This presentation can be used for an introduction to the any of the technical rescue awareness series presentations. This presentation sets up the basic rules and regulations for the class, discusses the common areas the Rescue Awareness series uses, basic safety, and incident command. Estimated teaching time 1 hour. Presentation is over 60 slides in length.

1. INTRODUCTION TO
TECHNICAL RESCUE
BRAVE TRAINING SOLUTIONS
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Copyright 2020
R10 V1

2. PROGRAM POLICIES
Uniforms (grooming) Confidentiality
Drugs (alcohol) Weapons
Attendance Smoking
Safety Grades
Harassment
Dismissal from the program

3. OBJECTIVES
At the completion of this course the student
should be able to:
Identify the role of Awareness, Operations, &
Technician Level Personnel
Identify the primary priorities of Technical
Rescue Training Instructors
Identify skills & techniques used in rescue
from low to high risk options

4. OBJECTIVES
Perform a risk/benefit analysis
Perform a hazard assessment
Identify the need for additional resources based
on the scene size-up
Implement a scene management system

5. NFPA 1670
Encompass nearly all of a departments rescue
capabilities including
Water Rescue Rope Rescue
Confined Space Rescue Trench Rescue
Building Collapse Rescue Vehicle rescue
Machinery Rescue White Water Rescue
Ice Rescue
Wilderness Search & Rescue

6. NFPA 3 LEVELS OF TECHNICAL RESCUE
Awareness
Operations
Technician
Plus
Incident Commander
Safety Officer

7. AWARENESS
The responder has the necessary knowledge to
recognize & identify a problem & understand
the hazards associated with a technical
rescue situation
The responder will make an assessment of the
situation, attempt to isolate the problem, &
know how to summon assistance

8. AWARENESS
Actions taken by responders at the Awareness
Level are defensive in nature & generally
should pose low or no risk to the responder
Responders at this level are not considered
rescuers
Most likely first on scene
Normally works in Cold Zone

9. AWARENESS LEVEL
PERSONNEL CAN
Establish scene control
Establish Incident Command
Initiate accountability & safety
Evaluate patient condition
Activate needed resources

10. ROLE OF AWARENESS
LEVEL PERSONNEL
The course is designed to develop a knowledge
of competencies within the areas of:
Equipment
Low risk rescue operations
Site control & Scene management

11. ROLE OF AWARENESS
LEVEL PERSONNEL
Instructions contain minimal skill components
Students will perform in a minimal capacity as
rescuers

12. OPERATIONS
At this level a responder has the skills, abilities,
& knowledge of the Awareness Level, & the
added capacity to take limited action utilizing
basic, common skills, & tools
The responder at the Operations Level can make
a higher level of risk assessment than at the
Awareness Level & take actions to stabilize
the technical rescue situation & to assist
Technician Level Rescuers

13. OPERATIONS
Actions taken at the Operations Level are
generally of a limited offensive nature &
generally at low to moderate risk to the
responder
Deals with non-complex situations
Normally works in Cold or Warm Zones

14. TECHNICIAN
At this level the responder has the skills,
abilities, & knowledge of both Awareness &
Operations Level, & the added capacity to
take positive action with specialized tools,
skills, & knowledge
Responders at this level can make a higher level
of risk assessment than at the Operations
Level

15. TECHNICIAN
Actions taken at this level are generally
offensive in nature & may pose a greater risk
to the responder
Is considered an expert in the filed
Can handle the most complex & difficult
situations
Works in any zone

16. INCIDENT COMMANDER
(ICS/NIMS)
Command needs to be established upon arrival
Minimum positions
Incident Commander
Responsible for entire incident
Safety Officer
Should be trained to level of incident
response

17. INCIDENT COMMANDER
Other command positions
may be needed
Operations section chief
Establish rescue plan
Informs personnel of the
plan
Insures the plan is carried
out

18. INCIDENT COMMAND
Support Positions may include
Finance, Logistics, Planning, PIO, EMS
Others outlined in NFPA 1561
Consider Unified Command for complex
incidents
Required if Hazmat’s are involved

19. SAFETY OFFICER
Trained at level of response or higher & safety
officer training
Member of all operational
command functions
Has the authority to stop
or change any or all
parts of an operation
at any time

20. PRIMARY TRAINING PRIORITIES
OF TECHNICAL RESCUE
TRAINING INSTRUCTORS
The old training axiom “those who can do,
those who can’t teach” must be buried
Rescue Instructors should always be teaching
“state of the art techniques”
Instructors must continually research & develop
improved material from all resources

21. PRIMARY TRAINING PRIORITIES
OF TECHNICAL RESCUE
TRAINING INSTRUCTORS
Encourage student involvement is the key to
being a competent instructor
Instructors shall encourage technical rescue
services & training are provided in a safe,
effective, & efficient manor

