Rescue Company Definition

[x635 4,066]

What is the definition of a Rescue Company?

Is it pertaining to the apparatus, or the personel on the apparatus?

When you request a rescue truck, are you expecting a truck full of tools or a truck with personel highly trained in rescue operations?

Which one SHOULD it be?

Edited January 5, 2007 by x635

[Jason762 2]

What is the definition of a Rescue Company?

Is it pertaining to the apparatus, or the personel on the apparatus?

When you request a rescue truck, are you expecting a truck full of tools or a truck with personel highly trained in rescue operations?

Which one SHOULD it be?

←

A Rescue Company should be both a truck full of tools and highly trained personnel to operate said tools. All the newest high tech equipment won't due a thing if there aren't highly trained, competant people to operate them. This takes a HUGE commitment from both the department and the personnel assigned to the unit. The dept. has to invest a lot of money in equip. and the training so the members will know how to use it. And the members have to invest a lot of their time into learning the disciplines inside and out.

Where I work, I'm the Lt. on the rescue company and we respond and are supposed to be trained in the following disciplines: firefighting, search and rescue, extrication (both vehicle and industrial), dive rescue, cold water/ice rescue, high angle rope rescue, trench rescue, confined space rescue, USAR, Haz-mat tech., and elevator rescue. Now with all that is listed you think we might do/need a lot of training? Luckily most of the disciplines have one thing in common, rope work. If you get good at rope work you have a basic understanding that can carry you into the different aspects of rescue work.

Rescue work also takes constant re-training. Just because you learned how to set up a 4:1 hauling system or a double-prussik belay system 6 months ago doesn't mean you'll remember it now. We try to train on ropes every day we work. If you don't you start forgetting what you knew and thats how people get hurt. Rescue work is VERY dangerous and without the right training and supervision it is easy to get someone hurt.

Edited January 5, 2007 by Jason762

[PFFA 0]

A wise man once said,"anybody can buy a big shiny new rig,with the word"RESCUE COMPANY" plastered on the side.Unless the people who ride that rig know what to do with the tools when they get to the job, it's just another expensive tool box. I see all sorts of depts out there,who with the help of a local silk screener make up their tee shirts with the word RESCUE on the back,and have no clue with what to do with the tools they carry on the rig.A RESCUE company, in my opinion is, trained personnell,with the knowledge and expertise to, at a moments notice be able to go to any job,and without compromising the situation,reduce loss of life,and/or hazard successfully.Its not the rig,its the trained crew,who make a good rescue company.

[IzzyEng4 427]

A Rescue Company should be a unit of highly trained members who perform difficult task in preventing injury and death to a patient. The services provided by the rescue company shall include life safety, extrication, confined space, trench, RIT / FAST, and any other highly specified matter of the prevention and rescue from injury of death and no one portion shall be separate from the other. The vehicle of the Rescue Company shall be set up in away, with the exception of transporting a patient, to provide and carry the necessary tools and equipment to remove a patient in danger from harms way and also carry emergency medical equipment to provide assistance from a removal or rescue from a hazardous situation.

[Guest]

I agree with the rescue being the people not the tools.

I see to many people now days calling themselves "Rescues", with those riding it having little to no qulaifications to do so.

I guess in some departments it means it's just a toolbox. Whereas the city it's a completly different game.

[mfc2257 464]

Well there is two definitions of what a Rescue Company is. First there is the training requirement for a FF to be assigned to a Rescue Company which is the first and most important qualification.

Second is the requirement that the vehicle be equiped accordingly which is what I'd like to focus my reply on. If you look at the Westchester County list of Rescue Apparatus as provided on the county website, there are many "heavy rescues" listed. The fact of the matter is that most of these "heavy rescues" are only on heavy service chassis. Most of them are actually medium duty rescues (equipment wise) that carry a full complement of hydraulic tools but a scattered complement of everything else. The long list of equipment below, is what is required by Prince Georges County Maryland for a piece of apparatus to be listed with the county as a Rescue Squad (Squad). It is also from a thoroughness standpoint closer to what the 5 FDNY Rescues are like (not exactly) as opposed to what we have generally accepted as a rescue in Westchester. Now, PG comes under a lot of a lot of bad news for some of the fights that their various companies get into, BUT like it or not they run more fire, vehicle, and technical rescue calls that most other areas of our nation. Their heavy squad's are among the most active, best trained and best equipped in the nation as well. Company 14's Seagrave Squad has been featured in apparatus pictures on EMTBRAVO several times. Here is the equipment requirement:

SCBA (8)

SPARE CYLINDERS 60 Min (8)

HANDLIGHTS (6)

AIDE BAG (2)

AED (1)

EXTRICATION COLLARS (6)

TRIAGE TAGS (50)

OXYGEN SET ( 1)

PORTABLE SUCTION (1)

7500/W POWER PLANT (1)

12,000/W POWER PLANT (1)

FLOODLOGHTS (MOUNTED)

FLOODLIGHTS (PORTABLE) (4)

2000/W FLOODLIGHTS (MOUNTED) (1)

2000/W FLOODLIGHTS (PORTABLE) (4)

CORD REELS 50FT (2)

CORD RELLS 100FT (2)

FLARES (12)

AIR SYSTEM 5000 PSI (2 CYL)

KERNMANTLE ROPE (150’ ½”) (4)

KERNMANTLE ROPE (300’ ½”) (2)

NYLON ROPE (150’ ½”) (2)

CARRABINERS (48)

RESCUE 8 ( 4)

RESCUE PULLEYS ( 4)

RAPPEL RACKS (2)

ROPE ROLLER ( 2)

ASCENDERS ( 4, 4)

MIN 1” WEBBING (20’) (10)

