The Rescue Company Firefighter
This 1 hour 45 minute lecture covers the many aspects of being a Firefighter on a Heavy Rescue Company. Whether a department has a heavy rescue vehicle or not, chances are they are responsible for the duties that come with it. The class begins with an overview of the mindset and personality traits necessary to be a complete, well-rounded Rescue Company Firefighter. We will discuss having a positive attitude, willingness to always do the right thing, and desire to perfect our craft both as individuals and as a team. We will discuss the fact that the split second decisions we make on the fireground can have life altering consequences for civilians, other Firefighters and ourselves. Riding a Rescue Company is not for everyone, there are certain traits that are deal breakers. We discuss what those are and how to avoid falling into the trap of personifying those undesirable attitudes.
The class then delves into riding positions, tool assignments and the variety of incidents types a Rescue Company may respond to. We will talk about how to staff a rescue with riding and tool assignments for departments with as few as two and as many as six personnel assigned. The idea behind having tools and assignments pre-assigned prior to an incident, is that it will almost always lead to a more successful operation.
The majority of the lecture focuses on the structural fireground tasks of the rescue company, conducting the primary search, VES and downed firefighter removal. We look at the various options for each topic and discuss what the benefits and drawbacks are for each. Each topic is looked at from a short staffing perspective, so departments can choose what methods may suit them best based on how many people are on the apparatus responding to the incident.
