Rapid Intervention is a team of firefighters given the responsibility of rescuing other firefighters in their time of need. According to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) 1500, a minimum of two fully equipped personnel must be on-site and ready for immediate rescue of injured or trapped firefighters. The Incident Commander evaluates each situation's risk factors to determine whether a Rapid Intervention Team is to be set in place, depending upon the extent of incident involvement.
New Bern Fire-Rescue’s Technical Rescue Team is comprised of 26 highly trained personnel specializing in high-angle rescue, confined space rescue, water rescue, and trench rescue. Several of these members are also state certified instructors. The instructors train department members, in addition to assisting many other departments with their Rescue Technician training. The remainder of New Bern Fire-Rescue personnel are certified as general rescue technicians who assist the Technical Rescue Team with support activities.