rescue Coordinator.

Revised 09/88Page 15

13. Provides mutual a id resources when requested by the Operat ionalArea Fire and Rescue coordinator to the extent of their availabilitywithout unreasonably depleting their own resources.

14. Maintains appropriate records, data, and other pertinent informationof mutual aid resources committed.

15. Provides approximate time commitment and justification of mutualaid needs in request for resources to the Operational Area Fire andRescue Coordinator. Periodically evaluates the need of mutual aidcommitted and notifies the Area Coordinator.

B. OPERATIONAL AREA:

The Operational Area Fire and Rescue Coordinator:

1. Organizes and acts as chairperson of an Operational Area Fire andRescue Coordinating Committee composed of the Alternate Area Fireand. Rescue Coordinators and/or fire chiefs within the operationalarea. The committee may include others as deemed necessary by thechairperson. This committee shall meet at least once each year andmay hold additional meetings as deemed necessary by the chairper-son.

2. In cooperation with its Operational Area Fire and Rescue Coordinat-ing Committee, will:

a. Organize, staff and equip area fire and rescue dispatch cen-t e r s i n a cco rdance w i th t he p r i nc ip l e s enumera t ed i n t heCalifornia Fire Service and Rescue Emergency Mutual Aid Plan.

b. Select and submit to the Regional Fire and Rescue Coordina-tor the names of individuals to serve as the a l ternates a tOperational Area fire and rescue dispatch centers.

c. A id and encou rage t he deve lopmen t o f un i fo rm f i r e andrescue operational plans within the Area.

d. Aid and encourage the development of countywide f i re andrescue communicat ion nets operat ing on the approved f i refrequency for the county. The communication net should tiethe communications facilities of the county to the OperationalArea Fire and Rescue Dispatch Center and alternate dispatchcenters.

e. Maintain an up-to-date inventory system on fire and rescueapparatus and personnel within the area for use in dispatch-ing. Compile and forward this information to the respectiveRegional Fire and Rescue Coordinator annually.

f. Develop a dispatching procedure for all state-owned OES fireapparatus, rescue trucks, and communication vehicles assignedwithin the area.

Revised 09/88Page 16

g. Provide fire and rescue coordination to the OES operationalarea disaster preparedness official.

h. Responsible to aid and assist local, region and state officialsin planning, requesting, and utilizing mobilization centers asneeded for staging strike teams and personnel where appropri-ate.

3. During a “State of War Emergency,” shall report to the area Emergen-cy Operations Center to serve on the staff of the Operational AreaDisas ter Preparedness Director . An author ized representa t ive mayserve on this staff in place of the Operational Area Fire and RescueCoordinator, if necessary.

4. During a “State of Emergency” declared by the Governor, or as maybe necessary, shall report to the area Emergency Operations Center orsuch other locat ion as di rected by the Regional Fire and RescueCoordinator. If necessary, an authorized representative may assumethis duty.

5. Wil l be responsible for d ispatching a l l OES and/or local f i re andrescue resources wi thin the operat ional area on major mutual a idoperations.

a. If the emergency is within the jurisdiction of the OperationalArea Fire and Rescue Coordinator and overloads the commu-nication facilities, it assigns dispatching of mutual aid equip-ment to an alternate fire and rescue dispatch center.

b. S h a l l k e e p t h e R e g i o n a l F i r e a n d R e s c u e C o o r d i n a t o r i n -formed of all operations.

C. Evaluates reques ts for ass is tance f rom local agency; deter -mines the resources f rom that operat ional area which canprovide the most timely assistance, and initiates appropriateresponse thereof. Determines if the most timely assistance isfrom one adjacent operational area and if so, request assist-ance from that Operational Area Fire and Rescue Coordinatornot to exceed five engine companies or individual resources,and notifies the Regional Fire and Rescue Coordinator of thisaction. When resources are needed from more than one adja-cen t a r ea , e i t he r f o r t ime ly r e sponse o r when t he need i sbeyond operational area capability, the request must be madeto region.

d. Determines approximate time commitment and justification ofresources issued to local agency, and the length of time it willutilize these resources. Periodically evaluate the justificationand commitment to the local agency of these resources, andnotify the region.

e. T h e O p e r a t i o n a l A r e a F i r e a n d R e s c u e C o o r d i n a t o r w i l ladvise the requesting jurisdiction of the origin of resourcesresponding to the request for assistance.

Revised 09/88Page 17

C.

f. Shall notify and advise the Regional Fire and Rescue Coordi-nator, in a timely manner, of the need to establish mobiliza-tion centers and/or staging areas.

6. The Operational Area Fire and Rescue Coordinator is not responsiblefor any direct fire or other emergency operations except those whichoccur within the jurisdiction of its own department, agency, etc. Thelocal official in whose jurisdiction the emergency exists shall remainin full charge of all fire and rescue resources, staffing, and equip-ment furnished for mutual aid operations.

REGIONS:

The Regional Fire and Rescue Coordinator:

1. Organizes and acts as chai rperson of a Regional Fi re and RescueCoordinating Committee, composed of Alternate Regional Fire andR e s c u e C o o r d i n a t o r s a n d t h e O p e r a t i o n a l A r e a F i r e a n d R e s c u eCoordinators within the region. This committee may include othersas deemed necessary by the chairperson. This committee shall meetat least once each year and may hold additional meetings as deemednecessary by the chairperson.

2. On receipt of information of an emergency within the region whichmay require regional mutual aid, or upon request of the State Fireand Rescue Coordinator, assumes its responsibilities for coordinationand dispatch of regional mutual aid resources.

3. In cooperat ion wi th i t s Fi re and Rescue Coordinat ing Commit tee ,will:

a. Organize, staff, and equip a Regional Fire and Rescue dis-patch center in accordance with the principles enumerated inthe California Fire Service and Rescue Emergency Mutual AidPlan.

b. Select and submit to the State Fire and Rescue Coordinator,t h e n a m e s o f i n d i v i d u a l s t o s e r v e a s i t s a l t e r n a t e s a t t h eRegional Fire and Rescue dispatch centers.

C. Aid, encourage, and approve the development of uniform fireand rescue emergency plans within the region, through theOperational Area Fire and Rescue Coordinators.

d. Aid and encourage the development of countywide f i re andrescue communication nets, tying local fire departments to anOperational Area Fire and Rescue dispatch center.

e. Mainta in an up- to-date inventory sys tem of f i re and rescueapparatus and personnel within the region for use in dispatch-ing. Compile and forward this information to the State Fireand Rescue Coordinator annually.

Revised 09/88Page 18

4. During a “State of War Emergency,” the Regional Fire and RescueCoordinator or the author ized representa t ives shal l repor t to theRegional Emergency Control Center, acting as Fire and Rescue liai-son to the OES Regional Manager.

5. During a “State of Emergency” proclaimed by the Governor, or asmay be necessary, the Regional Fire and Rescue Coordinator or thealternate will report to the Regional Emergency Control Center orother locations as directed by the State Fire and Rescue Coordinator.

6. Is responsible for dispatching all OES and/or local fire and rescueresources within. the region on major mutual aid operations.

a. If the emergency exists within the jurisdiction of the RegionalFire and Rescue Coordinator and overloads the communica-t i o n f a c i l i t i e s , t h e R e g i o n a l F i r e a n d R e s c u e C o o r d i n a t o rassigns dispatching of mutual aid equipment to an AlternateRegional Fire and Rescue dispatch center.

b. Keeps the State Fire and Rescue Coordinator informed of alloperations within the region.

C. Evaluates requests for assistance from Area; determines theregion resources from that region which can provide the mosttimely assistance, and initiates appropriate response thereof.Determines if the most timely assistance is from an adjacentregion and i f so , reques ts ass is tance f rom that Region Fi reand Rescue Coordinator (not to exceed five engines or indi-vidual resources), and must notify the State Fire and RescueCoordinator of this action. When resources are needed frommore than one adjacent region, either for timely response orwhen the need is beyond region capability, the request mustbe made to the State.

d. Needs to request approximate time commitment and justifica-t ion of resources i ssued to opera t ional area , and length oftime it will utilize these resources. Shall periodically evaluatethe justification and commitment to the Operational Area ofthese resources, and notify the State.

e. The Regional Fire and Rescue Coordinator wi l l advise therequesting Area of the source of all assistance responding tothe Area.

f. Shall notify and advise the State Fire and Rescue Coordina-tor, in a timely manner, of the need to establish mobilizationcenters and/or staging areas.

7. Regional Fire and Rescue Coordinator will monitor and coordinatebackup coverage within an area or region when there is a shortage ofresources.

8. Calls and conducts elections within the respective Operational Areasfor Operational Area Fire and Rescue Coordinator. These elections

Revised 09/88Page 19

will be held every three years and when a vacancy occurs or at therequest of the State Fire and Rescue Coordinator. Communicationsand dispatch requirements will be considered in electing coordina-tors.

9. The Regional Fire and Rescue Coordinator is not responsible for anydirect fire or other emergency operations except those which occurwithin the jurisdiction of its own department, agency, etc. The localofficial in whose jurisdiction the emergency exists shall remain infull charge of all fire and rescue resources furnished for mutual aidoperations.

10. Responsible to aid and assist in planning, utilizing, and requestingmobilization centers as needed for staging strike teams during mutualaid operations.

D. STATE:

The Chief, Fire and Rescue Division, Office of Emergency Services, is theState Fire and Rescue Coordinator.

1. Office of Emergency Services, Fire and Rescue Division:

a. Prepares, maintains, and distributes the basic California FireService and Rescue Emergency Mutual Aid Plan for coordinat-i ng s t a t ewide emergency f i r e and r e scue r e sou rces wh ichinclude, but are not limited to, all regularly established fireand rescue services within the state.

b. Develops and maintains a “Fire and Rescue Emergency Opera-tions Plan” and “Standard Operating Procedure” for the useand dispatch of OES Fire and Rescue personnel , appara tusand other fire and rescue resources as necessary. Such plansshall be made available to appropriate levels of command; i.e.,Operational Area and Region Fire and Rescue Coordinators,dispatch centers, and local fire and rescue officials.

C. Organizes, staffs and equips the State Fire and Rescue dis-patch center and alternate facilities necessary to ensure effec-tive statewide coordination and control of mutual aid fire andrescue operations.

d. Monitors ongoing emergency situations, anticipates needs, andprepares for use of inter-regional fire and rescue mutual aidresources, establishing priorities and authorizing dispatch.

e. State Fire and Rescue Coordinator will monitor and coordi-nate backup coverage between regions when there is a short-age of resources.

f. Consults with and keeps the Director of the Office of Emer-gency Services informed on all matters pertaining to the fireand rescue services, and through the State Fire and RescueCoord ina to r , keeps t he Ca l i f o rn i a Emergency Counc i l i n -

Revised 09/88Page 20

2.

formed of current pol icy mat ters and proposed revis ions inthe California Fire Service and Rescue Emergency Mutual AidPlan.

g. Consults with and assists federal and other state agency repre-senta t ives on a l l mat ters of mutual in teres t to the f i re andrescue service.

h. Coordinates fire and rescue emergency mutual aid operationsthroughout the state, both on and off scene.

i. Assists state and local fire and rescue agencies in utilizingfederal assistance programs available to them and keeps theminformed of new legislation affecting these programs.

j. Assists in the coordination of the application and use of otherstate agency resources during a “State of Emergency” or “Stateof War Emergency.”

k. Develops and provides t ra in ing programs and mater ia ls foreffect ive appl ica t ion and ut i l iza t ion of the Cal i forn ia F i reService and Rescue Emergency Mutual Aid Plan.

l. Encourages the development of training programs for special-ized emergencies involving fire and rescue services; i.e., radio-logical moni tor ing, c ivi l d is turbances , s taf f and commandtraining.

m. Calls for and conducts elections for Regional Fire and RescueCoordinator. These elections will be held every three years orany time a vacancy occurs.

n. Develops procedures for re imbursement of s ta te and localagency expenses associated with assistance rendered during amajor incident.

P. Standardizes forms and procedures for the records requiredfor response of OES and/or local f i re and rescue resourcesresponding to incidents or operat ional area coverage whichqualify for reimbursement.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection:

a.

b.

Provides fire protection services and when available, rescue,f i rs t a id and other emergency services to those fores t andother wildland areas for which the state is responsible eitherdirectly or through contractual agreements, and to those areasand/or communit ies for which the Depar tment of Fores t ryand Fire Protect ion is responsible by local government f i reprotection contracts.

Provides supervis ion for adul t conservat ion camp inmates ,Youth Authority wards, and Conservation Center corpsmem-bers in f i re defense improvement work, f i re f ight ing, andother emergency activity.

Revised 09/88Page 21

C. Maintains a statewide radio and microwave communicationssystem, extended throughout administrative districts and allcounties in which the Department of Forestry and Fire Pro-tection has a fire protection responsibility.

d. Has numerous agreements with federal, state and local juris-dictions providing for contract fire protection, assistance byhire and/or mutual aid.

e. The Department of Forestry and Fire Protection assists by:

(1) Maintaining and making available to the State Fire andRescue Coordinator and Regional and Operational AreaFire and Rescue Coordinators , emergency operat ionsplans and resource inventories of the Department’s firefighting equipment and personnel.

(2) Working cooperatively with State, Regional, and Opera-tional Area Fire and Rescue Coordinators to integratethe Department’s fire fighting resources into the state,regional, and local fire and rescue emergency mutuala i d p l a n . ( A n y d i s p a t c h o f C D F r e s o u r c e s w i l l b ethrough CDF dispatch channels.)

(3) Providing personnel and equipment to the OES Fireand Rescue Division for rescue operations, includinginmates, wards, and conservation corpsmembers underi ts jur isdic t ion. (Any dispatch of these crews underCDF jurisdiction will be through CDF dispatch chan-nels.)

(4) Initiating requests to OES for federal fire suppressionassistance under Section 417, Public Law 95-288, Disas-ter Relief Act of 1976, as the needs may arise becauseof wildland fires on state responsibility lands. UponFDA approval , CDF wil l be responsible for workingdirectly with the appropriate federal agency (US ForestService) to secure assistance, keeping OES advised oft h i s a c t i o n a n d p r o v i d i n g w h a t e v e r i n f o r m a t i o n i srequired for jus t i f ica t ion and ut i l iza t ion of such as-sistance. (Pursuant to Governor’s Administrative OrderNo. 75-20.)

3. The State Fire Marshal:

a. Assists OES Fire and Rescue Division by providing personnelto facilitate coordination of mutual aid fire and rescue opera-tions, code enforcement, arson and explosion investigation,and flammable liquid pipeline emergencies.

b. Cooperates wi th OES Fire and Rescue Divis ion in t ra in ingFire Marshal personnel for emergency operations.

Revised 09/88Page 22

7.

C. Assists OES and local jurisdictions in post-emergency damagesurveys , bui ld ing inspect ion, advis ing them on use and/orhazards of damaged faci l i t ies , including hazardous l iquidpipelines and state-owned or occupied buildings. (Pursuant toAdministrative Order No. 75-15.)

4. California Conservation Corps (75-5):

Provides personnel and/or equipment: to assist in:

a. The prevention and suppression of fire.

b. Rescue of lost or injured persons.

C. Support of other emergency operations.

5. California Highway Patrol (75-6):

Provides assistance in:

a. Emergency highway traffic regulations and control.

b. Evacuation of residents/inhabitants.

C. Scene manager for h ighway hazardous mater ia ls incidents .(V.C. 2454.)

6. Department of Corrections (75-10):

a. Supplies inmate personnel to support emergency operations,

b. Provides congregate care for displaced persons at departmen-tal facilities.

C. Prepare food for consumption in the disaster area.

d. Furnish emergency medical treatment to disaster victims.

Military Department (75-26):

T h e M i l i t a r y D e p a r t m e n t m a y b e a c t i v a t e d b y t h e G o v e r n o r t oprovide any of the following support services:

a. A i r a n d s u r f a c e t r a n s p o r t a t i o n o f a u t h o r i z e d p e r s o n n e l ,equipment, and supplies.

b. Provision of interim voice, telegraph and teletype communica-tions.

C. Surface and aerial reconnaissance and photography.

d. Mass feeding.

e. Medical treatment and evacuation.

Revised 09/88Page 23

f. Clearance of debris and rubble.

g. Explosive ordinance disposal.

h. Search and rescue.

i. Emergency housing.

j. Maintaining law and order.

The Mil i tary Depar tment may respond di rect ly to requestsfrom the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to aid insuppressing forest fires.

8. Department of Youth Authority (7540):

a. Ward camp crews assist in emergency operations.

b. Provides congregate care for displaced persons at departmentfacilities.

C. Prepares food for consumption in the disaster area.

d. Provides emergency medical treatment.

X. PROCEDURES - MUTUAL AID

Fire and rescue mutual aid rendered pursuant to California’s Master Mutual AidAgreement, is based upon an incremental and progressive system of mobilization.Mobilization plans have been based upon the concept of providing a local fire andrescue authority sufficient resources without extraordinary depletion of fire andrescue defenses outside the area of disaster. Under normal condi t ions , f i re andrescue mutual aid plans are activated in ascending order; i.e., local, county, region,inter-region. Circumstances may prevail which make mobilization of significantfire and rescue forces from within the area or region of disaster impractical andimprudent. Inter-regional mutual aid is, therefore, not contingent upon mobiliza-tion of uncommitted resources within the region of disaster.

A. LOCAL FIRE AND RESCUE RESOURCES:

Local fire and rescue resources include resources available through automat-ic and/or day-to-day mutual aid agreements with neighboring jurisdictions.Local mobilization plans are activated by requests to participating agenciesand must provide for notification of the

Operat ional Area (county) Fi re and Rescue Coordinator upon act ivat ion.The Operat ional Area Fi re and Rescue Coordinator must know of thoseresources committed under local plans when determining resource availabili-ty for subsequent response.

B. OPERATIONAL AREA FIRE AND RESCUE RESOURCES:

Operat ional Area Fire and Rescue resources are those which are madea v a i l a b l e t o a p a r t i c i p a t i n g a g e n c y t h r o u g h t h e a p p r o v e d a n d a d o p t e d

Revised 09/88Page 24

Operat ional Area (county) Fire and Rescue Emergency Mutual Aid Plan.Mobilization of Operational Area resources is activated by the OperationalArea Fire and Rescue Coordinator, or his representative, in response to arequest for ass is tance f rom an author ized f i re and rescue off ic ia l of theparticipating agency in need. The Operational Area Fire and Rescue Coor-d i n a t o r m u s t n o t i f y t h e R e g i o n a l F i r e a n d R e s c u e C o o r d i n a t o r o f a r e aresources committed.

C. REGIONAL FIRE AND RESCUE RESOURCES:

Regional fire and rescue resources include all resources available to a par-t ic ipat ing agency through the approved and adopted Regional Fi re andRescue Emergency Mutual Aid Plan. Operational Area (county) plans aresignificant elements of regional plans.

Mobilization of regional fire and rescue resources is activated by the Re-gional Fire and Rescue Coordinator in response to a request for assistancefrom an Operational Area Fire and Rescue Coordinator. Regional Fire andRescue Coordinators must notify the Chief, OES Fire and Rescue Division,of resources committed.

D. INTER-REGIONAL FIRE AND RESCUE RESOURCES

Inter-regional fire and rescue mutual aid is mobilized through the OES Fireand Rescue Coordinator in the aff l ic ted mutual a id region. Select ion ofregion(s) from which resources are to be drawn is made in consideration ofthe imminence of threat to life and property and conditions existing in thevarious regions. Fire and rescue forces will be mobilized in the strike teammode for inter-regional fire and rescue mutual aid response. Strike teamswil l normal ly consis t of f ive engines and a qual i f ied s t r ike team leaderunless unusual circumstances prevent assemblage in these numbers. (EachOES engine will be staffed by three ((3)) or more trained fire fighters.)Regional Fire and Rescue Coordinators must be notified of any strike teamwith less than f ive engines . This informat ion must be re layed to the re-quest ing agency. St r ike teams of resources other than f i re engines areident i f ied wi thin s ta te ICS plans . Regional Fi re and Rescue Coordinatorrequesting aid must specify the number, kind and type of strike teams andsupport resources desired. Utilization of Multi-Agency Coordination Systemresource ordering form (MACS Form 420) is required; procedures for use tobe developed by OES.

