|
|
|
|
|
10 October 2025
|
Featured FRI Magazine article: The six principals of rescue foundation by Neville van Rensburg
Building strong inter agency foundations
|
Urban search and rescue exercise, building relationships
|
This week’s featured Fire and Rescue International magazine article is: The six principals of rescue foundation by Neville van Rensburg, provincial rescue and disaster coordinator, Western Cape Emergency Services, at the time of writing the article (FRI Vol 3 no 8). We will be sharing more technical/research/tactical articles from Fire and Rescue International magazine on a weekly basis with our readers to assist in technology transfer. This will hopefully create an increased awareness, providing you with hands-on advice and guidance. All our magazines are available free of charge in PDF format on our website and online at ISSUU. We also provide all technical articles as a free download in our article archive on our website.
The six principals of rescue foundation
By Neville van Rensburg, provincial rescue and disaster coordinator, Western Cape Emergency Services (at the time of writing the article)
We all want to become a rescuer. But what is the word rescue means really to us and what is important of the word rescue. Well, it’s important before we become a rescuer that we look at the six principles of rescue foundation and once you agree with these foundations, you are ready to become a rescuer.
We must understand that rescue is high risk work with sometimes life treating situations and incidents and sometimes there are no second chances. Firstly, we will look at the word RESCUE and how does it fit into our rescue foundation.
Principal 1
We start with the letter R = that stands for responsibility as all will agree is important for a rescuer but with that it means he or she must be responsible person. Also, their personal behaviour is important for example, if rescuers behave badly in public, the image will not suit him or her as a rescuer; as they say we must lead by example. It’s also important to understand that on a rescue incident, you are accountable for not just your own actions but also the actions of others. As a rescuer, you have not only the authority to perform the functions of a rescuer but you also have a responsibility to yourself, your employer, patients, communities and the other emergency services.
It’s also important that we understand that with this comes authority, you need to have authority to be able to perform a professional rescue incident and we must also make sure that if you give someone a task in rescue, that you also give them the authority to fulfil those functions.
It also means to complement the service; you need be positive in your work place so that you can be proactive and create an encouraging working environment.
Principal 2
The second letter is E that stands for Empathy but to be able to do that it all begins with respect. So for you to be respected, you need to give respect; respect is earned. We need to connect with other people and role players. It’s also important that we care about people; otherwise we will not really have empathy for them. For example, in the event of someone that is poor or homeless that needs to be rescued. We need to have compassion and empathy because they are as human as we are. Empathy is a people skill that allows us to appreciate ourselves and the people around us.
Principal 3
The third letter is S that stand for self-discipline and knowledge. It is so important that we are knowledgeable otherwise how will we know what to do in rescue or understand the changes in technology. We must stay up to date in our different training modules because we might only perform some types once a year.
We, as rescuers, always need to look at ourselves, our image, attitude, the way we present ourselves, body language and level of knowledge and also what we put into the rescue. Leadership always start with yourself; first lead yourself before you want to lead other persons or incidents.
How we operate and manage the incident and function in our work place, will be the refection of your knowledge, skills and personal image. The information you share and receive is crucial. Information is vital to a rescuer. With the right information, you can make cognisant decisions and be an informed rescuer, which will boost your awareness level.
Principal 4
The fourth letter is C and stands for Credibility. Well, firstly, we need to be reliable and it’s important that rescuers are dependable in order to take advice were needed and work in high risk environments. Credibility includes the personal quality of being reliable, dependable or trustworthy.
Reliability, trust worthiness and being accountable to rescue organisations and the patient’s care are essential. We need to be responsible for our service to the community and be solid, reliable and ethical.
Having integrity of character means that you, as the rescuer, follow your moral and ethical convictions and doing the right thing at all times and during all circumstances. You, as a rescuer, should be true to yourself and do nothing that demeans or dishonours you.
The quality of your performance should be consistent. The quality of your performance should be replicated with or without supervision. Rescuers also need to be trusted to perform during very high risk and dangerous incidents. Professional rescue services must prioritise the safety of themselves and those they are rescuing. Furthermore, they also need to lead rescue incidents at any given time.
Having integrity of character will enable people to trust or follow them.
Personal integrity:
Integrity in the workplace
Principle 5
The fifth letter is U that stands for Unity. Here, integration is about a rescuer’s ability to integrate rescue systems and operations. It’s also about your behaviour and should be in harmony with the emergency services’ environment. This is especially of importance when there is an amalgamation where one or more services or departments combine to form a new entity; everybody should work together in order to facilitate a cohesive and unified service.
Principle 6
The sixth letter is E that stands for Excellence. It means that we, as rescuers, must always be genuinely caring to patients during an entrapment or other rescue incidents. We must really care for them as we will care for ourselves or our family or expected someone else to care for our family. It is also important that we have strong people skills and build solid relationships as this allows for a trusting and harmonious environment for the people that we serve as well our colleagues and supervisors.
Strong relationships create a solid communication platform and understanding promoting a win-win situation in the rescue environment, resulting in harmony and mutual respect.
The six principals of rescue foundation
By Neville van Rensburg, provincial rescue and disaster coordinator, Western Cape Emergency Services (at the time of writing the article)
We all want to become a rescuer. But what is the word rescue means really to us and what is important of the word rescue. Well, it’s important before we become a rescuer that we look at the six principles of rescue foundation and once you agree with these foundations, you are ready to become a rescuer.
