Fire Service Rescue (6th Edition)
Chapter 1 - Intro to Rescue Services
"By The Numbers"
§ For aircraft rescue material, you may refer to the DOT publication HS805-703.
§ A 15 minute flight may mean a 1 hour response time.
§ Once skills training has been completed, it should be followed by drills or exercises at least once annually.
Fire Service Rescue (6th Edition)
Chapter 2 - Rescue Scene Management
"By The Numbers"
§ There should only be 1 incident commander, except in multi-jurisdictional incidents where a unified command is appropriate.
§ Helicopter landing sites should be an area at least 70x70 feet and with less than 2% slope.
Critical Clearances for Helicopter Landing ZoneFeet from Landing Site (70x70 pad) / Maximum Height of Objects
70 feet from landing site / 35 feet
100 feet from landing site / 50 feet
150 feet from landing site / 75 feet
§ Following a minor debriefing (defusing), personnel should participate in a full debriefing process within 72 hours of completion of work at the incident.
Fire Service Rescue (6th Edition)
Chapter 3 - Rescue Vehicles & Equipment
"By The Numbers"
§ Light rescue vehicles are usually built on 1 ton or 1 1/2 ton chassis and are generally capable of carrying 2 to 7 rescue team members.
§ Medium rescue vehicles may carry as many as 8 to 10 rescue team members.
§ Many heavy rescue vehicles have seating for 12 or more rescue team members.
§ A hydraulic boom is usually a telescoping boom that can be rotated 360 degrees to ease the process of locating the working end of the boom directly above the load.
§ Most cascade system consist of 3 to 12 large cylinders.
§ Inverters (step-up transformers) on rescue vehicles convert the vehicles 12 or 24 volt DC current into 110 or 220 volt AC current.
§ Powered generators generally have 110 and/or 220 volt capability.
§ Vehicle mounted generators have 110 and 220 volt capabilities with output capacities up to 50 kilowatts, occasionally greater.
§ Portable lights generally range from 300 to 1,000 watts.
§ Banks of portable lights generally have a capacity of 500 to 1,500 watts per light.
§ The most common type of electrical cable is 12 gauge, 3 wire type.
§ NFPA 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety Requirements for Employee Workplaces.
§ Trench screw jacks consist of a swivel footplate with a stem that is inserted into one end of a length of 2 inch pipe, not to exceed 6 feet in length, and a swivel footplate with a threaded stem that is inserted into the other end of the pipe.
§ Shears are typically capable of developing about 30,000 psi of cutting force and have an opening spread of approximately 7 inches.
§ Large extension rams can go from closed position, 36 inches, to fully extended, nearly 63 inches, and open with a pushing force of about 15,000 psi. The closing force is approximately 1/2 (7,500 psi) the opening force.
§ Most hydraulic jacks have lifting capacities up to 20 tons, however, greater capacities are available.
§ Most air chisels operate from 100 psi to 150 psi and normally require about 4 to 5 cubic feet of air per minute.
§ Whizzer saws weigh about 2 pounds which is about 1/10th as much as a circular saw.
§ Whizzer saws have a 3 inch Carborundum blade which operates at 20,000 rpm and will cut case hardened locks and steel up to 3/4 inch thick.
§ Whizzer saws are driven by an SCBA cylinder with regulator at 90 psi and will last about 3 minutes with a full cylinder.
§ Carbide-tipped chains on chain saws cost about 4 times as much as standard chains, however, they last 12 times longer.
§ The most common sizes/ratings for come-alongs are from 1 to 10 tons.
§ The minimum chain size (for come-alongs) used in rescue is 3/4 inch.
§ High-pressure lifting bags are about 1 inch thick when completely flat and come in various sizes that range in surface area from 6x6 inches to 36x36 inches.
§ Inflation pressure for high-pressure lifting bags is about 135 psi.
§ High-pressure lifting bags may inflate to a height of 20 inches and the largest can lift approximately 75 tons.
§ Low/medium-pressure lifting bags are capable of lifting objects up to 6 feet above its original position.
§ Low-pressure lifting bags generally operate at 7 to 10 psi, while medium-pressure lifting bags use 12 to 15 psi, depending on the manufacturer.