Insofar as is practicable, an OES Assistant State Fire and Rescue Coordina-tor will be dispatched when five or more OES fire engines are activated.An OES fire equipment mechanic will be dispatched to fire emergencies inwhich OES fire equipment is involved when, in the opinion of the assignedOES Assistant State Fire and Rescue Coordinator, such response is needed.

OES fire and rescue resources may be included in local, area, and regionalfire and rescue mutual aid plans when such resources are assigned withinthe boundaries covered by the plan.

E. DISPATCH CENTER:

Fire and rescue dispatch centers must be carefully selected and adequately

Revised 09/88Page 25

equipped for emergency operat ions . They should be located in a faci l i tywhich conducts 24-hour-per-day operations. They must be equipped withf ac i l i t i e s wh ich pe rmi t d i r ec t commun ica t i ons w i th a l l f i r e and r e scueagencies within their area of operation. They must be staffed with compe-tent personnel and equipped with such maps, charts, records, and operation-al data necessary to perform emergency operations on a 24- hour-per-day,full-time basis, etc. Alternate fire and rescue dispatch centers should havethe same capability as primary centers, thus ensuring continued operationsin the event of failure of the primary centers.

F. TRAINING:

1. The training of regular emergency personnel in specialized skills andtechniques is essential if each level of the fire and rescue service is tosuccessfully discharge assigned emergency responsibilities to handle all-risk emergencies. Fire and rescue officials should identify key per-sonnel with emergency assignments and ensure the adequacy of theirtraining.

2. The Sta te of Cal i fornia Fi re and Rescue Service has adopted theIncident Command System and Interagency Incident ManagementSystem. All agencies should maintain familiarity with these systems.

G. PLANNING:

A well-developed, decision-making process can compliment all phases ofmutual aid utilization. Failure to plan assures failure. Effective emergencyaction is dependent upon comprehensive planning. All mutual aid planningmust consider the logis t ica l and f inancia l obl igat ions incurred in e i therproviding or receiving mutual aid assistance; i.e., fuel, feeding, overtime forpersonnel. Emergency situations evolve through a series of stages: Plan-ning, Preparedness, Response and Recovery.

1.

2. Response

Preparedness

While this phase does not apply to all emergencies, involved jurisdic-tions, when possible, will put pre-emergency plans into operation.Such plans include a ler t ing key personnel , ensur ing readiness ofessential resources, and preparing to move resources to the threatenedarea when required, If a request for mutual aid resources is antici-pated, the next higher level of jurisdiction must be advised, includ-ing all available information relative to the expected threat, its loca-tion, imminence, potential severity, and other associated problems.

The nature of emergency operations is dependent upon the character-istics and requirements of the situation. This phase may require theuse of local , opera t ional area , regional , and s ta te resources . Themagnitude and severity of fire and rescue service emergencies mayd e v e l o p r a p i d l y a n d w i t h o u t w a r n i n g . E q u a l l y r a p i d p r e p l a n n e dresponse on the part of the fire and rescue service is required. Thesituation may develop requiring federal assistance under provisionsof a Presidential Disaster Declaration, thereby involving the FederalEmergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Revised 09/88Page 26

3. Recovery

Planning for this phase should include reestablishment of essentialpublic services, public safety inspections, and restoration of publicfacilities.

Revised 09/88Page 27

CHANNELS FOR REQUESTING FIRE AND RESCUE MUTUAL AID RESOURCES

* AREA BORDERLINE EMERGENCIES** REGION BORDERLINE EMERGENCIES

(See Part IX. , Responsibilities, Section B., Operational Area, 5.c- - Page 17)(See Part IX., Responsibilities, Section C,, Regions, 6.c. - Page 19)

EXECUTIVE ORDER D-25-83

Section 4 - Executive and Administrative Orders

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

EXECUTIVE ORDER D-25-83

WHEREAS, it is the responsibility of the State of California to maintain a high degree ofpreparedness in the event of an earthquake, flood, fire, riot, epidemic, attack by a foreignpower and other emergencies;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE DEUKMEJIAN, Governor of the State of California, byvirtue of the powers and authority vested in me by the Constitution and statutes of the Stateof California and in accordance with the provisions of Sections 8567 and 8595 of theGovernment Code, do hereby rescind Executive Order No. B-48-78, and do hereby issue thisorder to become effective immediately:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

The Director, Office of Emergency Services, who is also the State Director ofEmergency Planning and the State Director of Civil Defense, is responsible forpreparation of the State of California Emergency Plan and the submission thereof,through the California Emergency Council, to me for approval;

The Director, Office of Emergency Services, shall coordinate the activities of allstate agencies relating to preparation and implementation of the CaliforniaEmergency Plan; and each state agency and officer shall cooperate with theDirector and render all possible assistance during response and recovery phase ofproclaimed emergencies;

The head of each department, bureau, board, commission and independent institu-tion of state government, hereinafter referred to as an agency, is responsible forthe emergency planning and preparedness of his or her agency;

Specific assignment of emergency functions to a given agency will be made in anAdministrative Order by the Director, Office of Emergency Services, followingconsultation with the respective agency head;

Draft copies of agency emergency plans and procedures designed to carry outemergency assignments shall be submitted to the Director, Office of EmergencyServices, for review and approval prior to publication;

Each agency shall prepare for and respond to emergency situations by ensuring:

a. Protection of its personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, and vital publicrecords against the destructive forces of nature or man;

b. The use of minimum resources required for continuation of normal servicesand redirection of all other resources to accomplish objectives in accordancewith the California Emergency Plan;

Revised 09/88 Page 29

C. Designation of facilities for emergency use;

Page Two

7. Authority is hereby granted each state agency to properly train employees foremergency assignments in test exercises conducted by the agency or the Office ofEmergency Services. Agency directors may allow compensation or compensatingtime off for training outside of regular working hours.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my handand caused the Great Seal of the State ofCalifornia to be affixed this 27th day of October

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XII. MASTER MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT

There are references in the following agreement to the California Disaster Act,State Disaster Council, and various sections of the Military and Veterans Code.

Effective November 23, 1970, by enactment of Chapter 1454, Statutes 1970, theCalifornia Disaster Act (Sections 1500 ff., Military and Veterans Code) was super-seded by the California Emergency Services Act (Sections 1550 ff., GovernmentCode), and the State Disaster Council was superseded by the California EmergencyCouncil.

Section 8668 of the California Emergency Services Act provides:

“Master Mutual Aid Agreement” means the California Disaster andCivil Defense Master Mutual Aid Agreement, made and entered intoby and between the State of California, its various departments andagencies, and the various political subdivisions of the state, to facili-tate implementation of the purposes of this chapter.

Substantially, the same provisions as previously contained in Sections 1541, 1564,1586 and 1587 of the Military and Veterans code, referred to in the foregoingagreement, are now contained in Sections 8633, 8618, 8652 and 8653, respectively,of the Government Code.

Revised 09/88Page 31

CALIFORNIA DISASTER AND CIVIL DEFENSEMASTER MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT

This agreement made and entered into by and between the STATE OF CALIFORNIA, itsvarious departments and agencies, and the various political subdivisions, municipal corpo-rations, and other public agencies of the State of California;

W I T N E S S E T H :

WHEREAS, it is necessary that all of the resources and facilities of the State, itsvarious departments and agencies, and all its political subdivisions, municipal corpora-tions, and other public agencies be made available to prevent and combat the effect ofdisasters which may result from such calamities as flood, fire, earthquake, pestilence, war,sabotage, and riot: and

WHEREAS, it is desirable that each of the parties hereto should voluntarily aid andassist each other in the event that a disaster should occur, by the interchange of servicesand facilities, including, but not limited to, fire, police, medical and health, communica-tion, and transportation services and facilities, to cope with the problems of rescue, relief,evacuation, rehabilitation, and reconstruction which would arise in the event of a disas-ter; and

WHEREAS, it is necessary and desirable that a cooperative agreement be executedfor the interchange of such mutual aid on a local, countywide, regional, statewide, andinterstate basis;

1. Each party shall develop a plan providing for the effective mobilization ofall its resources and facilities, both public and private, to cope with any type of disaster,

2. Each party agrees to furnish resources and facilities and to render servicesto each and every other party to this agreement to prevent and combat any type of disas-ter in accordance with duly adopted mutual aid operational plans, whether heretofore orhereafter adopted, detailing the method and manner by which such resources, facilities,and services are to be made available and furnished, which operational plans may includeprovisions for training and testing to make such mutual aid effective; provided, however,that no party shall be required to deplete unreasonably its own resources, facilities, andservices in furnishing such mutual aid.

3. I t i s express ly unders tood tha t th is agreement and the opera t ional p lansadopted pursuant there to shal l not supplant exis t ing agreements between some of theparties hereto providing for the exchange or furnishing of certain types of facilities andservices on a reimbursable, exchange, or other basis, but that the mutual aid extendedunder this agreement and the operational plans adopted pursuant thereto, shall be withoutreimbursement unless otherwise expressly provided for by the parties to this agreement oras provided in Sections 1541, 1586, and 1587, Military and Veterans Code; and that suchmutual aid is intended to be available in the event of a disaster of such magnitude that itis, or is likely to be, beyond the control of a single party and requires the combinedforces of several or all of the parties to this agreement to combat.

4. It is expressly understood that the mutual aid extended under this agree-ment and the operational plans adopted pursuant thereto shall be available and furnished

, in all cases of local peril or emergency and in all cases in which a STATE OF EXTREMEEMERGENCY has been proclaimed.

Revised 09/88Page 32

5. It is expressly understood that any mutual aid extended under this agree-ment and the operational plans adopted pursuant thereto, is furnished in accordance withthe “California Disaster Act” and other applicable provisions of law, and except as other-wise provided by law that: “The responsible local official in whose jurisdiction an inci-dent requiring mutual aid has occurred shall remain in charge at such incident includingthe direction of such personnel and equipment provided him through the operation ofsuch mutual aid plans.” (S 1564, Military and Veterans Code.)ec.

6. It is expressly understood that when and as the State of California entersinto mutual aid agreements with other states and the Federal Government, the parties tothis agreement shall abide by such mutual aid agreements in accordance with the law.

7. Upon approval or execut ion of th is agreement by the par t ies here to a l lmutual aid operational plans heretofore approved by the State Disaster Council, or itspredecessors, and in effect as to some of the parties hereto, shall remain in full force andeffect as to them unt i l the same may be amended, revised, or modif ied. Addi t ionalmutual aid operational plans and amendments, revisions, or modifications of existing orhereafter adopted mutual aid operational plans, shall be adopted as follows:

a. C o u n t y w i d e a n d l o c a l m u t u a l a i d o p e r a t i o n a l p l a n s s h a l l b e d e -veloped by the parties thereto and are operative as between the parties thereto in accord-ance with the provisions of such operational plans. Such operational plans shall be sub-mitted to the State Disaster Council for approval. The State Disaster Council shall notifyeach party to such operational plans of its approval, and shall also send copies of suchoperational plans and who are in the same area and affected by such operational plans.Such operational plans shall be operative as to such other parties 20 days after receiptthereof unless within that time the party by resolution or notice given to the State Disas-ter Council, in the same manner as notice of termination of participation in this agree-ment, declines to participate in the particular operational plan.

b. Sta tewide and regional mutual a id opera t ional p lans shal l be ap-proved by the State Disaster Council and copies thereof shall forthwith be sent to eachand every par ty af fec ted by such opera t ional p lans . Such opera t ional p lans shal l beoperative as to the parties affected thereby 20 days after receipt thereof unless withinthat time the party by resolution or notice given to the State Disaster Council, in the samemanner as notice of termination of participation in this agreement, declines to participatein the particular operational plan.

c. The decl inat ion of one or more of the par t ies to par t ic ipate in aparticular operational plan or any amendment, revision or modification thereof, shall notaffect the operation of this agreement and the other operational plans adopted pursuantthereto.

d. Any party may at any time by resolution or notice given to the StateDisaster Council, in the same manner as notice of termination of participation in thisagreement, decline to participate in any particular operational plan, which declinationshall become effective 20 days after filing with the State Disaster Council.

e. The State Disaster Council shall send copies of all operational plansto those state departments and agencies designated by the Governor. The Governor may,upon behalf of any department or agency, give notice that such department or agencydeclines to participate in a particular operational plan.

f. The State Disaster Council, in sending copies of operational plans

Revised 09/88Page 33

and other notices and informationto the parties to this agreement, shall send copies to theGovernor and any department or agency head designated by him; the chairman of theboard of supervisors, the clerk of the board of supervisors, the County Disaster Council,and any other officer designated by a county; the mayor, the clerk of the city council, theCity Disaster Council, and any other officer designated by a city; the executive head, theclerk of the governing body, or other officer of other political subdivisions and publicagencies as designated by such parties.

8. This agreement shall become effective as to each party when approved orexecuted by the par ty , and shal l remain operat ive and effect ive as between each andevery party that has heretofore or hereafter approved or executed this agreement, untilparticipation in this agreement is terminated by the party. The termination by one ormore of the parties of its participation in this agreement shall not affect the operation ofthis agreement as between the other parties thereto. Upon approval or execution of thisagreement the State Disaster Council shall send copies of all approved and existing mutualaid operational plans affecting such party which shall become operative as to such party20 days after receipt thereof unless within that time the party by resolution or noticegiven to the State Disaster Council, in the same manner as notice of termination of partic-ipation in this agreement, declines to participate in any particular operational plan. TheState Disaster Council shall keep every party currently advised of who the other parties tothis agreement are and whether any of them has declined to participate in any particularoperational plan.

9. Approval or execution of this agreement shall be as follows:

a. The Governor shall execute a copy of this agreement on behalf of theState of California and the various departments and agencies thereof. Upon execution by theGovernor a signed copy shall forthwith be filed with the State Disaster Council.

b. Counties, cities, and other political subdivisions and public agencieshaving a legislative or governing body shall by resolution approve and agree to abide byth i s ag reemen t , wh ich may be de s igna t ed a s “ C A L I F O R N I A D I S A S T E R A N D C I V I LDEFENSE MASTER MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT.” Upon adoption of such a resolution, acertified copy thereof shall forthwith be filed with the State Disaster Council.

c. The executive head of those political subdivisions and public agen-cies having no legislative or governing body shall execute a copy of this agreement andforthwith file a signed copy with the State Disaster Council.

10. Terminat ion of par t ic ipat ion in th is agreement may be effected by anyparty as follows:

a. The Governor on behalf of the State and its various departments andagencies , and the execut ive head of those pol i t ica l subdivis ions and publ ic agencieshaving no legis la t ive or governing body, shal l f i le a wri t ten not ice of terminat ion ofpar t ic ipat ion in th is agreement wi th the Sta te Disas ter Counci l and th is agreement i sterminated as to such party 20 days after the filing of such notice.

b. Counties, cities, and other political subdivisions and public agencieshaving a legislative or governing body shall by resolution give notice of termination ofparticipation in this agreement and file a certified copy of such resolution with the StateDisaster Council, and this agreement is terminated as to such party 20 days after thefiling of such resolution.

Revised 09/88Page 34

IN WITNESS WHEREOF this agreement has been executed and approved and iseffective and operative as to each of the parties as herein provided.

/s/ EARL WARRENGOVERNOR

On behalf of the State of California andall its Departments and Agencies.

(SEAL) ATTEST:

November 15, 1950

Revised 09/88

/s/ FRANK M JORDANSECRETARY OF STATE

Page 35

APPENDIX B: SAMPLE TECHNICAL RESCUESTANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES

Fairfax County (VA) Fire and Rescue Department

Metro-Dade County (FL) Fire Department

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION

A. PurposeB. AuthorityC. ObjectiveD. Safety

II. ORGANIZATION

A. Team Composition and Responsibility

1. Personnel2. Apparatus and Staffing3. Responsibility

B. Alarm Assignment

1. Technical Rescue Task Force2. Technical Rescue Box

C. Administrative - Chain of Command

1. Deputy Fire Chief - Operations2. Battalion Chief - Technical Services Officer3. Technical Rescue Committee

III. TRAINING

A. Safety RegulationsB. Courses

1. Technical Rescue Operations I (TRO-I)2. Technical Rescue Operations II (TRO-II)3. Technical Rescue Refresher Classes4. Technical Rescue Standard Evolution Classes5. DART Training Sessions

C. Zones

I-l

I-lI-lI-lI-l

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II-1II-1II-l

II-2

II-2II-2

II-2

II-2II-2II-3

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III-1III-l

III-1III-1III-3III-4III-5

III-6

TABLE OF CONTENTS - continued

IV.

V.

EQUIPMENT

A. Safety RegulationsB. Technical Rescue Equipment Inventory

1. Technical Rescue Squad2. Technical Rescue Unit

OPERATIONS

A. Scene Management

1. Responsibility2. Command3. Scene Control4. Team Briefing

B. Tactical - Chain of Command

1. Battalion Fire Chief2. Technical Rescue Leader3. Rescue Sector4. Rescue Safety5. Rescue Personnel6. Rescue Equipment7. Technical Rescue ICS Chart

C. Technical Rescue Operations

1. Confined Space Rescue2. Rope Rescue (RO-III)3. Structural Collapse Rescue4. Trench Rescue

APPENDIX

A - ICS Operations Checklist - Size-Up & Scene ControlICS Operations Checklist - Rescue Operations C Support

B - Standards/Codes/WeightsC - Cal-OSHA Shoring GuideD - FCFD Confined Space Entry Permit

IV-1

IV-1IV-1

IV-1IV-1

V-l

V-l

V-lV-lV-2V-2

V-3

V-3V-3V-4V-4

V-5V-5

V-6

V-6V-7V-7V-7

A-lA-2B-lC-lD-l

I. INRODUCTION

A. Purpose

B. Authority

C. Objective

D.

The purpose of this manual is to establish standardsfor the organization, training, equipment andoperations of the Technical Rescue Operations Team(TROT)

This Department Operating Manual (DOM) is issued underthe signature of the Fire Chief, through theOperations Division, in accordance with StandardOperating Procedure (SOP) 1.0.01, Written DepartmentCommunications.

The objective of this manual is to provide personnelwith a comprehensive reference document whichestablishes standards and operationally effectiveprocedures, based on safety considerations andindividual and functional responsibilities.

Safety

Technical rescue operations require expert skills andinvolve varying degrees of risk to personnel and thepublic depending on the situation.

Department personnel are subject to performing tasksduring rescue operations ranging from tending a guideline to removing a sick or injured worker from aconstruction crane. In either case, a life may be atstake and them is no room for error. Personnel mustbe proficient in their performance of the practicesand evolutions prescribed in this document.

I-l

II. ORGANIZATION

A. Team Composition and Responsibility

1. Personnel

a. The TROT shall consist of the followingpersonnel:

1) Personnel assigned to Engine 18, RescueSquad 18, and Fire Stations 14 and 21.

2) Personnel at the rank of fire technician -technical rescue.

3) Up to six fire officers, two per shift,not assigned to a technical rescuestation, as designated by the shiftassistant chief.

4) Personnel, of any rank and assignment,certified in Technical Rescue Operations -II (TRO-II).

b. Team personnel are authorized to wear the teampatch and/or insignia in accordance with SOP2.9.08, Uniforms.

2. Apparatus and Staffing

a. The team shall staff and operate the followingapparatus in accordance with SOP 1.1.03,Staffing Procedures and the provisions of thismanual.

1) Technical Rescue Squads 14, 18 and 21:One (TRO-II) fire officer (career), twotechnicians or firefighters - technicalrescue. Engine 18 may respond with Squad18.

2) Technical Rescue Units 14 and 21(CIl4 &CI21): Two, three 0: five personnel. Thestation officer-in-charge shall place theengine company and/or ambulance out-of-service to staff the Technical Rescueunit.

