Rope-assisted Search Procedures (RASP), Part 1

By Will Trezek and Rick Kolomay

RASP was developed for fire companies that are assigned the task of conducting a search as a team with the use of a search rope and a thermal-imaging camera. Much has been written on this subject, and the techniques are many and varied. One of the most basic initial questions is: Why do you use a search rope? This is not always a simple question to answer. High-rise office buildings, large warehouses, manufacturing facilities, schools and institutions are a few places where the use of a rope for search operations will increase our safety factor. Other questions often asked include the following:

• How much rope do we use?

• Do we put knots in the search rope, to determine the distance we have progressed?

• How many knots do we tie and how far apart do we put them?

• Can we use a tether line to search off of the main search rope?

Hopefully we will answer these questions and many more. As you can see, rope assisted search can become quite a complicated undertaking. The best advice we can offer is to keep it as simple as possible.

With the cooperation of the Chicago Fire Department and the Illinois Fire Service Institute, a “hands-on,” half-day rope-assisted-search class was conducted for approximately 4,000 uniformed employees. Personnel assigned to engines, trucks, and rescue squads received the same training regardless of age or experience. Chief officers were familiarized with the search procedures and performed search-sector training. This training was conducted in an area of 2,300 square feet, which was just a small portion of the 120,000 square feet of available floor space. The training area was sealed off and synthetic smoke machines were used to reduce visibility. This was done in an effort to reproduce the conditions above the fire floor in a high-rise or a cold-smoke situation in a warehouse type of structure.

An exterior view of the 6-story building used for the RASP training.	An interior view of floor area used for the RASP training. Typical office occumpancy floor plans were used.

All members wore full turnout gear with a 30-minute SCBA, and personal or larger hand lights were not to be used. Although hand lights were not used for training purposes, they should be used in actual search operations. Search teams consisted of four members, with each team member responsible for certain tools and functions during the search.

Note: Throughout this article the term “rapid room search” will be used. The definition of this term is a rapid right- or left-hand search of a room or area conducted off of the main search rope.

RASP Search Team Positions

Position #1: Company Officer – TIC, portable radio, rope bag, hand light.

Position #2: Irons – Halligan bar & flathead axe or sledgehammer, (portable radio, if available).

Position #3: ‘H-tool’ – Hydraulic forcible entry tool (portable radio, if available).

Position #4: SCBA – SCBA emergency air system and portable radio.

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The Company Officer

The company officer is the team leader and shall be responsible for the following:

1. Safety of the search team as follows:

• Accountability of the company personnel.

• Control of the team and search procedures.

• Communication with the team, incident commander, and/or sector officer.

2. Determining the rope-assisted search procedure to be used; how, where, and which search tactics will be used during the search:

• Which entry point, door, or stairwell to start the search from.

• The direction and wall to follow.

• Use of personnel off the search rope to conduct rapid room searches.

3. Determining the types of tools to be carried by the search team:

• Building construction type will dictate which tools to bring.

• Mill-constructed buildings might indicate that an axe be considered as part of tool selection.

• Non-combustible steel, concrete, and glass construction might require additional striking tools.

Tools Carried by the Company Officer:

• Rope bag

• Portable radio

• Thermal imaging camera

• Large hand light

Rope bag

The rope bag is square, is customized to carry the exact amount of recommended rope, and has a quick-release seat-belt- type shoulder strap. It is very important that the rope bag be carried “hands-free” by the wearer so the rope can be deployed and managed with the greatest possible ease. It is recommended that the rope bag contain 150 feet of 7/16-inch diameter kermantle rope.

Rope bag with strobe, quick release, I.D. tag and carabiner.	Company officer with proper rope bag placement.

To help determine the distance of deployment on the search rope, a simple knot system is used. This system consists of three overhand knots with one knot at the 50-foot mark and two knots at the 100-foot mark. The knots at 100 feet have a one-foot spacing between them.

The shoulder-strap quick-release must be located in the front of the wearer. This will facilitate quick and easy accessibility in the event the rope bag needs to be ditched.

As the rope is fed into the rope bag, make sure the rope is secured to the bottom of the bag. Some shared experiences during past rope search operations pointed out where the unsecured rope had run out of the bag leaving the search team in a “wandering mode” hoping to find a wall or familiar landmark to exit. This could become a fatal error, and it defeats the purpose of the search rope.

