Technical Rescue Officer (TRO)- the commander for the high angle operations at an incident. Due to his/her expertise, he/she will have responsibility for all operation of the HART. A Fire Chief may have ultimate responsibility for an incident, but will not intervene in the operations of the HART. All high angle rescue incidents require this position to be filled

 

Safety Officer- A Safety Officer will be appointed for each incident and/or training exercise. He/she will have the same qualifications as the TRO and has the ability to stop any and all operations, if necessary, until an unsafe condition can be corrected. Each incident may have a safety officer, but, a member of the HART must function as safety officer strictly for high angle operations.

 

Edgeman- appointed by the TRO to co-ordinate rescue operations at different levels. The Edgeman is the only team member that should be giving raising/halt/lower commands.

 

Medic-A rescuer who is qualified to provide patient assessment, packaging, and treatment. He/she is also qualified to rappel and to set up rigging systems.

 

Rigger- A member of the team who is responsible for carrying out the orders of the TRO. They are the hands-on people who build and operate high angle rope rescue systems.

 

Trainee- A newer member of the HART who is participating in training evolutions under the supervision of a senior member of the team. These team members may not participate in actual incidents except as members of a hauling team or as equipment runners.

 

Ancillary members- As stated previously, an ancillary member is an individual who has received some minimal training, but is primarily participating due to some other skill necessary to the success of the team ( i.e. ladder truck operator) The intent of this job description is to supplement the staffing of the team and keep the most skilled individuals available for rope rescue operations.

 

 

A member from the HART shall be selected from the team’s membership to perform each of the following administrative functions. Appointment to any of these positions has no bearing on an individuals’ function or position at an emergency scene.

 

President- Coordinates efforts of officers listed below. Responsible for creating and maintaining records, admission of new members, insurance/legal/compliance issues. Also responsible for all equipment and membership issues.

 

Public Information Officer- Responsible for “marketing” the team and for communications with team members and departments. Notifies and updates Amherst Fire Control, member Fire Departments and neighboring municipalities. Works with members of the press to build community relations. Promotional items such as team T-shirts and other items may fall within this category.

 

Training- responsible for the content and coordination of training exercises. This individual is not necessarily the instructor for each drill, but sets up an instructor and the type of evolution, training facilities, etc. This individual also is responsible for notifying members of changes from standard drill dates, times, and locations.

 

 

1.      All team members must wear PPE as prescribed elsewhere in this document. In addition, personal clothing will be suitable for the environment.

2.      All rope rescue systems created will pass the “whistle test” and will stop and hold a load if a rescuer loses his/her grip

3.      All members who are working near an edge will be appropriately tethered. Members who go “over the edge” will be attached to a belay system.

4.      A safety officer will be appointed for each incident and will have the ability to stop any incident.

 

            1. Where verbal commands may be difficult to understand or hear due to distance, obstruction, or background noise

Personal equipment

Hand Signals

Operations