RIT Operations: What Every Firefighter Should Know About Rescuing Our Own

Nobody wants to deploy the RIT. The activation of a Rapid Intervention Team means that a firefighter is in trouble, potentially trapped, lost, injured, or running out of air inside a burning structure. It means that despite all of our training, all of our equipment, and all of our precautions, one of our own needs to be rescued. It is the worst moment on any fireground.

And because it is the worst moment, it is the one we must be most prepared for. RIT operations are physically demanding, technically complex, emotionally intense, and time-critical. The window between a firefighter Mayday and an unrecoverable situation is measured in minutes. If your RIT is not trained, equipped, and mentally prepared to go to work the instant that Mayday is transmitted, the outcome may be one that nobody recovers from.

Every firefighter, not just the crew assigned to RIT on a given incident, needs to understand RIT operations. You need to know what the RIT does, what they carry, how they operate, and what your role is if you are the one calling the Mayday.

NFPA at nfpa.org publishes NFPA 1407, Standard for Training Fire Service Rapid Intervention Crews. This standard outlines the minimum training requirements for RIT operations, including skills, equipment, and scenario-based exercises. If your department has not structured its RIT training around NFPA 1407 or a similar standard, you need to advocate for it. This is too important to train informally.

What the RIT Does

The RIT is a dedicated team of firefighters, typically four members, who are staged outside the structure at a ready state specifically to rescue firefighters who become trapped, lost, injured, or incapacitated during interior operations. They do not fight fire. They do not perform search. They do not pull ceiling. They stand by, fully equipped and mentally prepared, waiting for one thing: the call that a firefighter needs help.

When a Mayday is transmitted, the RIT goes to work immediately. Their mission is to locate the downed firefighter, assess the situation, provide air if needed, remove entanglements or obstructions, and remove the firefighter from the building to a point of safety. This sounds straightforward on paper, but in practice it is one of the most physically demanding and technically challenging operations in the fire service.

The downed firefighter is likely in an environment with zero visibility, extreme heat, unstable structural conditions, and entanglement hazards from hose, wire, fallen debris, or collapsed building components. They may be unconscious. They may be out of air. Their PASS device is likely sounding, which provides a locating beacon but also means time is running out.

RIT Equipment

The RIT team carries additional equipment beyond their standard personal protective equipment. The specific loadout varies by department, but a well-equipped RIT should have the following at minimum.

A RIT bag or search rope bag with at minimum 200 feet of search rope. This allows the RIT to maintain a lifeline back to their entry point while searching for the downed firefighter. Without a search line, the RIT risks becoming lost themselves, which doubles the emergency.

A spare SCBA cylinder and a universal air connection (UAC) or a RIT air pack. The downed firefighter may be out of air, and providing a fresh air supply is often the most time-critical task. The ability to connect an air supply to the downed firefighter's SCBA without removing their facepiece is essential. Buddy breathing or transfill systems accomplish this, but you need to train on your specific equipment until the connection is automatic.

Forcible entry tools including a set of irons, a halligan, and a flathead axe. The RIT may need to breach walls, force doors, or clear debris to access or extricate the downed firefighter.

A Stokes basket or similar drag device. Moving an unconscious firefighter in full gear through a structure is extremely difficult. A drag device, whether it is a Stokes basket, a purpose-built rescue sled, or an improvised drag using a webbing harness, makes the extraction possible. Without one, you are trying to drag 250-plus pounds of firefighter and gear through a narrow hallway in zero visibility. It is nearly impossible without mechanical advantage.

Wire cutters and a knife. Entanglement in wires, cables, and other materials is a common factor in firefighter entrapment. The ability to cut the firefighter free is essential.

A thermal imaging camera. The TIC is critical for locating the downed firefighter, navigating the interior environment, and identifying hazards during the rescue.

RIT Team Readiness

When assigned to RIT, the team should be doing several things during their standby period. First, conduct a 360-degree walk around the structure and identify all access and egress points, including doors, windows, and potential breach points through exterior walls. Ladder the building at multiple points, prioritizing windows in areas where interior crews are operating. These ladders serve as emergency escape points for interior crews and access points for the RIT.