3. Responsibility

a. The team shall have the primary responsibilityfor operations on the following types ofincidents:

1) Confined Space Rescue2) Rope Rescue (Rope Operations - III)3) Structural Collapse Rescue4) Trench Rescue

II-1

b. The team may be dispatched to assist on thefollowing types of incidents:

1) Agricultural and Industrial Rescue2) Construction Site Rescue3) Transportation Rescue of a Unique Nature

B. Alarm Assignment

1. Technical Rescue Task Force

The TROT shall respond and operate as a TaskForce. No portion of the Technical Rescue TaskForce shall be placed in service on incidentswhich require the services or equipment of theteam.

2. Technical Rescue Box

a. The Public Safety Communications Center (PSCC)shall dispatch technical rescue apparatus inaccordance with SOP 4.1.02, Response Plan, atthe request of any unit officer, incidentcommander or at the discretion of the PSCCUniformed Fire Officer (UFO).

b. The Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) Systemrecommends a Technical Rescue Box on thefollowing Event Type Codes. The completeapparatus complement varies according to theindividual Event Type Code.

1) CAVEIN: Trench cave-in, buildingcollapse, mine shaft entrapment, or avehicle accident involving a building,with entrapment

2) METROF: Metrorail emergencies (collisionor derailment)

3) PTRANF: Train collision/derailment4) RABOVE: Aerial rescue5) RBELOW: Below-grade rescue

C. Administrative Chain of Command

1. Deputy Chief - Operations Division (DFCO)

2. Battalion Chief - Technical Services Officer (TSO)

a. The Technical Services Officer, under thedirection of the Deputy Chief of Operations,is responsible for the organization, training,equipment and operations of the TROT and theirparticipation in the United States DisasterAssistance Response Team (DART).

II-2

b. The Technical Services Officer shall managethese responsibilities through the TechnicalRescue Committee. The Technical ServicesOfficer shall appoint the members of thecommittee, conduct meetings at least quarterlyand provide the Deputy Chief of Operationswith a report.

3. Technical Rescue Committee

a. Captain - Senior Technical Officer (1: 14, 18or 21)

1) The senior technical officer shall beresponsible for the administrative andtactical operations of the TROT and shallserve as the Chairperson of the TechnicalRescue Committee.

2) The senior technical officer shall appointone of the training officers as leadinstructor for each calendar year.

b. Staff Services Officer

1)

2)

3)

4)

The staff services officer shall beresponsible for all correspondence and themaintenance of a comprehensive computerbased system of administrative records anddocuments.

The staff services officer, withconcurrence of the TSO, shall prepare ageneral order each November, listing theprojected calendar year training schedule.

The staff services officer shall notifypersonnel with expired TRO-IIcertification, by memorandum, eachJanuary.

The staff services officer shall providethe technical services officer and theTechnical Rescue Committee with a copy ofthe annual training record each January.

c. Training Officers (a total of 3; one pershift)

1) The training officers shall be responsiblefor planning, scheduling, conducting andmonitoring training on their respectiveshifts. The lead training officer maydesignate the lead instructor for aspecific course. The senior technicalofficer shall be responsible for reviewing

II-3

2)

3)

4)

all drill outlines prior to trainingtaking place. This review is for qualitycontrol. Each shift training officer, ordesignee, shall then conduct the trainingon their respective shift.

The training officers/lead instructors areresponsible for coordinating trainingschedules and apparatus statusrequirements with their shift's leadbattalion chief.

The training officers/lead instructors areresponsible for ensuring that classrosters are delivered to the Fire andRescue Academy and the Fire and RescueAcademy Liaison Officer.

The training Officers shall also keepmembers informed of their current statusand training needs to maintaincertifcation on a quarterly basisbeginning January 1.

d. Fire and Rescue Academy Liaison Officer

The Fire and Rescue Academy liaison officershall be responsible for coordinating trainingissues and schedules with the trainingofficers. The Fire and Academy liaisonOfficer is responsible for ensuring that classrosters are delivered to the training officersand the staff services officer..

e. Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance(OFDA)/Federal Emergency Management Agency(FEMA) Liaison Officer

1) The OFDA/FEXA liaison officer shall beresponsible for coordinating DART issuesand operations with the United States OFDAand FEMA.

2) The OFDA/FEMA liaison officer shall managethis responsibility through sub-committees. The OFDA/FEMA liaison officershall appoint the members of the sub-committees and provide the TechnicalRescue Committee with progress reports.

f. Volunteer Liaison Officer

1) The Volunteer liaison officer shall beresponsible for coordinating volunteerparticipation in the technical rescueprogram

II-4

g. Special Projects Officer

1) The special projects officer shall beresponsible for the completion of variousadministrative projects assigned by thesenior technica1 officer.

a)

b)

c)

The special projects officer shallpublish the TROT Activity Report on aquarterly basis.

The special projects officer shallpublish and distribute the minutes ofeach technical rescue committeemeeting.

The special projects officer shallresearch changes in laws, regulationsand standards that relate to teamoperations and report findings to thesenior technical officer.

h. Equipment/Logistics Officer (2)

1)

2)

3)

4)

The equipment/logistics officers areresponsible for assisting with themanagement of the tools and equipment usedby the TROT.

The equipment/logistics officers shallmaintain an inventory tracking system ofall tools and equipment assigned to theOFDA/FEMA Response Team.

The equipment/logistics officers shallidentify maintenance requirements forexisting tools and equipment andcoordinate those needs with the seniortechnical officer.

The equipment/logistics officers shallresearch information on needed tools andequipment to assist with the completion ofTROT capital equipment budget requests.

II-5

III. TRAINING

A. Safety Regulation

1. Personnel shall abide by all safety regulationsestablished in this manual, SOP 2.3.04, PersonnelSafety, SOP 3.1.02, Protective Clothing, the RopeOperations Manual and the Incident Command SystemManual on all incidents and training evolutions.

2. Technical Rescue instructors shall be certified inaccordance with SOP 7.10.01, Adjunct Faculty,Instructor and Academy Duty OfficerQualifications.

B. Courses

1. Technical Rescue Operations I (TRO-I)

a. Personnel

Operations Division personnel shall becertified in Technical Rescue Operations I.

b. Contents

TRO-I is a four-hour lecture and demonstrationcourse which will provide personnel with anoverview of the TROT's organization, training,equipment and operations.

c. Delivery

1) Recruit School2) Company Drills (Review)3) Operations Academy Rotations (OARS)

(Review)

d. Certification

Fire and Rescue Academy Graduation Certificate(Recruit School).

2. Technical Rescue Operations II (TRO-II)

a. Personnel

1) The following personnel shall be certifiedin Technical Rescue Operations II:

a) Personnel assigned to Engine 18,Rescue Squad 18, and Fire Stations 14and 21

III-1

b) Personnel at the rank of firetechnician - technical rescue

c) Up to six fire officers, two pershift, not assigned to a technicalrescue station, as dosignated by theshift assistant chief (reliefofficers)

d) Personnel assigned to the (OFDA/FEMA)United States Disaster AssistanceResponse Team (DART). Thisrequirement does not apply topersonnel functioning as staff supportto the DART.

b. Contents

1) TRO-II is an 80-hour lecture and practicalperformance course which will providepersonnel with the basic skills requiredto perform technical rescue operationssafely and efficiently.

a) Confined Space Rescue ........ . 16 hrsb) Rope Operations III .......... . 24 hrsc) Structural collapse Rescue ... . 16 hrsd) Trench Rescue................ . 24 hrs

c. Delivery

Technical Rescue Operations School (Fall-OddYears)

d. Certification

1) Fire and Rescue Academy Certificate

a) Technical Rescue operations II

2) Certification Maintenance

a) Maintenance of TRO-II certificationrequires personnel to attend a minimumOf three Technica1 Rescue Refresherclasses per calendar year.

b) Personnel who complete the TRO-IIcourse shall receive credit for tworefresher classes for the calendaryear in which they attend.

III-2

3) Expired Certification

a) Expired certification will prohibitpersonnel from being utilized asminimum staffing on a technical rescuesquad. (Personnel holding the rank ofFire Technician-Technical Rescue whofall to maintain their certificationwill be subject to demotion.)

b) Personnel desiring to renew theircertification shall contact theirtraining officer. Staff and volunteerpersonnel shall contact the leadtraining officer. The trainingofficer will review the trainingrecords and may require the applicantto take written and/or practical examsprior to reinstatement.

3. Technical Rescue Refresher Classes

a. Personnel

1)

2)

Personnel assigned to Engine 18, RescueSquad 18, Fire Stations 14 and 21, allpersonnel at the rank of fire technician -technical rescue and all designated reliefofficers shall attend refresher Classeswhile on duty.

TRO-II personne1, Other than specifiedabove, shall make arrangements with analternate shift's training officer toattend refresher classes while off duty,without compensation.

b. Contents

1) Technical Rescue Refresher Classes areeight-hour courses which will providepersonnel with a review of TRO-IIstandards and evolutions and/or presentnew material as changes in technology andtechniques are developed.

2) Refresher classes may periodically run 16or 24 hours depending on the materialbeing presented.

III-3

c. Delivery

Technical Rescue Refresher Classes areconducted 6 tlmes/year/shlft for an annualtotal of 18 sessions. They are conductedduring alternate months, commencing in Januaryof each year. They are normally held at theFire and Rescue Academy and begin at 0830hours. A calendar year training schedule ispublished as a general order each November.

d. Certification

TRO-II personnel are required to attend threerefresher classes/year (Chapter III.2.d.(2).

4. Technical Rescue Standard Evolution Classes

a. PerSOnnel

1) Personnel assigned to Engine 18, RescueSquad 18, and Fire Stations 14 and 21shall participate in the StandardEvolution Classes while on duty.

2) TRO-II personnel, other than specifiedabove, are encouraged to rake arrangementswith an alternate shift's training officerto attend Standard Evolution Classes whileoff duty, without compensation.

b. Contents

Technical Rescue Standard Evolution Classesare two hour courses which will provideassigned personnel with a review of TRO-IIstandard evolutions.

c. Delivery

Technical Rescue standard Evolution Classesare conducted 6 time/year/shift for an annualtotal Of 18 session. They are conductedduring alternate months, commencing inFebruary of each year. They are normally holdin each technical rescue station (14, 18 and21) On the same-day. A calendar year trainingschedule is published as a general order eachNovember.

III-4

d. Certification

Technical Rescue Standard Evolution Classesare primarily designed to develop teamworkamong personnel assigned to technical rescueapparatus and have no bearing on TRO-IIcertification status.

5. DART Training Sessions

a. Personnel

1) Personnel assigned to the OFDA/FEMA DARTshall attend DART training sessions asprescribed by general order.

2) The DART roster is limited to 50 TRO-IIpersonnel. The Fire Chief may appointadditional staff personnel.

3) Personnel desiring to attain membership inthe DART shall submit a letter of interestto the OFDA/FEMA liaison officer, throughtheir battalion chief. Personnel areappointed to the DART by the TechnicalServices Officer in conjunction with theTechnical Rescue Committee.

b. Contents

1) DART training sessions are courses ofvariable length designed to provide teamnumbers with information regarding theorganization, training, equipment andoperations of the team.

2) Drills will be scheduled periodically byOFDA and PEXA.

c. Delivery

DART training session dates, times,location(s), personne1, purpose and contentswill be issued as a general order orinformational bulletin.

d. Certification

TRO-II personnel are required to maintaintheir TRO-II Certification, Passport andInoculation Record, and attend DART trainingsessions to remain on the team. Staffpersonnel are required to maintain theirpassport, inoculation records and attend DARTtraining sessions to remain on the team.

III-5

C. Zones

1. The following zones have been established for thedelivery of special training sessions asperiodically required by the Deputy Chief ofOperations.

a. Rescue Squad 14Stations: 5, 9, 11, 16, 19, 20, 22, 24, 27,

32 and 35

b. Rescue Squad 18Stations: 1, 8, 10, 13, 23, 26, 28, 29 and

30c. Rescue Squad 21

Stations: 2, 4, 12, 15, 17, 25, 31, 34, 36,and 38

III-6

IV. EQUIPMENT

A. Safety Regulation

Technical rescue equipment shall be inventoried andinspected in accordance with SOP 2.3.04, Personnel Safety(XII. Daily Inspections) and verified by signing FSA-41as required in SOP 3.6.02, Vehicle Maintenance Log.

B. Technical Rescue Equipment Inventory

1. Technical Rescue Squad

a. Technical Rescue Squads shall carry the followingequipment:

1) Standard Rescue Squad Inventory2) Rope Rescue equipment specified in the Rope

Operations Manual3) Technica1 Rescue Equipment

a)

b)

c)d)f)

g)i)j)

k)

Technical Rescue ICS Charts, Vests &Communications System and PersonnelIdentification Arm-Bands (6-Orange)Air Bags, Low PressureAtmospheric MonitorsBreathing Apparatus - Supplied Air SystemConcrete Drill & Breaker (Pionjar-TM)Ejector (16") with 25' Extension TubeHilti Gun (TM)Jimmi Jaks (TM)Light Sticks (Caylume-TM)Lighting System, Low-Voltage, ExplosionProofPak-hammer 90 (TM)

2. Technical Rescue Unit

a. Technical Rescue Units shall maintain thefollowing minimum equipment inventory:

Q# UNIT SIZE DESCRIPTION

9 e9 e9 e9 e9 e9 e9 e6 e4 e

18-27"23-37”30-48”42-66’60-96”90-120'114-144". . . . . . . .14"

AIRSHORES - A (BLACK)AIRSHORES - B (RED)AIRSHORES - C (WHITE)AIRSHORES - D (0RANGE)AIRSHORES - E (YELLOW)AIRSHORES - F (BLUE)AIRSHORES - G (GREEN)APRONS, CARPENTER'SBARS, WONDER (3-3/4" X 13-23/8")

IV-1

Q# UNIT SIZE DESCRIPTION

222624

136622464212222221

1

82222012

62424242224

122

12

18" BARS, WRECKING30" BARS, WRECKING60"5 GAL.

BARS, PINCHBUCKETS, PLASTIC

100' CHALK LINES, RED/BLUE20 LB. CO2 W/ 2-CYLINDER CART,

REGULATOR & HOSE. . . . .CO2 HOSE (RED) W/ REGULATOR (SPARE). . . . . .CRATES, PLASTIC (STORAGE). . . . . . . . GLASSES, SAFETY4x8 GROUND PADS8 LB. HAMMERS, SLEDGE. . . . . . . . HAMMERS, ENGINEER'S, SHORT HANDLE. . . . . .HAMMERS, CLAW. . . . . .HARD HATS, SAFETY. . . . . . KNIFE, UTILITY16'50 LB&

LADDERS, STRAIGHTNAILS, DOUBLE-HEADPAINT, SPRAY (BLUE..:WATER)PAINT, SPRAY (GREEN.:SEWER)PAINT, SPRAY (ORANGE:COMMUNICATIONS)PAINT, SPRAY (RED...:ELECTRIC)PAINT, SPRAY (WHITE.:EXCAVATION)PAINT, SPRAY (YELLOW:GAS/OIL)

50 GPM PUMP, ELECTRIC, SUBMERSIBLEw/ 50' - 1 & l/2" HOSE

250 GPM PUMP, TRASH(2) 10' HARD SLEEVES(1) 25' 3" HOSE

1/2" ROPE, NYLON1/2" ROPES W/ WIRE SLINGS6' RULERS, FOLDING26" SAW, HAND, 8PT2x4xXx SCABS4x8 SHORING PANELS (17-PLY)

W/ 2x12 UPRIGHTS (BOLTED). . . . . . SHOVELS, ENTRENCHING. . . . .SHOVELS, ROUND POINT, LONG HANDLE24" SQUARE, CARPENTER'S. . . . . . SWIVELS, AIRSHORE12' TAPE MEASURES30' TAPE MEASURES100' TAPEMEASURE, FIBERGLASS12x16' TARPS, VINYL4X4X8 TIMBERS6X6X8 TIMBERS

TRIPOD, (ROLLGLISS-TM). . . . . TOOL BOX2X12X8 UPRIGHTS2X12x12 UPRIGHTS. . . . . WEDGES, WOOD

IV-2

V. OPERATIONS

A. Scene Management

1. Responsibility

Department personnel are responsible forcompliance with the provisions of Chapter V., PartA Scene Management on all Technical Rescue BoxAlarm Assignments and training evolutions.

2. Command

a.

b.

C.

d.

Technical rescue operations shall be conductedin accordance with the Incident Command SystemManual and the Technical Rescue IncidentCommand System.

The officer in charge of the first-arrivingfire department unit shall establish command,issue a situation report and direct the crewto perform scene control operations.

1) The situation report shall include aresponse recommendation for the TROT basedoh the degree of difficulty involved inthe rescue and the capabilities andlimitations of the alarm assignment.

The responding battalion chief shall determineif the TROT is required.

1) Technical communications, prior to thearrival of technical rescue apparatus,shall be directed to the first-duetechnical rescue squad.

2) The officer in charge of the first-duetechnical rescue squad say recommend, tothe responding battalion chief, ahincreased technical rescue alarmassignment based on dispatch informationor the situation report.

The officer in charge of the first-arrivingtechnical rescue apparatus shall assume theposition of technical rescue leader.

1) The technical rescue leader shall consultwith the officer of the first-arrivingfire department unit and complete theincident size-up while the crew assistswith scene control operations.

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3. Scene Control

a. Department personnel are prohibited fromentering any hazardous area without the properprotective equipment and until the area hasbeen rendered safe through appropriate specialteem actions. Examples of these hazardousareas us:

1) Confined Space2) Hazardous Material Environments3) Structural Collapse Voids4) Trench (Depth > 5')

b. Scene Control shall be established as follows:

1) Position apparatus appropriately, assessand mitigate immediate life-threateninghazards and provide medical and protectivesupport to accessible victims. Incidentspecific scene control measures are listedin Chapter V., Part C.

2) Establish a 100' diameter rescue sitearea, or appropriately sized haz-matzones, post the area with Fire-Line Tape(TM), and remove all non-essentialcivilian and department personnel.

3) Establish the equipment and personnelareas adjacent to the technical rescueunit.

c. Department personnel shell report to therescue personnel officer/area upon completionof initial scene control activities, and standby for the teas briefing.

4. Teas Briefing

a. A team briefing shall be conducted, followingthe completion of initial scene controloperations, prior to the commencement ofrescue operations.

1) The senior (TRO-II) officer shall assumethe position of technical rescue leader,confer with the incident commander, assignthe Technical Rescue Incident CommandSystem (TR ICS) positions and review theIncident Action Plan with all personnel.

v-2

a) The following positions shall bestaffed on all incidents and thepersonnel shall be identified by lime-yellow commend vests. The duties endresponsibilities of each position arelisted in Chapter V., Put B. Tactical- Chain of Command.

(i) Technical Rescue Leader(ii) Rescue Sector (Optional)(iii) Rescue Safety(iv) Rescue Equipment(v) Rescue Personnel

b) The rescue site shall be sketched onthe ICS board at the technical rescueunit and the Incident Action Plan willbe reviewed with all fire departmentpersonnel.

( i) Officers shall utilize theTechnical Rescue ICS Chart toassist them in managing theincident.

(ii) Deviation from the establishedIncident Action Plan isprohibited without authorizationfrom the incident commander.

2) Personnel shall remain in the personnelarea until assigned a task by the rescuepersonnel officer. Personnel shall reportback to the rescue personnel officer uponcompletion of the task.

B. Tactical - Chain of Command

1. Battalion Chief (Box Running Order)

2. Technical Rescue Leader (Certified TRO-II Officer)

a. The technical rescue leader is responsible forthe tactical operation of the team under thedirection of the incident commander oroperations officer.

V-3

1) The technical rescue leader will normallyoperate at the rescue site providingdirect supervision of the operation.

2) On sectorized incidents, the technicalrescue leader will operate at thetechnical rescue unit, command post orother area, as designated by the incidentcommander or operat ons officer, and beiresponsible for the management of thetechnical rescue component of the incidentthrough rescue sector officers.

b. The technical rescue leader is responsible forsubmitting a written report, detailing theteam's activities, to the senior technicalofficer and the TSO within seven days of anincident.

3. Rescue Sector (Certified TRO-II Officer)

Rescue sector officers are responsible for thedirect supervision of tactical operations of theteam, in a sector, under the direction of thetechnical rescue leader.

