Rapid Intervention Team Drill at Melmark Home with Aston Fire Company
 
By Deputy Chief Christopher Young
February 18, 2020
 

The Fire Company wants to Thank the Melmark home for allowing the Newtown Square and Aston Volunteer Fire Companies to train in the main schoolhouse which will be torn down in March. The Fire Companies focused on Rapid Intervention Team Training, RIT. RIT is a team of firefighters dedicated solely to the search and rescue of other firefighters in distress. This gave the two companies the opportunity to work together, build better understanding of each other’s equipment and an opportunity to build on the skills to rescue a down fighter. A Firefighter would go onto a floor and call a Mayday, a distress call, and the Teams would search for them and work together to get them out of the building. The Firefighters used a smoke machine and obstacles to make it difficult to get to the downed firefighter. The firefighters busted through walls and busted through studs in the wall to rescue the down firefighter. We were able to do several scenarios and get invaluable training that could possibly save a firefighter’s life one day. Cannot Thank Melmark enough for allowing us this opportunity! I want to Thank Aston’s Assistant Chief Gordon Pippin and Newtown Square’s Assistant Chief Rich Heffernan for coordinated and getting the companies together for the training.