UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS/ TVC
Fire Science Program
FIRE F219, RAPID INTERVENTION COMPANY OPERATIONS
COURSE SYLLABUS
CREDITS: 3.0
DESCRIPTION:
Designed to provide firefighters with the knowledge and skills necessary to work safely
and respond appropriately to life threatening situations. This course includes Rapid
Intervention team building skills, self rescue techniques, and the knowledge to handle a
“Mayday” or High Risk/Threat situation. Successful completion of this course will qualify
students for the State of Alaska certification testing process.
All students are required to wear full firefighter personal protective equipment. Limited
quantities of PPE are available for loan through the Program Coordinator.
COURSE GOALS:
A RIT is a team of skilled firefighters whose primary objective on a fire ground is to be
prepared and ready to save a firefighter that is in need of immediate assistance in the
IDLH/structural firefighting environment.
In order to maximize the learning experience, the students will be organized into teams
from the first day of class to the last, learning to perform every skill and task as a group.
Each team will work together with the instructor’s to complete the courses individual
team based objectives. This will shift the focus of “Rapid Intervention Training” from
the basic individual skills to a more team oriented approach, helping the students to
transition from the classroom to the fire ground with greater appreciation for RIT as a
professional discipline within the fire service.
During the final evaluations in class, the students will be performing junior Company
Officer leadership skills and decision making.
Certifications upon completing skills and written examination:

Alaska State Rapid Intervention Technician Certification
PREREQUISITE:
Alaska State or IFSAC FF I (Fire F131, Fire F133, Fire F135, Fire F137) with Fire F117 or
Instructor approval based on fire service experience.
1
GRADING SYSTEM:
Letter grades: A; 100-90, B; 89-80, C; 79-70, D; 69-60, F; 59 and below.
In determining final grade, the student performance will be evaluated in the following
areas:
Attendance and Participation: 20%,
Written Examinations: 40%
Skills Examination: 20%
Term Paper: 20%
ATTENDANCE:
Excused absence and make up of written and skill examinations must be arranged by
instructor notification prior to class or in a timely manner in the event of an emergency.
Fire Department members who are on shift will be expected to obtain standby relief
during class periods, and if unable to do so will only be excused for second-out alarms or
general call-back response requests. Students who do not participate substantially in
the course, or who miss 3 or more days, will receive a Faculty Initiated Withdrawal.
UAF HONOR CODE:
The public holds emergency services personnel accountable to the highest standards of
ethics. The credibility of our degree program requires that we meet those expectations
in every way possible. As a UAF student, you are subject to the Honor Code. The
University assumes that the integrity of each student and the student body as a whole
will be upheld. Honesty is a primary responsibility of you and every other UAF student.
It is your responsibility to help maintain the integrity of the student community
including the reporting any observed violations to the Instructor or Program
Coordinator. UAF’s Honor Code is as follows:
1.
Students will not collaborate on any quizzes, in-class exams, or take-home
assignments that will contribute to their grade in a course, unless permission is granted
by the course instructor. Only those materials permitted by the instructor may be used
to assist in quizzes and exams. The use of study groups is encouraged.
2.
Students will not represent the work of others as their own. A student will
attribute the source of information not original with himself or herself (direct quotes or
paraphrases) in compositions, theses and other reports. (Specifically prohibited for this
course are reports composed by other students from previous course offerings and any
Internet sources.)
2
3.
No work submitted for one course may be submitted for credit in another course
without the explicit approval of both instructors. Students may use the same
report
topic and references from other courses if the Instructor is provided with a graded copy
of any similar submissions to show that an identical report has not been submitted for
credit twice.
Violations of the Honor Code will result in a failing grade for the assignment and for the
course in which the violation occurred. Violations of the Honor Code may result in
suspension or expulsion.
Support Services:
Office of Disabilities Services (203 WHIT, 474-7043). Instructors will work with the
Office of Disabilities Services to provide reasonable accommodation to students with
disabilities.
Student Support Service Program (512 Grue, 474-6844)
TVC Learning Center (604 Barnette Street, 455-2800)
Methods:
Course delivery includes classroom lecture, field lecture, demonstrations, discussion and
practical skills lab.
Outcomes:
The class is based on knowledge of team organization, leadership and efficiency, and the
proactive nature of a prepared and professional Rapid Intervention Team.
At the end of this course the student should have knowledge of how RIT teams work,
when RIT is deployed, be able to successfully demonstrate RIT techniques and be
proficient with all State of Alaska RIT skill sheets.
Evaluation:
The students will be evaluated throughout the course by quizzes and performance
evaluations. The course main concept is teamwork so practical evaluations will be
based on team performance. Individual practical skills will be evaluated through the
Alaska State Guidelines for Rapid Intervention Technician. There will also be a final
exam and research project due.
3
RESEARCH PROJECT:
Students will research a Line of Duty Death (LODD) in the fire service within the last 5
years, where a RIT team may have been able to prevent the LODD. Students will have to
research what happened and what techniques of RIT may have helped. Students may
also research and write about a fire in which a RIT team was deployed and saved a
firefighter. Writing about what happened and the techniques used also applies.
