The Three Degrees of Mayday

Chief John Salka | Hot Topics Track | 2021 Annual Conference

Session Description
This program is a discussion about 3 categories or situations that firefighters can find themselves in that could result in a Mayday operation. Not every Mayday is the same and as a result not every RIT operation will be the same. Rapid Intervention Teams need to prepare for various urgent and dangerous situations of increasing difficulty.

A single firefighter that is lost in a house fire may be handled adequately by a 4-person RIT with little other assistance. A 3-person engine company crew that experiences a loss of water or sudden flashover will require a larger and more robust RIT operation along with additional logistical support. The collapse of a burning building that traps 6 firefighters in a 2-story burning pile of debris will require an even more complex response.

Join Chief Salka as he discusses this new perspective on Mayday and RIT operations and learn how you can prepare your firefighters to handle ANY mayday situation with confidence.

Chief John Salka
Battalion Chief John Salka (ret.) a 40-plus year veteran of the fire service,served with the FDNY for over 33 years, the last 15 years a battalion chief in the 18th Battalion in the Bronx. He is a NYS certified instructor and also lectures nationally. He is a seminar presenter and has presented at Firehouse Expo in Nashville, FDIC International in Indianapolis, the NY State Association of Fire Chiefs show and many other venues.  Chief Salka writes the monthly back page column "The Fire Scene" in Firehouse Magazine, has also written for Fire Engineering Magazine, Size-Up and the FDNY training magazine WNYF and serves on the Firehouse Expo advisory board. He served as the co-lead instructor for the H.O.T. Firefighter Safety and Survival program at FDIC for over ten years and is the co-host for the podcasts “The Command Post” heard on FireEngineering.com and “Old School” heard on iTunes. He is the author of the best-selling books “First In-Last Out: Leadership Lessons from the New York Fire Department” and “The Engine Company” published by Fire Engineering Books & Videos. He received the 2001 FDIC Training Achievement Award for his Get Out Alive firefighter survival training program and has served as a volunteer firefighter throughout his entire fire service career. Chief Salka was inducted into Firehouse Magazine’s Hall of Fame in 2019.