4. Rescue Safety (Certified TRO-II Officer)

a. The rescue safety officer is responsible forthe safety of the team in conjunction with thetechnical rescue leader and the incidentcommander.

1) The rescue safety officer will normallyoperate at the rescue site, in a physicalposition opposite the technical rescueleader, assisting with the directsupervision of the operation.

2) On sectorized incidents, a rescue safetyofficer will be assigned to each sector.The rescue safety officer will operate ata sectorized rescue site, in a physicalposition opposite the rescue sectorofficer, assisting with the directsupervision of the operation.

b. The rescue safety officer is authorized andrequired to stop and correct any unsafeoperation.

V-4

5.

6.

7.

Rescue Personnel (TRO-II Personnel)

a. The rescue personnel officer is responsible formanaging the personnel area at the technicalrescue unit and controlling access to therescue site(s).

b. The rescue personnel officer shall issuearmbands to personnel authorized to operate inthe rescue site area.

Rescue Equipment (TRO-II Personnel)

a. The rescue equipment officer is responsible formanaging the rescue equipment and resources inthe equipment area at the technical rescueunit.

b. The rescue equipment officer may obtainemergency supplies through the duty ResourceManagement officer.

Technical Rescue ICS Chart

WATER SUPPLY

V-5

C. Technical Rescue Operations

1. Confined Space Rescue

a. Confined space rescue operations shall begoverned by the provisions of this manual andthe procedures established in the TROTTraining Outline: Confined Space RescueOperations.

b. Statutory Regulation - Commonwealth ofVirginia VR 425-02-12 Virginia OperationalSafety & Health Standards for General Industry- Virginia Confined Space Standard 1910.146.(Statutory Authority: 40.1-22 of the Code ofVirginia. Effective: July 1, 1987.)

1) VR 425-02-12 : Section 1. Definitions.Confined Space. A confined space is anyspace not intended for continuous employeeoccupancy, having a limited means ofegress, and which is also subject to theaccumulation of an actual or potentiallyhazardous atmosphere or a potential forengulfment.Examples: Storage tanks, process vessels,bins, boilers, ventilation and exhaustducts, sewers, manholes, undergroundvaults, acid tanks, digesters, ovens,pulpers, tunnels, pipelines and open topvessels more than four feet in depth suchas pits, trenches, tubs, vaults andvessels.Rescue Team: Rescue team means thosepersons whom the employer has designatedprior to any confined space entry toperform rescues from confined spaces. Therescue team may consist of outsidepersonnel provided the trainingrequirements of part [7. A. 2.] of thisstandard are met.

2) VR 425-02-12 : Section 7. Training., (A.2.][A. The employer shall inform his

employees of the hazards of working inconfined spaces by providing specifictraining to employees before they maybe authorized to enter a confinedspace.2. Rescue teams. Rescue teams shall

be trained to use the equipmentthey may need to perform rescuefunctions assigned to them.

V-6

a. At least annually rescue teamsshall practice removingvictims through openings andportals of the same size,configuration andaccessibility as those ofspaces from which an actualrescue could be required.

b. The attendant or at least onemember of each rescue teamshall hold currentcertification in basic firstaid and CPR (Cardio-PulmonaryResuscitation).]

c. Confined Space Entry Permit

The technical rescue leader or rescue sectorofficer shall not authorize a confined spaceentry, during training or incident operations,until the rescue safety officer issues aFairfax County Fire & Rescue Department -Technical Rescue Team - Confined Space EntryPermit (FSA-237).

2. Rope Rescue

Rope rescue operations shall be governed by theprovisions of this manual and the proceduresestablished in the Department Operating Manual:Rope Operations.

3. Structural Collapse Rescue

a. Structural collapse rescue operations shall begoverned by the provisions of this manual andthe procedures established in the TechnicalRescue Team Training Outline: StructuralCollapse Rescue Operations.

b. The TROT shall operate in collapsed structuresfor the sole purpose of conducting search andrescue operations.

4. Trench Rescue

Trench rescue operations shall be governed by theprovisions of this manual and the proceduresestablished in the Technical Rescue Team TrainingOutline: Trench Rescue Operations.

V-7

A-1

A-2

B-l

C-1

FAIRFAX COUNTYFIRE AND RESCUE DEPARTMENT

TECHNICAL RESCUE OPERATIONS TEAM

CONFINED SPACE ENTRY PERMIT

FSA-237 (07/91)

D-l

This Confined Space Entry Permit is required by Section 6. [A]Permit Systems, of the Virginia Confined Space Standard-1910.146.VR425-02-12. Virginia Occupational Safety and Health Standards forGeneral Industry. Statutory Authority: 40.1-22 (5) of the Code ofVirginia.

6. [A] [l.] The minimum acceptable environmental conditions forentry and work in a Confined Space are specified by Section 3.,Preparation., of the Virginia Confined Space Standard and referencedin the Department Operating Manual (DOM) - Technical Rescue.a. Pumps or lines which may convey flammable, injurious or'incapacitating substances into a space shall be disconnected,blinded or effectively isolated by other means to prevent thedevelopment of dangerous levels of air contamination or oxygendeficiency within the space. The disconnection or blind shall be solocated or done in such a manner that inadvertent reconnection ofthe line or removal of the blind are effectively prevented.b. All fixed mechanical devices and equipment that is capable ofcausing injury shall be placed at zero mechanical stated (ZMS).c. Electrical equipment, excluding lighting shall be locked out inthe open (off) position with a key-type padlock. The key shallremain with the entering Rescue Team. Where it is impossible toaccomplish the lock-out with a padlock, the equipment shall betagged in accordance with 1910.145 (f) and the Firefighter shall bestationed by the switch(s) for the duration of the incident.d. Confined spaces shall be emptied, flushed or otherwise purged offlammable, injurious, or incapacitating substances to the extentfeasible.e. When a hazardous atmosphere exists the space shall bemechanically ventilated until the concentration of the hazardoussubstance(s) is/are reduced to a safe level and continued for theduration of the incident.6. [A] (2.) Atmospheric testing shall be conducted prior to entryand the results entered in the first time block under AtmosphericMonitoring on the reverse side of this form. Subsequent monitoringshall continue every 15 minutes for the duration of the incident.6. [A] [3.] Calibration of testing instruments shall be performedannually or as required by Hazardous Materials Technicians at FireStation 34. Testing instruments shall be field checked prior touse.

6. [A] (4.) The Safety Officer is the "qualified person" responsiblefor completing and issuing this permit prior to entry.6. [A] (5.) A written description of location and scope of workshall appear in the top block on the reverse side of this form.6. [A] [6.] This permit expires 12 hours after the incident timerecorded in the top block on the reverse side of this form.6. (B] This form shall be attached to the Technical Rescue Leader'swritten report to the Senior Technical Officer. (DOM: V.,B.,2.,b.)

METROPOLITAN DADE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE DEPARTMENTWATER RESCUE BUREAU

WATER RESCUE POLICY AND PROCEDURE

REVISED DRAFT 10-92

26.01 PURPOSE:To provide appropriate guidelines for the conduct of Fire DepartmentWater Rescue Operations.

26 .02 POLICY:In order to assure safe operations at Water Rescue incidents, all FireDepartment personnel shall respond and conduct themselves in the manneroutlined in this policy.

26.03 AUTHORITYThe authority vested in the Fire Chief by Florida Statute 125.01., Sections4.01 and 4.02 of the Metro Dade County Charter, Section 2-18 of the Codeof Metropolitan Dade County.

26.04 RESPONSIBITY:It shall be the responsibility of all personnel to thoroughly familiarizethemselves with and conform to this policy. It shall be the responsibilityof all Fire Department supervisors and officers to supervise and commandtheir subordinates in conformance with this policy. It shall be theresponsibility of the Water Rescue Bureau to update and revise thispolicy as necessary.

26.05 PROCEDUREThe Communications Division will maintain a Master Roster of CertifiedRescue Skin Divers, Department SCUBA Rescue Authorized Divers andSCUBA Rescue Authorized Divers Suffix “A” (Air Delivery Qualified).

Prior to station recall check each morning, the Unit OIC will reviewpersonnel in his/her unit to determine availability of approved waterrescue personnel. The Unit OIC will advise the Alarm Office duringmorning recall check of the following information:

1. Identify Unit: Suppression, Rescue, Battalion and specialty units:Air Truck, Hazmat, Water Rescue, etc.

2. Number of SCUBA Rescue Authorized Diver(s) per unit and whether“A-Qualified” (Air Delivery Qualified) or not (“B-Diver). Example:“Rescue 3, one A Diver, 2 B divers).

3:l

The Unit OIC will advise the Alarm Office of any changes in capabilitystatus during the shift.

Based on information received from all Unit OIC’s, the Alarm Office willmaintain a daily roster of units which have SCUBA Rescue AuthorizedDiver(s), the number of divers per unit, and whether “A Diver(s) ” or “BDiver(s).

The Water Rescue Bureau will maintain a list of diver I.D. numbers.

After notification to the Alarm Office, the Unit OIC, in agreement withthe Senior Rescue Diver, will designate: personnel assignments in thefollowing categories:

1. Primary Rescue Diver

a.b:

Department SCUBA Rescue Authorized DiverDepartment Certified Rescue Skin Diver

2. Safety Diver

a.b.

Department SCUBA Rescue Authorized DiverDepartment Certified Rescue Skin Diver

Since involvement in Rescue Diving is voluntary and not a jobrequirement, Rescue Divers may call “No Dive”. It is the responsibility ofthe OIC to respect this decision.

Following is a list of reasons for calling “No Dive”. This list is not to beconsidered complete but is presented for guidance only:

Safety ReasonsSkill level inadequate for environmental conditionsDive buddy or safety diver inadequate or not presentDive rescue equipment malfunctionSenior Rescue Diver judgement call per SOP

Medical Reasons:Ear, nose; throat congestion or blockageRespiratory infectionDehydration and/or fatiguePhobiaSenior Rescue Diver judgement call per SOP

3 : 2

3. Line Tender

a .b.

Shall be familiar with Water Rescue Line SignalsShall understand Water Rescue Search Pattern Procedures

Each morning all dive rescue equipment shall be checked as follows:

1. Basic Water Rescue ‘equipment will be checked out by departmentcertified rescue skin or SCUBA Authorized divers.

2. SCUBA Rescue equipment will be checked out by SCUBA RescueAuthorized divers.

3. When a Department SCUBA Rescue Authorized Diver is not assignedto a unit, the Unit OIC shall verify that all dive rescue equipment isaccounted for and secure, It is expected that fire units withoutspecialized water rescue capacity will arrive on the scene prior to unitswith certified dive rescue personnel. The OIC should manage the sceneutilizing the individual firefighter’s skills just as they would be utilizedto perform best effort available at other type of incidents. Utilize thistime to gather information: datum point, number of patients, patients’clothing, patients age, time frame and witnesses., in anticipation of thearrival of Rescue Skin Divers or SCUBA Rescue Authorized Divers.Incident Command Procedures will be established.

Safety of the firefighter is a primary concern. Therefore, the use of selfcontained breathing apparatus (SCBA) during water rescue incidents, andthe use of SCUBA by unauthorized personnel, is strictly prohibited.

Initial dispatch on a water rescue incident shall consist of the following:

1. Closest Unit (Suppression, Rescue, Battalion, or Specialty Unit).

2. Closest Unit with SCUBA Rescue Authorized Divers, A MINIMUM OFTWO SCUBA AUTHORlZED DIVERS WILL BE DISPATCHED!!!

3. Rescue Unit - If primary divers are on this rescue unit, a secondrescue unit will be dispatched.

4. Battalion Commander

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In addition, all Water Rescue Bureau personnel will be advised of theincident by pager.

The Battalion Commander, as the Incident Commander, shall beresponsible for surface control of the water rescue scene -responsibilities include:

1. Secure the scene (safety of personnel & bystanders)

2. Crowd Management (request of Metro Dade Police Department).

3. Keep a roster of personnel entering the water: time in, time out andpsi used.

4. Resource Management

6:Request of additional Fire or Rescue units ( For Manpower)Request of Support personnel and/or equipment ie... Airrescue, Hazmat, Air truck, scene support and or WaterRescue Staff units.

5. Precluding personnel from entering water who are not requestedby the senior rescue diver.

6. Designating personnel to prepare rescue unit for immediate patientcare (set up airway management, (Ambu, suction, 02 &E.T.equipment} towels, defibrillator, IV and cardiac medicationtherapy, backboard, thumper and stretcher.)

7. Designating personnel to prepare for removal of patient(s) fromwater ie. backboard, stokes stretcher, telescoping latter, rooflatter, rope, boat and or Air rescue hoist.

The responsibility of Water Rescue Operations shall be assigned to theSenior Rescue Diver on the scene (water sector) to insure that all waterrescue activities adhere to all Fire Department standard operatingprocedures. ( This is based on qualifications and experience not rank,seniority, or date of authorization.) It shall be the responsibility of theSenior Rescue Diver to determine all unsafe conditions and to canceloperations, if found to be life threatening. Incident command proceduresshould be used to insure that effective and accurate information is beingdeciminated. Command must be identified by radio transmission.

If a determination has been made, by the Battalion Commander and theSenior Rescue Diver, that the search and rescue operation is no longer arescue, but a body recovery, all Fire Department diving operations shall be

3:4

suspended and control of the accident scene shall be transferred to MDPDDivers for body recovery.

Note: If MDPD Divers are unable to respond, Fire Department Diversmay continue the search at the discretion of the Battalion Commander andthe Senior Rescue Diver. A complete break, minimum of 15 minutes, scenereassessment and revised dive plan is recommended before divers whowere involved in a “rescue effort” direct their energies to body recovery.This will insure time-stress factors are not carried over to body recoverymode.

In an effort to maintain our objective to provide an emergency search andrescue service, all requests from outside agencies for special servicesshall be made thru the Alarm Office by that agency’s rankingrepresentative The request shall include the following:

1. Location2. Reason for request3. Type of object to be recovered or service to be rendered

Upon approval, a Department SCUBA Rescue Authorized diver(s) shall beassigned to the operation. If the request is for evidence recovery, allefforts shall be made to safeguard the integrity of the evidence and scene.

If the request is for ship-bottom survey, all water induction andpropulsion systems shall be shut down and tagged for safety. A FD officershall be assigned to the bridge to insure “shut down” until divingoperations are completed.

All mandatory dive equipment shall be employed.

For Water Rescue Operating Procedure see “MDFRWater Rescue Resource Manual”.

3:5

WATER RESCUE OPERATING PROCEDURES FOR RESCUE SKIN DIVER

I. Rescue of an active drowning victim (surface recovery).

Note: On all night operations, all personal flotation (BC or PFD) shallhave a cyalume light stick attached and activated.

A. Encourage, Reach, Throw, Row and Go (Water Entry, “Go” is the m OS tdangerous rescue option and may be least appropriate.

B. Rescue Skin Diver (with mandatory and accessory equipment, seeAttachment #l)

1. Keep victim in sight at all times2. Make proper water entry3. Use Head High approach4. Employ appropriate Water Rescue Evolution

a.b:

Torpedo BuoyLine Rescue

C. Unassisted Rescue (least desirable option)

C. Safety Diver (Wearing mandatory and accessory equipment seeAttachment #l)

1. Keep victim and Rescue Diver in sight at all times2. Note victim’s location using geographic references3. Render assistance to Rescue Diver as necessary

D Line Tender (with BC & foot protection), controls surface directedsearch.

1. Keep victim and Rescue Diver in sight at all times2. Note victim’s location using geographic references3. Prepare to help victim ashore4. Monitor hand-held radio

Note: After recovery of a viable drowning victim conductappropriate in-water medical treatment as indicated. Remove patientfrom water with assistance of shore personnel. Use adjuncts whenpossible (roof ladders, aerials, etc.). Treat patient per appropriate EMSprotocol.

3:6

II. Search and Rescue of a drowning victim - Surface Directedfrom Shore:

Note: On all night operations, all personal flotation (BC or PFD) shallhave a cyalume light stick attached and activated.

A. Rescue Skin Diver (with mandatory and accessory equipment, seeAttachment #l)

1. Determine Datum Point2. Establish Area of Probability3. Confirm type of Search Pattern

Note: If a known Datum Point is available a Circular Pattern shouldbe implemented. The use of a Linear Pattern should be employed when aDatum Point is not known.

4. Confirm Rescue Line Signals with Line Tenders: OATHS

a.b:

d:e.

One Pull = OKTwo Pulls = Advance Line (Give Me Line)Three Pulls = Take up Line (Pull Me In)Four Pulls =Five Pulls =

Help! (Secure Line & Assist Me) (1)

( 1) If Help signal is received, tie loop in line tomark diver distance, note direction to diver;alert safety diver to respond.

5. Rig torpedo buoy on water rescue line (see Water RescueTraining Manual-Equipment)

6. Make proper water entry, for minimal turbidity andmaximum safety.

7.

8.

Search Datum Point upon initial entry.

Establish line length, based on visibility. Line loop shall behand held for quick release (see Water Rescue TrainingManual).

9. Begin surface directed search.

Note: Surface Directed Search is the safest for diver accountabilityand is the most efficient.

3:7

B. Safety Diver (wearing mandatory and accessory equipment (seeAttachment #1)

C.

1. Stand by at water’s edge

2. Render assistance to Rescue Skin Diver as necessary

Line Tender (with BC & foot protection) controls surface directedsearch.

1. Use appropriate signals to inform diver:

a .b .

Reaching limit of Area of ProbabilityTermination of search

2.

3.

Respond to Rescue Skin Diver’s line signals.

Maintain integrity of Search Pattern by maintaining linelength, unless signaled for more line or pull in.

4. Maintain safety of Rescue Skin Diver by awareness of diverlocation and response to line signals.

5. Inform Safety Diver if Primary Diver needs assistance.

6. Monitor hand-held radio.

3:8

III. Search, Extrication and Rescue of a Drowning Victim, froma vehicle in the water.

On all night operations, all personal floatation (BC or PFD) shall have acyalume light stick attached and activated.

A. Rescue Skin Diver (with mandatory and accessory equipment seeAttachment #1, including center punch and seat belt cutter)

1. Determine Datum Point.2. Establish Area of Probability.3. Confirm type of Search Pattern .

Note: If a known Datum Point is available a Circular Pattern shouldbe implemented. The use of a Linear Pattern should be employed when aDatum Point is not known.

4. Confirm dive plan & line signals with Line Tender OATHS

a.

d.e.

One Pull = OKTwo Pulls = Advance Line (Give Me Line)Three Pulls = Take up Line (Pull Me In)Four Pulls =Five Pulls =

Help! (Secure Line & Assist Me) (1)

( 1) If help signal is received, tie loop in line tomark diver distance, note direction to diver;alert safety diver to respond.

5. Rig torpedo buoy on water rescue line (see Water RescueTraining Manual).

6.

7.

8.

Make proper water entry for minimal turbidity.

Search Datum Point upon initial entry.

Establish line length, based on visibility. Line loop shall behand held for quick release (see Water Rescue TrainingManual).

9. Begin Surface Directed Search .

Note: Surface Directed Search is the safest for diver accountabilityand is the most efficient.

10. When location of vehicle is established, the marker floatshall be deployed for permanent reference.

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11. Establish cautious entry into vehicle if necessary.

Note: Use of center Punch for forcible entry may be employed. TheRescue Diver shall:

a .b .c .d .

e .

Wear GlovesLocate comer of window (not windshield)Brace hand on window frameRepeatedly ‘pop’ glass in the same spot until glassbreaksClear glass from frame with gloved hand and/or tool

Note: If Unconscious victim is located in the vehicle, free victimfrom seat belt or entanglement. The patient should be extricated by theLong Axis of the body, (head, arm, both legs). The patient should be HeadCarried to surface and then converted to Cross Chest Carry to shore. (Useof B.C. should be employed as necessary).

Note: If Conscious Victim is located in the vehicle, let the patientknow you are there, avoid physical contact. If the patient exits vehicle onhis own, use Heimlich Carry to surface patient, and employ the CrossChest Carry to shore. (Use of B.C. should be employed as necessary).