The project will be of at least five (5) pages in length and is to include the following:




Condensed summary of events
Fire Department involved and its demographics
Building Floor plan (Showing location of origin, collapse, or victim location).
Incident Outcome
 Essay - State in your own words how a RIT team would be deployed and what
techniques would be used to help the firefighter/s in trouble. A list of sources
cited shall be included for all reference materials used.
Submission:
- Project is to be submitted in printed or typed form, double-spaced, enclosed in a
suitable folder (No hardback notebooks or binders.
- Be sure to properly name and identify the project as being your own work.
- Project will be due no later than the last day of class.
- All work must be original and shall not include another students’ composition of
reports or thesis through acquaintance or Internet sources. The UAF Honor Code shall
be the guideline for ethics in performing class work or testing.
-Violations of the Honor Code will result in a failing grade for the assignment and,
ordinarily for the course in which the violation occurred.
4
TEXT:
Rapid Intervention Company Operations (R.I.C.O.), Michael Mason & Jeffrey
Pindelski, Thomson-Delmar Learning
“Rapid Intervention Technician – Saving Our Own”
Alaska State Version 1.4
CLASS SCHEDULE AND LOCATION:
Location: North Pole Fire Department Classroom and Training Facility.
EQUIPMENT:
All students are required to wear a complete set of fire department approved protective
clothing (turnout gear). Limited quantities of gear is available for loan through the
Emergency Services Program Coordinator.
INSTRUCTORS:
Benjamin D. Fleagle, Captain, University Fire Department
Mailing Address: 611 North Chandalar St., Fairbanks, Alaska 99775
Duty Phone: (907) 474-7216/6931
Cell: (907) 460-0721
Email: fnbdf@uaf.edu
Advising by appointment only.
Forrest J. Kuiper, Captain, University Fire Department
Mailing Address: 611 North Chandler St. Fairbanks, Alaska 99775
Duty Phone: (907) 474-7216/474-6210
Cell (907) 347-1985
Email: fnfjk@uaf.edu
Advising by appointment only.
Geoff Coon, Lieutenant, Training Officer, North Pole Fire Dept.
Geoff will be working as a PA in this class although he is a RIT Instructor in his own right.
We’re glad to have Geoff along with us and are looking forward to his contributions.
5
Chad Berg, Engineer. Snohomish County Fire District 7
Chad is an Engineer on Ladder 72 and has a long history teaching truck and rescue
operations throughout the West Coast and at Fire Rescue in Las Vegas. He is also the
President of the Puget Sound FOOLS.
Chad will be providing instruction in forced entry, power saw use and roof operations.
Contact will be through Ben Fleagle
F293 Course Calendar:
Class 1:
Introduction
4 Hours
Assigned Reading: Mason and Pindelski Intro & Pg. 1-41
 Recognizing factors related to firefighter deaths and injuries
 Identify common factors that contribute to firefighter fatalities
 Identify dangerous fire ground conditions and operations
 Recognizing and announcing “MAYDAY” procedure
 Procedures for being lost and disoriented
Class 2:
4 Hours
Rescue
Assigned Reading: Mason and Pindelski pgs. 44-97, 138-160
 Procedures for locating a hose line and following it to the exit
 Confidence course
 SCBA emergency procedures for skip-breathing, bypass valve, directly off
regulator
 Rescue drags
 FF carries up and down stairs
Class 3:
Introduction to Rapid Intervention Team & questions from previous
class
Assigned Reading: Mason and Pindelski pgs. 124 - 135
 Safety briefing
 RIT PowerPoint lecture
 Anatomy of a RIT team
 Approaching a downed firefighter
4 Hours
Class 4:
4 Hours
Alternative Means
Assigned Reading: Mason and Pindelski, pgs. 100 – 121, 187 - 227
 FF drags, Ladder bail
6
 Wall breach
 FF rescue with a ladder
Class 5:
4 Hours
Class 6:
4 Hours
Intro to advanced rescue
Assigned Reading: Mason and Pindelski, pgs. 230 - 267
 Enlarging openings and breaching walls
 Advanced roof operations
 Power equipment skills
 Hand tool skills
Advanced rescue
 Enlarging openings and breaching walls
 Advanced roof operations
 Power equipment skills
 Hand tool skills
Class 7
RIT
4 Hours
 RIT- breaching walls
 Wall breach evolution
Class 8
4 Hours
RIT
 RIT roof operations
 Roof Ops evolution
Class 9
FF Fatalities Case Studies
4 Hours
Drills
Assigned Reading: State Manual, Case Studies for Nance and Denver
 Nance Drill
 Denver Drill
 RIT Operations
 RIT evolution
 Review
7
Class 10
State of Alaska, RIT Testing
8 Hours
 Final Review
 State of Alaska, Written Examination
 State of Alaska, Practical Skill Evaluation
 Instructor Evaluations
Class 11
Project presentations
4 Hours
 Project presentations
 Final Examination
8