Firefighter Rescue: It's All About the Technique DVD

Often on the fireground, even when working in a large department, tasks are performed by small groups of two to four individuals. When things go wrong on the fireground, seconds count. You may not have time to wait for the other firefighters or the rapid intervention team (RIT) to arrive. With that philosophy in mind, Captain David Umfleet and Captain Chad Foster have taken a close look at many of the training evolutions that are common in the fire service and asked one simple question: "Can this rescue be accomplished with fewer resources, either people or equipment?" Umfleet and Foster found that in many cases they were able to refine or alter a common technique to allow one or two firefighters to rescue a downed brother or sister. 

Watch this video—and hundreds more—on our Streaming Video Library!

Click HERE to check it out!

It’s like NETFLIX for your training program!

In this video, Umfleet and Foster walk us through several techniques, illustrating their stripped-down versions of these common firefighter rescue tasks, often performed by only one firefighter. It's important to note that these techniques are not meant to condone understaffing, but simply to give the rescuer an option to perform while the RIT is en route to assist in the rescue. These techniques can also be utilized by the RIT to make it more efficient during rescue evolutions.

THE EVOLUTIONS COVERED INCLUDE:

• SCBA conversion
• Webbing drag
• Denver drill
• Rescue out of a bottom-floor window
• Above-grade firefighter rescue
• Unconscious firefighter through the floor
• Double horseshoe
• Moving a firefighter up a set of stairs
• Moving a firefighter down a set of stairs
• Egress through a wall
• Disentanglement maneuver
• Swim method
• Egress through a restricted passage

by David Umfleet and Chad Foster