Note: If the patient remains in trapped air pocket, and it is foundnecessary to extricate patient by other means, enrich air pocket withSCBA tank. Make repeated dives on vehicle, allowing sufficient surfacerecovery time between dives. If patient becomes unconscious revert toUnconscious Victim Procedure. After recovery of a viable drowningpatient, conduct appropriate in-water medical treatment as indicated.Remove patient from water with assistance of shore personnel. Useadjuncts when possible (roof ladder aerial units, etc.). Treat patient perappropriate protocol.

B. Safety Diver wearing mandatory and accessory equipment (seeAttachment #I).

1. Stand by at water’s edge.2. Render assistance to Rescue Skin Diver as necessary.

C. Line Tender (with BC & foot protection) controls surface directedsearch.

1. Use appropriate signals to inform diver:

a.b.

Reaching limit of Area of ProbabilityTermination of search

3 : l 0

2. Respond to Rescue Skin Diver’s line signals.

3. Maintain integrity of Search Pattern by maintaining linelength, unless signaled for more line or pull in.

4. Maintain safety of Rescue Skin Diver by awareness of diverlocation and response to line signals.

5. Inform Safety Diver if Primary Diver needs assistance.

6. Monitor hand-held radio.

3 : l l

IV. Offshore search for a drowning victim or vehicle (non-surface directed, two man)

Note: On all night operations, all personal flotation (BC or PFD) shallhave a cyalume light stick attached and activated.

A. Two Man Rescue Skin Diver Buddy Team with Mandatory andaccessory equipment (see Attachment # 1) including center punch &seat belt cutter; additional marker float recommended.

1. Determine Datum Point.2. Establish Area of Probability.3. Confirm type of Search Pattern.

Note: If a known Datum Point is available a Circular Pattern shouldbe implemented.

4.

5.

Confirm Dive Plan.

Make proper water entry, for minimal turbidity andmaximum safety.

6. Deploy Marker buoy, at Datum Point (Center of area ofprobability).

7. Breath-hold dive Datum Point first. Alternate Divers: oneup; one down for safety reasons.

8. Expand search outward from Datum Point in concentriccircular dives. Alternate Divers: One diver up; one diver downfor safety reasons.

9.

10.

When location of vehicle is established the marker floatshall be deployed for permanent reference.

Establish cautious entry into vehicle, if necessary.

Use of center Punch for forcible entry may be employed. TheNote:Rescue Diver shall:

a .b .c .d .

e .

Wear GlovesLocate comer of window (not windshield)Brace hand on window frameRepeatedly ‘pop’ glass in the same spot until glassbreaksClear glass from frame with gloved hand and/or tool

3:12

Note: If Unconscious victim is located in the vehicle, free victimfrom seat belt or entanglement. The patient should be extricated by theLong Axis of the body, (head, arm, both legs). The patient ,should be HeadCarried to surface and then converted to Cross Chest Carry to shore. (Useof B.C. should be employed as necessary).

Note: If Conscious Victim is located in the vehicle, let the patientknow you are there, avoid physical contact. If the patient exits vehicle onhis own, use Heimlich Carry to surface patient, and employ the CrossChest Carry to shore. (Use of B.C. should beemployed as necessary),

Note: If the patient remains in trapped air pocket, and it is foundnecessary to extricate patient by other means, enrich air pocket withSCBA tank. Make repeated dives on vehicle, allowing sufficient surfacerecovery time between dives. If patient becomes unconscious revert toUnconscious Victim Procedure. After recovery of a viable drowningpatient, conduct appropriate in-water medical treatment as indicated.Remove patient from water with assistance of shore personnel. Useadjuncts when possible (roof ladder aerial. units, etc.). Treat patient perappropriate protocol.

3:13

WATER RESCUE OPERATING PROCEDURES FOR SCUBA RESCUERESPONSE

I. Search and Rescue of a Drowning Victim -Surface Directed FromShore

(SCUBA Rescue Operations should not be undertaken unless a minimum oftwo department SCUBA Authorized divers are present). On all nightoperations, all personal flotation (BC or PFD) shall have a cyalume lightstick attached and activated.

A. Department Authorized Scuba Rescue Diver (wearing mandatory andaccessory equipment; see Attachment #l).

1. Determine Datum Point2. Establish Area of Probability3. Confirm type of Search Pattern

Note: If a known Datum Point is available a Circular Pattern shouldbe implemented. The use of a Linear Pattern should be employed when aDatum Point is not known.

4. Confirms Rescue Line signals with Line Tender: OATHS

a.b.c.d.e.

One Pull = OKTwo Pulls = Advance Line (Give Me Line)Three Pulls = Take up Line (Pull Me In)Four Pulls = Help! (Secure Line & Assist Me) (1)Five Pulls = Stop Search/surface

( 1) If help signal is received, tie loop in line tomark diver distance, note direction to diver;alert safety diver to respond.

5. Rig torpedo buoy on water rescue line,(see Water Rescue Training Manual-Equipment).

6. Make proper water entry, for minimal turbidity andmaximum safety.

7.

8.

Search Datum Point, upon initial entry.

Establish line length, based on visibility. Line loop, shallbe hand held for quick release (see WaterRescue Training Manual).

9. Begin Surface Directed Search.3:14

Note: Surface directed search is the safest for diver accountabilityand is the most efficient.

B. Safety Diver (wearing mandatory and accessory equipment, seeAttachments #l).

Note: Safety Diver shall be a Department Scuba Authorized Diver. Hemay assist the SCUBA Authorized Diver as a Stand-by Safety Diver, onshore, with a second set of Scuba gear, geared up and ready to enter thewater.

C. Line Tender (with BC and foot protection - controls SurfaceDirected Search).

1. Use appropriate signals to inform diver.

6:Reaching limit of Area of ProbabilityTermination of search

2. Respond to Department SCUBA Authorized Diver’s linesignals.

3. Maintain integrity of Search Pattern by maintaining linelength, unless signaled for more line or pull in.

4. Maintain safety of Department SCUBA Authorized Diver byawareness of diver location and response to line signals.

5. Inform Safety Diver if Primary SCUBA Diver needsassistance.

6. Monitor hand-held radio.

7. Check status of Authorized SCUBA Rescue Diverperiodically with line signals.

3:15

I I . Search, Extrication and Rescue, of a drowning victim, froma vehicle in the water. Surface Directed From Shore.

Note: On all night operations, all personal flotation (BC or PFD)shall have a cyalume light stick attached and activated.

A. Department SCUBA Authorized Diver (wearing mandatory andaccessory equipment, see Attachment #l, including center punch andseat belt cutter).

1. Determine Datum Point.2. Establish Area of Probability.3. Confirm type of Search Pattern.

Note: If a known Datum Point is available a Circular Pattern shouldbe implemented. The use of a Linear Pattern should be employed when aDatum Point is not known.

4. Confirm Dive Plan and Line signals with Line Tender:OATHS

a.b.c.d.e.

One Pull = OKTwo Pulls = Advance Line (Give Me Line)Three Pulls = Take up Line (Pull Me In)Four Pulls = Help (Secure Line and Assist Me) (1)Five Pulls = Surface

(1) If help signal is received, tie loop in line tomark diver distance, note direction to diver;alert safety diver to respond.

5. Rig torpedo buoy on water rescue line (see Water RescueTraining Manual-Equipment).

6.

7.

8.

Make proper water entry for minimal turbidity andmaximum safety.

Search Datum Point upon initial entry.

Establish line length, based on visibility (line loop, handheld for quick release see Water Rescue Training Manual).

9. Begin Surface Directed Search.

Note: Surface Directed Search is the safest for diver accountabilityand is the most efficient.

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3:17

10. When location of vehicle is established the marker floatshall be deployed for permanent reference.

11. Establish cautious entry into vehicle, if necessary.

Note: Use of Center Punch for forcible entry may be employed. TheRescue Diver shall:

a)b)c)d)

Wear GlovesLocate corner of window (not windshield)Brace hand on window frameRepeatedly ‘pop’ glass in the same spot until glassbreaks

e) Clear glass from frame with gloved hand and/or tool.

Note: If Unconscious Victim is located in the vehicle, free victimfrom seat belt or entanglement. The Patient should be extricated by theLong Axis of the body (head, arm, both legs). The patient should be HeadCarried to surface and then converted to Cross Chest Carry to shore (B.C.should be employed as necessary).

Note: If Conscious Victim is located in the vehicle, let the patientknow you are there, avoid physical contact. If the patient exits vehicle onhis own, use Heimlich Carry to surface patient, employ the Cross ChestCarry to shore (B.C. should be employed as necessary).

Note: If the patient remains trapped in air pocket and it is foundnecessary to extricate patient by other means, enrich air pocket withSCBA tank. If patient becomes unconscious revert to Unconscious VictimProcedure. After recovery of a viable drowning patient, conductappropriate in-water medical treatment as indicated. Remove patientfrom water with assistance of shore personnel. Use adjuncts whenpossible (roof ladder, aerials, etc.). Treat patient per appropriateprotocol.

3:18

III. Quayside search for a drowning victim or vehicle, surfacedirected from dock or quay.

Note: On all night operations, all personal flotation (BC or PFD)shall have a cyalume light stick attached and activated.

A. Department SCUBA Authorized Diver (with mandatory andaccessory equipment (see Attachment #l), including center punchand seat belt cutter.

1. Determine Datum Point.2. Establish Area of Probability,3. Confirm type of Search Pattern.

Note: If a known Datum Point is available a Circular Pattern shouldbe implemented.

4. Confirm Dive Plan and Line Signals: OATHS

a.b.c.d.e.

One Pull = OKTwo Pulls = Advance Line (Give Me Line)Three Pulls = Take up Line (Pull Me In)Four Pulls = Help (Secure Line and Assist Me) (1)Five Pulls = Surface

(1) If help signal is received, tie loop in line tomark diver distance, note direction to diver;alert safety diver to respond.

5. Lower *anchor” to bottom at datum point and secure “anchorline”. Tender stands at this anchor point above anchor onquay or dock.

6. Make proper water entry for minimal turbidity andmaximum safety.

7.

8.

Search Datum Point, at anchor, upon initial entry.

Run search line through carabiner or large snap attached toanchor. Using anchor as a pivot point, establish linelength based on visibility (line loop hand held for quickrelease, see Water Rescue Training Manual).

9. Begin Surface Directed Circular (Arc) Search.

Note:and is the

Surface Directed Search is the safest for diver accountabilitymost efficient.

3:19

10. When location of vehicle: is established the marker floatshall be deployed for permanent reference.

11, Establish cautious entry into vehicle, if necessary.

Note: Use of Center Punch for forcible entry may be employed. TheRescue Diver shall:

a)b)c)d)

Wear GlovesLocate comer of window (not windshield)Brace hand on window frameRepeatedly ‘pop’ glass in the same spot until glassbreaks

e) Clear glass from frame with gloved hand and/or tool.

Note: If Unconscious Victim is located in the vehicle, free victimfrom seat belt or entanglement. The Patient should be extricated by theLong Axis of the body (head, arm, both legs). The patient should be HeadCarried to surface and then converted to a Cross Chest Carry to shore (B.C.should be employed as necessary).

Note: If Conscious Victim is located in the vehicle, let the patientknow you are there, avoid physical contact. If the patient exits vehicle onhis own, use Heimlich Carry to surface patient, employ Cross Chest Carryto shore (B.C. should be employed as necessary).

Note: If the patient remains trapped in air pocket and it is foundnecessary to extricate patient by other means, enrich the air pocket withSCBA tank. If patient becomes unconscious revert to Unconscious VictimProcedure. After recovery of a viable drowning patient, conductappropriate in-water medical treatment as indicated. Remove patientfrom water with assistance of shore personnel. Use adjuncts whenpossible (roof ladder, aerials, etc.). Treat patient per appropriateprotocol.

3:20

IV. Offshore search for a drowning victim or vehicle,surface directed from a boat .

Note: On all night operations, all personal flotation (BC or PFD) shallhave a cyalume light stick attached and activated.

A. Department Authorized Scuba Rescue Diver (with mandatory andaccessory equipment (see Attachment #l) including center punchand seat belt cutter).

1. Determine Datum Point2. Establish Area of Probability3. Confirm type of Search Pattern

Note: If a known Datum Point is available a Circular Pattern shouldbe implemented.

In calm water, boat should be anchored at the Datum Point. In a currentsituation, boat should be anchored up current of the Datum Point and across current “Fan Sweep” can be made astern starting at the downcurrent limit of the Area of Probability and working toward the boat. (seeWater Rescue Training Manual)

4. Confirm Rescue Line signals with Line Tender: OATHS

a.b.c .d.e.

One Pull =Two Pulls =Three Pulls =Four Pulls =Five Pulls =

OKAdvance Line (Give Me Line)Take up Line (Pull Me In)Help! (Secure Line & Assist Me)

Note: On all night operations, all personal flotation (BC or PFD)shall have a cyalume light stick attached and activated.

5. Make proper water entry, for minimal turbidity andmaximum safety.

6. Search Datum Point, upon initial entry.

7, Establish line length, based on visibility. Line loop, shall behand held for quick release (see Water Rescue TrainingManual).

8. Run search line through anchor ring. Anchor will be pivotpoint for search pattern.

9. Begin Surface Directed Search.3:21

10. When using a full circle pattern, reverse direction witheach successive sweep to avoid line entanglement.

Note: Surface directed search is the safest for diver accountabilityand is the most efficient.

B. Safety Diver (wearing mandatory and accessory equipment, seeAttachment #l).

Note: Safety Diver shall be a Department Scuba Authorized Diver, hemay assist the Authorized SCUBA Diver as a Stand-by Safety Diver, on theboat with a second set of Scuba gear, geared up and ready to enter thewater.

C. Line Tender (with BC or PFD ) controls Surface Directed Search.

1. Use appropriate signals to inform diver.

a.b.

Reaching limit of Area of ProbabilityTermination of search

2. Respond to Department SCUBA Authorized Diver’s linesignals.

3. Maintain integrity of Search Pattern by maintaining linelength, unless signaled for more line or pull in.

4. Maintain safety of Department SCUBA Authorized Diver byawareness of diver location and response to line signals.

5. Inform Safety Diver if Primary SCUBA Diver needsassistance.

6. Monitor hand-held radio.

7. Check status of Authorized SCUBA Rescue Diverperiodically with line signals.

3:22

v . Offshore search for a drowning victim or vehicle. (nonesur face d i rec ted , two-man d ive r d i r ec ted sea rch) .

Note: On all night operations, all personal flotation (BC or PFD)shall have a cyalume light stick attached and activated.

A. DEPARTMENT SCUBA AUTHORIZED DIVERS ( with Mandatory andaccessory equipment (see Attachment # 1, including center punchand seat belt cutter); additional marker float recommended.

1. Determine Datum Point.2. Establish Area of Probability.3. Confirm type of Search Pattern.

Note: (OPTION 1) - From a Datum Point the dive team may cover thearea of probability using a Circular Pattern employing one Dive Teammember as a Datum Point Anchor / Tender and the other Dive Teammember as a Primary Search Diver ( See Module 12 of the Water RescueTraining Manual)

4. Confirms Dive Plan and Line Signals: OATHS

a.b.

One Pull = OKTwo Pulls = Advance Line (Give Me Line)

C. Three Pulls = Take up Line (Pull Me In)d. Four Pulls = Help! (Secure Line & Assist Me)e. Five Pulls = Surface

NOTE: On all night operations, all personal flotation (BC or PFD) shallhave a cyalume light stick attached and activated.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Make proper water entry, for minimal turbidity andmaximum safety.Deploy marker float at Datum Point.

Submerge at Datum Point and check bottom for victim.

Establish line length, based on visibility.

a. Line Container, hand held by Primary Search Diver forconvenience.

b . Line loop shall be hand held by Anchor/Tender (seeWater Rescue Training Manual).

9. Begin Diver Directed Search.

3:23

10. When location of vehicle is established a marker float sha11be deployed for permanent reference.

11. Primary Search Diver Signals Anchor/Tender to join him(Three Pulls).

12. Establish cautious entry into vehicle, if necessary.

Note: Use of Center Punch for forcible entry may be employed. TheRescue Diver shall:

a) Wear Glovesb) Locate comer of window (not windshield)c) Brace hand on window framed) Repeatedly ‘pop’ glass in the same spot until glass

breakse) Clear glass from frame with gloved hand and/or tool

Note: If Unconscious Victim is located in the vehicle, free victimfrom seat belt or entanglement. The Patient should be extricated by theLong Axis of the body (head, arm, both legs). The patient should be HeadCarried to surface and then converted to Cross Chest Carry to shore (B.C.should be employed as necessary).

Note: If Conscious Victim is located in the vehicle, let the patientknow you are there, avoid physical contact. If the patient exits vehicle onhis own, use Heimlich Carry to surface patient, employ the Cross ChestCarry to shore (B.C. should be employed as necessary).

Note: If the patient remains trapped in air pocket and it is foundnecessary to extricate patient by other means, enrich air pocket withSCBA tank. If patient becomes unconscious revert to Unconscious VictimProcedure. After recovery of a viable drowning patient, conductappropriate in-water medical treatment as indicated. Remove patientfrom water with assistance of shore personnel. Use adjuncts whenpossible (roof ladder, aerial units, etc.). Treat patient per appropriateprotocol.

Note: (OPTION 2) - From a Datum Point the dive team may cover the Areaof Probability using a Compass Guided Expanding Square Search. Acompass will be required as accessory equipment (see Water RescueTraining Manual).

3:25

VI. Water Rescue operating procedures for rescue diver airde l ivery

A. Deployment of Rescue Divers to an Offshore incident will involveonly department SCUBA Authorized Divers who have completedthe “Diver Air Delivery P.I.T. Class”.

1.2.3.

Determine Dive Team Leader.Determine Drop Point.Mandatory and Accessory Equipment; (See Attachment # 1including center punch and seat belt cutter).

Note: On all night operations, all personal flotation (BC or PFD)shall have a cyalume light stick attached and activated.

4. Minimum 2 Man-Team Deployed, at discretion of Dive TeamLeader; Buddy Contact Maintained.

5. Divers deployed in Rescue Skin Diver or SCUBA Rescue Divermode, as appropriate.

6. Team Leader (First to Deploy) makes the Dive/No-DiveDecision.

B. Deployment procedures must be in accordance with trainingpresented in ” Diver Air Delivery ” P.I.T. Class, and Transportingagency S.O.P.‘s ( Air Rescue Division, U.S.C.G., Ect...)

3:26

VII. Personal flotation device use (PFD):

A. All personnel working in close proximity to the water or on boardwater craft will wear a PFD if available or a BC as supplied on FDunits.

B. BCs should be adjusted for fit and support and must have an operableCO2 cartridge for rapid inflation. They must be equipped with awhistle.

C. Additional BCs and PFDs can be obtained on a large water rescueincident or near-water fire scene by responding Water RescueBureau staff units for support.

Note: On all night operations, all personal flotation (BC or PFD) shallhave a cyalume light stick attached and activated.

3 : 2 7

VIII. Diver status

A. SCUBA Rescue Authorized Divers shall be assigned an “activitystatus” based on their level of participation in the Water RescueProgram.

1. Active Diver - SCUBA Rescue Divers who have:

a.b.

Attended 3 PIT classes per year.Submitted a Dive Log reflecting 12 dives/year.

2. Inactive Diver - SCUBA Rescue Divers who are interested incontinued involvement in the Water Rescue Program butwho are unable to qualify as “Active Diver” as describedabove.

3. Terminated - Personnel who are no longer interested inparticipating in the Water Rescue Program or who have beenremoved from “Active- or Inactive Diver” status for healthor safety reasons.

B. Only divers on Active Diver status can qualify for advanced andspecialty diver certifications or other benefits or incentives ofthe Water Rescue Program.

C. All Active Divers shall be issued a SCUBA Rescue Authorized DiverCertification card, updated annually.

3:28

IX. Dive logs:

A. Are due annually, by January 31, for the preceding year.

B. Logs must reflect a minimum of 12 dives/year on SCUBA. Six ofthese dives must be Search and Rescue related.

C. Dive logs will be turned in to the Water Rescue Bureau forevaluation, computer entry and diver file entry.

D. Dive Log Sheets are available from the Water Rescue BureauDiving Office or can be found in the Water Rescue TrainingManual.