HARNESS (CLASS 3) ( 4)

STEEL WIRE SLINGS ( 4)

2” NYLON SLINGS (2)

SNATCH BLOCKS (4)

SHACKLES (4)

CHAINS MIN ½” 15’ (2)

CHAINS MIN 7/8” 25’ (2)

BOLT CUTTERS 36” (1)

BOLT CUTTERS 48” (1)

GASOLINE CHAIN SAW (2)

GASOLINE CUT-OFF SAW (2)

SALVAGE MASTER OR EQUIV. (1)

JUNCTION BOXES (2)

ELEVATOR KIT (1)

2X4X18 CRIBBING (12)

4X4X18 CRIBBING (12)

6X6X18 CRIBBING (6)

4X4X48 CRIBBING (4)

ASSORTED WOOD WEDGES (12)

STEP CHOCKS (SET OF 4) (2)

WINDSHEILD SAW OR EQUIV. (2)

ABC FIRE EXTINGUISHER 10 LBS (2)

CO2 FIRE EXTINGUISHER 20 LBS (1)

CLASS D EXTINGUISHER (1)

WATER FIRE EXTINGUISHER (2)

HYDRAULIC RESCUE SYTEM CAPABLE OF 5 TONS FORCE MIN AND SIMULTANEOUS 2 TOOL OPERATION (1)

SYSTEM WILL INCLUDED HYDRAULIC SPREADER MIN 27” (2)

6” CUTTER (2)

24” – 36” RAMS (2)

36 – 60” RAMS (2)

15” – 30” RAMS (2)

PORTABLE POWER UNIT CAPABLE OF 5 TONS FORCE MIN AND SIMULTANEOUS 2 TOOL OPERATIONS WITH NO MANIFOLDS (1)

CHAIN PACKAGE AND SHACKLES COMPATABLE WITH SYSTEM (1)

AIR BAG SYSTEM (MIN 220 TONS) (1)

AIRBAG SYSTEM (MIN 4 BAGS) (1)

PLASTIC ROLL (1)

PIKE POLES/ HOOKS (6)

12’ ROOF LADDER (1)

24’ EXTENSION LADDER (1)

10’ FOLDING LADDER (1)

BACKBOARDS (4)

KED (2)

COME-A-LONG (3 TONS) (1)

6 TON WINCH (1)

RECIPROCATING SAW (1)

ELECTRIC CIRCULAR SAW (1)

GASOLINE CAN (2 GALLON) (2)

JIMMI JACKS/ACCES OR EQUIV. (4)

TRENCH JACK/ AIR SHORE (4)

PIPE CUTTERS (2” PIPE) (1)

RAILROAD JACKS (15 TON) (2)

RAILROAD JACKS (5 TON) (2)

HIGH LIFT JACKS (3 TON) (2)

FLOOR JACK (2 TON) (1)

HYDRUALIC JACK (10 TON) (1)

HYDRAULIC JACK (5 TON) (1)

SHORT HANDLE FLAT SHOVEL (2)

LONG HANDLE FLAT SHOVEL (2)

SCOOP SHOVEL (2)

MADDOX/PICK (2)

SLEDGE HAMMER (8LB.) (2)

SLEDGE HAMMER (12 LB.) (2)

FORCIBLE ENTRY TOOLS (3)

FLAT HEAD AXE (2)

PICK HEAD AXE (2)

RABBIT TOOL OR EQUIV. (2)

ELECTRIC FANS (MIN 16”) (1)

ELECTRIC FANS (MIN 22”) (1)

GASOLINE POWERED FAN (1)

LIFE JACKETS (6)

ROPE TROW BAGS (5)

WATER RESCUE HELMETS (5)

COLD WATER RESCUE SUIT (2)

SQUEEGEE (2)

2000/W PORTABLE GENERATOR (1)

PNEUMATIC CUTTER (2)

PRY BARS 36” (2)

FLAMMABLE VAPOR DETECTOR (1)

BINOCULARS (1)

STOKES BASKET (1)

FOLDING STRETCHER (1)

PORTABLE CUTTING SET (1)

PORTABLE RADIOS (2)

WATER COOLER 5 GALLON (1)

PNEUMATIC CUT-OFF TOOL (1)

IMPACT WRENCH/SOCKETS (1)

GROUND PICKETS (6)

HEAT GUN / IR CAMERA (1)

SALVAGE COVERS 12X12 (4)

LOCK-OUT TAG-OUT KIT (1)

METRO WSSAD (2)

SALVAGE BUCKETS (STEEL) (2)

STREET BROOM (1)

HAND SAW (2)

TIN CUTTERS (1)

TOOL BOX (2)

PIPE WRENCH SET 24 36 48 (1)

Edited January 8, 2007 by mfc2257

[Guest alsfirefighter]

Just as with everything else in this world...the NFPA has or at least had definitions of "rescues." I believe it breaks it up into "light" "medium" and "heavy" duty rescue.

[x635 4,066]

My view on the question I asked:

I firmly believe that a rescue company should be defined by it's membership's staffing level, education, and EXPERIENCE. Also, appropriate manpower levels play into a rescue comany's role. In my opinion, the rescue company should be the cream of the crop in firefighting.

Even if you don't have all the tools, if you have the knowledge and experience, you'll be able to improvise and handle anything.

There's too many people walking around calling themselves part of a ""Rescue Company" with no formal training in such. It's much more then a big toolbox...

[Guest]

I remember when my Uncle transfered to Rescue 3 he was told that being in a busy Engine Company (he was a member of Engine 75) would help make the transition far easier. Like x635 said, having the proper training and experience in firefighting will give you the capability of dealing with any situation you encounter.