Fireground Strategies

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Comment by Anthony Avillo on May 11, 2011 at 8:37pm

Hey Brothers and Sisters

I have a blog on the blog page called Fireground Strategies and Other Stuff from the Street. It will also be the title of the radio show i will be launcing on 5/23 at fire engineering radio.  Would love to get comments and feedback on the blog and call-ins on the radio show.  Thnaks for the cooperation.  Be safe out there

AA

Comment by Anthony Avillo on December 23, 2010 at 10:14am

Woud like to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday

Pray for and give support to our brothers in Chicago during this hardest of time

AA

Comment by Anthony Avillo on December 23, 2010 at 9:26am

Preventing RIC Radio Chaos:  The 3/3 Option

I wrote this article for the December issue of FE based on some training we did with our firefighter locator devices.  We stumbled on an unexpected outcome -- a new and better way to manage a Mayday

We found that using 3 frequencies to manage the mayday made operations more effective and efficient and eliminated a good deal of the "radio insanity" that develops when both he distressed firefighter(s) and the RIC team are operating on the same frequency

Basically, once the mayday came in, the operation we put into effect was :

1.  The fireground switches to a different frequency

2.   The distressed firefighter(s) stay on the original frequency (now the Mayday frequency) managed by an officer at the CP -- for us it was the Safety Officer

3.    The RIC operates on a third frequency (The RIC or rescue frequency) managed by a different officer at the CP -- for us it was a BC

We found the following advantages:  There was less traffic on all frequencies.  The RIC team found it could operate in a more business-like manner than when they were on the same frequency as the mayday with all the panic on the channel.  In addition, the use of feedback-assisted rescue operations were much more effective. When the RIC and the Mayday are on the same frequency, the feedback comes out over all the radios.  With the use of different frequencies, it only is heard on the mayday firefighter radios.  Moreover, the coordination at the Command Post brought about by a better management team handling the Maydays and the RIC teams was also more effective.

This was just a summary of the article

I urge your dept to try this in a drill.  Read the full article in the magazine and try it out.  I was skeptical at first, but the more we worked it, the better it worked.  Once we were finished, no one who had been there could argue with the results. 

Did anyone out there ever try this or operate like this?

Would like some feedback.

Tell me what you think

Stay safe out there