§ Lifting bags should not be allowed to contact materials hotter than 220oF.
§ Oxyacetylene cutting torches have a flame temperature (without oxygen) of about 4,200oF and when pure oxygen is added, the flame temperature rises to over 5,700oF.
§ Acetylene has a flammable range of 2.5% to 81%.
§ Acetylene cylinders should not be stored where ambient temperatures exceed 130oF.
§ Acetylene cylinder valves should be opened less than 3/4 turn.
§ Acetylene operating pressure should be less than 15 psi and the acetylene withdrawal rate should be less than 1/7th of the cylinder capacity per hour.
§ Burning bars are fed by oxygen and up to 200 amperes of electrical power.
§ Exothermic cutting bars range in size from 1/4 to 3/4 inch in diameter and from 22 to 36 inches in length.
§ Most webbing used for lifting and pulling operations starts at about 2 inches in width.
§ The most popular wood cribbing sizes are 2x4 inch and 4x4 inch hard wood lumber with a standard length of 16 to 18 inches.
§ Planks (used in trench operations) are usually 2x8 inches or 4x8 inches while plywood sheeting is at least 1 1/4 inch CDX or 3/4 inch Fin-form white birch plywood.
§ All helmets used in rescue incidents should conform to NFPA 1972, Standard on Helmets for Structural Fire fighting, or ANSI Z87.1, Occupational and Educational Eye and Face Protection.
§ All structural turnout gear should conform to NFPA 1971, Standard on Protective Clothing for Structural Fire fighting.
§ Gloves used for rescues involving fires should conform to NFPA 1973, Standard on Gloves for Structural Fire Fighting.
§ SCBA's should conform to NFPA 1981, Standard on Open-Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus for Fire Fighters.
§ The most common SCBA cylinders have a 30 or 45 minute rated service time.
§ Supplied-air respirators must contain a 5 minute escape cylinder and the low pressure hose to which the respirator is connected must not exceed 300 feet.
Fire Service Rescue (6th Edition)
Chapter 4 - Rope Rescue
"By The Numbers"
§ Types of rope rescue equipment are covered under NFPA 1983, Standard on Fire Life Safety Rope, Harnesses, and Hardware.
§ OSHA regulations covered in Title 29 (29 CFR 1910.146) of the Code of Federal Regulations, covers some rescue incidents.
§ Life safety rope is usually purchased in 100 to 600 foot lengths and is usually 7/16 or 1/2 inch Kernmantle.
§ The core of Kernmantle rope provides 75% of its strength.
§ The minimum breaking strength for 1-person life safety rope is 4,500 pounds and 2-person rope is 9,000 pounds.
§ The maximum safe working load for 1-person rope is 300 pounds and 2-person rope is 600 pounds. These figures are derived by dividing the breaking strength by 15.
§ Dynamic rope is designed to stretch up to 60% of its length without breaking.
§ Static rope is designed to stretch up to 20% of its length without breaking.
§ NFPA 1983, 1995 Edition states that new life safety rope must be capable of elongating at least 15%, but not more than 45%, of its length at 75% of the breaking strength.
§ Accessory cord is usually synthetic rope of about 1/4 or 5/16 inch in diameter.
§ Prussik loops are formed from a length of accessory cord about 5 feet long.
§ Webbing is available in widths from 1 to 2 inches.
§ 1 inch webbing has a 4,000 pound breaking strength.
§ NFPA 1983 states that any webbing making contact with the body must be at least 1 3/4 inches in width and have a 6,000 pound or greater breaking strength.
§ For pelvis and chest harnesses made of webbing, 2 inch widths are preferred.
§ Webbing is available in rolls up to 1,000 feet in length.
§ A recommended color-coding system for webbing is as follows.
COLOR / LENGTHGreen / 5 feet
Yellow / 12 feet
Blue / 15 feet
Red / 20 feet
Black / 25 feet
§ NFPA 1983 states all load-bearing hardware must withstand both a 1,200 pound tensile test without permanent distortion and a 5,000 pound test without failure.
