Search & rescue operations during interior firefighting: A study into crawling speeds

Abstract

Firefighters perform search operations during fires in order to rescue people. Full-scale tests to evaluate the effectiveness of the techniques used to search a room have been organized in the absence of fire. 42 search crews completed 7 different set-ups. The crews consisted of Belgian and Dutch firefighters as trained to date. They searched four 12 m2 bedrooms and three 31 m2 office spaces. Searching an empty space was compared to searching a furnished space. The impact of using a hose line was evaluated. 4 min is a good order of magnitude for the search of a bedroom. The time needed increases with increasing surface, but not proportionally. Crews can search a larger area per unit of time in the 31 m2 office than in the 12 m2 bedroom. The average air consumption rate in the breathing apparatus is 68–70 lpm for both rooms. When using a hose, the search becomes longer in time and takes a higher air consumption rate (average: 84 lpm). The decision to take a hose line or not is therefore very important. Crews where the two firefighters are side by side are more effective than crews where they are behind the other.