The accessible end or anchoring end of the rope should have a snap hook or carabiner as well as a tag that identifies the company to whom the rope belongs. The snap hook or carabiner allows for ease in securing the rope. Prior to entering the search area, the company officer will secure the rope to a substantial object. Secure the rope in an area that will allow for a safe and rapid egress directly to the outside or to a “safe area.” Objects such as columns, posts, and railings are acceptable. Anchor to entry doors as a last resort, since they do not always provide for a clear exit outside of the building or into a stairwell. In addition, doors that are chocked open can inadvertently close as the rope pulls, and in many cases it is difficult to safely secure the rope to a door.

The rope can deploy out of the front or back of the rope bag. When the search team does not have to crawl, it has been determined that the rope deploys best from the back of the rope bag. During moderate smoke conditions, the search team may be able to safely and effectively search on foot and still be prepared for greater smoke conditions justifying the need for the search rope. It is easy for the officer to use one hand to grasp the rope as it deploys. At the same time gauge the amount of tension needed to keep the rope taunt, yet allow it to leave the bag freely.

It is important that the officer always keep a hand on the rope as it deploys to maintain control and tension. If this is not done, other members on the rope will have a tendancy to freely pull the rope out of the bag, thereby defeating its purpose to provide guidance and safety.

While crawling, the rope is deployed best out of the front of the bag. As the rope deploys out of the front of the bag, it should thread between the thumb and index finger.

As the hand pushes forward along the floor while you are crawling, the hand pulls additional rope out of the bag while keeping the already deployed rope taunt.

Portable Radio

The portable radio will provide the officer with information that will aid in determining the risk level of the search. A main concern of the company officer will be whether the attack companies are “winning or losing” the fire attack. Deteriorating conditions can affect the company officer’s decision to commit any further. At this point, continuing the rope-assisted search can be dependent upon the following:

1. How rapidly are the conditions changing?

2. Is there a known victim in a known location (the context of the primary search)?

3. How deep into the search are they?

4. What is the remaining amount of SCBA air?

5. What is the fatigue level of the search team?

6. What is the experience and training level of the search team?

7. Is help on the way (i.e., hose lines, ventilation, etc.)?

In addition to the officer’s radio, it should be mandatory that the search team be equipped with a second radio. It is advised that all members of the search team have a radio. Another important aspect of the portable radio is the remote microphone. The remote microphone must be positioned near the collar for “hands-free” operation. If a remote microphone is not used, the radio will either be hand-held, placed in a pocket, or set on the floor. These actions can allow for missed radio communications — the results of which could be fatal, especially when the user is involved in a rope-assisted search operation.

Thermal-imaging Camera

The hand-held thermal-imaging camera (TIC) is an essential piece of equipment for RASP. Departments that are not using thermal-imaging cameras are operating at an elevated risk while performing RASP.

One common problem with the TIC is a lack of familiarity with its operation. Like any tool, the operator MUST know its capabilities and limitations. Here are several examples of TIC problems encountered:

• Keeping the camera lifted for constant viewing. This can give the user “tunnel vision.” Tunnel vision causes us to concentrate too deeply on one thing, thereby ignoring what our other senses are telling us.

Use the TIC to scan an area or room. Then choose a target to move toward (e.g., office door, corner, window, etc.). While maintaining a mental image of the area that was scanned, release the TIC, allowing it to suspend from its harness, and move toward the target. You can move faster to a known point without looking through the TIC if you know that the area ahead of you is safe and unobstructed. Use the TIC on an “as needed” basis. This can be described as a “scan and release” method. A major advantage of “scan and release” is speed.

• Misinterpreting the TIC image as to what was hot, and what was cold. It is necessary to understand the differences in thermal images. It is possible, for example, to mistake a hot radiator for heat from a fire flowing into a wall cavity. Even more important is being able to recognize the thermal image of a victim.

It is important for the TIC user to quickly distinguish hot from cool and to identify shapes and sizes. This requires dedicated training on the thermal imaging camera.

• Misinterpretation of room contents, doors, partitions, walls, etc. It is important that you be able to rapidly recognize the black, gray, and white thermal imagery of floor and room layouts. You should also be able to recognize target areas to search — areas behind doors and partition walls, closets, rooms, and around furniture, to name a few.

Another technique to use with the TIC is the “back-scan.” To “back-scan,” the company officer simply turns back and scans the members of the search team with the TIC. This allows the company officer to maintain accountability of his personnel.

Not unlike the “hands-free” operation of the rope bag, the TIC should be used with a harness or strap that can be attached to the wearer so the TIC can be released if need be, yet not lost.

In the next issue we will discuss the positions of “Irons,” “H-tool,” and “SCBA.”

If you are interested in the RASP search rope bag, please contact Chicago FD Fireman Brian Herrli, CEO of Xtreme Rescue Inc., at brianherrli@xtremerescue.com

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