San Bernardino County Fire Protection District maintains specialized resources designed to support firefighters working in some of the most challenging environments. One of those resources is the Rapid Extraction Module Support team, or REMS, which deployed on multiple fire assignments throughout California and Oregon this summer.
The primary mission of a REMS team is to be ready to respond when a firefighter is injured or experiences a medical emergency in steep, remote or difficult-to-access terrain. REMS teams are specially trained and equipped to reach, stabilize and safely extract injured firefighters from areas that may be inaccessible to traditional emergency vehicles.
REMS combines wildland firefighting experience, advanced life support medical care and technical rescue capabilities. While assigned to an incident, team members conduct medical reconnaissance throughout the fire area, identifying access points, scouting potential extraction routes and evaluating locations where specialized rescue equipment may be needed. They also support line medic operations and continually train to maintain their technical rescue skills.
If an emergency occurs, REMS personnel can deploy into remote terrain, locate and reach the injured firefighter, provide advanced medical care and package the patient for extraction. When necessary, they can establish rope rescue systems and coordinate transportation by ground ambulance or helicopter.
County Fire’s REMS capability includes specially trained personnel with wildland, paramedic and rope rescue expertise along with all-terrain rescue vehicles designed to operate in steep and difficult terrain.
Pre-positioning this specialized capability on wildland fires and other complex incidents helps reduce the time it takes to reach and extract an injured firefighter when every minute matters.
County Fire participates in California’s Master Mutual Aid System, making specialized personnel and equipment available to assist allied agencies throughout the county, region and state during large and complex incidents.