22. PRIMARY PRIORITIES OF TECHNICAL
RESCUE TRAINING & RESPONSE
Successful rescues area mixture of 4 things
Training
Practice
Experience
Judgment

23. PRIMARY PRIORITIES OF TECHNICAL
RESCUE TRAINING & RESPONSE
All rescues should be preformed with the
following priorities:
Yourself
Your first priority is your own safety
Your ability to stay out of trouble & rescue
yourself if necessary
You do not want to become part of the
problem

24. PRIMARY PRIORITIES OF TECHNICAL
RESCUE TRAINING & RESPONSE
The team (partner)
The second priority is to your team
The safety of the team should be assured
before proceeding with any operation
They could be the people who may rescue
you

25. PRIMARY PRIORITIES OF TECHNICAL
RESCUE TRAINING & RESPONSE
The public
They may be of help but too much help can
be dangerous
You do not want additional victims to rescue
They have no training & do not understand
ICS

26. PRIMARY PRIORITIES OF TECHNICAL
RESCUE TRAINING & RESPONSE
The victim
The fourth priority, only after ensuring the
safety of every one else should you
attempt to rescue the victim
Self sacrifice in rescue is traditional &
commendable & a waste
Is victim alive or already dead
Rescue Incident Commanders would rather
appear as a witnesses to testify why nothing
was done, rather than as to why a rescuer
was injured or died

27. PRIMARY PRIORITIES OF TECHNICAL
RESCUE TRAINING & RESPONSE
Rescue Incident Commanders would rather
appear as a witnesses to testify why nothing
was done, rather than as to why a rescuer
was injured or died
We do not need to die attempting a recovery of
a deceased victim

28. PRIMARY PRIORITIES OF TECHNICAL
RESCUE TRAINING & RESPONSE
Finally
Utilize the lowest risk rescue methods first,
while setting up higher risk rescue
methods as next alternatives

29. FOUR PRIORITIES THAT MUST BE MET
TO PERFORM A SUCCESFUL RESCUE
L- Locate the victim
A- Access the victim
S- Stabilize the victim
T- Transport the victim

30. OSHA GENERAL DUTY CLAUSE
Each employer –
(1) shall furnish to each of his employees
employment & a place of employment which
are free from recognized hazards that are
causing or are likely to cause death or serious
physical harm to his employees;
(2) shall comply with occupational safety &
health standards promulgated under this Act

31. OSHA GENERAL DUTY CLAUSE
(b) Each employee shall comply with
occupational safety & health standards &
all rules, regulations, & orders issued
pursuant to this Act which are applicable to
his own actions & conduct

32. OSHA
May have specific requirements for different
types of rescue
Needs to be notified within 24 hours of rescuer
death or victim is working on the job
Volunteer rescuers may be exempt from
OSHA in some states

33. SAFETY
Personal accountability systems must be used
Make area safe for all responders
Identify all hazards
Control / Limit Traffic
Control / Limit Access
Mitigate hazards within your capabilities

34. UTILITIES
Electrical power
Portable generators
Natural gas
LPG
Hydrocarbon fuels
Photo by rick obst

35. HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
Can complicate a rescue situation
Look for
Placards & labels
Container shape & design
Known sites
Quantity & physical characteristics of
material

36. EVACUATION PROCEDURES
Evacuation procedures must be set by
operational guidelines
Should be reviewed in safety meetings
FEMA US&R example
Evacuate- 3 short blasts (1 second each)
Cease Operations- 1 long blast (3 seconds)
Resume Operations 1 long & 1 short blast

37. PPE
Firefighting PPE many times is is not always
appropriate for rescue

38. HAZARD & RISK ASSESSMENT
(Scene size-up)
Should be run continuously using 6 sided
approach
Situation can change at any moment
Initial size-up will set ground work for entire
operation
THE FIRST 5 MINUTES WILL DETERMINE THE
SAFETY OF THE ENTIRE OPERATION

39. SCENE SIZE-UP
What is the scope, magnitude, & nature of the
incident
Location & number of victims
Time of day, area, & complexity will affect
response
Pre-plans may provide necessary information

40. SCENE SIZE-UP
Risk/benefit analysis- will the end result justify
the means
Environmental factors
Heat
Cold
Rain (Thunderstorms)
Wind

41. SCENE SIZE-UP
Victim contact/condition
When & where was victim last seen
What is there medical condition
Resources
Are they on scene, enroute or not yet
dispatched

42. FIVE COMPONENTS OF SCENE SIZE-UP
Should be used in developing the Think, Plan,
Act Model
Facts
Probabilities
Own Situation
Decisions
Plan of operation

43. FACTS
WHAT IS HAPPENING
Time of day Day of week
Number of victims Victim’s situation
Site access, egress Past site history
Water flow Victim’s condition
Other

44. PROBABILITIES
What will happen if you do nothing?
What is the probable course of events that
allows the rescuer to make decisions about
safety, resource needs, & rescue methods
Can victim self rescue?

45. SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
What options are available from existing
resources
Consider
Resources on hand
Your physical safety
What other resources are available & how
timely
What training level is on site or enroute

46. DECISIONS
What options are available?
Controllable on site resources
Request additional resources
Situation is a recovery
Can additional resources be delayed or
cancelled

47. DECISIONS
Initial decisions & subsequent ones will directly
relate to the outcome of the success of the
incident
Scene size-up is on-going for the duration of the
incident & this information will create the
decision making process

48. PLAN OF OPERATION
How do you implement it
Think- Decisions can only be made by identifying
the overall incident problems
Plan- Valid plans can be accomplished using
decisions
Act- Decisions determine actions
Always have an alternate plan if the first does
not work (Plan B)

49. SCENE SIZE-UP
Consider the following
Scope, Magnitude, & Nature of the incident
Location / complexity of the incident
Risk vs. Benefit (rescue or recovery)
Scene Access
Functional Capabilities of Available Resources
Location of Additional, Trained Resources
Environmental Conditions
Number of victims & condition

50. SCENE SIZE-UP
What level of responders are needed
Awareness
Operations
Technician

51. RISK/BENEFIT ANALYSIS
The measure of pros vs. cons
Is the risk to the rescuers with the likelihood of a
successful rescue
Is the anticipated rescue within the scope of
training of the on scene personnel

52. RISK/BENEFIT ANALYSIS
The measure of pros vs. cons
Many rescue failures & fatalities happen if the
I/C fails to recognize the limits of the rescuers
who are “over their heads”
Performing a rescue should never overshadow
the basic goal of having all rescuers go home
healthy & well

53. RESCUE VS. RECOVERY
How long since the victim has been seen moving
or even visible
Is proper on scene personnel & equipment ready to
perform a rescue
Can a safe rescue be performed
Can physical or emotional feelings over ride the
safety of the rescuers
THIS IS NO SUBSITUTE FOR SOLID JUDGEMENT

54. SCENE CONTROL
Control zones
Hot, Warm, Cold
Witness interviews
Who, What, Where, When & Why from all
witnesses
Patient contact
Control who talks to the victim & what is said

55. HAZARD ASSESSMENT
An Awareness Level responder has to recognize
the hazards, avoid them, & to obtain the
resources necessary to deal with them
The ability to recognize ALL HAZARDS that may
affect the incident

56. CONFINED SPACES
Many rescues take place in buildings or other
confinements where flooding or toxic gases
may be present
Photo by Jonathan Sanderson

57. ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS
Weather
Rain, Snow, Floods, Heat, or Cold
Working & moving on the scene may become
more hazardous in inclement weather,
including slips, falls, & handling equipment
Care needs to be taken to provide adequate
shelter form weather, food, & rest

58. SITE CONTROL
Establishes the boundaries of the incident
I.e. Hot Zone, Warm Zone, Cold Zone,
Control Points, & others
Hot Zone
Warn Zone
Entry/Exit Area
Entry/Exit Gates
Cold Zone

59. SITE CONTROL
Establish control zones
Hot Zone, 100’ for critical functions
Warm Zone, 200’ for support functions
Cold Zone, 300’ for Command & Control
Outside the Cold Zone, the rest of the world
Distances may change due to size & type of incident

60. COLD ZONE
Any trained Awareness Lever or higher can
work in this area
No PPE normally required

61. WARM ZONE
Operations Level personal or higher can work in
this area
Awareness level may work in this area with site
specific training
PPE may be required depending on risks & tasks

62. HOT ZONE
Technician Level personal with proper PPE can
work in this Zone
Operations Level personal may work in this
areas with site specific training & proper PPE
Awareness Level personal should not be in this
area

63. SCENE CONTROL
Bystander interaction
Control zones will keep non-essential people out of
harms way
Law Enforcement
They are a valuable resource

64. SCENE CONTROL
Machinery & vehicles
Have qualified operators available
What is the action of machinery if allowed to run
Use apparatus to block traffic, not personnel
Utilities
Have emergency contact information ahead
of time
Have representatives enroute to assist in
shutdown

65. RESCUE VS. RECOVERY
Can a safe rescue be made?
Is there a viable victim?

66. RESCUE VS. RECOVERY
Watch out for your emotions overriding your
education & the safety of the responders
The higher the emotions the higher the rescuer
fatalities
REMEMBER
USE GOOD JUDGEMENT

67. ?? QUESTIONS ??
THE END
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