Confined Space Incidents

By Past Chief Bill Xikis
NYSAFC Special Operations Committee

As a chief officer responding in to a confirmed confined space incident, a lot has to be running through your mind. First and foremost should be the safety of your responding units. Second is a safe and successful outcome for the victim. Once on scene things can change mentally. By this I mean what you were thinking of while responding can be clouded by what appears to be an easy rescue of the victim.

A perfect example would be this response to a call for a victim in a cesspool. A chief arrives on scene with the first due engine. The victim, a child, is visible and only eight feet down. A ladder is already in place. The call – send a firefighter in right away. John volunteers. He is 6-1/2-feet tall and will hold his breath, grab the kid, and come right up. The firefighter enters. He has trouble getting a firm grip. His entry time is 40 seconds and he keeps trying. While doing so he takes a small breath and immediately passes out, falling in.

Can this happen to you? Yes. It can happen to anyone. The adrenaline, the child, and the chaos of the parents and neighbors can be overwhelming. Past statistics show approximately 66 percent of confined space fatalities are would-be rescuers, both professional and civilian. That number is staggering. As a chief you must remember that safety of responders is the first priority. Our initial on scene thoughts must not overshadow this concept. So what should a chief do?

A confined space emergency is perhaps one of the most dangerous calls you can encounter. The reason for the 911 call is probably due to some hazardous atmospheric condition that renders a human unconscious. Keeping this in mind, you must put order into the way you handle these alarms. First, trained units and manpower must be put on the road immediately. Paid departments usually have a rescue or squad company specially trained. Volunteer departments should either have a team or know the nearest trained one. If you don’t have members trained in confined space rescue, your preplan for dealing with these incidents should identify the nearest resource and deploy them automatically on receipt of the alarm.

There are several things you can do as the first arriving units. Clear out the area and establish a hot zone. Start air monitoring right away. Interview any people familiar with the area or job. Obtain information as to how many possible victims, chemicals/gases involved, or any other hazards that are involved. Establish a decon area and an area for EMS/rehab. For a confirmed incident, an equally trained rapid intervention team and a dedicated member of an EMS unit should be dispatched. For a potentially long operation, consider lights, heat, food, replacement air supply, and relief crews.

As they say, the first arriving set the tone for the whole operation. A smooth start leads to a smooth scene. A chaotic start leads to a chaotic scene that can take a while to smooth out, if that is even possible. As a chief, a basic knowledge of the type of incident and the ICS should be your basic tools to stay on path to a successful operation. Also, a checklist for these low frequency, high risk special operations incidents is a good idea. This will help in keeping an organized flow of resources and manpower. To create one, see your special operations team for assistance.

About the Author:
Past Chief Bill Xikis is a 29-year member of the Selden Volunteer Fire Department. He also served seven years as a paid airport crash fire rescue firefighter. Xikis is a member of the Brookhaven Town Technical Rescue Task Force, Suffolk County USAR Task Force, and Suffolk County Sheriff's Office Corrections Emergency Response Team. He holds AAS and bachelor of science degrees and is a member of the NYSAFC Special Operations Committee.