Firefighters Rescue Firefighters in Drill

Members of the and fire departments teamed up Wednesday to conduct a large fire drill meant to prepare rapid intervention crews, or RICs, in case they're ever needed in a fire, according to Redondo Chief Paul Lapore.

"We will assign a RIC team on every fire we go on," Lapore said.

The RICs are teams of four firefighters whose sole job is to rescue firefighters injured while battling a blaze, Lapore said. Upon their arrival, the team will walk around the building to assess entry points, stockpile equipment in front of the burning structure and create a plan of action, just in case they're needed.

Usually, they're not.

"When you do [send a RIC in], a firefighter's life is in serious peril," Lapore said.

In Wednesday's scenario, a civilian was trapped inside a burning building. When firefighter-paramedics entered to try to find the person, they discovered he was trapped. They radioed for assistance, but two of the firefighters became lost in the building.

At that point, the RICs were deployed—one team for each firefighter.

The building was filled with "smoke" from a fog machine to simulate the low visibility crews would have during a fire.

According to Lapore, the brick building on Broadway used for the drill presented its own special challenges. Because it was built before 1933, it was designed to collapse in a fire.

There are "about a dozen" such buildings in Redondo Beach, so it's a good place for training, Lapore said.

Fire departments must put on at least two drills per quarter, according to Capt. Jason May, who organized Wednesday's exercise. There is no requirement as to the type of drill.