Second, monitor radio traffic constantly. The RIT team needs to know where interior crews are operating, what conditions are like inside, and what the tactical situation is at all times. If a Mayday comes, the RIT needs to already know the last known location and assignment of the downed firefighter. Listening to radio traffic provides this information.

Third, maintain awareness of the fire conditions and any changes. Is the fire growing? Are conditions deteriorating? Is the structure showing signs of compromise? If conditions are getting worse, the RIT should be anticipating a potential activation and positioning themselves accordingly.

Fourth, discuss the plan. Before a Mayday ever comes, the RIT team should talk through their approach. Which door will they enter through? What route will they take? Who carries what? Who is on the search rope? Who has the air supply? Who manages communication? These decisions should be made in advance so that when the activation comes, the team moves with purpose rather than figuring it out under pressure.

Calling the Mayday

Every firefighter needs to know when and how to call a Mayday. The time to call a Mayday is when you are in trouble, not when you think you might be able to solve the problem yourself. Firefighters are problem-solvers by nature, and the most common fatal error in Mayday situations is waiting too long to call for help.

Call a Mayday if you are trapped and cannot free yourself. Call a Mayday if you are lost and cannot find your way out. Call a Mayday if you have fallen through a floor or are involved in a collapse. Call a Mayday if your air supply has failed or is critically low and you cannot make it to an exit. Call a Mayday if you are injured and unable to move to safety.

The Mayday transmission should follow a standard format that gives the RIT and incident commander the information they need. The LUNAR format is widely used: Location, Unit, Name, Assignment, Resources needed. "Mayday, Mayday, Mayday. Second floor, Charlie side bedroom. Engine 7. Firefighter Smith. Search. I am trapped under debris and need the RIT."

That transmission tells the RIT exactly where to go, who they are looking for, and what the situation is. Practice the LUNAR format until it is automatic. In a Mayday situation, stress and fear will degrade your ability to think clearly. The format gives you a structure to follow when your brain is fighting to function.

Activate your PASS device. The audible alarm helps the RIT locate you. If you can, position yourself near a wall or under a window. Being near an exterior wall gives the RIT a reference point and a potential access route. If you can reach a window, break it and show yourself.

If You Are on the RIT and You Get the Call

When the Mayday comes, the adrenaline will hit like a freight train. This is where your training takes over. Follow the plan you discussed during standby. Enter through the designated access point. Advance on your search line. Use the TIC. Communicate with the downed firefighter on the radio if possible. Communicate with command.

Move with purpose but do not rush recklessly. A RIT team that gets lost or injured doubles the emergency. Maintain crew integrity. Stay on your search line. Account for each other constantly.

When you find the downed firefighter, assess the situation quickly. Do they have air? If not, provide air immediately, this is the most time-critical action. Are they entangled? Cut them free. Are they trapped under debris? Use your tools to create space. Can they assist with their own rescue, or are they unconscious?

Package the firefighter for removal. Connect them to a drag device if possible. Establish a path to the exit. Communicate your situation and plan to command. Begin the extraction. This is the hardest physical work you will ever do. Moving a fully geared firefighter through a hostile environment is brutally demanding. Pace yourself, rotate positions, and keep moving.

Training for RIT

RIT skills are perishable. You cannot train on this once a year and expect to perform when it matters. Regular, realistic training that includes donning gear, locating a simulated downed firefighter in zero visibility, providing air, packaging for removal, and physical extraction is essential.

Train in full gear with SCBA on air. Train in blacked-out environments. Train with an actual person acting as the victim, not just a mannequin. Simulate realistic entanglements and obstructions. Time your exercises. Debrief every drill and identify what worked and what did not.

The firefighters who perform best in RIT activations are the ones who have drilled these skills until they are automatic. When the Mayday comes, you do not rise to the occasion. You fall to the level of your training.

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