In the final part of our firefighter spouse rescue training video series, instructor Valerie Solano shows different techniques used for moving victims of smoke inhalation or other injury in a fire incident. In this training, Valerie shows how to move a firefighter who is wearing an SCBA pack, how to move a child and how to move an adult.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPTION:

But I’m able to use the pack to get her to do what I want to do. And the same techniques that I’m going to use on her is what I’m going to use on somebody that’s 300 pounds, and it’s going to have the same exact effect. Okay. So, I want you to try to relax. All right. Okay. But I do want you to mind your head. So, if I just move her arm up like this, okay. If I use my butt.

Did that really require any energy out of me? No, but her pack is on the way it’s supposed to be, and she has her waist belt buckled. I bet you some of your husbands don’t buckle their waist belts. So, if I try to do that, how is that going to work for me. Who here has a husband that weighs over 200 pounds? Yeah, that’s going to be a real big struggle for me. Okay, so what I do now, and this is what I said. I’m looking for this, right? So, she’s already up here. So, I’m going to loosen this I’m going to hold this. I’m using my butt to move her okay. Again, I loosen this. I never let go of this. This is why the buckle is so important. So, I can find it when I can’t see.

Oh, no. You need to relax, okay? Let it happen.

I haven’t let go of this. Right. This gets converted underneath. Here.

Straps here. Tighten here. Tighten here. Are you ready? I’m ready. You said I’m ready. I’m ready. Same thing. The pack does what I want it to do.

So, remember earlier when I was talking about how my body hurts all the time, you would be amazed at how many recruits we cannot get into this position and why that’s important is when we do search, our victims have to stay low. So, I have respiratory protection. Okay. I will do that for every foot. Actually, eight inches for every foot that we increase them within the atmosphere, their chances of survival decrease. Okay. So, I want to stay low. So, for babies, kiddos, stuff like that, it’s easier because I’m able to get them up and over my leg. Like this. And I can move like this. I can crawl like this, right? And look how low their head is to the ground. Important, right? Guess what? Kids have floppy heads. That’s why this is built the way it is. So same thing. Legs up and over. Okay. What’s nice is that people have bones and long bones, so I’m able. Same thing. Hips up. Pull.