Most response groups practice the 2-in/2-out rule during a HAZMAT response. But the devil is in the details when complying with 1910.120(q)(3)(vi).
How many have attempted to pick up a grown man, weighing 200+ pounds, while they are donned in a wet Level A suit and carry them out of the Hot/Warm Zone? I can state it confidentially… it will NEVER HAPPEN. Back in my heyday, I was a bodybuilder and could squat over 400 pounds, bench over 400 pounds, etc. and one day I was tasked with getting my partner out of a Hot Zone with the help of two other rescuers. The three of us could NOT get him to safety before we ran out of strength and breathing air!
So I ask you, what tools/equipment does your back-up team have at their disposal to effect an actual rescue of a responder wearing a Level A or B ensemble? Keep in mind, these scenarios are like our parents walking to school… Uphill both ways in 6″ of snow or in the rain.
Without rescue tools and resources, we are just “complying” and are not actually capable of rescuing a colleague!