3:29

x . Water incident report:

A. This report form is to be filled out following a water incident, byany fire department unit that deploys divers. Water entry,regardless of rescue results, is the primary factor governing use

of this form.

B. Water Incident Reports are available in the stations, in the WaterRescue Training Manual, or through Supply.

3:30

XI. Touch signals:

A. In conditions of limited visibility, underwater communication bymembers of a two-man dive team shall be accomplished by touchsignals.

B. Signals will be by arm squeeze.

C. Touch signals will replicate water rescue line signals:

1. One Squeeze = OK2. Two Squeezes = Move Away from me3. Three Squeezes = Come to (with) me4. Four Squeezes = Help!5. Five Pulls = Surface

D. Out Of Air Signal: Four Squeezes and tap buddy’s SCUBA regulatorsecond stage.

3:31

(ATTACHMENT #l)

WATER RESCUE EQUIPMENT LIST

1. Mandatory Rescue Skin Diver Equipmenta.b .

MaskFins

c.d.

SnorkelB.C. with cyalume light stick & whistle (for line tender too)

e. Water Rescue Line and/or Torpedo Buoy

2. Mandatory Scuba Rescue Equipmenta .b.

MaskFins

c. Snorkeld. B.C. with cyalume light stick & whistle (for line tender too)e.f .

Scuba Tank (minimum 3/4 full of air or 2250 psi)Regulator with S.P.G. (submersible pressure gauge)

g. Water Rescue Line (with torpedo buoy attached for surfacedirected search)

3. Personal Protection Equipmenta. Uniform

1) Duty Uniform2) Dive Skin3) Wet Suit4) Dry Suit

b. Protective Gear1) Foot Gear (shoes, booties)2) Gloves

4. Accessory Rescue Equipment: Gear used to aid in rescue effort.a .b .c .d .e .f .g .h .i .j .

Underwater Search LightAutomatic Center PunchBoot Shears or knifeCompassMarker FloatRescue StrobeDive Tables-current U.S. Navy model, conservatively used.Dive Timer-digital or analogDepth gauge-oil filledDive Computer-used as a back-up to dive tables (see WaterRescue Training Manual)

Accessory Equipment which is not department issue must be approved bythe Water Rescue Bureau and will be logged in “Personal EquipmentInventory" form in Diver File.

3:32

(ATTACHMENT #2)

INSPECTION AND CARE OF SCUBA EQUIPMENT

A. Morning Equipment Check (Pre-Dive Check) by Authorized SCUBARescue Diver;

1) Backpack and Harness: no defects and secure

2) Regulator and Hoses: no defects and secure

3) Air on: no leaksa) Cheek PSI on S.P.B. (tank should be 3/4 full or aboveb) Check Breathe Regulator (3 hard breaths)c) Taste air for quality

4) Check mandatory equipment: mask, fins, snorkel, B.C.; WaterRescue Line.

5) Check accessory equipment: Gloves, Light, AutomaticCenter Punch, Knife, etc.

6) Check personal protection equipment and as appropriate.

B. Following return to quarters:

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)

Clean all Water Rescue equipment with fresh water

Air-dry equipment before storage

Drain B.C., install new CO 2 if necessary, partially inflateand secure on unitDry and lubricate Center Punch

Unlock Mask and Fin Straps before storage

Divers should blow dry ears to prevent possibility ofSwimmers Ear irritation

7) Pre-dive check SCUBA equipment as in Morning EquipmentCheck, this protocol. (SCUBA tank must be 3/4 full or aboveto be in service: 2250 psi)

Note: Any Changes of location of equipment must be approved inwriting by the Water Rescue Bureau and the Safety Office.

3:33

C. Consult Station Water Rescue Training Manual.For Guidelines on:1.2.3.4.5.6.

Scuba Air Fill ProceduresEquipment Repair & ReplacementSCUBA Cylinder Visual Inspection & Hydrostatic Tests.Equipment MaintenanceLocation of equipment stored on unitsRigging procedures for torpedo buoy in Surface DirectedSearchesWater Rescue Line hand-hold techniqueSpecial Equipment and capabilities of Water Rescue Bureaustaff units

7.8.

9.10.11.12.13.14.15.16.

Diving Accident Management procedureRubber Inflatable Boat (RIB) SOPR.A.F.T. (Hose Boom) DeploymentBC riggingMixed Gas Diving (NITROX) SOPSurface Air Supply Diving SOPDry Suit Diving SOPWater Rescue Training Boat (Hard Hull) S.OP

3:34

(ATTACHMENT #3)

GLOSSARY OF CERTIFICATION LEVELS

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Rescue Skin Diver Certified: Certified by NAUI and Metro-Dade FireDepartment as a Rescue Skin Diver.

SCUBA Certified: Certified by a National Diver Training Agency(NAUI,-PADI, YMCA, NASDS, SSI, L. A. County etc) as having passeda SCUBA Training Course, Basic Level or higher.

SCUBA Rescue Authorized: Certified by Metro-Dade Fire DepartmentD.R.T.T. to use SCUBA on duty.

Rescue SCUBA Diver Certified: Certified by NAUI and Metro-DadeFire Department. this specialty SCUBA certification requiresdepartment SCUBA Authorization as a prerequisite and additionalspecialty Dive Rescue Training.

SCUBA Search and Recovery Certification: Certified by NAUI, PADI,YMCA, NASDS, SSI, LA County, etc. and Metro-Dade Fire Department.This advanced specialty certification requires Rescue SCUBA DiverCertification as a prerequisite and additional specialty training.

Skin Diving Leader Certification: Certified by NAUI. This instructorlevel certification requires SCUBA Search and RecoveryCertification as a prerequisite. It also requires additional specialtytraining and teaching experience in water rescue.

Divemaster Certification: Certified by NAUI, PADI, YMCA, etc.. Thisadvanced certification requires Rescue SCUBA Diver Certification asa prerequisite. It also requires additional specialty training andexperience in Divemaster techniques

Assistant Instructor Certification: Certification by NAUI, PADI,YMCA, etc.. This instructor level certification requires SCUBASearch and Recovery Certification as a prerequisite as well asadditional specialty training and teaching experience.

SCUBA Instructor Certification: Certified by NAUI, PADI, YMCA, etc.This Instructor certification requires Assistant InstructorCertification as a prerequisite, and requires successful completionof an Instructor ITC (Instructor Training Course).

3:35

10. SCUBA Search & Recovery Instructor Certification: Certified as aSCUBA S&R Instructor by NAUI, PADI, YMCA, etc.

11. Rescue Boat Operator Certification: Certified by D.R.T.T. or MarineRescue Consultants for Rescue Training Boat Operation.

12. U.S.Coast Guard Licensed Captain: Certified by USCG, six passengeror above, for boat operation.

13. American Red Cross Swimming and Lifesaving Certifications: ARCWater Safety Instructor, Lifeguard Instructor and BeginnerSwimmer through Lifeguard Certified.

14. NITROX Certified: Certified by Hyperbarics International, Inc.trained & certified instructor to dive NOAA Nitrox I and Nitrox II.

3:36

(ATTACHMENT #4)

GLOSSARY OF WATER RESCUE TERMS

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

Area of Probability: Limited area where a lost object is most likelyto be found.

BC: Buoyancy Compensator, a variable volume item of MandatoryEquipment for self-rescue, patient rescue and buoyancy control.

Boat Directed Search: Offshore search pattern surface directed bytender in boat with safety diver equipped & standing by on board.

Carries: Means of moving a drowning victim, under control of therescuer, to a place of safety.

Cyalume: Chemical light stick, attached to BC neck by 18 inch longlanyard, shall be activated and displayed on all night operations (seeWater Rescue Training Manual).

Center Punch: Automatic Center Punch for breaking side and rearwindows of a vehicle.

Circular Pattern: Circular or semi-circular coverage of Area ofProbability when ‘Datum Point’ is known.

‘Datum Point’: Last known position of lost object.

D.R.T.: Dive Rescue Team refers to SCUBA Rescue Authorized Diverson FD units.

D.R.T.T.: Dive Rescue Training Team refers to volunteer part-timeDive Rescue Instructors training D.R.T. Divers through Water RescueBureau.

Expanding Square Search: Compass directed search pattern foroffshore use (see Water Rescue Training Manual, Module 12).

Fan Sweep: A Semi-Circular variation of a Circular Search Pattern,shore based or boat based, surface directed for down-current searchuse.

Linear Pattern: Straight line pattern for coverage of an Area ofProbability when Datum Point is not known.

3:37

14. Line Signals: Communications by diver and tender on Search Line bymeans of pulls.

15. Line Rescue: Water rescue evolution using Water Rescue Line,Rescue Skin Diver and Line Tender.

16. Line Tender: Directs search from shore via Search Line or pullsrescuer and victim to shore in surface rescue by means of WaterRescue Line.

17. Marine Rescue Consultants: A provider of Rescue Boat Training,1825 Westcliff Drive, Suite #105, Newport Beach, Ca. 92660

18. N.A.U.1: National Association of Underwater Instructors, aninternational diver training agency.

19. NITROX: Oxygen enriched gas mixture as defined by NOAA standardsfor increased physiological or time advantage in dive operationsdeeper than 60 fsw.

20. P.A.D.I.: Professional Association of Diving Instructors, aninternational diver training agency.

21. P.I.T.: Proficiency Improvement Training classes provided monthly,on and off-duty for SCUBA Rescue Authorized Diver training.

22.

23.

PFD: Persona1 Flotation Device, USCG Approved, Class III.

Quayside Search: A semi-circular, surface directed search patternconducted alongside a quay or dock.

24. Safety. Diver: A Back-Up diver, geared up, on shore, available toassist .

25.

26.

SCUBA: Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.

Search Line: Water Rescue Line, 100’ three strand twisted l/4 inchpolypropylene with a monkey’s fist at one end and 30” loop with snapat the other end.

27. Search Pattern: Logical means of covering a Search Area whilemaintaining diver accountability (line tender or buddy).

28. SSI: SCUBA Schools International, a national diver training agency.

29. Torpedo Buoy: Towable Surface Rescue Float (Can Buoy, Torp,Peterson Buoy, Rescue Can, etc.)

3:38

30.

31.

32.

33.

34.

35.

Torpedo Buoy Rescue: Water Rescue evolution using a Torpedo Buoyand a Rescue Skin Diver.

Unassisted Rescue: Water rescue evolution conducted by a RescueSkin Diver without assistance of a Torpedo Buoy or water RescueLine.

Water Rescue Evolution: A means of conducting a rescue of anactively drowning victim on the surface.

Water Rescue Line: See Search Line

Water Sector: That part of a water rescue scene that involvesdepartment divers and dive rescue activity. It is the area ofresponsibility of the Senior Rescue Diver, working within IncidentCommand Procedures.

Y .M.C.A.: Young Men’s Christian Association, a national diver trainingagency.

THINGS THAT STILL NEED TO BE WRITTEN ABOUTRubber Inflatable Boat (RIB) SOPWater Rescue Training Boat SOPMass casualty situationsRaft deploymentContaminated water testingLake surveysRescues off piers and bridgesHandling cervical injuries in waterSurf/beach/current rescuesSwift water rescuesMarine firefighting capabilitiesOther diving situation trainingDRTT instructor command capabilities

26.06 REVOCATION:A.O. 41-89 and all parts of previous orders, rules and regulations,operations memos and administrative orders in conflict with this policyand procedure.

3:39

METROPOLITAN DADE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE DEPARTMENTWATER RESCUE BUREAU

NITROX STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES (SOP)

Introduction: This SOP is established to provide guidelines for properpractice of “Enriched Air” diving. The “Enriched Air” gases in question aremixtures of Oxygen and Nitrogen, with resulting percentages ranging from30% to 50% Oxygen and the balance Nitrogen, otherwise referred to asNitrox.

Purpose: To provide divers a safer breathing medium for dives in the 40'to 130' depth range for the purpose of training or operational use. TheFire Department’s Dive Officer may elect to place divers on Nitrox foreither the physiological advantage or the decompression advantage, seefootnote #I, depending on the nature of the dive.

Mixtures: Nitrox gas mixes were developed by the National Oceanographicand Atmospheric Administration, (NOAA) and are endorsed by theInternational Association of Nitrox Divers (IAND), the American NitroxDivers, Inc. (ANDI), National Association of SCUBA Diving Schools (NASDS)and National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI). The twostandard mixtures to be utilized by authorized divers shall be NOAA NitroxI, (NNI), (see footnote #2), and NOAA Nitrox II, (NNII), (see footnote #3).

NNI is most useful for dives in the 100 to 130 range and NNII should beused diving the 40’ to 100’ range. When deemed necessary, other mixturesmay be ut i l ized under the direct ion and at the discret ion of theDepartment Dive Officer. Furthermore, all guidelines and standardsestablished by NOAA, IAND, and AND1 will be strictly adhered to when“brewing” other mixtures.

Authorized Divers; A Nitrox diver list is kept on file at the FireDepartment’s Water. Rescue Bureau indicating those divers qualified andauthorized for Nitrox use. Any SCUBA Rescue Authorized (SRA) diverrequesting inclusion on that list, will be required to show proof of NitroxDiver Certification by Hyperbarics Int’l., IAND or ANDI and/or pass awritten exam administered by the Water Rescue Bureau pertaining toNitrox diving. The use of Nitrox is restricted to only those divers on theNitrox list.

Nitrox Cylinders: Only cylinders dedicated exclusively to the use ofNitrox and properly marked according to Dive Rescue Training Team,(DRTT) guidelines, will be allowed for Nitrox Use, (see figure #l).

3:40

F i l l s : All Nitrox cylinders must be filled by facilities approved bythe Fire Department’s Water Rescue Bureau. All fills obtained at theDepartment’s Dive Locker will be done by either by the Dive Officer, Capt.Ed Brown or the Assistant Dive Officer, Herb Smith, with strict adherenceto established fill procedures. As soon as filling is completed, eachcylinder will be tested for Oxygen level using an Oxygen analyzer andmarked to indicate the mix and % of Oxygen.

Nitrox Fill Log:. An active cylinder log is kept at the Dive LockerFill Station to record all Nitrox fills. Information to be entered into thelog immediately after each fill is as follows;

1. Date2. Cylinder Serial Number3. Volume4. Mix5. Percentage of Oxygen, (see footnote #4)6. Total PSI7. Verification8. Date of Use9. Location of fill (if not at Dive Locker)10. Name and Signature of Filler

If the cylinder was filled at a facility other than the Dive Locker theabove information will be entered as soon as possible, including thelocation of fill. Before any cylinder can be used, the individual diver orthe person responsible for transporting the cylinder to the dive site, mustinitial the fill log verifying that the information entered is accurate. Asecond analysis of the mix may be necessary.

Each diver is responsible for testing the mix in their cylinder immediatelyprior to the dive to ensure proper compliance with NOAA regulations, (seefootnote #4). The diver will enter and initial the test results in theDivemaster’s Log, (see inclusion #l).

To ensure proper quality assurance of all Nitrox dives, Divemaster’s Logsmust be submitted to the Water Rescue Bureau within 72 hours ofcompletion of dive operations.

Footnotes:

1.2.3.4.

NOAA Nitrox tables will be utilized by the Divemaster.32% Oxygen/68% Nitrogen36% Oxygen/64% NitrogenNOAA regulations require that the Oxygen percentages bewithin +/- 1% of recommended levels to be acceptable.

3:41

WATER RESCUE RECORD

ID SECTION

Record: This identifies the record for the computer.

Unit #: identify the unit handling the incident. See Table 6.

Shift:

Department:

Incident #:

Enter A, B, or C for the shift of the unit handling the call.

Two digit department code of your department. See Table 1.

Also called Alarm number. Sequential number assigned to eachincident by the alarm office. Put in the last digit of the currentcalendar year and then put in the leading zeros. Examples: In1988 the number 1 reads “8000001’, while the number 10would read "8000010”.

Date: Use two numbers for month, two numbers for day, and twonumbers for year. For example: January 2, 1988 would beentered as [0][1][0][2][8][8].

Incident Address: Record the address where the incident occurred, if different fromthe dispatch address, advise the Fire Alarm Division of the correctaddress.

Examples:

( 1 )

( 2 )

( 3 )

( 4 )

(Two examples are given for each format.)

Block Number5680 SW 87 Avenue1500 SW 104 Street

Intersection15 Street SW Redland Rd9 Fiagier Street SW 105 Avenue

Note: If there is not a number at the beginning ofthe address place a 9 in front of the street name.

Exact Quadrant6000 Galloway Road1900 Ali Baba Avenue Room #5

Note: Do not use periods after abbreviations.Landmark9 MDCON Scott Hail9 MIA LL ConE

Note: If there is not a number at the beginning ofthe address place a 9 in front of the street name.

Dade County Fire Department Reporting Manual

3 : 4 2

(5) Descript ive9 West Arsenicker Key Shoals5 Mi W Hmstd Gen Airport in field

Note:Use blanks between abbreviations, do not useslashes or periods. If a number is included in thebeginning of the address do not enter a 9 (meaningno number) in front of the street address.

PATIENT SECTION

Patlent’s Address:

Patient #:

Patient Home Address:

Age:

Sex:

Ethnic:

Dispatch:

Arrival:

In Service:

Day:

Body Of Water:

Put Last Name, (comma) First Name with no spaces before orafter comma. If there is a title or a middle initial, leave a blankand add the title or initial after the first name.

Each patient on every rescue incident should be assigned a patientnumber by the OIC. The patient number will follow the patient onevery report. This is the patient number for the entire incidentnot just the patients involved in a water rescue.

Write in the patient’s home address including the city state and zipaide.

Patient’s age to the nearest year. An infant less than one yearwould be entered as ‘01’.

Patient’s sex. Enter M for male, F for female.

Enter the patient’s ethnic background from Table 9..

Enter the time that the reporting unit was dispatched.

Enter the time of your arrival.

Enter the time that the unit returned to service.

Enter the code number for the day of the week from the listedtable.

Enter the code number from the report which identifies the type ofbody of water.

Description On Incident:Enter the type of incident. if ‘OTHER”, write In what type.

Water Conditions:

Mode Of Operation:

Write in feet of visibility and depth and speed of current in knots.

Enter the method by which the operation was executed. For“OTHER’, write a description.

Consciousness: Enter from the listed table, the level of consciousness on bothARRIVAL and RELEASE.

3 : 4 3

Patient Time Underwater:Enter the estimated or reported time that the patient wasunderwater. Use two digits for hours and two digits for minutes.Example: One hour-twenty minutes would be entered as [0][l][ 2 ] [ 0 ] .

Air Pocket: indicate if there was an air pocket available to the patient.

Area in Vehicle: Enter the location in the vehicle where the patient was found ifapplicable. For “OTHER’, write a brief description.

# Of Patients: Enter the actual number of patients involved in the water rescueportion of the incident. Enter “9” for 9 or more victims andindicate in the narrative the actual number if different.

Note: This is not to be confused with the TOTAL # (of patients)section on the Rescue Patient Record. These numbers may or maynot be the same.

Drowning By Catagory: Enter the category of drowning which applies. For “OTHER”, write a brief description.

Patient Position: Enter the code number which indicates the position in which thepatient was found.

Patient Dress: Enter, the code which indicates how the patient was dressed whenrecovered. For “OTHER’, write a brief description.

Injuries To Rescue Divers:Enter ‘1” for yes, “2” for no and describe in the narrative.

SEARCH/NARRATIVE SECTION

Search Pattern: Enter “1” for a linear search and "2” for a circular pattern.

Datum Point Available: Enter "1" if a datum point was available and ‘2’ if not.

Victum Distance From Datum Point:Indicate in actual feet, how far from the datum point the victimwas recovered. Use leading zeroes if needed. For example: If thevictim was found 40’ from the datum point enter- [0][4][0].

Show Diagram: Draw a diagram of the incident showing all pertinent landmarks.(include datum point, location of victim(s), roadways, etc.)

( ) Additional Narrative:Check the box to indicate an additional narrative record has beencompleted. A SUPPLEMENTAL NARRATIVE/UNIT RECORDwill be used when the narrative space provided is inadequate torecord pertinent information.

Pr in t : List the rescue divers and line tenders. The person reporting signsnext to their name.

