Confined-space rescue standby.
Preplanned. Equipped. Ready. OCS evaluates the space, develops or coordinates the rescue plan, deploys the team and equipment the plan calls for, and stays onsite for the covered entry operation.
What's included
Delivered within OCS's documented capabilities, confirmed for your spaces during preplanning.
- Permit-required confined-space rescue standby
- Non-entry retrieval
- Selected non-IDLH entry rescue
- Rescue preplanning
- Space-specific rescue evaluations
- Atmospheric monitoring in support of rescue
- Mechanical retrieval systems
- Rope and mechanical rescue systems within demonstrated capability
- Patient packaging and extraction
- BLS-level rescue support
- Shutdown, outage and turnaround coverage
- Facility rescue-readiness assessments
The process
Assess
Space configuration, hazards, isolation, entry method and work scope.
Preplan
A written, space-specific rescue plan coordinated with your permit process.
Deploy
Team and equipment sized to the plan, onsite before the permit opens.
Standby
Rescue systems rigged and staged for the duration of the covered entry.
Respond
Retrieval or entry rescue, packaging, extraction and handoff to EMS.
Team size comes from the preplan
We don't staff to a number picked in advance. A standard crew size that works for one vessel can be wrong for the next. OCS sets team size and rescue configuration after reviewing:
- Space configuration
- Hazards
- Number of entrants
- Simultaneous entries
- Entry method
- Retrieval requirements
- Rescue method
- Site-specific conditions
Rescue teams
OCS rescue teams are staffed by career firefighters with real-world rescue experience. Every team works to OCS rescue procedures on standardized OCS equipment, under a designated crew lead.
Documentation for your rescue service evaluation
Employers must evaluate a rescue service before relying on it. OCS provides evaluation documentation on request: team training records, practice rescue documentation, equipment inventory and our response approach for your spaces.
Scope and limits
Scope of rescue services. Rescue services are provided within OCS's documented capabilities and are subject to site-specific evaluation and rescue preplanning. Team size and rescue configuration are set by the preplan, not by a standard headcount.
OCS rescue is scheduled, onsite standby for planned entries. It is not an on-call or 911 emergency response service. The host employer and entry employer keep their responsibilities under their permit-required confined space programs.
Some scopes involve hazards outside our standard program, such as IDLH or unknown atmospheres or specialized rescue environments. Submit them anyway. They go through a specialized capability review, and we'll tell you plainly what we can support.
Planning an entry?
Send the space, the dates and the scope. OCS reviews it and comes back with a rescue plan and proposal.