A Rapid Intervention Company (RIC) Training Evolution

By: Lt. Pete Hageman

Part of the MCFRS Rookie Probationary training package includes running simulated scenarios that involve following a hose line in smoke, search and rescue, and different rescue drags.  So at Rockville Station 3 today, crews completed a Rapid Intervention Company (RIC) training evolution to meet these objectives.

Click on photo for more

A RIC is a crew of firefighters whose assignment at a fire scene is to be on stand-by, and at the ready, to leap into action if a firefighter (FF) or two become trapped inside a structure during a fire incident. 

The evolution involved crews entering into a “Mayday” situation (firefighter trapped) with a RIC pack and Thermal imager going down into the basement of Station 3 following the hose line.  Face pieces (worn on a FF’s face to breath air from an air pack) were blanked so zero visibility, which occurs in real fires, was obtained.  Once the crews found the downed firefighter he was rescued first to the bottom of the stairs, and then while running low on air, up a flight of steps to the outside in an area of refuge. 

The training drill was successful and all learned the enormous exertion it takes to extract a downed firefighter from a structure fire.