3 : 4 4

APPENDIX C: TECHNICAL RESCUE RESOURCE LIST

l

ORGANIZATIONS, AGENCIES ANDASSOCIATIONS THAT CAN PROVIDETECHNICAL RESCUE ASSISTANCE

California State Office of Emergency ServicesUrban Search and Rescue Program2151 East D Street, Suite 203AOntario, CA 91764

Federal Emergency Management AgencyPublic Assistance DivisionOffice of Disaster Assistance ProgramsSL-OE-FR-OP500 C Street, SW.Washington, D.C. 20472(202) 646-2442

International Association of Dive RescueSpecialists, Inc.201 North Link LaneP.O. Box 5259San Clemente, CA 92674-5259(714) 489-2004

International Association of Fire ChiefsUrban Rescue and Structural Collapse Committee4025 Fair Ridge Drive, Suite 300Fairfax, VA 22033-2868(703) 273-0911

Mountain Rescue Association2144 South 1100, Suite 150-375Salt Lake City, UT 84106(801) 328-0523

National Association for Search and Rescue4500 Southgate Place, Suite 100Chantilly, VA 22021(703) 222-6277

National Fire Protection AssociationStandards BranchP.O. Box 91011 Batterymarch ParkQuincy, MA 02269-9101(617) 770-3000

National Institute for Urban Search and RescueP.O. Box 91648Santa Barbara, CA 93190-1648

Plan Bulldozer CommitteeGreater Kansas City Metropolitan RegionEd DeSoignieHeavy Constructors Association3101 Broadway, Suite 780Kansas City, MO 6411(816) 753-6443

Urban Search and Rescue Inc.P.O. Box 2570Camarillo, CA 93011 -2570

U.S. Fire AdministrationFire Technical Programs16825 South Seton AvenueEmmitsburg, MD 21727

PUBLICATIONS

The U.S. Fire Administration has a host ofpublications that are of great assistance whenstarting a technical rescue team. Most publi-cations are free and can be ordered by writingthe U.S. Fire Administration PublicationsCenter, 16825 South Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg,MD 21727. When ordering, be sure to note thedocument number which appears in parenthe-ses below.

Technical Rescue (US&R) Incident Investigations(different technical rescue incidents and lessonslearned are discussed) (FA120-FA125)

Technical Rescue Technology Assessment (FA-135)

New Technologies in Vehicle Extrication (FA-152)

Guide to Funding Alternatives for Fire and EMSDepartments (FA-141)

Guide to Developing and Managing an EmergencyService Infection Control Program (FA-112)

Protective Clothing and Equipment Needs ofEmergency Responders for Urban Search andRescue Missions (FA-136)

Emergency Medical Services Management Re-sources Directory (FA-119)

Minimum Standards of Structural FirefightingProtective Clothing and Equipment (FA-137)

Major Fires Report Series (dozens of major fireincidents and lessons learned from across thecountry are discussed) (ask for order form)

Other DocumentsPersonal Property Utilization and Disposal GuideGeneral Services AdministrationCentralized Mailing List ServiceP.O. Box 6477Fort Worth, TX 76115

APPENDIX C: TECHNICAL RESCUE RESOURCE LIST

How to Buy Surplus Personal Property (from theUnited States Department of Defense)Defense Reutilization and Marketing ServiceNational Sales OfficePO. Box 5275 DDRC2163 Airways BoulevardMemphis, TN 38114

Water Rescue Program ManualMetro-Dade County Fire DepartmentSpecial Operations Division6000 S. W. 87th AvenueMiami, FL 33173-1698(305) 596-8538

Fire CommandAlan Brunacini, AuthorNational Fire Protection Association1 Battermarch ParkQuincy, MA 02269-9101(617) 770-3000

REGULATIONS AND STANDARDSSome of the organizations which have devel-

oped regulations or standards guiding technicalrescue operations and/or training are listed below.

A S T M1916 Race StreetPhiladelphia, PA

National Fire Protection AssociationStandards BranchPO. Box 91011 Batterymarch ParkQuincy, MA 02269-9101(617) 770-3000(The NFPA Liaison to the Committee on Technical Rescue

is Charles Smeby.)

Occupational Safety and Health Administra-tion (OSHA)Attention Mr. Thomas SeymourU.S. Department of LaborSafety Standards Program200 Constitution Avenue, NWWashington, D.C. 20210Copies of OSHA regulations are usually available from alocal library)

National Association for Search and RescueGuidelines for Public Safety Diving4500 Southgate Place, Suite 100Chantilly & VA 22021(703) 222-6277

Other U.S. Government PublicationsSuperintendent of DocumentsU.S. Government Printing OfficeWashington, D.C. 20402

TRAINING RESOURCES

Public Training ResourcesSeveral states and localities have begun to

develop rescue training curriculum. Below is a list ofsome of these:

Rescue Systems I and IICalifornia State Fire MarshalCalifornia Fire Service Training andEducation System7171 Bowling Drive, Suite 600Sacramento, CA 95823

Indianapolis Fire DepartmentBasic Emergency Rescue Technician (BERT)Training Program555 North New Jersey StreetIndianapolis, IN 46204

Montgomery County (MD) Department ofFire and RescuePractical Rescue CourseFire and Rescue Training Academy10025 Darnestown RoadRockviIIe, MD 20850

Virginia Office of Fire ProgramsPO. Box 47Orange, VA 22960

Private Training ResourcesThere are many private companies which

have developed curriculum and delivered trainingfor technical rescue. Some of these are listedbelow. This list is only a partial list of trainingfirms. Other training resources can be found infire and rescue trade publications.

Rescue 3 International(800) 457-3728

ROCO Rescue Corporation(904) 265-0525

L.A. Emergency Management and Training(315) 453-3630

Dive Rescue International(303) 482-0887

APPENDIX D: TECHNICAL RESCUE EQUIPMENT LIST

Technical Rescue Equipment list

This section contains a listing of equipment you may consider acquiring for a technical rescueteam. The list is designed to assist any agency or organization in identifying general tools, supplies,and equipment necessary to safely and effectively undertake technical rescue operations. Theequipment listing is designed to address the following tactical capabilities:

Rope/High Angle Rescue OperationsTrench Rescue OperationsStructural Collapse Rescue OperationsConfined Space Rescue OperationsIndustrial/Agricultural Rescue OperationsWater/Ice Rescue Operations

The equipment listing is divided into subcategories to address different rescue operational andtraining levels discussed in this manual. The subcategories include:

First Responder (Awareness Level) Rescue TeamOperations Level Rescue TeamAdvanced Heavy Rescue TeamAdvanced Heavy Rescue Team - Tool Box InventoryAdvanced Heavy Rescue Team - Trench/Structural Shoring Unit

InventoryFirst Responder/Operations Level Water Rescue TeamAdvanced Level Water Rescue Team

The First Responder Rescue Team section identifies basic tools and equipment (mostly handtools) that personnel trained to the awareness level can use to undertake basic technical rescueoperations. This is equipment that would typically be carried on any first line fire apparatus suchas an engine company.

The Operations Level Rescue Team section lists basic tools and equipment (hand and basicpower tools) that personnel trained to the operations level can use to undertake basic to moderaterescue operations. This is equipment that would typically be carried on any first line fire apparatusor light rescue squad.

The Advanced Heavy Rescue Team section identifies tools and equipment (hand tools, basicand specialized power tools) that personnel trained to advanced levels (operations and technicianlevel) can use to undertake basic through complex rescue operations. This is equipment that mayalready be present on a heavy rescue squad or specialized rescue unit. Other items listed arespecialized pieces of equipment that require moderate to significant funding to procure. A short listis included at the end of quite specialized equipment that some advanced teams are currently using.The purchase of these items may be deferred or delayed until funding and associated training areava i l ab le .

In addition, a separate Tool Box Inventory section which identifies the numerous hand toolsthat may be needed for Heavy Rescue Teams is provided.

The Trench/Structural Shoring Unit inventory section lists equipment that is requiredpredominantly for trench and structural collapse operations. Due to the size, weight, and volumerequired to transport this type of equipment, most technical rescue teams relegate this equipment toa separate vehicle or unit that may not respond on every technical rescue dispatch.

The First Responder/Operations Level Water Rescue Team section identifies basic tools andequipment for an awareness to operations level water rescue team. These tools will allow basicrescues to be performed from shore without entry by personnel. This section is divided intoequipment for swiftwater, flatwater, or ice rescue operations.

The Advanced Level Water Rescue Team section lists basic and advanced tools that anadvanced team may need for shore-based or entry rescues. This section is also divided intoequipment for swiftwater, flatwater, or ice rescue operations.

Technical Rescue Equipment Discipline: 3 - Structural Collapse Operations1 - Rope/High Angle Operations 4 - Confined Space Operations2 - Trench Operations 5 - Industrial/Agricultural Ops

FIRST RESPONDER (AWARENESS LEVEL) RESCUE TEAM

Quantity Item Discipline Unit Price ($) cost ($)

2 Axe, pick head All 32 64

2 Axe, flat head All 26 52

2 Banner guard tape, “Fireline,” roll All 17 34

2 Body bags All 34 68

4 Carabiners, large, steel, locking “D” All 18 72

1 Cord, electric, 200 ft: w/ plugs/adapters All 130 130

4 Descenders with ears, large, steel All 28 112

1 Electrical testing device (amprobe, volt/ohm meter) All 75 75

1 Extinguisher, dry chemical All 87 87

1 Extinguisher, CO All 246 246

1 Extinguisher, water, 2 1/2 gal. All 69 69

1 First aid kit All 165 165

1 Generator, gas-powered, 5000W All 1,370 1,370

4 Goggles, safety All 6 24

1 Hacksaw, carbide blade All 26 26

1 Halligan tool All 127 127

2 Hammer, carpenters, 22 oz. All 25 50

4 Handlight, battery-operated All 75 300

4 Hearing protection headsets All 18 72

1 Ladder, roof, 14 foot All 240 240

1 Ladder, attic, 10 foot All 200 200

Technical Rescue Equipment Discipline: 3 - Structural Collapse Operations1 - Rope/High Angle Operations 4 - Confined Space Operations2 - Trench Operations 5 - Industrial/Agricultural Ops

FIRST RESPONDER (AWARENESS LEVEL) RESCUE TEAM

Quantity Item Discipline Unit Price ($) cost ($)

1 Ladder, extension, 24 foot All 450 450

1 Latex gloves, box All 8 8

2 Light, Circle D 500W All 116 232

1 Mallet, rubber All 32 32

1 Masks, dust, box All 9 9

1 Oxygen/suction unit, portable All 510 510

1 Pike pole, 6 foot All 43 43

1 Rope, utility, 100 foot, ½" A l l 3 5 3 5

1 Rope, lifeline, 150 foot, 12.7MM static Kemmantle ( with rope bag) A L L 1 1 0 220

1 salvage cover, 12 X 18 A L L 189 1 8 9

1 Smoke ejector, electric, 16" A L L 429 429

1 Tool box and small mechanics tools set A L L 150 150

4 Webbing, tublar, 2" wide, 20 foot length A L L 1 4 56

1 Bolt cutter, 18" 3,4,5 3 8 3 8

1 Crow bar, 24" 3,4,5 1 2 12

1 K-Tool, lock removal device 3,4,5 8 1 81

4Personal alert device (PASS) 3,4,5 498 1,992

1 P r y b a r 3,4,5 3 4 34

4 Self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) 3,4,5 1,8457,380Text

2 Wheel chock, metal (fulcrum/crib) 3,4,5 2 1 42

1 Key tool, water utility 2,3,4,5 1 2 12

Technical Rescue Equipment Discipline: 3 - Structural Collapse Operations1 - Rope/High Angle Operations 4 - Confined Space Operations2 - Trench Operations 5 - Industrial/Agricultural Ops

FIRST RESPONDER (AWARENESS LEVEL) RESCUE TEAM

Quantity Item Discipline Unit Price ($) cost ($)

1 Key tool, gas utility 2, 3, 4, 5 12 12

2 Shovel, dirt, round point 2, 3, 4, 5 37 74

Technical Rescue Equipment D i s c i p l i n e : 3 - Structural Collapse Operations1 - Rope/High Angle Operations 4 - Confined Space Operations2 - Trench Operations 5 - Industrial/Agricultural Ops

OPERATIONS LEVEL RESCUE TEAM

Quantity Item Discipline Unit Price ($) cost ($)

2 Axe, pick head All 32 64

2 Axe, flat head All 26 52

1 Backboard All 32 32

2 Body bags All 34 68

2 Crow bar, 36” carpenter All 16 32

2 Debris bag All 35 70

1 Electrical tesing device (Amprobe, volt/ohm meter) All 75 75

2 Extinguisher, dry chemical All 87 174

2 Extinguisher, pressurized water, 2% gal. All 42 84

2 Extinguisher, CO All 246 492

2 “Fireline” banner guard, roll All 17 34

1 First aid kit All 165 165

1 Generator, gas-powered, 7500W or greater All 1,840 1,840

4 Goggles, safety All 6 24

4 Hammer, carpenter, 22 oz. All 25 100

4 Handlight, battery-operated All 75 300

1 Harness cable set for Stokes All 80 80

4 Hearing protection headsets All 18 72

1 Ladder, attic, 10 foot All 200 200

2 Ladder, extension, 35 foot All 1,340 2,680

1 Ladder, folding, Little Giant All 480 480

Technical Rescue Equipment Discipline:1 - Rope/High Angle Operations

3 - Structural Collapse Operations4- Confined Space Operations

2 - Trench Operations 5 - Industrial/Agricultural Ops

OPERATIONS LEVEL RESCUE TEAM

Quantity Item Discipline Unit Price ($) cost ($)

1 Ladder, roof, 14 foot All 285 285

2 Ladder, extension, 28 foot All 620 1,240

1 Latex gloves, box All 8 8

2 Light, Circle D 500W All 116 232

1 Mallet, rubber All 28 28

1 Masks, dust, box All 9 9

1 Oxygen/suction unit, portable All 510 510

2 Pry bar All 34 68

1 Reeves stretcher All 197 197

3 Rope, lifeline, 150 foot, 12.7MM static Kemmantle with rope All 110 330

bag)

2 Rope, 20 ft. section of 12.7MM Kemmantle All 19 38

1 Rope, utility, 100 foot, %” All 35 35

3 Salvage cover, 12 X 18 All 189 567

2 Salvage cover, 14 X 18 All 211 422

1 SKED stretcher All 300 300

2 Sledge hammer, 12 lb., long handle All 32 64

2 Sledge hammer, 8 lb., short handle All 28 56

1 Stokes basket All 290 290

2 Tag lines, 100 ft. All 14 28

4 Tape, duct, roll All 3 12

1 Tool box and mechanics tools set All 400 400

Technical Rescue Equipment Discipline: 3 - Structural Collapse Operations1 - Rope/High Angle Operations 4 - Confined Space Operations2 - Trench Operations 5 - Industrial/Agricultural Ops

OPERATIONS LEVEL RESCUE TEAM

Quantity Item Discipline Unit Price ($) Cost ($)

4 Personal alert device (PASS) 4 498 1,992

4 SCBA bottles, extra 4 365 1,460

4 Self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) 4 1,845 7,380

1 Line throwing gun, w/ accessories I , 2 365 365

8 Carabiner, large, steel, locking “D” I , 4 18 144

4 Descender with ears, large, steel I , 4 28 112

4 Life belts I , 4 127 508

4 Webbing, tubular, 2” tide, 20 foot length I , 4 14 56

2 Gas cans ( gasoline and gas/oil mix) 2 , 3 31 62

1 Handsaw, cross cut 2, 3 31 31

1 Nails, 16P, double-head, box 2, 3 50 50

1 Saw, chain, gasoline-powered, 16” 2, 3 360 360

2 Saw, circular, gasoline-powered, 16” w/ carbide, metal and 2, 3 870 1,740masonry blades

1 Saw, circular skilsaw, electric 2, 3 180 180

1 Saw, chain, gasoline-powered, 24” 2, 3 490 490

1 Saw, reciprocating, electric 2, 3 195 195

1 Axe, crash 3 , 4 , 5 44 44

1 Axe, pry 3 , 4 , 5 35 35

1 Bolt cutter, 18” 3 , 4 , 5 32 32

1 Bolt cutter, 36” 3 , 4 , 5 81 81

1 Closet hook 3 , 4 , 5 69 69

Technical Rescue Equipment Discipline: 3 - Structural Collapse Operations1 - Rope/High Angle Operations 4 - Confined Space Operations2 - Trench Operations 5 - Industrial/Agricultural Ops

OPERATIONS LEVEL RESCUE TEAM

Quantity Item Discipline Unit Price ($) cost ($)

2 Halligan tool 3, 4, 5 127 254

1 K-Tool, lock removal device 3 , 4 , 5 81 81

1 Poling tool, elevator 3 , 4 , 5 65 65

2 Wheel chock, metal (fulcrum/crib) 3 , 4 , 5 21 42

1 Atmospheric monitor (GasTrac, MSA Explosion Meter, etc.) 2, 3, 4, 5 440 440

2 Bar, chin-up (for smoke ejectors) 2, 3, 4, 5 13 26

1 Blower, gasoline-powered, 20” 2, 3, 4, 5 2,500 2,500

1 Broom, street 2, 3, 4, 5 13 13

1 Key tool, gas utility 2, 3, 4, 5 12 12

1 Key tool, water utility 2, 3, 4, 5 12 12

1 Pike pole, 12 foot 2, 3, 4, 5 59 59

1 Pike pole, 10 foot 2, 3, 4, 5 41 41

1 Pike pole, 14 foot 2, 3, 4, 5 66 66

1 Pike pole, 16 foot 2, 3, 4, 5 70 70

1 Pipe wrench, 18” 2, 3, 4, 5 45 45

2 Pitch forks 2, 3, 4, 5 47 94

1 Porto-power hydraulic tool, 4-ton 2, 3, 4, 5 249 249

1 Rabbit hydraulic forcible entry tool 2, 3, 4, 5 2,040 2,040

4 Respirator, full face w/ HEPA filters 2, 3, 4, 5 197 788

2 Shovel, dirt, round point 2, 3, 4, 5 37 74

2 Shovel, scoop 2, 3, 4, 5 32 64

Technical Rescue Equipment Discipline: 3 - Structural Collapse Operations1 - Rope/High Angle Operations 4 - Confined Space Operations2 - Trench Operations 5 - Industrial/Agricultural Ops

ADVANCED HEAVY RESCUE TEAM

Quantity Item Discipline Unit Price ($) Cost ($)

10 Carpet 2X2squares, All 3 30

2 Chain, Grade 7, 3/8", 20 ft. w/ hooks All 40 80

1 Come-along, 4-ton All 126 126

1 Come-along, 1 -ton All 94 94

6 0 0 Cord, electric, 12G,, three-wire grounded (various lengths), w/ All 420 420adap te rs

1 Edge frame (portable frame for rope raising operations) All 1,690 1,690

1 Forcible entry ram, sliding, kit All 510 510

2 Gas can (gasoline and gas/oil mix) All 14 28

1 Generator, 20KW or greater, vehicle-mounted All 7,180 7,180

1 Hailing device, battery-powered (bullhorn) All 165 165

2 Jack-o-lanterns (cord reel/light set) All 209 418

4 Junction boxes, electric All 85 340

4 Lights, Circle D or 500W halogens All 116 464

1 Line throwing w/ accessoriesgun All 390 390

1 Oxygen manifold “Multilator” w/ O2 bottles All 790 790

4 Rope, lifeline, 150 ft. 12.5MM kemmantle, static, w / bag All 110 440

4 Sheave, cable, 4” All 65 260

6 Stakes, steel All 4 24

1 Stretcher, SKED-type All 447 447

1 Tripod, 8 ft. All 690 690

Technical Rescue Equipment Discipline: 3 - Structural Collapse Operations1 - Rope/High Angle Operations 4 - Confined Space Operations2- Trench Operations 5 - Industrial/Agricultural Ops

ADVANCED HEAVY RESCUE TEAM

Quantity Item Discipline Unit Price ($) cost ($)