§ A belay plate consist of a metal plate with 2 or more holes in it.
§ On tensionless anchors, the running end is wrapped at least 4 times around an anchor point.
§ In a 2-point anchor system, an angle between the anchor points and the point of attachment to the load wider that 90 degrees multiplies the force on each anchor. At 120 degrees, each anchor must support the actual weight of the load.
§ 5 carabiners are needed to create a 3-point self-adjusting anchor system.
§ Mechanical advantage is equal to the number of pulleys, plus 1.
§ Compound systems typically provide a range of mechanical advantage from 4:1 to 9:1.
§ When using a lifeline to communicate, use the following:
1 tug / Ok2 tugs / Advance
3 tugs / Take up (eliminate slack)
4 tugs / Help!
The acronym OATH is used to remember this communication concept.
§ To prepare a litter, 2 blankets and a 10 foot section of webbing is needed.
§ For a litter sling, two 15 to 20 foot lengths of rope and 6 carabiners are needed.
Fire Service Rescue (6th Edition)
Chapter 5 - Fireground Search & Rescue
"By The Numbers"
§ PASS devices produce an audible signal whenever body movement stops for more than 30 seconds.
§ NFPA 1982, Standard on Personal Alert Safety Systems (PASS) for Fire Fighters, covers the design and testing of PASS devices.
§ A command post should be set up outside a fire building at least 200 feet away to be clear of falling glass and debris.
§ At high-rise incidents, at least 2 teams should be assigned to the primary search.
§ Office cubical walls at typically 6 feet tall.
§ 4 to 6 searchers may be needed in high-rise incidents when floors are large, maze-like, or when heavy smoke and numerous locked doors are present.
§ 2 to 4 rescuers may be needed to carry a large adult out of a fire building.
§ The seat lift/carry is performed by 2 rescuers.
§ The extremities lift carry requires 2 rescuers.
§ The blanket drag is implemented by 1 rescuer.
§ To secure a victim for short-distance transfer using a backet litter, 2 blankets and 50 feet of rope is needed.
§ Air-cushion bags can be used to increase the chances of a jump from up to 10 stories.
§ Air-cushion bags are made of 2 cells. The lower cell is airtight and absorbs 2 times the kinetic energy absorbed by the 1st cell.
§ Continuous jumps onto air-cushion bags can be made every 5 to 7 seconds with sufficient absorption of impact energy.
Fire Service Rescue (6th Edition)
Chapter 6 - Structural Collapse Rescue
"By The Numbers"
§ Hurricane Andrew was in 1992.
§ Major earthquakes occurred in California in 1989 and 1994, and in Kobe, Japan in 1995.
§ A department store collapsed in Seoul, Korea in 1995.
§ The Oklahoma City Federal Building bombing occurred in 1995.
§ Structural collapse rescue training is covered by NFPA 1470, Standard on Search and Rescue Training for Structural Collapse Incidents.
§ Structures with tilt-up concrete construction are typically 1 to 3 stories tall.
§ Flexible, transparent PVC cord that contains tiny clear light used to light up a scene are available in 100, 200, and 300 foot lengths.
§ For a rescuer to enter a space without SCBA, the oxygen level must be 19.5% to 23.5% and flammable vapors must be below 10% of the lower flammable limit (LFL).
§ Motion detectors usually detect movement within 20 feet of the antenna and by using a cable attachment, the antenna can be place up to 200 feet from the device.
§ Cribbing can be applied to vertical openings equal to a maximum of 3 times the length of the cribbing.
§ When rescuers are working under cribbing, it should not be placed more than 4 feet apart.
§ Jacks work best if the distance the load must be moved to be stabilized is less than 2 feet.
§ Pneumatic shores having a minimum load capacity of 10 tons may be used to stabilize heavy horizontal objects.
§ Dead shores should not have a nominal thickness of less than 2 inches.
§ Struts for dead shores should be cut 1 1/2 to 2 inches shorter than the vertical distance between the soleplate and the header if wedges are used, or 10 inches shorter if screw clamps are used.
§ Raker shores are strongest if they are installed at an angle of 45 degrees or less to horizontal but may be installed up to 60 degrees.