We must understand that rescue is high risk work with sometimes life treating situations and incidents and sometimes there are no second chances. Firstly, we will look at the word RESCUE and how does it fit into our rescue foundation.
Principal 1
We start with the letter R = that stands for responsibility as all will agree is important for a rescuer but with that it means he or she must be responsible person. Also, their personal behaviour is important for example, if rescuers behave badly in public, the image will not suit him or her as a rescuer; as they say we must lead by example. It’s also important to understand that on a rescue incident, you are accountable for not just your own actions but also the actions of others. As a rescuer, you have not only the authority to perform the functions of a rescuer but you also have a responsibility to yourself, your employer, patients, communities and the other emergency services.
It’s also important that we understand that with this comes authority, you need to have authority to be able to perform a professional rescue incident and we must also make sure that if you give someone a task in rescue, that you also give them the authority to fulfil those functions.
It also means to complement the service; you need be positive in your work place so that you can be proactive and create an encouraging working environment.
Principal 2
The second letter is E that stands for Empathy but to be able to do that it all begins with respect. So for you to be respected, you need to give respect; respect is earned. We need to connect with other people and role players. It’s also important that we care about people; otherwise we will not really have empathy for them. For example, in the event of someone that is poor or homeless that needs to be rescued. We need to have compassion and empathy because they are as human as we are. Empathy is a people skill that allows us to appreciate ourselves and the people around us.
Principal 3
The third letter is S that stand for self-discipline and knowledge. It is so important that we are knowledgeable otherwise how will we know what to do in rescue or understand the changes in technology. We must stay up to date in our different training modules because we might only perform some types once a year.
We, as rescuers, always need to look at ourselves, our image, attitude, the way we present ourselves, body language and level of knowledge and also what we put into the rescue. Leadership always start with yourself; first lead yourself before you want to lead other persons or incidents.
How we operate and manage the incident and function in our work place, will be the refection of your knowledge, skills and personal image. The information you share and receive is crucial. Information is vital to a rescuer. With the right information, you can make cognisant decisions and be an informed rescuer, which will boost your awareness level.
Principal 4
The fourth letter is C and stands for Credibility. Well, firstly, we need to be reliable and it’s important that rescuers are dependable in order to take advice were needed and work in high risk environments. Credibility includes the personal quality of being reliable, dependable or trustworthy.
Reliability, trust worthiness and being accountable to rescue organisations and the patient’s care are essential. We need to be responsible for our service to the community and be solid, reliable and ethical.
Having integrity of character means that you, as the rescuer, follow your moral and ethical convictions and doing the right thing at all times and during all circumstances. You, as a rescuer, should be true to yourself and do nothing that demeans or dishonours you.
The quality of your performance should be consistent. The quality of your performance should be replicated with or without supervision. Rescuers also need to be trusted to perform during very high risk and dangerous incidents. Professional rescue services must prioritise the safety of themselves and those they are rescuing. Furthermore, they also need to lead rescue incidents at any given time.
Having integrity of character will enable people to trust or follow them.
Personal integrity:
- Keep your promises even if it takes extra effort
- Never betray a friend’s or rescue team mate’s trust even if you get in trouble
- Do not gossip or talking badly about someone in work place
- Remain true to your spouse or partner
- When in a serious relationship, don’t keep secrets from each other
- Do not let someone else take the blame for something you did
- If someone gives you confidential information, never tell anyone what you know
- When it is obvious to you a relationship is over, don’t drag it out but discuss it openly
Integrity in the workplace
- Work when you are supposed to and save socialising, snacking, searching the Internet and personal phone calls for break time
- Show respect to co-rescuers and other emergency organisations with appropriate conversation and empathy
- If you are in management, keep your employees informed so they will know what is coming and what needs to be done
- Adhere to standard operating procedures (SOPs), policies and procedures
- Be responsible. Do what you say you will do
- Use materials for work and not personal use
- If you make a mistake and a team’s project gets messed up or you miss a deadline, own up to your mistake. Don’t let teammates take the fall
- Work together as a team. This builds trust and shows integrity
- If you find yourself in a conflict of interest, get out of it as soon as possible
- Don’t accept praise of acclaim for someone else’s work. That includes stealing someone’s idea or pretending to have worked on a successful project
- When making a business deal, make sure everything is on the table and nothing was left out
Principle 5
The fifth letter is U that stands for Unity. Here, integration is about a rescuer’s ability to integrate rescue systems and operations. It’s also about your behaviour and should be in harmony with the emergency services’ environment. This is especially of importance when there is an amalgamation where one or more services or departments combine to form a new entity; everybody should work together in order to facilitate a cohesive and unified service.
Principle 6
The sixth letter is E that stands for Excellence. It means that we, as rescuers, must always be genuinely caring to patients during an entrapment or other rescue incidents. We must really care for them as we will care for ourselves or our family or expected someone else to care for our family. It is also important that we have strong people skills and build solid relationships as this allows for a trusting and harmonious environment for the people that we serve as well our colleagues and supervisors.
Strong relationships create a solid communication platform and understanding promoting a win-win situation in the rescue environment, resulting in harmony and mutual respect.