4 Tripod/light stands, telescoping All 460 1,840

1 Winch, electric, 4-ton, vehicle mounted All 992 992

1 Hand winch for tripod, w/ 100 ft. cable 4 1,207 1,207

4 Head lamps, low voltage, intrensically safe 4 728 2,912

6 SCBA bottle, extra 4 365 2,190

6 Self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) 4 1,845 11,070

2 Supplied air breathing system w/ manifold, regulator, 600’ air line, 4 2,600 5,2002 face pieces, escape bottles, and accessories (one systemsupplies two entry personnel)

4 Ascender, aluminum, 1/2" 1, 4 39 156

24 Carabiner, large, steel, locking “D” I , 4 18 432

1 Cord, prusik, 8MM, 200 ft. I , 4 90 90

2 Daisy chain, 5 ft. I , 4 14 28

12 - Descender, w/ ears, large, steel 1 , 4 28 336

2 Edge roller I , 4 118 236

2 Etrier (3 and 4 step) I , 4 19 38

4 Harness, personal, Class II 1, 4 89 356

2 Harness, Class III 1 , 4 150 300

6 Prusi k, long I , 4 3 18

6 Prusi k, short I , 4 2 12

10 Pulley, single 1, 4 25 250

4 Pulley, single, 2” X 1/2" 1 , 4 41 164

Technical Rescue Equipment Discipline: 3 - Structural Collapse Operations1 - Rope/High Angle Operations 4 - Confined Space Operations2 - Trench Operations 5 - Industrial/Agricultural Ops

ADVANCED HEAVY RESCUE TEAM

Quantity Item Discipline Unit Price ($) Cost ($)

2 Pulley, double, 2” X 1/2" 1 , 4 65 130

1 Rope, 12.7MM kemmantle, 300 ft., static I , 4 240 240

2 Webbing, 2”, 30” 1 , 4 1 2

3 Webbing, 2”, 20 ft. I, 4 3 9

4 Whistles I , 4 3 12

1 Air bag, high pressure, 136-ton set, includes:l-ton bag 3-ton bag5-ton bag 12-ton bag 2, 3 4,970 4,970l7-ton bag 22-ton bag32-ton bag 44-ton bag

1 Air bag high pressure regulator/control valve kit 2,3 576 576

1 set Air bag, low pressure, small; ‘medium, large 2, 3 1,800 1,800

30 Cribbing, 2”X4”X2 ft. 2, 3 1 30

20 Cribbing, 4”X4”X3 ft. 2, 3 2 40

2 Jack, Hi-Lift, 48” 2, 3 85 170

1 Nail/fastener gun w/ accessories, charges, fasteners, nails (Hilti, 2, 3 740 740Paslode, etc.)

1 Pneumatic airgun breaker tool 2, 3 2,245 2,245

2 Saw, chain, 16”, gasoline, w/ carbide chain 2 , 3 893 1,786

2 Saw, chain, 14” electric 2, 3 280 560

1 Saw, worm gear 2, 3 374 374

20 Wedges, 4”X4”X2 ft. 2, 3 1 20

1 Post hole digger I , 2 , 3 40 40

Technical Rescue Equipment Discipline: 3 - Structural Collapse Operations4 - Rope/High Angle Operations 4 - Confined Space Operations2 - Trench Operations 5 - Industrial/Agricultural Ops

ADVANCED HEAVY RESCUE TEAM

Quantity Item Discipline Unit Price ($) Cost ($)

1 Atmospheric monitor, oxygen analyzer-type, personal 2, 3, 4 2,000 2,000

1 Atmospheric monitor, gas detector 2 , 3 , 4 560 560

1 Atmospheric monitor, Explosion meter 2, 3, 4 440 440

2 Personal atmospheric monitors (Industrial Scientific HMX-271 2, 3, 4 1,700 3,400

type)

24 Respirator cartridges (asbestos rated) 2, 3, 4 110 2,640

6 Respirators, full face w/ cartridge attachments 2, 3, 4 197 1,182

1 Ventilation blower, electric, utility-type, w/ 15’ tubing 2, 3, 4 547 547

1 Hydraulic spreader/jaws/cutter, multi-purpose (Hurst-type) 2,3, 5 3,500 3,500

1 Hydraulic tool power unit (Hurst-type) w/ hoses and accessories 2, 3, 5 2,800 2,800

2 Jack, hydraulic, 20-ton, bottle-type 2, 3, 5 150 300

2 Jack, hydraulic, 10-ton, bottle-type 2, 3, 5 85 170

Jimmi Jack stabilization system w/2 short and 2 long stabilizersand accessories

set accessories 2,3, 5 7,800 7,8002 - wedges 2 - point tips2 - V-shape tips 2 - chains2 - J-hooks 4 - swivels1 - regulator

2 Rams (short, long) 2,3, 5 1,700 3,400

1 Bolt cutter, 36” 3, 4, 5 62 62

1 Bolt cutter, 24” 3, 4, 5 49 49

1 Cut-off tool, pneumatic (Wizzer saw) 3, 4,5 87 87

1 Cutting torch set, oxy-acetylene 3 , 4 , 5 430 430

Technical Rescue Equipment Discipline: 3 - Structural Collapse Operations1 - Rope/High Angle Operations 4 - Confined Space Operations2 - Trench Operations 5 - Industrial/Agricultural Ops

ADVANCED HEAVY RESCUE TEAM

Quantity Item Discipline Unit Price ($) cost ($)

1 Exothermic cutting torch (Arcair, etc.) w/ accessories 3, 4, 5 1,450 1,45C

1 Porto-power tool kit , IO-ton 3, 4, 5 363 362

1 Air hose/reel, 100 ft. 2, 3, 4, 5 290 29c

1 Air compressor, vehicle-mounted 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 4 3 8 438

1 Air chisel w/ blades 2, 3, 4, 5 65 65

4 Chocks, step-type 2, 3, 4, 5 45 180

1 Dri l l /dr iver,"_cordless 2, 3, 4, 5 280 280

1 Drill, 1/2 electric 2, 3,4, 5 226 226

1 Impact wrench, pneumatic 2, 3, 4, 5 105 105

1 Index set, drill bits 2, 3, 4, 5 65 66

2 Saw, reciprocating, electric 2,3, 4, 5 192 384

1 Saw, worm drive, 7%” 2, 3, 4, 5 372 372

2 Saw, rotary disk, 16” 2, 3, 4, 5 870 1,740

The following sophisticated equipment, while expensive, might be considered as latter purchases to augment and improvecapabilities

1 Winch, portable, chain sawengine tpe All 2,800 2,800

1 “US&R” concrete breaking kit (Stanley-type), includes: 17,084 17,0841 - power unit 1 - regular chain saw 2, 31 - diamond segmented concrete cutting chain saw3 - impact breakers (small, medium, large)

Technical Rescue Equipment Discipline: 3 - Structural Collapse Operations1 - Rope/High Angle Operations 4 - Confined Space Operations2 - Trench Operations

ADVANCED HEAVY RESCUE TEAM

5 - Industrial/Agricultural Ops

Quantity Item Discipline Unit Price ($) cost ($)

1 Drill/breaker tool, gasoline driven w/ accessories (Cobra Berema- 2 , 3 4,950 4,950

type)

1 Demolition hammer (Bosch-type) 2 , 3 , 5 1,600 1,600

1 Rebar cutter, electric, 3/4" capacity 2, 3, 5 1,800 1,800

1 Acoustic/seismic listening search device 2, 3, 4, 5 8,000 8,000

1 Hammer drill, 1/2" capacity (Hilti-type) 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 1,870 1,870

1 Optical search device (fibre optic or Searchcam-type) 2, 3, 4, 5 11,000 11,000

Technical Rescue Equipment Discipline: 3 - Structural Collapse Operations1 - Rope/High Angle Operations 4 - Confined Space Operations2 - Trench Operations 5 - Industrial/Agricultural Ops

ADVANCED HEAVY RESCUE TEAM - TOOL BOX INVENTORY

Quantity Item Discipline Unit Price ($) cost ($)

2 Allen key set (US standard and metic) All

1 Allen key set, folding, 1/16 " - 3/16" All

1 Chain saw adjustment tool All

1 Chisel, cold, 3/4" All

1 Drive extension, 1/2” X 3” All

1 Drive extension, 3/8" X IO” All

1 Drive adapter, 3/8" to ‘1/4” All

1 Drive swivel, 3/8" All

1 Drive extension, 1/4" X 6” All It is mosteconomical tobuy something

similar to a 190-piece mechanic’s

tool set -see last line

1 Drive extension, 3/8" X 3” All

1 Drive extension, 1/2" X 10” All

1 Drive extension, 1/4" X 3” All

1 File, triangular, 8” X 1/4” All

1 File, metal, flat All

1 File, triangular, 7” X 1/4” All

2 Hacksaw, carbide blade All

2 Hammer, carpenter, 16 oz. All

Technical Rescue Equipment Discipline:1 - Rope/High Angle Operations2 - Trench Operations

3 - Structural Collapse Operations4 - Confined Space Operations5 - Industrial/Agricultural Ops

ADVANCED HEAVY RESCUE TEAM -TOOL BOX INVENTORY

Quantity Item Discipline Unit Price ($) Cost ($)

2 Hammer, brass, 2 1/2 lb. All

1 Pipe Wrench, 12” All

1 Pliers, Channel Lock, 10” All

1 Pliers, Channel Lock, 14” All

1 Pliers, 6” All

1 Pliers, Needle nose, 6” All

1 Pliers, Electrical, 7” All

1 Pliers, 8” All

1 Pry bar, 15” All

1 P u n c h , 3 / 8 " All

1 Screwdriver set, Phillips head tip All1 - 3 ” 1 - 7 ” 1 - 8 ”

1 - I O ” 1 - 1 3 ” 1 - 1 5 ”

1 Screwdriver set, straight tip All It is most1 - 3 ” 1 - 7 ” 1 - 8 ” economical to1 - IO” 1 - 1 3 " 1 - 1 5 ” buy something

similar to a 190-piece mechanic’s

tool set -see last line

1 Shears, metal, straight cut, 11” All

1 Socket drive, 1/2 X 10” All

1 Socket drive, 3/8" X 10” w/ swivel head All

1 Socket set, 3/8", metric sizes 11 mm -19mm All

1 Socket set, 3/8", US standard sizes 3/8” - g/16” All

Technical Rescue Equipment Discipline: 3 - Structural Collapse Operations1 - Rope/High Angie Operations 4 - Confined Space Operations2 - Trench Operations 5 - Industrial/Agricultural Ops

ADVANCED HEAVY RESCUE TEAM - TOOL BOX INVENTORY

Quantity Item Discipline Unit Price ($) Cost ($)

1 Socket set, 1/4", metric sizes 5mm -13mm All

1 Socket set, 1/4", US standard sizes 5/32" - 1/2" All

I Socket set, 1/2", US standard sizes 7/16" - 1 1/16” All

1 Socket set, 1/2", metric sizes 11mm -19mm All

1 Socket drive, ‘1/4” X 5” All

1 Socket drive, 3/8” X 8” All

4 Spark plugs, spare All

1 Stapler, T-5O W/ 3/8” and 5/16" staples All

2 Tape, roll, electrical, 3/4" All

2 Tape, roll, masking, I” All

2 Tape, duct, 2” All

1 Tape Measure, 12 ft. X 3/4” All

2 Tape, roll, Teflon, 1/4" All

1 Tape Measure, 30 ft. X 1” All

1 Tool case w/ drawers All

1 Vice grips, 9” All

2 Wedges, wood, small All

1 Wire Cutter, 6” All

1 Wrench set, combination, metric 6MM - 19MM All

1 Wrench set, combination, US standard 1/4" - 11/4” All

Approx. price of 190-piece tool/chest set 1 ,1 04.00

Technical Rescue Equipment Discipline: 3 - Structural Collapse Operations1 - Rope/High Angle Operations 4- Confined Space Operations2- Trench Operations 5 - Industrial/Agricultural Ops

ADVANCED HEAVY RESCUE TEAM - TRENCH/STRUCTURAL SHORING UNIT INVENTORY

Quantity Item Discipline Unit Price ($) cost ($>

12 1” Shoring panels, 41x8” w/ 2”XlZ”XlZ ft. uprights bolted 2 , 3 165 1,980in place

4 2”xl2”x12 ft. uprights, PT 293 13 52

4 Z’XlZ”X8 ft. uprights, PT 2 , 3 9 36

20 Z”X4”XlZ” scabs 2 , 3 1 20

6 3/;1 Ground pads, 4x8 293 42 252

2 4”X4”X8 ft. timbers, PT 2 , 3 11 22

4 6”X6”X8 ft. timbers, PT 2 , 3 28 112

6 Apron, capenter’s 2 , 3 40 240

3 Banner guard tape, “Fireline” 293 17 51

2 Bar, wecking, 30” 2 , 3 16 32

2 Bar, pinch, 60” 2 , 3 21 42

2 Bar, wrecking, 18” 2 , 3 9 18

1 Broom, street 2, 3 13 13

6 Bucket, plastic, 5 gal. 2, 3 4 24

2 Cart w/ CO2 cylinder, regulator and hose 2 , 3 175 350

6 Crate, plastic 293 4 24

1 Funnel 2, 3 6 6

2 Gas can, 5 gal. 2, 3 31 62

8 Glasses, safety 2, 3 6 48

2 Hammer, sledge, 8 lb. 293 24 48

Technical Rescue Equipment Discipline: 3 - Structural Collapse Operations3 - Rope/High Angle Operations 4 - Confined Space Operations2- Trench Operations 5 - Industrial/Agricultural Ops

ADVANCED HEAVY RESCUE TEAM - TRENCH/STRUCTURAL SHORING UNIT INVENTORY

Quantity Item Discipline Unit Price ($) Cost ($)

2 Hammer, sledge, IO lb. 2, 3 27 54

2 II Hammer, sledge, 4 lb., short handleI

2: 3 ‘2 I 24I

4 Hammer, claw, 22 oz. 2, 3 25 100

2 Hammer, engineer’s, short handle 2, 3 29 58

8 Hard hat, safety 2, 3 I I 88

2 Hoe, long handle 2, 3 16 32

8 Knee pads 2, 3 9 72

2 Ladder, straight, 16 ft. 2, 3 315 630

I Nails, box, 16P double-headed 2, 3 50 50

I Particle masks, box 2, 3 9 9

9 Pneumatic shores, telescoping, 18” - 27” 2, 3 250 2,250

9 Pneumatic shores, telescoping, 23” - 37” 2, 3 289 2,601

9 Pneumatic shores, telescoping, 30” - 48” 2, 3 329 2,961

9 Pneumatic shores, telescoping, 42” - 66” 2, 3 365 3,285

9 Pneumatic shores, telescoping, 60” - 96” 2, 3 400 3,600

9 Pneumatic shores, telescoping, 90” - 120” 2 , 3 445 4,005

9 Pneumatic shores, telescoping, 114” 144”- 2, 3 480 4,320

1 Post hole digger 2, 3 40 40

I Pump, electric, submersible w/ 50 ft. discharge hose 2 , 3 360 360

I Pump, trash, gasoline-driven, w/two 3” suction and one 2, 3 940 9403” discharge sleeves

8 Rooe. nvlon. 25 ft. 2, 3 6 48

Technical Rescue Equipment Discipline: 3 - Structural Collapse Operations1 - Rope/High Angle Operations 4 - Confined Space Operations2 - Trench Operations 5 - Industrial/Agricultural Ops

ADVANCED HEAVY RESCUE TEAM -TRENCH/STRUCTURAL SHORING UNIT INVENTORY

Quantity Item Discipline Unit Price ($) cost G)

2 Rope w/wire slings 2 , 3 16 32

2 Ruler, folding, 6 ft. 2, 3 17 34

2 Saw, crosscut, hand 2 , 3 31 62

24 Shore swivel ends 2, 3 18 432

3 Shovel, round point, long handle 2, 3 37 111

1 Shovel, round point, D handle, short 2, 3 32 32

4 Shovel, folding, entrenching 2 , 3 18 72

1 Tape measure, 100 ft. 2, 3 38 38

4 Tape measure, I2 ft. 2 , 3 I I 44

3 Tape measure, 25 ft. 293 14 42

I Tape measure, 50 ft. 2, 3 24 24

2 Tarp, vinyl, 12X16 2 , 3 17 34

1 Trl square 293 10 10

I 2 Wedges, mod, 4”X24” 2, 3 2 24

Technical Rescue EquipmentDiscipline:1 - Flatwater Operations2 - Swiftwater Operations3 - Ice Operations

FIRST RESPONDER/OPERATIONS LEVEL WATER RESCUE TEAM

Quantity Item Discipline Unit Price ($) Cost ($)

1 Binoculars All 75 75

2 B l i n d f o r f i r e h o s ea All 25 50

4 Carabiners All 18 72

I EMS first aid supplies All 250 250

1 Firehose, 50 foot section All 120 120

4 Flashlights, waterproof All 25 100

4 Helmets All 26 104

4 Knives or shears All 15 60

4 Personal floatation devices All 50 200

I Pike pole or hook All 75 75

2 Rope, life safety/rescue rope, 100 foot (kemmantle) All 100 200

2 Rope, throw bags tith 75 foot rope (polypropylene kemmantle) All 75 100

I SCBA cylinder, spare All 275 275

4 Webbing, 2, 20 foot All 3 I 2

4 Whistle All 2 8

Technical Rescue EquipmentDiscipline:1 - Flatwater Operations2 - Swifhvater Operations3 - Ice Operations

ADVANCED LEVEL WATER RESCUE TEAM

Technical Rescue EquipmentDiscipline:1 - Flatwater Operations2 - Swiftwater Operations3 - Ice Operations

ADVANCED LEVEL WATER RESCUE TEAM

Technical Rescue EquipmentDiscipline:1 - Flatwater Operations2 - Swiftwater Operations3 - Ice Operations

ADVANCED LEVEL WATER RESCUE TEAM

Quantity Item Discipline Unit Price ($) Cost ($>

2 Ring buoy All 50 100

2 Rope, life safety/rescue rope, 100 foot (kemmantle) All 100 200

4 Rope, throw bags with 75 foot rope (polypropylene kemmantle) All 75 300

2 Rope pulley 2,3 50 100

2 Rope rescue harness 2.3 150 300

2 Salvage tarp, waterproof All 100 200

I SCBA cylinder, spare All 275 275

I Shovel, dirt All 35 35

2 Swim fins, mask and snorkel ‘ 2 100 200

1 Triage tags, set All 35 35

1 Underwater sonar system ‘ 2 1500 1500

4 Webbing, Z”, 20 foot All 3 I 2

2 Wet suit 1 2 200 400

4 Whistle All 2 8

BIBILIOGRAPHY

Bechdel, Less, and Slim Ray, River Rescue.Appalachian Mountain Club, 1985.

Bentivoglio, John T., “OSHA Compliance.”Firehouse, May 1995, p. 58-61.

Brennan, Kenneth J., “A Systems Approachto Rope Rescue Safety.” Fire Engineering,May 1994, p. 49-56.

Collins, Larry, “An Innovative Approach toSwiftwater Rescue.” Firehouse, May 1994.p. 83-111.

Collins, Larry, “Managing SwiftwaterRescue.” Fire Chief November 1993,p. 30-38.

Downey, Ray, The Rescue Company. FireEngineering Books and Videos, 1992.

Downey, Ray, “Specialized RescueTraining.” Fire Engineering, January 1995,p. 24-34.

Gallagher, Tim, and Steve Stormen,“Confined Space Rescue.” Rescue, May/June1994, p, 51-69.

Linton, Steven J., and Damon A. Rust, IceRescue. International Association of DiveRescue Specialists, 1982.

Malek, Richard S., “The Challenge of OSHAStandard on Permit-required Confined SpaceRescue.” Fire Engineering, September 1994,p. 35-44.

Mellot, Kevin D., “Building a SpecializedRescue Capability on a Budget.” Fire ChiefNovember 1992, p. 36-39.

Segerstrom, Jim, and Barry Edwards, Low toHigh Angle Rescue Techniques. Rescue 3International, 1994.

Williams, Rick, “So You Wanna Start a DiveTeam.” Rescue, July/August 1994, p. 32-36.

* U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE:1996-717-916/82623