Three Personal Things You Can Do During Entrapment and Reduce Your Overall Exposure.
Always follow your agency’s guidelines, processes, and training when it comes to fire entrapment.
After retiring from the military, Rick Rescorla was hired to be Head of Security for a large investment firm in New York City. A firm so large it occupied multiple floors of the World Trade Centre (WTC).
I'm sure you know where this is going.
Because of his background and training, there were two things that Rick went to work on immediately. One was a terrorist response plan, and the other was enacting monthly fire drills for his firm.
Despite staff complaints and inconvenience, Rick continued to run the drills monthly. So on that fateful day of 9/11, when the plane hit the tower, Rick started the evacuation procedure immediately.
His actions led to the majority of staff and 250 new employees surviving. Their survival is thanks to Rick's drills and his insistence that the staff know what to do.
But ultimately it was because of his preparation.
Similarly, when it comes to possible entrapment situations, the further ahead you prepare, like Rick, the better. The more you know and the more you practice - the hope is the better off you'll be.
And when should we start?
The ideal answer would have been before the start of your season—if returning. And if a new recruit, shortly after onboarding with your crew. Why? Because this is a very real possibility and one that we all need to prepare for.
So let's get started.
Critical Steps the Individual Can Take
When it comes to you—the firefighter—there are a number of critical steps you can take. First and foremost is to protect your airway at all costs. All it takes is one breath of hot and potentially toxic gases to burn your lungs and airways.
To start, you'll want to find a way to cover your mouth and nose. Which may seem counterintuitive given the intensity of the smoke around you. But it's important to reduce your smoke intake.
How Low Can You Go?
Next is to get as low to the ground as possible. This will add another layer of protection to your airway. While lying face down, take shallow breaths as close to the ground as possible. To further support your airway, look to curl your arms and hands around your head and ears as well. This will create a little pocket from which you can breathe.
But remember, prior to wrapping your arms and hands around your head, you'll need to ensure that your Nomex is fully extended. Sleeves out, and collar up to protect the arms and neck. And try to avoid wearing any synthetic clothing. Which means, if wearing something like anti-vibrational gloves for running the saw, those will need to come off. So look to use your Nomex to cover as much of your hands as possible.
Finally, you'll want to keep your hard hat on, and if you have goggles, consider wearing those as well.
Site Selection is critical—even more so than your tent
Now that you know what steps you need to take to protect yourself, let's talk about "site selection." The above steps mean nothing if you choose the wrong location in which to hunker down.
When it comes to the ground, you'll need to select an area that is fuel-free—like bare mineral soil. From there, any extra steps you can take to further prep the site will go a long way to supporting you.
Consider areas where you see a natural depression in the land or a slight trench. If you can find a large rock or dirt pile to hide behind, even better. Right now we're looking to minimize your exposure to radiant heat as much as possible.
Once you've found an area that meets as many of these conditions as possible, look to dig a depression in the dirt with your hands to make a mini-well to use for breathing. Should you have time, being able to cover yourself with dirt and/or wet yourself down prior to the flame front passing, the better off you'll be.
It's Going to SUCK
Just know that this is going to suck—like, reeeaally SUCK. And that's an understatement. But the focus is keeping your head on and your wits about you. Which is where we come to the last thing you can consider or control in this shitty situation. That is seeing the bigger picture.
This is where your situational awareness really comes into play. Like knowing where your escape routes and safety zones are at all times. But apart from that is knowing other locations not deemed one of those. Like an area that can still offer support during an entrapment situation.
As in:
An area inside the black that could offer some reprieve from the flame front?
Or an area that has light fuels that you could do a quick burn-off to enhance your safety zone?
Or finally, landscape or manufactured areas you could get to? Those would include, but not limited to, rocky outcrops, wet areas, a plowed field, or possibly a dozer line.
Any and all things must be considered, but remember you don't have a ton of time to make the call. Decisions need to be made, and you have to account for some additional time to prep the site as needed to ensure your safety.
Remember, we're now in a SURVIVAL situation. This comes first and foremost to the actual fire. What you do matters. Any and all steps you can take to protect yourself by prioritizing lung and airway protection are key. Assuming you've taken the necessary steps to avoid the direct flame front, we're looking to minimize radiant heat and smoke inhalation as much as possible.
Both tiny steps and site selection really add up.
Yeah but, that will never happen to me.
This is both true and untrue at the same time.
True in the sense that many people carry a belief that some "unforeseen event" will never happen to them. And it may not—or ever.
But the real question is, do you work in a high-risk job? And I think we both know the answer to that one.
Which means that there will always remain a VERY REAL possibility this could happen—and already has. Both this season and in the very recent past. Which means we can no longer be apathetic to this situation.
Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance People
But let's return to Rick Recorsla and what many of you don't know.
While he was in his position, he went to extraordinary lengths to ensure his staff was prepared. Part of that was training them not to return to their workstations. Not to go get their coats or anything else. But to head for the exits when the alarm sounded.
His preparation led to saving countless lives for that investment firm—and yet he still lost his. You see, one of the executives disregarded Rick's order and went back to his computer to send one final email. And sadly, Rick went back to get him, resulting in the loss of both of their lives.